So it looks like Ron Paul hasn't secured the Republican nomination for President. I said before that this was the obvious outcome. I voted for him in the VA primary because the primary is where you stand on principle and not pick the lesser of two evils (take notes Romney). I voted on principle because I wasn't going to pick a man who is probably suffering from severe psychological damage due to being interned at a Vietnamese torture camp. He also is a big government, open borders yahoo.
Now Ron Paul may lose his own Congressional seat. While I am a little sad to see him leave Congress (if that happens), I am not at all worried about the fate of this country. Even though I think Ron Paul is 96% correct on just about every issue out there, this new guy, Peden, doesn't appear to be all that threatening.
The fact is, Ron Paul has been tarred and feathered by the new conservatives. These are not the neocons, these are conservatives who view the war on Islamic head choppers as top priority on the issue list. They usually will disregard all other notions of smaller government and usually refuse to attack liberals on a range of issues, instead reacting to their bullshit.
But Ron Paul is a very old man. I know that politics is doing what he loves right now, but I think he probably should take a break for a while (at least 2 years). If he's still up for it, it may be a good idea to try and run for Senate in Texas (although, I'm not sure if a Senator will be up for re-election in 2010).
I have deep respect for him. His long tenure in the House has earned him the nickname "Dr. No" because he refuses to vote for most legislation that is unconstitutional or doesn't have a constitutional basis. He produces hundreds of pieces of legislation each year, largely pro-limited government based, that is ignored by even the most conservative of talk show hosts. He has proposed legislation that would effectively overturn Roe v. Wade, but he is ignored by most social conservatives.
It is a sad state of affairs when many new conservatives look at a man who stands for most of what they want and pick someone who doesn't have a clear track record of conservatism. Yesterday I posted 6 fundamental conservative principles that should be our core values. Ron Paul exemplifies all of them. Pretty much every other candidate for President on the Republican side has something to answer for a violation of those standards.
I understand why many conservatives and some libertarians wanted nothing to do with Ron Paul. Neal Boortz was especially nasty to him, because of his supporters and because Ron Paul refused to talk with him at the New Hampshire primary (Did you bother to call him afterwards Mr. Boortz?). Ron Paul's stance on the war on Islamic head choppers is unpopular in the conservative movement right now. The fact that even FauxNews, supposedly "Fair and Balanced," didn't want him to be part of the Republican presidential debates demonstrates just how much this man is despised.
On a personal note, I have questioned my vote for Ron Paul and my support of him on a regular basis. I have questioned whether our occupation in Iraq is really helping to stem the tide of terrorism. I have wondered if Ron Paul really is as crazy as some people have said (the short answer is no). I have even pondered as to whether I just support the lost causes for the sake of supporting lost causes.
I always come to the conclusion that I am supporting Ron Paul because of his hardline stances on all the bullshit that Congress pulls. He was never the perfect candidate for me. I would have preferred a governor-like version of Ron Paul (in that case, he probably would have won). For me it came down to picking a candidate who would secure our borders from Islamic head chopper threats or one who would continue to assume they'll stay in Iraq.
I don't know what I am going to do when the Presidential election comes around. I am thinking of just voting for a write-in candidate since no one looks like a good outcome. I can't in good conscious vote for John McCain because I don't believe that the security of our nation is at a high risk as it was back in 2004.
As for Ron Paul, I hope your influence never dies. It is my fervent hope that my generation will rise up and return this country to a simpler style of government like the founding fathers envisioned.