I have become extremely disenchanted with national politics over the last several years, which might come as a shock to you based on how engaged I was back in the 2002 and 2004 election cycles. A lot has changed since then, yet too much remains exactly the same. It seems that regardless of who’s in power, pork spending prevails while the really important issues are left untouched, saved for some miraculous intervention in the future. I’m sick and tired of the status quo. Frankly, it pisses me off.
Which brings us to the 2008 presidential election. The front runners in either of the two major parties are laughable. Clinton and Obama on the Democratic side have a combined Senate career of a whopping 10 years. But, when compared to the current leaders in the Republican party, those two look way better than they should.
Simply put, the Republican presidential candidates, and the party as a whole, is a complete disaster. Rudy Giuliani is unelectable, Mit Romney would get pinned as a flip-flopper the instant he got the nomination, and Fred Thompson is…I’m not even going to waste my words on Fred Thompson. The man who probably deserves the nomination, John McCain, is out of cash and has no traction nationally. As it sits, the Republicans appear to be serving up an anti-Clinton candidate instead of someone with substance, and we all know how well that worked out for the anti-Bush (John Kerry) back in 2004…
So with that background out of the way, I want to tell you that I’m officially putting my support behind Republican Ron Paul. I admit that Paul is a long shot – a very long shot – but if I’m going to put any energy into this election, it’s going to be for someone who shares my beliefs and not for someone whose only virtue is their “electability”.
Ron Paul has a strong libertarian background, and a long House voting history to back up his words. He’s an obstetrician by trade, has written six books on economic policy, and has never voted for a measure not expressly authorized by the Constitution. Also impressive to my inner geek: In last year’s CNet Technology Voters Guide, Paul scored higher than any other member Congress, House or Senate. This guy really impresses me, all the way around.
I’m not going to try and tell you who to vote for next year, but I am asking you research the candidates and the issues to make an informed decision. And no, campaign ads do not classify as research!