Bradley in DC
07-26-2007, 11:00 PM
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cont/node/3010
Yes, I support Ron Paul for President
July 27, 2007 - 2:08am.
In the end, he's the only reasonable choice
By DOUG THOMPSON
I voted for Ron Paul for President in 1988. No, that's not a typo. Paul ran as the Libertarian candidate in that election. I'm a Libertarian at heart. I voted for Ed Clark when he ran as that party's candidate in 1980.
If Paul manages, somehow, to end up on the Presidential ballot next November, I'll vote for him again, although it would mean holding my nose and voting Republican.
Yeah, I know. At this point you're shaking your head and asking: "Wait a minute. Aren't you the guy who raised questions and expressed doubts about Ron Paul?"
Yep. Guilty as charged. But that was Doug Thompson the journalist talking, the reporter who has a sign hanging over his desk that says "if you're mother says she loves you, confirm it with a second source."
But Doug Thompson the citizen doesn't always listen to his alter ego the journalist and I can't stay home and not vote on Election Day. In 1988, Ron Paul was the only candidate on the ballot who believed in smaller government and sound fiscal policy.
Today, as I look over the crowded field of Democratic and Republican candidates for President, I realize the only candidate whose political views come closest to my own is, once again, Ron Paul.
Paul had guts enough to buck his party and the President and oppose, from day one, the Iraq war. A few other Republicans, like Chuck Hagel, have come to share his view, but they weren't opposed from the beginning.
I also share Paul's belief that we need less, not more government. And I believe he is a rarity in politics: an honest, decent man who puts his country above party and his convictions above political expedience.
With that said, I still have reservations about his opinions on abortion. Even though he opposes letting the federal government determine a woman's right to choose he does favor letting the states legislative on the issue and the true Libertarian in me says any and all governments - local, state or federal - should butt out and leave the decision up to the woman.
I accept Paul's explanation about the statements attributed to him on racial issues. As a former press secretary to two Congressman and a chief of staff to a third, I know that staff can sometimes put out statements in a Congressman's name that have not always been cleared. I did it more than once. So have others.
I don't base support or opposition to a candidate on single issues. Instead, I look at the record as a whole and, at this point, I believe the record of Congressman Paul is the closest to what I would want in a President.
So I'll vote for him…if I get the chance.
And that's the big if.
I can't vote for him if he's not on the ballot and to get there he has to secure the GOP nomination - a daunting challenge against well-funded candidates like Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and probably Fred Thompson.
The latest public opinion polls still have Paul at 2-3 percent. He's generating a lot of buzz on the Internet and volunteers from around the country report signing up thousands of supporters and drawing large crowds at campaign events. But translating that buzz into votes in primaries and caucuses remains a major hurdle.
Still, with voter anger at the status quo at an all-time high, there could, and should, be people out there willing to take a chance on a long shot. Jesse Ventura pulled off the impossible in Minnesota to take the governor's race a few years back.
Ron Paul's biggest political liability at the moment is his affiliation with the Republican Party. A large number of voters would rather vote for the devil than for a Republican - any Republican - and after seven years of George W. Bush one can hardly blame them.
But the Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Clinton, voted to allow Bush to invade Iraq and has yet to apologize for doing so. She supports keeping troops in Iraq in a reduced capacity that would still place American lives at risk.
I hope Ron Paul makes it. I'd like to vote for him.
The real question is whether or not I will be able to.
Yes, I support Ron Paul for President
July 27, 2007 - 2:08am.
In the end, he's the only reasonable choice
By DOUG THOMPSON
I voted for Ron Paul for President in 1988. No, that's not a typo. Paul ran as the Libertarian candidate in that election. I'm a Libertarian at heart. I voted for Ed Clark when he ran as that party's candidate in 1980.
If Paul manages, somehow, to end up on the Presidential ballot next November, I'll vote for him again, although it would mean holding my nose and voting Republican.
Yeah, I know. At this point you're shaking your head and asking: "Wait a minute. Aren't you the guy who raised questions and expressed doubts about Ron Paul?"
Yep. Guilty as charged. But that was Doug Thompson the journalist talking, the reporter who has a sign hanging over his desk that says "if you're mother says she loves you, confirm it with a second source."
But Doug Thompson the citizen doesn't always listen to his alter ego the journalist and I can't stay home and not vote on Election Day. In 1988, Ron Paul was the only candidate on the ballot who believed in smaller government and sound fiscal policy.
Today, as I look over the crowded field of Democratic and Republican candidates for President, I realize the only candidate whose political views come closest to my own is, once again, Ron Paul.
Paul had guts enough to buck his party and the President and oppose, from day one, the Iraq war. A few other Republicans, like Chuck Hagel, have come to share his view, but they weren't opposed from the beginning.
I also share Paul's belief that we need less, not more government. And I believe he is a rarity in politics: an honest, decent man who puts his country above party and his convictions above political expedience.
With that said, I still have reservations about his opinions on abortion. Even though he opposes letting the federal government determine a woman's right to choose he does favor letting the states legislative on the issue and the true Libertarian in me says any and all governments - local, state or federal - should butt out and leave the decision up to the woman.
I accept Paul's explanation about the statements attributed to him on racial issues. As a former press secretary to two Congressman and a chief of staff to a third, I know that staff can sometimes put out statements in a Congressman's name that have not always been cleared. I did it more than once. So have others.
I don't base support or opposition to a candidate on single issues. Instead, I look at the record as a whole and, at this point, I believe the record of Congressman Paul is the closest to what I would want in a President.
So I'll vote for him…if I get the chance.
And that's the big if.
I can't vote for him if he's not on the ballot and to get there he has to secure the GOP nomination - a daunting challenge against well-funded candidates like Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and probably Fred Thompson.
The latest public opinion polls still have Paul at 2-3 percent. He's generating a lot of buzz on the Internet and volunteers from around the country report signing up thousands of supporters and drawing large crowds at campaign events. But translating that buzz into votes in primaries and caucuses remains a major hurdle.
Still, with voter anger at the status quo at an all-time high, there could, and should, be people out there willing to take a chance on a long shot. Jesse Ventura pulled off the impossible in Minnesota to take the governor's race a few years back.
Ron Paul's biggest political liability at the moment is his affiliation with the Republican Party. A large number of voters would rather vote for the devil than for a Republican - any Republican - and after seven years of George W. Bush one can hardly blame them.
But the Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Clinton, voted to allow Bush to invade Iraq and has yet to apologize for doing so. She supports keeping troops in Iraq in a reduced capacity that would still place American lives at risk.
I hope Ron Paul makes it. I'd like to vote for him.
The real question is whether or not I will be able to.