As a long-time Ron Paul supporter and libertarian Republican, I’ve been struggling over whether to vote for Mitt Romney in November. I’m disappointed that he is the GOP nominee, and mostly I’ve decided to focus on other races where the GOP candidates are stronger (like Justin Amash and Connie Mack).
But I’ll still have to make a decision on the presidential race. At this point I’m leaning toward Romney. This is so even though I don’t like his policy views or his history as an elected official.
I’m a Ron Paul guy. I write the Stop Wasting Money blog. We want spending cuts – big, massive, gutsy, and necessary cuts. We don’t want more of the Reagan/Bush/Bush massive spending increases. A Romney administration will increase spending, and dig us deeper into the already cavernous debt hole.
So why would I vote for Romney? Because the Obama presidency has been that bad, and a second one will be that much worse.
The national debt is now about $16 Trillion. Under Romney we can expect it to reach as high as $20 Trillion. But under Obama I fear it could go as high as $24 Trillion.
Federal spending for 2012 is set for $3.8 Trillion. Under Romney it will grow over $4 Trillion. Under Obama it will grow faster.
As I’m writing this I’m watching C-Span and they showed Obama’s “You Didn’t Build That”.
That statement enrages me. I’ve built two businesses, my law firm and a related internet court directory. Yes I did build that! No one else made that happen.
Did I have help? Sure. My wife, my brother and other family helped. I hired outside contractors for various jobs along the way.
But I was the central driving force behind both businesses. I put in my time. I risked my money. When there were problems I found a way to get through them. The biggest hurdles we had to overcome were placed there by government.
President Obama believes, at his core, that government built my businesses. I’m not sure what Mitt Romney believes at his core – if an etch-a-sketch has a core – but it’s probably not worse than Obama’s philosophy.
The other reason I’m leaning toward Romney is perhaps stronger. Ron Paul will not be elected in 2012. There is no Ron Paul candidate on the ballot with any chance of winning.
So for me, this vote is to some extent a decision about whether to replace an employee. President Obama was hired to do a job. He’s done terribly. The economy is in the tank. I have a number of friends who are out of work, underemployed, and otherwise struggling financially. Prices of key items are up dramatically – milk, bread, gasoline – things that matter to regular people.
When an NFL quarterback has a record like Obama’s, the fans scream for a new quarterback. No matter what you think of the guy on the bench, it’s time to give him a shot.
Romney does have a reputation as a fix-it guy. He is credited with saving the Salt Lake Olympics. I don’t like his work as Massachusetts Governor, but it wasn’t that bad and we can hope he learned from the failed Romneycare experiment.
Romney probably will do a better job than Obama. And keep in mind that we are hoping to get several more Ron Paul candidates elected to the House and Senate.
If the House and Senate pass Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed, Mitt Romney will sign it. Barack Obama will not. That’s a huge issue within the Ron Paul community. When the Paulists and other Tea Party congressmen pass serious spending cuts, Mitt Romney is more likely than Obama to work with them.
Regrettably, I don’t see much difference between Obama and Romney on foreign policy. But Obama has done so badly in this area that Romney is unlikely to be worse.
I still haven’t made up my mind, feeling a strong pull to write in Ron Paul’s name. But most likely I will vote for Romney.
There is a disturbing trend within the Ron Paul movement. Some are calling for an “exodus” from the Republican Party. This completely misses what the movement has been trying to do.
Ron Paul followers have been getting more involved in the GOP party structure. There have been big successes in Iowa, Nevada, Maine and other states. We have been getting more candidates to run for office and we are making real progress in pulling the Republican Party toward our views.
There are many conspiracy theory fans in the Ron Paul and larger Tea Party movement. I don’t follow most of them. I don’t care where President Obama was born, nor whether the Rothschilds control the banks.
But I do believe there is a conspiratorial effort against the Ron Paul movement. The Washington DC establishment, including the leadership of both parties and the bureaucrats, fears us. They fear we will take their power away, because that is exactly what we aim to do. They are using operatives like Roger Stone to infiltrate aspects of the movement and disrupt it. They are attacking Rand Paul, Jesse Benton, and others with a long history of support for Ron Paul. The call for an exodus from the GOP is directly contrary to what Ron Paul has been working toward.
Fortunately most of the Ron Paul movement sees through this and is staying the course. We will work to elect good candidates in 2012 and 2014. We will continue to work to build our presence in the GOP party structure. And in 2016 we will have a candidate for President. If Mitt Romney continues increasing the debt, fails to audit the Fed, and otherwise disappoints, we can beat him in a primary.
Well put my friend. A few years ago I would have voted for someone like Romney for the same reasons you state.The lesser of two evils vote, something I’ve done my entire voting life which is, by the way, longer than yours. Obama put an end to that.
If political parties could be committed to asylums today’s GOP would be a prime candidate. They are an embarrassment all over the western world with their anti-science, superstitious, ignorant positions on almost everything. I couldn’t vote for such nitwits. On the other hand Obama’s penchant for killing US citizens without a trial, profligate spending, pursuit of the stupid war on drugs, and terrible foreign policy are equally abhorrent to me.
No more “lesser of two evils” voting for me! I’m voting Libertarian. At least I won’t feel guilty for enabling whatever horrors whoever gets elected comes up with.
After the BS the GOP pulled at the convention (Rule 15), I’m not sure I can vote Republican again. The party is so obviously afraid of the movement that it changes the rules (and violates them) in order to prevent candidates from being nominated? They must have real fear that Ron Paul would have won the nomination….why else go through the trouble.
And if Ron Paul HAD won the nomination, then the GOP would have some serious reconciling to do. The fact is that the actions of Republican’s vary little to the actions of the Democrats.
I am so frustrated with government right now I will probably vote for anybody who’s not an incumbent and do a Ron Paul write-in for President. It’s my way of telling the Republican party I’m tired of it’s shenanigans.
I’m tired of people voting the the lesser of two evils. You have at LEAST 5 CHOICES come election. Romney, Obama, Johnson, a write-in, or don’t vote. If you don’t like Romney, DON’T VOTE for him! If you don’t like Obama, DON’T VOTE for him! If you don’t like Johnson, DON’T VOTE for him!
And the thing I LOATHE most of all is “If you vote for [somebody other than Romney/Obama] you’re just wasting your vote.” No….I’m exercising my duty as a US citizen to select who I feel is the best choice. Not who’s the least worst choice.
And lastly, for those who say “If you vote for Johnson, you’re just stealing votes from Romney / giving votes to Obama.” If that’s how they want to look at it, fine. I see it as not voting for two people that will get nothing good done for the country over the next 4 years.
If Romney gets in, you’ll either have him for 8 years, or you’ll have a Democrat in after 4. It’s pretty obvious the GOP will not stand for anything else.
Plus, when the economy really goes off the cliff, Romney will be in office and then people will think conservatives (even though he’s not) are to blame for the economic collapse.
I understand the sentiment but disagree with the argument that we will have Romney for 8 years.
He will face a primary in 2016. All of the things you say are reasons why we need to be more active in the GOP.
Rand Paul will be a credible candidate in the 2016 primary. Romney will have to defend 3 years of huge deficits and debt ceiling increases. His policies are unlikely to improve the economy. He will be vulnerable.
We need to prepare for that fight.
Vote for Johnson if you must. But don’t give up on the GOP. We are just getting started.
How many times in history has an elected President NOT been nominated for reelection. Answer: Once. Franklin Pierce. In 1855.
I’m not willing to take the chance.
To be honest, returning to the Constitution is going to take a major event (ie. financial collapse) to get people to realize what rights they’ve lost and really push for change. I’m certainly not hoping for that, but I just don’t see trying to work from within a corrupt party to correct a corrupt system as a successful strategy.
I am disappointed in you Warren.
You don’t see a difference between Romney and Obama on foreign policy? I do. I see Romney and Ryan as both having itchy trigger fingers, particularly when it comes to Iran. If an attack on Iran doesn’t happen prior to the election, it will definitely happen in the first 3 months of a Romney presidency. I’m not defending Obama as he’s the worst president my country has ever seen, but when it comes to foreign policy, I’m afraid it actually could be worse.
What’s to be disappointed in? Mr. Redlich is a dedicated Republican. For such folks, statism not liberty, rules the day.
Right Steve – I’m a dedicated Republican who ran as the LP candidate for Governor of NY in 2010, hammering the GOP candidate in the televised debate. And I’m a statist who advocates getting rid of as much of the state as possible.
You got any substance there Stevie boy?
Is there any mathmatical possibility of a Johnson election? I’m still GOP, and for change from within, but Romney scares the crap outa me too. Libertarian Gary Johnson will be on the ticket but needs some points to get into the debates. Can we help make that happen so everyone gets a clear view of what is offered from that forum?
Warren, I am sure you know Obama was not saying you don’t deserve credit for your businesses but that you had government help. You did not build the internet, the government did and your internet company probably would not exist otherwise.
No Brian, I do not know that. “You didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” That does not sound like I get credit for building my businesses. It sounds like someone else gets the credit.
Obama gets credit for a crappy economy. He didn’t build that either. But he sure didn’t make it better.
He said he should be held accountable, and that if things didn’t get better in 3 years, it’d be a one-term proposition. I’m holding him accountable.
There’s definitely an argument to be made that by putting Romney or the loyal opposition in office during a re-election year it would speed up the kneejerk reactionary element that still has Bush Jr’s infamy still relatively fresh in their memories.
But I’m not going to make that argument.
Instead I’m going to once again reiterate to everyone here and that you can only waste your vote with the uninformed masses when you buy into such blatantly political motives. Instead, stick to the principle of only casting your vote (and support) for those principled candidates who best represents Constitutionally limited government (not executive fiat).
I’m disappointed that Mr. Redlich would continue to play the Libertarian tune when it’s so clear his heart beats to the Republican drum.
Well, I said my spiel.
That’s why my heart tells me to write in Ron Paul. And I don’t see where my heart beats to the Republican drum.
As Robin Koerner put it: Why would we want to vote for a bank-funded, Patriot Act-supporting, NDAA-supporting, interventionist who doesn’t have a plan to reduce government spending in the foreseeable future. The way I see it, Ron Paul was our last chance. Now it’s over. The debt has now out paced the GDP. We don’t have 4 more years! As we have seen, the corruption runs deep. They stole the election from RP. It doesn’t work! At this point, the only chance that I could see is that we vote in more Senators to block the house. Although Gary Johnson is a weak version of RP, he still has is gun trained at the beast (FRB). He would return the Glass Steagall Act, etc. If a write in vote for RP would count I would do that. But the big problem is that if the GOP is not behind him, there’s not enough funding to back him. If there’s a miracle, we need it now!
Johnson does not care about the Fed. He only started talking about it after he started trying to peel people away from the Ron Paul movement. Johnson is really a Republican who wants to smoke pot. Nothing more. And his campaign is infected with GOP establishment insiders trying to damage the Ron Paul and Tea Party movements.