What I understand from your post, BillKlinton, is that because the electoral system is a sham we shouldn't even bother finding and supporting candidates and we should just be bored by the whole process and accept whatever the media and party insiders decide should be force fed to us. Hmmm, doesn't seem very responsible and if that's the way our government really is then woe is us! I'm reminded of what Ben Franklin (you know, the white, long-haired rich guy) said when asked what had been just created at the Philadelphia Convention: "A republic if you can keep it." was his answer.
A republic requires care and involvement by the people. Due to our lack of these things we have let the beast that is our central federal government get out of control. Rather than accept our fate we can choose to diminish the role of government in our lives but it takes action. I understand that this isn't everyone's cup of tea (some of you lefties and NeoConvicts like "Big Gov") and I suspect that we won't choose to shake things up until the current system of big government, big banks, big war, big welfare, big taxes and big idiocy falls flat on its face (any day now, see post below). So while I agree that Ron Paul's chances are not the greatest in overcoming the current political party bullshit, at least he (and we who support him) are trying, trying to do something within the flawed system, because that's all we've got (for now).
I look upon the Ron Paul campaign as a good warm up to what will be a major movement in America. It is a revolution, but a revolution in its infancy and while Ron Paul may not be the standard bearer in the future battles, the principles of hard/sound money, limited government and The Bill of Rights will be the major tenants of "we the insurgents".
Viva la revolucion!
P.S. Ron Paul is not a racist nor an anti-semite. You are referring to a story in the Houston Chronicle in 1996 which refers to a Ron Paul newsletter published in the 1990's which "highlighted portrayals of blacks as inclined toward crime and lacking sense about top political issues." Dr. Paul has explained that he didn't write it and it was done by a former press secretary. Even so, I would hardly call this racist (but that is neither here nor there). What Ron Paul does believe about racism is the following:
“The true antidote to racism is liberty. Liberty means having a limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights rather than group claims. Liberty means free-market capitalism, which rewards individual achievement and competence, not skin color, gender, or ethnicity. In a free market, businesses that discriminate lose customers, goodwill, and valuable employees – while rational businesses flourish by choosing the most qualified employees and selling to all willing buyers. More importantly, in a free society every citizen gains a sense of himself as an individual, rather than developing a group or victim mentality. This leads to a sense of individual responsibility and personal pride, making skin color irrelevant. Rather than looking to government to correct what is essentially a sin of the heart, we should understand that reducing racism requires a shift from group thinking to an emphasis on individualism.”
P.S.S. The guy who stomped on the Ron Paul sign was directed to do so by the Illinois State Chairman of the Mitt Romney campaign. He wasn't just some ordinary shmo, hence the significance of that story. He was looking to start a fight, the Paulians were well behaved and didn't reciprocate.
