Eyes Wide Open
The South Carolina debates were barely over and within minutes the neo-con smear machine was in overdrive against candidate Ron Paul. In the interest of full disclosure I am a rock solid conservative, and while some of the things Rep. Paul says ring true to me, I do not know if I support his candidacy for Presidency yet. With that said, it was interesting to me how quickly the neo-cons tried to marginalize Ron Paul and how viciously they attacked him regarding his statements over 9/11. Personally, I didn't see anything inflammatory about his statements regarding US policy and how it has generated resentment from people in the middle east. Rep. Paul is correct about our military presence in Islamic territory. We have bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Afghanistan and now Iraq to name a few. Overall the US has over 700 military installations and bases in over 50 countries.
The thing that strikes me about the smears against Rep. Paul is that it is the same types of tactics the neo-cons use against their liberal opponents when they feel they need to marginalize the credibility of a candidate or position. The fact that Giuliani and others felt the need to attack Rep. Paul means that he struck a nerve, and not in the way they want the public to believe. The nerve that Rep. Paul has struck is with the conservative base of the Republican party. A base that continues to view the current crop of presidential candidates with increasing skepticism. On talk radio, the day after the debates, I heard one host call Rep. Paul "an anti-Semite". Sean Hannity tried to debate Rep. Paul on the history of the middle east, and our involvement over there, and summarily had his seat handed to him. Fox news ignored its own candidates poll that clearly showed Ron Paul winning! They later claimed that "computer geeks" sympathetic to Rep. Paul fixed the poll by voting over and over for their candidate.
The Republicans will continue to have trouble with its conservative base unless the mainstream candidates take a good look at the current platform and address some serious shortcomings. The spread of American imperialism must be halted. The American border needs to be secured and our laws concerning immigration enforced. Bring US troops home from Europe and Asia and let them be responsible both socially and financially for their own defense. We must also level the playing field for American industry by changing the tax laws to allow them to compete with foreign imports. Rep. Paul has a sterling record as a conservative, and the fact that the neo-cons are attacking him means that he is on to them. Continue the good fight Representative, our country relies on brave individuals to wake them from their slumber every so often.
The thing that strikes me about the smears against Rep. Paul is that it is the same types of tactics the neo-cons use against their liberal opponents when they feel they need to marginalize the credibility of a candidate or position. The fact that Giuliani and others felt the need to attack Rep. Paul means that he struck a nerve, and not in the way they want the public to believe. The nerve that Rep. Paul has struck is with the conservative base of the Republican party. A base that continues to view the current crop of presidential candidates with increasing skepticism. On talk radio, the day after the debates, I heard one host call Rep. Paul "an anti-Semite". Sean Hannity tried to debate Rep. Paul on the history of the middle east, and our involvement over there, and summarily had his seat handed to him. Fox news ignored its own candidates poll that clearly showed Ron Paul winning! They later claimed that "computer geeks" sympathetic to Rep. Paul fixed the poll by voting over and over for their candidate.
The Republicans will continue to have trouble with its conservative base unless the mainstream candidates take a good look at the current platform and address some serious shortcomings. The spread of American imperialism must be halted. The American border needs to be secured and our laws concerning immigration enforced. Bring US troops home from Europe and Asia and let them be responsible both socially and financially for their own defense. We must also level the playing field for American industry by changing the tax laws to allow them to compete with foreign imports. Rep. Paul has a sterling record as a conservative, and the fact that the neo-cons are attacking him means that he is on to them. Continue the good fight Representative, our country relies on brave individuals to wake them from their slumber every so often.
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