So I read this in the Chron today and was rather disappointed, to say the least...
Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning, Houston-area congressman who waged a feisty Republican primary campaign for president, is expected on Wednesday to urge supporters to reject the two major-party candidates and vote for any of the four minor-party contenders on the November ballot.
...
In his speech, Paul is planning to say that voters can send a message to the major parties by voting for the non-establishment candidates: Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, Green Party contender Cynthia McKinney, independent Ralph Nader or Constitution Party standard-bearer Chuck Baldwin.
...
While Paul will say these individuals have strong philosophical differences on various issues, "they all stand for challenging the status quo — those special interests who control our federal government."
I read that last bit and my bullshit detector started pinging like crazy. I really can't speak in regards to Chuck Baldwin, as I know next to nothing about him -- but McKinney, Nader and Barr, from what I know about them, seem only to be railing against the "special interests" because their own "special interests" aren't the ones setting the agenda in Washington. It brings to mind what Lee said as he reviewed Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 back in the summer of 2004:
If you want to find fault with the system, fine, but if you think there’s some nefarious aspect to Bush specifically, I assure you that President Kerry will come into office with a long list of blue-blood patrician asses that need to be kissed.
And the same could be said of a President McKinney, Barr or Nader. They would all, every single one of them, come into office with a long list of special-interest asses that need to be kissed. And by associating with these people, Ron Paul is sacrificing his own credibility and that of his liberty-oriented agenda. For better or worse, by associating with these people, Ron Paul is ensuring that that much fewer people are going to listen to what he has to say. I know Paul's been dismissed as a kook by a lot of people. But I sure as hell don't understand why he chooses to make it easier to do that sometimes.
|