Where would we be if Ron Paul/McCain had won?

[Fr3shjive]

Seeing as Obama is over 6 months in I just want to hear where you guys think the country would be if Paul or McCain had won. What would be different if Paul or McCain had won and what would be the same?

[LittleLightShining]

If McCain had won nothing would be different.

If Paul had won the people would be freaking out because it would seem like he wasn't doing enough to fix the economy.

[angelatc]

If McCain had won nothing would be different.

If Paul had won the people would be freaking out because it would seem like he wasn't doing enough to fix the economy.

And yet the economy would probably be better off.

After Obama passed the stimulus, the economists pushed back the dates they expected the recovery to begin.

I suspect unemployment would even be falling, or overtime would at least be rising, because Paul would create a very friendly business environment.

Instead we're all going to be killed off when we're old.

[Brassmouth]

If McCain had won nothing would be different.

If Paul had won the people would be freaking out because it would seem like he wasn't doing enough to fix the economy.

This. But don't forget to add the strikes and protests that the unions and special interests would be staging around the White House. They'd kill him before letting him cut any programs.

[BenIsForRon]

McCain>virtually no difference

Hard to say what would be going on with Dr. Paul in office. I imagine the financial industry, as in all the giant banks and hedge funds that are "too big to fail", would be already totally collapsed, and we'd be in a pretty nasty depression, as we try to figure out how to finance the economy without all the giants. Ron Paul would prevent these guys from getting money from the government, and that would cause wall street to wake up and dump their stocks.

In about a year or so more, we'd be getting on our feet, back on the road to a sustainable economy.

[krazy kaju]

Under McCain, we would've had a slightly less suicidal "stimulus" package and we'd have less national debt.

Under Ron Paul, we would've had some budget and tax cuts, a media going crazy to politically assassinate the President, and complete gridlock.

[jack555]

You all think we would be in the same place with healthcare if McCain was president?

[Lovecraftian4Paul]

Nothing would be different if McCain won, except a huge segment of fools would still be arguing that a Democratic President would be better.

The economy would be better if Ron Paul had won. The troops would be coming home by now and bases would be shutting down overseas. Europe and Japan would be warned that they had better learn to defend themselves as we close down operations over there. If the Iranian uprising really was mostly stirred up by the CIA, it wouldn't have happened.

I don't think labor, retirees, and students would be too pissed at cut programs. With the huge savings from dismantling the empire, they could easily keep running for awhile. I don't think Ron Paul would cut that much until late in his term, if even then. He realizes these things need to be phased out, not slashed cold turkey, too many have become dependent on them and would be freak out if they were snatched away. Though there definitely wouldn't be NEW entitlements and taxes being piled on, as there are now under Obama.

[Lovecraftian4Paul]

You all think we would be in the same place with healthcare if McCain was president?

Yes. It might have as much momentum, but the Democratic Congress would still try to pass something like they are pushing for. McCain would go along with it.

I think we would run the risk of having even worse environmental "Cap and Trade" type legislation going through. McCain was always BSing about his love for "energy independence" and the "environment." He would try to reach out to moderates and liberals and make himself look like a modern Teddy Roosevelt by pairing up with Pelosi and Reid to "save the Earth!"

[zach]

We wouldn't be anywhere because Paul would never stoop to allowing corporate money to influence his policies.

[catdd]

McSame - the name says it all.

[Fr3shjive]

Nothing would be different if McCain won, except a huge segment of fools would still be arguing that a Democratic President would be better.

The economy would be better if Ron Paul had won. The troops would be coming home by now and bases would be shutting down overseas.

Correct. I pretty much agree that if McCain had won it'd be pretty much the same as Obama's administration.

As far as the economy goes though, I think we'd be hurting worse than we are now but it'd be better for the future. We're setting a terrible precedent by propping up companies that are "too big to fail" and basically allowing them to do what ever they want because they know the govt will bail them out.

[catdd]

If McCain had won nothing would be different.

If Paul had won the people would be freaking out because it would seem like he wasn't doing enough to fix the economy.



I think you are exactly right.

[specsaregood]

No mention of the possibilities that RP would have immediately:
1. pardoned all non-violent drug crime offenders as well as stopping enforcment of any federal anti-drug laws.
2. issued an executive order stopping prosecution of income tax evasion/non payment

I think one of the things he would have done immediately is use whatever powers he could to stop the government from prosecuting/attacking people for breaking laws that dont harm anybody else....

[AdamT]

McCain would be doing everything Obama is doing, except the GOP faithful/neocons would be cheering it on instead of fighting Obama like they are doing now.

[CUnknown]

Why even throw McCain in the same sentence as Paul, the way the question is phrased makes no sense to me. Of course nothing would be different with him.

With Paul in charge - we'd be home from Iraq already. Imagine that. Just think about that for a moment.

We'd be saving a ton of money from that and taxes would be drastically slashed. That would be Dr. Paul's stimulus package. Immediate in effect. The economy would still be tanking from decades of bad policy, but we'd probably at least no worse off than we are now. The war and taxes to pay for it are such a drain on the economy.

The media would be freaking out like bloody murder. Every move of his would be over-analyzed and disparaged. The people though, I don't think they would be freaking out much, except for the people who are most affected by the propaganda (you know those types). The people would see the troops home, they'd see the tax cuts, they'd see Paul standing up to the Fed and the big banks (people are a lot more aware of the Fed and the banks these days), and I believe his approval rating would be through the roof, at least among conservatives and real progressive anti-war liberals.

Your more common breed of liberal would probably hate him. But you can't make everybody happy. For example, they would be angry about no universal health care and no cap-and-trade. They would blame him (and Bush) for the economy.

[Andrew-Austin]

If Paul miraculously became Prez, he would 'accidentally' die after pissing off every special interest group that makes up the state and being constantly attacked by the media.

[satchelmcqueen]

nothing with mccain

paul - no more income tax, property tax, no more dept edu, half of gov in prison, most of walstreet in prison, and the regular population would be well on the road to recovery and money value we have never seen before to the good. and no more over seas meddling.

[Conservative Christian]

paul - no more income tax, property tax, no more dept edu, half of gov in prison, most of walstreet in prison, and the regular population would be well on the road to recovery and money value we have never seen before to the good. and no more over seas meddling.

That's all easier said than done.

Both major parties and the judiciary would be fighting tooth, fang and claw to derail Ron's agenda.

Ron has admitted that he wouldn't be able to work any miracles up there.

The Democrat-controlled Congress stymied Reagan too many times to count, and the same would undoubtedly happen to Ron.

Ron would have to do the best he could, relying primarily on presidential vetos and executive orders. However, even that isn't anywhere close to a foolproof strategy.


.

[Fr3shjive]

Why even throw McCain in the same sentence as Paul, the way the question is phrased makes no sense to me. Of course nothing would be different with him.

The point of including McCain was to show that McCain is pretty much the same as Obama and Paul would be the only real hope for "change".

I think its funny how these people ride their party lines when the reality is that Democrats and Republicans pretty much just maintain the status quo in washington.

lol @ Obama's change, more like more of the same.

[LittleLightShining]

And yet the economy would probably be better off.

After Obama passed the stimulus, the economists pushed back the dates they expected the recovery to begin.

I suspect unemployment would even be falling, or overtime would at least be rising, because Paul would create a very friendly business environment.

Instead we're all going to be killed off when we're old.Yep, I agree.


You all think we would be in the same place with healthcare if McCain was president?Definitely.

[Elwar]

I believe that at this point in a Paul administration he would be in a fight with legislators about the budget still. He'd be on his 5th or 6th veto with both Republicans and Democrats pointing out all of the programs that Paul is keeping from the American people, blaming the economy on his unwillingness to accept their budget.

The media would be attacking him for not doing enough to fix the economy, the Fed would be intentionally destroying the dollar in order to make Paul look bad and get him out of Washington.

He'd have pulled troops out of cities months ago and he'd be in the process of handing over all of the military bases in Iraq to the Iraqis, keeping a handful of soldiers there who are there mainly for training and easing the transition. Bases around the world would be in transition mode to bring the troops home.

His hard core supporters would be infighting as to whether he should compromise with Congress on the budget in order to get his desired Fed legislation passed. They'd be split by whether or not Ron Paul should abolish everything right away or if he should lay the ground work for those things to happen over time.

Either way, we wouldn't be in the process of passing a socialist health care system, we wouldn't be worried about Iran and North Korea's taunts, we wouldn't have had any stimulus packages, and cap and tax would just be an old campaign promise of a candidate that lost.

The real results of Ron Paul's presidency wouldn't come for a few years. And it would be spectacular.

[Fozz]

I would hope that a President Ron Paul issues an executive order allowing people to use precious metals as money.
And he would have definitely pardoned Irwin Schiff.

[catdd]

I think Ron knows that he would have to go about the task slowly and deliberately or else the place would turn into a mad house with special interest groups, the democrats, the bankers, and Israel all screaming for impeachment.
First and foremost would be the economy and bringing home all the troops. But since it would take time for the bad debt to liquidate, things would get pretty bad for awhile and "people would be freaking."

[CountryboyRonPaul]

Where would we be if Ron Paul had won?

Not in the Middle East!!!!

[ctiger2]

McCain = Same

Paul = All troops from around the world home. Wars over. No Bailouts, stimulus. Allow all bankruptcies to occur. Liquidate all the debt. Indefinite suspension of Federal Income Tax. The start of phasing out Dept. of Education, Medicare & Medicaid. Federal Reserve Audit later this year and then abolish the Federal Reserve by mid '10. Return to [sound money] Gold standard by late 2010. Skim 1 trillion yearly off national debt. Legalize marijuana & decriminalize the rest of the illegal drugs.

Wow! Nice first term by Ron Paul! Now that's change I can believe in...

[BudhaStalin]

Paul wouldn't be able to pass or repeal so much legislation within his first term unless he just gave himself dictatorial powers :P

He would have to gradually implement his policies

[Fozz]

Paul wouldn't be able to pass or repeal so much legislation within his first term unless he just gave himself dictatorial powers :P

He would have to gradually implement his policies

He would have at least been able to pardon all non-violent drug users and Peter Schiff's father, and he would have been able to order all our troops overseas to return home (the commander in chief has that power). He would have probably made speeches talking about why the Fed should have an audit, and I think a lot of people would have listened.