The Obama administration is about to be tested. At the end of this year, the American public will elect the forty fifth president of the United States. No democratic candidate has offered a viable challenge to incumbent Barack Obama. However, the race for the republican candidacy viciously continues.
Ron Paul ran for president as a libertarian candidate in 1988 and has since gained national prominence. He has kept a consistent record of voting against an unbalanced budget, against raising executive power, and abolishing taxes.
Paul said, “My goal would be always to get it [taxes] as low as possible. . . I would like to get rid of it, but if you can’t, get it as low as you can to invite capital back [to the U.S.].” Paul’s image as a staunch constitutionalist leads many to believe he is too extreme to be elected.
Senior Shawna Blankenship said, “Ron Paul is a radical. His ideas are good in theory, but in application they are not practical
What essentially makes Paul so different from the other candidates is his demeanor.
His answers are not coached; he chooses firm positions and does not rely on glittering generalities when he needs to make a point. When Paul was asked how much foreign aid he would cut, he simply stated, “All of it.”
In the Iowa caucus, Ron Paul proved himself a viable candidate. Coming in third to Santorum, Paul got 21.4% of the vote.
Encouraged by the results, Paul said, “We will go on. We will raise the money. I have no doubt about the volunteers. They will be there. There is nothing to be ashamed of, everything to be satisfied with.”
The New Hampshire primary gave Paul an even greater boost with a strong second behind Romney.
After placing fourth in SC, Paul hopes to regain momentum in the Florida primary, a big swing state.
Paul said, “Less than two percent [of the delegates] have been chosen. This is the beginning of a long, hard, slog. . . If you win elections and win delegates, that is the way you promote a cause. . . We will be going to the caucus states, and we will be promoting the whole idea of getting more delegates because that’s the name of the game.”
Paul’s “Achilles heel” is his stance on foreign policy. He is essentially an isolationist, and many question his rationale in such a global world.
Sawyer Tedder, senior, said, “He is way too extreme about it. I think we still need a military presence in South Korea, the Middle East, and Germany. He is way too radical to get elected. He sticks to his beliefs to a point of fault.”
Other students take a more supportive approach. One such student is John Charles Cain, notorious for his Ron Paul shoes.
Cain said, “Ron Paul is the only true defender of liberty. He is the most consistent constitutional conservative. I agree with his foreign policy. We need to be getting out of everybody else’s business.”
Senior Steven Barton took a more moderate approach on Paul.
“I agree with Paul’s plan for reducing the federal government, but I do not agree with his isolationist foreign policy.”
On the Jay Leno Show, Paul stated that in order to stimulate the economy and increase domestic capital, he would “like to cut spending by one trillion dollars his first year in office.” Although cutting government spending would certainly produce benefits for the American economy, how practical is this idea? Who would sacrifice? How does one choose who will sacrifice?
History teacher Bill Sommerville said, “I fear that cuts will come from the departments that can least afford them.”