I posted the following comment on Opinion Nation, a blog of the leading American leftist magazine, The Nation. There is finally a real debate emerging on the left and libertarians would do well to show their support not only of Ron Paul but of progressives supporting Ron Paul.
Can anyone here tell me the down side of voting for Ron Paul in the primary? Lots of upside to forcing the GOP to reject him at their convention, especially if enough progressives get on board to give him a plurality of votes.
Having him in the debate in a 3 way general election race will serve to display the extremism of the GOP warmongers and to challenge Obama's willingness to go along with obscene military industrial catastrophe spending.
I understand the reservations progressives have about voting for him in the general election, but is it not morally irresponsible to refuse to help him in the primary when the Democratic primaries are, with very few exceptions, predetermined up and down the ballots?
Come on... give me one good reason for wasting my vote on Obama in the primary. There are no serious primary races where I live involving a progressive and blue dog opponent.
Not only is it a moral failure to not infiltrate the GOP and occupy their voting process in this rare instance when they have a serious peace candidate on their ballot and we do not, it is also politically stupid to not help Ron Paul.
The Nation is rightly supportive of occupations in parks which do little more than fire up the already convinced while alienating the could be persuaded. Why not do something that's maybe not as fun but which will have a concrete impact against those who perpetuate economic and political injustice?
Come on...anyone tell me one good reason for refusing to occupy the GOP to vote for Ron Paul in the the primary!!!!!
Can anyone here tell me the down side of voting for Ron Paul in the primary? Lots of upside to forcing the GOP to reject him at their convention, especially if enough progressives get on board to give him a plurality of votes.
Having him in the debate in a 3 way general election race will serve to display the extremism of the GOP warmongers and to challenge Obama's willingness to go along with obscene military industrial catastrophe spending.
I understand the reservations progressives have about voting for him in the general election, but is it not morally irresponsible to refuse to help him in the primary when the Democratic primaries are, with very few exceptions, predetermined up and down the ballots?
Come on... give me one good reason for wasting my vote on Obama in the primary. There are no serious primary races where I live involving a progressive and blue dog opponent.
Not only is it a moral failure to not infiltrate the GOP and occupy their voting process in this rare instance when they have a serious peace candidate on their ballot and we do not, it is also politically stupid to not help Ron Paul.
The Nation is rightly supportive of occupations in parks which do little more than fire up the already convinced while alienating the could be persuaded. Why not do something that's maybe not as fun but which will have a concrete impact against those who perpetuate economic and political injustice?
Come on...anyone tell me one good reason for refusing to occupy the GOP to vote for Ron Paul in the the primary!!!!!
I recently defected from the Republican party. They no longer seemed to reflect my values so I made the decision to seek representation elsewhere. (I am still looking.) I have lately noticed that Dr. Pauls message of peace and prosperity transcends party lines. We may not see eye to eye on all of the minor issues but, we obviously all value our country and our freedoms. It seems that both parties are hell bent on destroying what has made this country so great over its lifespan and the powers that be use us all as pawns in order to accomplish that mission. (One way they do so is to keep us arguing about minor issues amongst ourselves.) It is like a breath of fresh air to finally have something that brings us together as Americans. Dr. Ron Paul and his message of liberty is doing just that. Thank you for putting partisan politics aside and realizing that this is what's best for our nation. I have a great respect for you in that you opened your eyes to what this country and we, as a whole, so desperately need.
ReplyDeleteYours in Liberty!
Rikki,
DeleteJust reviewing posts and comments from my blog and noticed that I replied to you by hitting the wrong reply button. Perhaps when you return to this page you will see it below. I do appreciate your kind and supportive words.
Rikki,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind and wise words. I really hope more voters can begin to see that we have to have this coalition or else we will never have our nation again. Peace.
War & Peace -- Dismantling US Empire -- My #1 issue
ReplyDeleteBack during the W reign, I was fooled into believing it was the #1 issue for democrats too. So I voted for Obama after Ron Paul lost in the primary. Now I see the true "blue" of the dems demonstrated in living color. I've loved Bill Maher for a long time, but the last couple of years have had to tune out his incessant cheerleading.
Cornelius and and Rikki, I couldn't agree more. There is no GOOD reason not to vote for the ONLY peace candidate in the race -- even moreso now that he has momentum. This deal, this necessary coalition, is actually starting to feel like a real possibility! It's exciting!
As Aimee Allen said in 2007: "Start a revolution! Break down illegal institutions!"
Tim from Mississippi
Tim,
DeleteThanks so much for your encouraging words. I do think there is a wind gathering at our back and we need to hoist the sail before it passes. I really hope my fellow progressive can take a chance and step into this "dangerous" campaign and I hope that my libertarian friends can see they need help and ask for it in a humble but honest way. Feel free to share as you will.
I am concerned that Ron Paul (by all means the only leader in the race) will be overshadowed by the Wall Street money propping up Romney's campaign. The grassroots have to emerge much much stronger to propel Paul ahead. He's done as much as any candidate could in his position. The rest of us should do SOMETHING.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, why is there a Mitt Romney add on this site?
Unknown,
ReplyDeleteThe Romney ad is a random thing that adsense does. I am very much a novice at this and don't know how to censor ads...I am sure it probably involves money and filling out some confusing stuff. Feel free to ignore that and any other ad that comes up but if u do find something interesting click on it and I might earn a penny. (I've made a grand total of 46 dollars in 11 months...lol!)
I think you are right to be concerned that the big bucks from Wall Street are going to be very difficult to overcome. The reality is the odds are stack so much against Ron Paul getting the nomination. I am not expecting it but I also want to do my part in putting up a good fight.
That's my intention here on this blog. I think there is a huge number of progressive voters that can help if they will and I am urging libertarians to invite and receive that help. It's risky for both sides to cooperate but we are already cooperating with forces that are against both of us. We need, if only on a temporary basis, to form a real coalition to defeat a common enemy which we cannot conquer separately. I would challenge you to go to progressive sites, make comments and send them here. I know that sounds a bit self-serving on my part but I think I have an airtight argument for progressives to support Ron Paul if they will give me a read.
In any case, I am glad you are standing up and doing your best in whatever way you can to fight the good fight. Thanks for your comment and commitment.
My progressive friends don't like Ron Paul because they fear he's going to gut the EPA, and that without a department of education, consistency and fairness in education will suffer. My opinion is that it cannot get any worse, and we need Ron Paul for so many reasons, but it's hard for my friends to see anything wrong with the fed and other agencies. I can't seem to convince them that we're rushing headlong to destruction and that Ron Paul is our only hope.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I feel like a 3-way debate with Ron Paul would expose the extreme positions of Romney and Obama. Ron Paul 2012! http://www.ronpaulhemp.com
ReplyDeleteHemp...let's make it happen! And I am wondering would you be ok with taxing marijuana the way we do tobacco?
ReplyDeleteCathy, I think that if this coalition can be formed the cabinet departments Ron Paul wants to close might get merged. For example, he wants to get rid of the departments of education and commerce. What if you reduce those two's budgets by 30% and merged them with labor, putting Bernie sanders in charge of a new Department of Labor, Commerce and Education. there are several ways i think that we can make some significant reductions in bureaucracies in exchange for putting a progressive in charge of the newly merged department. I should write a post with more details. Send your progressive friends my way, especially if they are from South Carolina. I think I could at least talk them into voting for Paul in the primary.
Unfortunately, The Nation no longer has this posted on their blog. why? I am not sure.
ReplyDelete