Good for Ron Paul. He stood his ground.
The emissaries of America’s failed two-party system came calling on the quirky, Quixotic Texan yesterday, asking him to hold off on encouraging Americans to support third-party candidates for president.
Paul’s answer?
“Hell to the no.”
From the Houston Chronicle:
Rep. Ron Paul has given a “thanks but no thanks” response to a last-ditch effort by the McCain campaign to get the Lake Jackson lawmaker to endorse the Republican nominee for president.
On Tuesday, a day before Paul, a former GOP contender for president, had scheduled a news conference to announce he was urging supporters to back third-party candidates over GOP Sen. John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, he got a call from former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, a McCain ally and former McCain campaign co-chairman.
According to Paul, Gramm asked him back to McCain, arguing that the Republican was closer to his positions than Obama.
”The idea was that he would do less harm than the other candidate,” Paul said.
But Paul said he made it known that he would not endorse McCain, whom he has disagreed with on a whole host of issues, including the war in Iraq.
Furthermore, Paul said ” I don’t enjoy getting two to three million people angry at me.”
We wrote earlier today on the failure of both major party candidates for President to address our nation’s debilitating fiscal condition (well, somebody else did and we blogged on it), but the inescapable fact is that McCain and Obama’s ongoing reluctance to show some balls on Social Security, Medicaid and all the other unsustainable DC spending is proof positive that deficit spending is here to stay.
Ron Paul had a chance to sell out to that wasteful “bipartisanshit” today and he didn’t, so our hats are off to the dude.
A lot of “Republicans” will probably heap upon Paul’s head the same contempt that liberals dumped on Ralph Nader eight years ago, but let’s be honest – screw those people.
John McCain’s job is to get an electoral majority, and if he misses out on that “Gore-style” because he failed to stand up for all the stuff his party is supposed to believe in, well, that’s on him – not Ron Paul.
By Jamie Holts September 10, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Hello.
I would like to put a link to your site on my blog roll if you want to do the same for mine. It would be a good way to build up both of our readerships.
thank you.
By Thank you Fits News for acknowledging Dr. Paul September 10, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Ron Paul is a true statesman and definitely speaks truth to power. He places his own values over his loyalty to the Republican party. He will not sell out. After all , what is the sense of belonging to a political party if it doesn’t stand for what you believe in?
Why be loyal to the Republican party if it doubles our nation’s debt in 7 years, starts unjust expensive wars,invades the privacy of the individual,and does not obey the Constitution?
Of course, the Republican party’s only strategy is to scare its folks into believing that Obama is worse than McCain- but after a while the Karl Rove scare tactics get pretty old.
By SayNO2008.com September 10, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Say NO to McBama!
Say NO to Republicrats!
Say NO to Establishment media outlets!
Say NO to bipartisan trashing of the Constitution!
Cast a protest vote for a 3rd party presidential candidate of your choice.
Tell everyone why you will vote against the lesser of two evils.
Tell everyone who you will vote for.
Tell everyone what you think.
Be heard: http://SayNO2008.com
“The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two party system… This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment, principled candidates.” – Ron Paul
By Crooner September 10, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Deficit spending here to stay? Do you mean that same deficit spending brought to us by George W. Bush and the Republican party? Hello: does anyone remember the Clinton surpluses?
By HP September 10, 2008 at 6:28 pm
“[McCain] failed to stand up for all the stuff his party is supposed to believe in…”
Amen to that.
And Amen to Ron Paul!