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skw0484 said 11/13, 12:15 PM
As excited as I am that Ron Paul is in the race, he has absolutely no chance to win any national majority votes, much less the primaries. If anything, his presence in the race will replicate what Ross Perot achieved in 1992: keeping the leading 2-party candidates open and accountable. While passion still matters in politics, a majority of the American voting public still prefers their politics spoon-fed to them by media-friendly figures with the pop-culture visibility handed to them by major media outlets. Grassroots politics is a nice idea, but America is nowhere near ready to put such a rogue political figure in such a major office.

Also, lest we forget, the dissenting Republican still represents the GOP in an election that could extend the Democratic Congress' reign. Most level headed Dems (or Republicans, for that matter) would not be willing to compromise titles, even in the name of bipartisanship.

Thanks for the input, Mr. Paul, but you're just not marketable enough for America.

skw0484 said 11/13, 10:56 PM
Please understand, I would be incredibly pumped if Ron Paul won the nomination and eventually the presidency. He is a candidate who openly steps off of the Republican party line, not to mention having years of political experience. A Ron Paul presidency would no doubt shift the political climate away from single party control.

...which is exactly why he won't win.

Again, the Ross Perot teaches us that independence is only novelty in the grand scheme of American politics (not to compare Paul to Perot in terms of being articulate... Ol' Ron wins by a landslide). As for the polls, I commend the Paul campaign for turning a relatively unknown candidate into somewhat of a celebrity (as opposed to just a politician). However, 8 points in New Hampshire and only a short amount of caucus time cannot produce the landsline numbers needed to swing the race dramatically.

Republicans will vote for those espousing popular Republican ideals, and Democrats will do the same for their candidates. If nothing else, I hope that Ron Paul's presence in the race produces some level of accountability in the major candidates.

skw0484 said 11/14, 10:32 AM
I'll conclude with counterpoints to a couple of your arguments:

"He's... a REAL Republican. Wipe away the last 16 years and he'd be in the dead-center of the GOP ideology."

Again, this is one of those "the way it is, not the way it should be" kind of arguments. What good is a "Real Republican" if their constituents desire the modern, hijacked GOP platforms? The point is not just his ideology, it's the marketability thereof. The hacks do not want a candidate who opposes the war in Iraq (and potential intervention in Iran), favors medical marijuana, opposed NCLB and the Marriage Amendment Act, etc. People want a tow-the-line poster boy for the RNC, which Mr. Paul is not.

"Paul is on the kind of trajectory that has him being a factor in January and that means he has a real chance."

Really? 8 points in New Hampshire and only a few weeks left for the caucus to mobilize in his favor? I wouldn't call that a "real chance".

"...sooner or later GOP voters, let alone the party leadership, are going to realize that wiping away the last 16 years is the best chance for victory in '08"

Let's hope they realize this before January...