Do you want a Republican in office?

Of everyone I've spoken to, I can say that the majority of us want a Republican in office. In fact, most people's primary goal is to get a Republican in office, even if the chosen nominee wasn't their first choice. Now with three Republicans left, I think it's time we start putting serious thought into our strategy.

According to The Pew Research Center(1), The Republican party has decreased in size, shrinking from 43% in 2002 to a low 35% in 2007. The Democratic party which was similar in size to "The Grand Ol' Party" in 2002 has increased to 50% of the population. Long story short: We're outnumbered, folks!

And now for the strategy: Out of the remaining Republican candidates - Huckabee, McCain and Paul - who is going to best represent the majority of the nation to win enough votes in November to secure the White House?

To understand this, we have to look to the key issues. Besides what the Onion News Network(2) comically refers to as the most important issue, I think it's obvious to say that for most Americans, their primary concerns are the Iraq war and the economy.

According to numerous polls(3), 57% of the nation say that going into Iraq was a mistake, while 64% currently oppose the war in Iraq, and 63% say that we should withdraw within a year or less. Will such a large disapproving majority of the nation vote for a candidate that supports the war in Iraq?

And considering the enormous cost of the war, I can unequivocally say a candidate's stance on the war is directly tied to a candidates stance on the economy. How can a person be strong on economic issues yet support the war when our nation is 9 trillion dollars in debt(11), our dollar's value is free-falling(12) and we are virtually bankrupt? Will the majority of the nation support a candidate who doesn't see we are falling into the trap of Bin Laden(4)?

So if getting a Republican in office is truly our first goal, shouldn't we look at who is most likely to receive the votes of the majority of American people, not just the Republicans (because remember, we're outnumbered)?

Huckabee and McCain both state their support for the war; McCain even going so far as to state he would stay there for "one hundred years or one million years" if he thought it necessary. Now whether or not we agree with this, it's obvious that the majority of the nation does not. So when these two candidates are put up against a Democrat that promises to bring the troops home, which of these do you think the majority of the nation is going to vote for?

Which leaves Paul. He voted against the war in Iraq, something that even anti-war/anti-Republican Clinton can't claim(5) and something that the inexperienced Obama admits to not being sure(6) of how he would have voted as he shared the same political views as Bush at the time.

Paul wants to bring the troops home in the fastest and safest way possible, something that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have stated they can't promise to do for several years(7) and possibly not within their first term(8), a full five years from now. Again, we may not agree with this stance, but the overwhelming majority of the nation does.

So when placed against either inconsistent Democrats, Paul starts to look really good to voters in all parties. He represents true economic conservatism, the core beliefs of the Republican party and a foreign policy that resonates with the majority of the nation. There are no issues that he has flip-flopped on that can be drudged up, like with the other candidates. There is no dirty laundry that can be paraded through public. Just a solid, consistent and constitutional voting record and a message that can reach across party lines and secure us a shot at putting a Republican in office in 2009.

So ask yourself what is most important; nominating your favorite candidate at the risk of losing in November, or nominating a Republican that stands a good chance of siphoning votes from all parties?

You owe it to your party to think these things over. And you owe it to yourself to open-mindedly educate yourself on Ron Paul. Here's a great and easy way to start: Ron Paul Intro(9) and for those with some uncertainties, check out The Spins(10) page on that site.

For the future of the Republican party and ultimately our nation, I ask you to consider Ron Paul.

Please continue to send this forward to other Republicans. Information is golden and we deserve all of it before we make an educated opinion.

Links:

1 http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm
2 http://youtube.com/watch?v=_9AH-ufAkCU
3 http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm
4 http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/index.html
5 http://harpers.org/archive/2007/05/hbi-90000033
6 http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/03/clinton-obama-aides-spar-over-iraq.html
7 http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/15/519023.aspx
8 http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/stuck_in_iraq.html
9 http://ronpaulintro.com
10 http://ronpaulintro.com/thespins.phtml
11 http://brillig.com/debt_clock/
12 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001519.html





"If you are lucky enough to find a way of live you love, you have to find the courage to live it." - John Irving

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine

"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks." - Samuel Adams

"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God! I know not wht course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry

"History convinces me that most bad government is the result of too much government." - Thomas Jefferson

"Liberty, when it begins to take root, its a plant of rapid growth." - George Washington

Bin Laden: Goal is to bankrupt U.S.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/index.html

Al-Jazeera releases full transcript of al Qaeda leader's tape

Tuesday, November 2, 2004 Posted: 0107 GMT (0907 HKT)

(CNN) -- The Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera released a full transcript Monday of the most recent videotape from Osama bin Laden in which the head of al Qaeda said his group's goal is to force America into bankruptcy.

Al-Jazeera aired portions of the videotape Friday but released the full transcript of the entire tape on its Web site Monday.

"We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah," bin Laden said in the transcript.

He said the mujahedeen fighters did the same thing to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, "using guerrilla warfare and the war of attrition to fight tyrannical superpowers."
"We, alongside the mujahedeen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden said.

He also said al Qaeda has found it "easy for us to provoke and bait this administration."
"All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private corporations," bin Laden said.

Al-Jazeera executives said they decided to post the entire speech because rumors were circulating that the network omitted parts that "had direct threats toward specific states, which was totally untrue."

"We chose the most newsworthy parts of the address and aired them. The rest was used in lower thirds in graphics format," said one official.

U.S. intelligence officials Monday confirmed that the transcript made public Monday by Al-Jazeera was a complete one.

As part of the "bleed-until-bankruptcy plan," bin Laden cited a British estimate that it cost al Qaeda about $500,000 to carry out the attacks of September 11, 2001, an amount that he said paled in comparison with the costs incurred by the United States.

"Every dollar of al Qaeda defeated a million dollars, by the permission of Allah, besides the loss of a huge number of jobs," he said. "As for the economic deficit, it has reached record astronomical numbers estimated to total more than a trillion dollars.

The total U.S. national debt is more than $7 trillion. The U.S. federal deficit was $413 billion in 2004, according to the Treasury Department.

"It is true that this shows that al Qaeda has gained, but on the other hand it shows that the Bush administration has also gained, something that anyone who looks at the size of the contracts acquired by the shady Bush administration-linked mega-corporations, like Halliburton and its kind, will be convinced.

"And it all shows that the real loser is you," he said. "It is the American people and their economy."

As for President Bush's Iraq policy, Bin Laden said, "the darkness of black gold blurred his vision and insight, and he gave priority to private interests over the public interests of America.
"So the war went ahead, the death toll rose, the American economy bled, and Bush became embroiled in the swamps of Iraq that threaten his future," bin Laden said.

U.S. government officials said Friday that the tape appeared to be authentic and recently made. It was the first videotaped message from the al Qaeda leader in nearly three years.

McCain's Reckless "100 years in Iraq" Comment Endangers Americans

In response to John McCain's comment at a recent town hall event that he would be fine with keeping American troops in Iraq for 100 - or even 1 million years - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul issued the following statement:

"John McCain's statement in favor of keeping troops in Iraq for 100 years
or longer puts him out of sync with the majority of Americans, who want our
troops to come home. Further, his comments recklessly put America at risk as
such a statement will likely serve as a recruiting tool for Bin Laden and Al
Qaeda, who appeal to radicals and incite violence against Americans by claiming
that the US desires to occupy the Middle East indefinitely.

It is time to act in the true national security interest of the United
States and begin withdrawal from Iraq and the rest of the Middle East
immediately. Americans will be far safer under a pro-America foreign policy that
seeks to end the dangerous idea that the US should be the policeman of the
world.

Further, the financial costs of keeping troops in Iraq for a century would
be massive - in addition to the steep price in American lives. If John
McCain really wants such a long term presence, he needs to level with the
American people and tell them that his policy means we will not be able to
fulfill our obligations here at home."

According to quarterly FEC reports, Dr. Ron Paul is supported by more active duty and retired military retirees than any other candidate to be the next commander in chief. An investigation by the Houston Chronicle revealed that Congressman Paul received "more donations from current military and retired military than any other candidate."