It’s the story of a libertarian isolationist–– who favors the legalization of drugs and pot––posing as a Republican presidential candidate. Right! As implausible as it sounds, Andrew Sullivan discusses the fact that Paul does as well as Romney and better than Gingrich when pitted against Obama:
The man who is the target of a massive smear-job in the current National Review, and whose possible victory in Iowa has already been deemed irrelevant by the national media … is now second only to Romney in match-ups with Obama next fall. Gingrich would lose to Obama by 9 points, Perry by 12.5 points, Bachmann by 14.7 but Paul would only lose by 7.7.
CNN’s poll yesterday is even more striking. It finds Romney and Paul tied behind Obama at 7 points behind. Compare that with Gingrich’s 16 point deficit. So, in one national poll, Ron Paul does the best against Obama in the fall.
I understand why many do not support Ron Paul. What I do not understand is why he is not taken seriously by his own party. He is the most electable not-Romney. And, yes, I do concede he is not ready for government in the usual sense. But that’s his point:
I would be a different kind of president. I wouldn’t be looking for more power. Everybody wants to be a powerful executive and run things. I, as a president, wouldn’t want to run the world.
My point is less that he would be the best president than that he is currently the best medicine for the GOP’s degeneracy – and therefore the body politic’s.
