While Ron Paul is almost completely ignored during the presidential debates, Mitt Romney appears to be touted as the Republican frontrunner. The major problem presented by this strategy is that Dr. Paul's educational campaign of 2008 has stripped away any illusions that major differences between Republican and Democrat agendas actually exist. In other words, Romney, more than any other candidate with the possible exception of Newt, represents the past ten years of miserable, political failure.
Currently, the focal point of political success appears to be the ability of the candidates to raise money. Dr Paul is famous for his "money bombs", which are spontaneous contributions made by his grassroots supporters during key periods in the campaign. In 2008, Dr. Paul's first money bomb netted $6 million in just 24 hours, all of which came from his constituents' pockets. No other candidate has been able to reproduce such support directly from his or her voters on such a large scale to date.
Romney's support, however, comes from the typical mega-corporate entities which have placed political candidates in office with the expectations of favorable legislation and future benefits. First on the list is Goldman Sachs, whose members have contributed a whopping $231,000 to the Romney campaign so far this year. Following is a long list of securities and investment firms who contributed a combined total of $1.1 million according to Open Secrets. This is in stark contrast with the grassroots, voter support of Dr. Paul.
What is truly remarkable about all of this is the media's portrayal of Romney as the chosen Republican leader when he is following the typical track of his political predecessors who are directly responsible for the multi-trillion dollar debt, corporate domination and legal stranglehold which the country now faces. In fact, no presidential candidate, except Dr. Paul, displays any trend other than the one followed by previous political hopefuls, whether in fundraising, or in rhetoric. This all but ensures that, if voted in, a Romney administration would continue to perpetuate the same disastrous financial and legal policies as previous administrations. All the while, the mainstream media is the pied piper leading America over the cliff.
Apart from his financial support, Romney's own views are quite alarming when it comes to maintaining the political status quo. During the 2008 debates he made the statement in the attached video regarding "following people" who preach "doctrines of terror and hate". We are already over burdened by "Patriot Act" laws and intrusions such as TSA abuses at airports and threats of more locations. Obama's forced health care policy is simply an adaptation of Romney's own boondoggle, which may account for so much of his financial support.There can be no doubt, from Romney's own statements and actions, that we can expect more of the same should he take office.
Romney's draconian views regarding surveillance betray his views on foreign policy as well. Over the past ten years, the government has maintained a rather paranoid view of the world and has appeared "trigger happy" at times, especially toward Muslim nations. This stance has proven to be both diplomatically problematic as well as costly. During recent debates, attempts have been made to label Ron Paul as an "isolationist" because of his non-interventionist policies. However, the true "isolationists" are those of the mainstream Republican party. Threatening nations, dictating policy and invading sovereign space are certainly not ways to build rapport and improve relations. Dr. Paul has stated repeatedly that he would trade with countries who have views and policies which differ from those of the United States. He has also made it clear that much of the difficulty America is experiencing on the world stage comes from the "blowback" from foreign intervention and entangling alliances. It is clear that a Romney administration would continue along the same destructive path as his predecessors.
There can be no doubt that Romney represents the same failed policies of George W. Bush and the traditional Republican corporatists. What this means for America is that the current corporatist-run economy and hypervigilant intrusion of Federal government will continue unabated. With a Democratic incumbent already in office and certain disaster should we choose a mainstream Republican candidate, that leaves only one choice, Ron Paul.
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