Tuesday Trepidation, what if Ron Paul wins Iowa?

The Classic Liberal makes the case for Ron Paul.

Professor Jacobson makes the case that Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are effectively stalking horses for Mitt Romney. I agree, Iowa is being played like a fiddle.

No. It's because the Iowa caucuses do not pick winners as much as they eliminate losers. And the Iowa caucuses Tuesday are likely to eliminate from serious contention the only two men who might have blocked Romney's path to victory: Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry.

There is much to like about Ron Paul. TheCL covered it nicely. Paul's economic prescriptions are spot-on, if only the Congress could be cajoled into seeing things his way. And keeping the government out of my business is right out of Founding Fathers 101.

But alas much of what TheCL views as positive is in actuality more than sufficient to fear a Ron Paul candidacy.

As for the Paul candidacy: irrespective of anyone's personal opinion of the newsletter utterances, you have to know, with total clarity, that the MSM would utterly, endlessly pillory Paul over that issue, while simultaneously touting an unexpected new hip-hop release by Jeremiah Wright as some sort of cultural achievement, just for the recreational hypocrisy of it all. Also, Ron's foreign policies are unworkable, and would cause a big fat war, into which we'd be dragged.

It's Paul's foreign policy pronouncements which really terrify me. That, and the 9/11 conspirary nuttiness. Look, when you come out and say you wouldn't have intervened to stop the Holocaust you're on the wrong side of what's right and decent. And if you're on record agreeing with Iran's quest for a nuclear bomb? Well let's just say you're effectively on record signing Israel's death warrant.

But that's the capital "L" Libertarian philosophy — fuck 'em if they're not Americans. Often gussied up as, leave 'em alone and they'll leave us alone. It may have been a workable worldview in the Age of Sail, but in the 21st Century it's just plain dangerous. Power abhors a vacuum and if we don't project power someone else will. Are you ready for Team China, World Police? Because I'm not.

And not for nothing, but the Barbary Pirates were hardly motivated by our imposition of economic sanctions on Iran, nor were they particulary aggrieved by our (lack of) military bases in Saudi Arabia. But I suppose Ron Paul wouldn't have sent Stephen Decatur to Tripoli either. Because that would be provocative.

I think the best we can hope for tonight is that nobody drops out after the smoke clears. Because if my choice becomes Ron Paul or Mitt Romney (or gaaack! Barack Obama) then America As We Know It is doomed.

Posted at 09:56 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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