I don't care much for Ron Paul. I like his economic ideas, but he is a classic example of how libertarians have good ideas and bad ideas. Paul's bad ideas are in the area of foreign policy. That's why I won't vote for him. He is an apologist for radical Islamists. He even defends Iran's right to have a nuclear bomb. His son, Rand, seems to have a better head on his shoulders.
His recent attempt at humor by saying that Michele Bachmann hates Muslims was irresponsible and speaks poorly of his character. I don't believe that Bachmann hates Muslims or anyone else. Bachmann, however, unlike Paul, recognizes that radical Islamism and imposition of sharia in the West is a threat to our country and the world. Paul won't say that; Bachmann does. So Paul throws out a cheap line about Bachmann hating Muslims. Ron Paul would say about all of us who speak out against the jihad that we hate Muslims. That is false.
Ron Paul is a dangerous character when it comes to foreign policy. This is Jimmy Carter when it comes to this area. You may like his ideas about small government and his economic ideas, but keep this in mind. As president, he cannot dictate what will happen economically. As president, he will have the power to set foreign policy.
I look forward to the day when he pitches his tent and goes home.
He is an odd ball but he has a number of rabid followers. In the last election he always had great polling and ratings but always did very poorly when it came to actual votes. I thought then that he had some expert robo- callers or guys who knew how to vote dozens of times on polls. I'm predicting that more or less of the same will happen again. He won't get near the number of actual votes (when it comes down to actual voting) than the polls indicate.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of his base is comprised of "Just leave us ALONE" kind of people who want as little government regulation in their lives as possible. I agree with that basically but not to the same degree and there is a big difference there.
It is a shame that some of his economic ideas that sound good in the abstract just wouldn't work in today's more complex society.
He is the only Republican candidate I'd have trouble voting for but I would vote for him over Obama in a heartbeat. Obama is digging us deeper into the debt hole and extending this economic disaster far longer than it should take.
Ron Paul has his good thoughts and his bad thoughts. I can't remember ANYTHING I have ever admired about Michelle Bachmann, and I found reasons to appreciate Antonin Scalia, even CJ Rehnquist now and then. Michelle Bachmann is a walking bag of hatred, who takes a negative approach to almost everything, and offers constructive solutions to nothing at all.
ReplyDeleteANY form of religious absolutism is a threat to liberty and democracy, whether it comes from the Roman Catholic Church, rabid Protestant dominion theology, or from Salafist, Kutbist or Khomeinist forms of Islam. Right now, the Muslim varieties are have more space to arm themselves and actually try to dominate militarily. But they are not a fundamental threat of a new or different order. They are just a transient hazard of our times.
Ron Paul would plunge the nation into the mother of all Great Depressions if he actually had a chance to put us back on the "gold standard." He has sound criticisms, but darn little understanding of how to craft workable solutions. And he's right about Bachmann.