Posted on 08/07/2007 12:04:46 PM PDT by CenTexConfederate
Is 2008 The New 1964? [John Derbyshire]
There's a Pro-Ron-Paul meme going around, to the effect that 2008 is the new 1964; i.e. that on the premise—debatable in itself, of course—that the GOP has no chance of winning the presidency next year, conservatives should run a Goldwater-style insurgency to remind the party we're here & set up some influence for 2012. Bruce Bartlett floated the meme here.
I got a thought-provoking e-mail along similar lines (one of dozens like it I've had on that Paul column) from Ben Novak, who lists himself as "founder of the Americans in Europe for Ron Paul Meet-up Group in Bratislava, Republic of Slovakia." Blimey. Well, here's what Ben says. "Mr Derbyshire—-Recently you wrote an eloquent article titled the 'Ron Paul Temptation ,' about how tempted you were to support him. However, you concluded by fighting off the temptation, writing that '[Ron Paul's] candidacy belongs in the realm of dreams, not practical politics. But, oh, such sweet dreams.' A Ron Paul candidacy does inspire sweet dreams. But, rather than writing Ron Paul off for that reason, I suggest that there are a multitude of reasons why you—and a lot of other Americans—should follow your dream.
(Excerpt) Read more at corner.nationalreview.com ...
Too late. I took a Ron Paul Constitutional Law crash course on the internet.
I have drawn up the papers and declared myself a sovereign entity that has seceded from the US government.
I have proceeded to repudiate all international debts, including all my credit cards, your keyboard and the money the library says I owe them for all the graphic novels I borrowed and then lost.
I am currently engaged in a war for my own territorial existence and integrity, because my mom is threatening to kick me out of the basement of her house unless I pay tribute in the form of "rent."
FWIW, I'm a Ron Paul supporter.
For Goldwater and the Republicans in 1964 it was the Deep South plus the narrowest of wins in Goldwater's home state. For Al Smith and the Democrats in 1928 it means the Deep South, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
You can argue that both elections were springboards into what was to come: a Republican Southern strategy or a Democratic Party based in the cities of the Northeast.
Ron Paul 2008 would mean the same sort of box, but it wouldn't be a springboard to any future. Paul's campaign would look like a much feebler version of Bob Dole's, a bridge to the past.
To believe that there's some massive libertarian constituency out there that hasn't voted up until now would be a mistake. Goldwater made a similar error. It wasn't until the Democrats had badly screwed things up that the Republicans could turn things around.
You and the Truthers. Be careful about the company you keep unless you don't mind being identified with them.
LOL - your respons is moronic, and typical.
go away now!
LOL. Baracaca is no Goldwater!
Yes, it is. Our (so-called) leaders and our military take an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution, not the country. Without the Constitution as the law of the land, we will not have country fit for free men.
Find a copy of the Constitution and look at the Legislative powers.
In attacking Iraq the US has gone a long way to realizing the forecasts of the experts who, according to Senator Lugar, were unanimous in their forecasts before his committee that Iraq would eventually break into three parts. Only a brain dead neocon wouldn't see that as destabilizing the entire region. Beyond the immediate nightmare Iraq's become we've eliminated the major counterweight to Iran's ambitions. Other costs, beyond those to the US armed forces and the strain on US finances, the Republicans have turned over a significant number of previously safe Congressional seats and control of Congress.
The only silver lining in any of this is that the neocons, Chalabi, the AEI and the Israel First crowd (all of whom I blame to one degree or another for this) have created a scenario which, once we finally remove our ground forces from the ME, will ensure the country doesn't forget - probably for the next fifty years or so - that the US armed forces exist to defend the US and not wander around the ME, a part of the world not worth an American sprained ankle.
All we need is for the RINOs to walk out on the nominee and tacitly support the Dems, just like in 1964. (Including Romney’s daddy. At least Bush Sr. stood by Goldwater.)
During the 1964 campaign, Fidel Castro threatened to turn off the water at Guantanamo. A reporter asked Barry Goldwater what he would do as President if Castro did that.
“I’d send in the Marines and turn on the water.”
The Goldwater supporters joked after the campaign that “they told me if I voted for Goldwater, we’d get in a war. Well, they were right. I voted for him and we’re in one.”
AuH2O. In your heart, you know he’s right.
Paul is probably closest to Goldwater’s principles domestically, but pretty far from him in terms of foreign policy.
What is the “Israel First crowd”?
True.. we weren’t attacked in 1918.. it was in 1915 when the Lusitania was sunk. As were several ships that were flying the American flag at the time. Then there was 1916 and the Zimmerman telegram, exposing the plot to attack us.Not to mention several incidents of sabotage in the Port of New York and elsewhere. Or don’t those count?
Ah, so you don’t have a problem being associated with the Truthers. I suspected as much.
I'm probably the biggtest states' rights, Tenth Amendment person here, but the Constitution requires teh Federal government to protect life. It prohibits the taking of any human life without due process. Since a fetus, even an embryo, is genetically one of us, i.e., human, it is thus protected by the Constitution.
It is the democrats, if they nominate one of the current two front runners, that have no chance of winning. And the chances get even slimmer if the winner of the nomination picks the loser as their running mate. A woman/black, black/woman ticket? I don’t care how it polls, it will never fly in Peoria.
Ther eisn't. There is, however, the pragmatic realization that it has taken many yeas to build this monster and we can't get rid of it overnight. I just wish any of the GOP candidates were committed to moving the ball in our direction, to actually beginning the process of making the Federal government smaller.
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