End of the Two-Party System?  Can Barack Obama and Ron Paul Unite America?

By Natalie Schultz

            Let’s face facts: If Barack Obama wins the nomination the Republicans have no chance of winning in November.  That is why the Republicans are still praying for a Clinton Machine comeback; hatred towards Hillary runs deep, even among some Democrats.  So, any analysis of a Republican win in November must be viewed through a lens of Hillary as the Democrat’s nominee.  And, although a rational view of what has happened so far to both Hillary and Romney should put both of them into the ‘They blew it’ category, we know from past experience that the Clinton Machine does have an uncanny way of distorting reality so it ends up in their favor.

            The three favorites of the GOP leadership have floundered: Romney has lost his footing by spending more than any other candidate in an attempt to convince everyone, with all different and contradictory points of view, that he stands for what they believe in.  That tactic may work in the end for Clinton, as that Machine seems to have the same power as Big Brother (all truth somehow gets lost in everyone’s unconscious), but at this point, Romney may as well take that seldom used hunting rifle of his and aim for a clear shot: his foot.  Only time will tell if Rudy’s Florida strategy will work, but even if it does, he is turning 9/11 into a worn-out joke.  Fred Thompson’s lazy, lackluster strategy seems to have the best shot for the GOP.  My guess is that some people just don’t pay all that much attention to either political coverage or the candidate’s voting records, so his ‘Law and Order’ stardom seems to be carrying some real world weight.

            The current GOP leadership, under control of the Neo-CONs, fears Huckabee because his foreign policy knowledge is non-existent, his social policy only caters to the Evangelicals of the Religious Right, and his immigration and economic record flies in the face of everything Conservatives and Republicans hold dear.  He might as well be running as a Democrat.  Maverick McCain, although very pro-war, which the Neo-CONs love, again, on immigration and economic policy issues, might as well be running as a Democrat.  Also, his openly pro-war stance, especially his admitting that he plans to stay in Iraq for the next 100 years, sends painful red flags through the GOP since they are trying to shift the subject of war away from Iraq toward a national defense rhetoric.

            Then there is the magnanimous Ron Paul.  Ron Paul is to the current round of Republican contenders what Barack Obama is to the Democrats: they both have overwhelming support of that large segment of America known as Independents.  They are both the only candidates who have truly been against the War in Iraq from day one.  Obama is the only Democrat who does not plan to “mandate” (put a gun to our heads) that all Americans buy health insurance.  Both Paul and Obama want healthcare to be more affordable, but only the Free Market can do that.  It is our current government, by caving into special interests and lobbyists, such as trial lawyers (Edwards) and insurance companies that have caused the cost of medical services to increase beyond the reach of many Americans.  Hillary Clinton owes more of her campaign funding to these very special interests than all the other candidates on either side combined.  Both Obama and Ron Paul received their campaign funds from small, individual grass-roots donations; they received hard-earned money from real American people.  Ron Paul understands first-hand that great, quality healthcare can be obtained by every American citizen, but only if the government butts out.  Ron Paul is an actual medical doctor.  He had been practicing medicine long before our government was bought-out by lobbyists such as insurance companies, trial lawyers and other special interests.  Ron Paul refused to accept government funds for his services; instead he treated poor people for free or at a low cost they could afford.  Most doctors would be willing to treat patients for smaller fees, but today they cannot because corrupt trial lawyers sue at every chance, leading insurance companies to charge doctors millions of dollars to cover such malpractice suits.  This is why our healthcare is so expensive, not because our doctors are greedy, but because our government has allowed these corrupt trial lawyers to control them.  Doctors are the victims just as much as we patients are; their hands are tied.  They cannot practice medicine without malpractice insurance, and those insurance rates are so high because of all the frivolous lawsuits, so doctors must pass those exorbitant fees onto patients.  If our government representatives did not fund their campaigns with this ‘diseased’ money, then the doctors could focus on treating people instead of worrying about being sued by money-hungry lawyers.

            As far as economics and business are concerned, even Fox News business analysts say Ron Paul’s views are best for the economy, only going with Rudy as their second choice.  Fox News hates Ron Paul, even banning him from their forum in New Hampshire, so this is definitely saying something.  If anything, the GOP leadership has to realize that not only is the Republican Party in decline, but the viewership of Fox News is falling in lock-step.  The New Hampshire Republican Party even withdrew its sponsorship of that debate because of Fox’s anti-Ron Paul bias.  Ron Paul’s economic policy, laissez-faire, is the traditional Conservative Republican policy; this is the policy that our Founding Fathers built our great country upon.  The problem with the Republican Party is that over the past decade, the GOP leadership has gone against true Free Markets, and instead embraced the Clintonian concept of government controlled trade deals such as NAFTA and the WTO.  Both Ron Paul and Barack Obama are wholeheartedly against these unfair trade deals that have made the Military Industrial Complex and a handful of politicians very wealthy at the expense of the American People.  True Free Market policy today goes by the name of Fair Trade; the difference is that in a Fair Trade situation the government would not be able to prop up inefficient global companies through tax incentives and subsidies that put small American businesses and American workers at risk.  Deals such as NAFTA and the WTO destroy all local economies around the world, from the small American family farmer to the middle class who once could rely on a strong manufacturing base in this country.  Even in Europe, the Danish company LEGO has had to lay off thousands of local Danish workers because they could not compete against toys made in China and Latin America.

            The American Dollar, once the strongest currency in the world, has become almost as worthless as old Wall Street ticker tape.  Inflation runs rampant as our government continues to borrow from countries such as China, which leads to increasing National Debt and has allowed many of our enemies to buy out some of our largest companies.  Ron Paul is the only candidate who advocates for a return to the Gold Standard.  Many people laugh at this because they do not understand it.  No, you will not be walking around with gold bullion in your pocket.  By pegging currency to a precious metal such as gold it guarantees that there is a valuable source of collateral backing it up.  It is like when you get a mortgage from a bank to purchase a house, the house is your collateral; if you do not pay your mortgage the bank then owns the house and can sell it and get its money back.  Our currency problem today in fact mirrors our sub-prime mortgage crisis.  Banks lent money to people who could not afford to purchase houses; because banks were so willing to give out money to just about anyone, even interest-only mortgages, the housing market boomed, causing all home prices to rise well above what they truly would be worth in a solid economy.  Then suddenly, when these mortgages came due at the “real” rates, the rates that truly reflected the costs that the borrower should have been paying from day one, millions of people could not pay and all these homes ended up in foreclosure.  Because so many houses ended up in foreclosure at the same time, basically flooding the housing market with “For Sale” signs, the value of everyone’s home equity suddenly plummeted.  Essentially, what happened is that American homes became as valuable paper money.  The real world is not a Monopoly game, and Ron Paul is the only candidate willing to face facts and admit that we must get back to reality and peg the American dollar to gold so that it cannot be artificially inflated.  Will it be painful?  Yes, but the slope we are sliding down right now is only keeping the pain at bay by anesthetizing reality by borrowing more and more money from foreigners, many of whom are a threat to us, and in the end the pain won’t matter because America as we know it will be slaughtered.

            During the ABC debate, the cost of oil was brought up, and Ron Paul spoke about three charts that showed the cost of oil over the past several years in relation to the Dollar, the Euro and Gold.  The cost of oil for Americans using the dollar has increased by over 300%, in relation to the Euro the cost of oil has risen over 200%, but in relation to gold the cost of oil was flat.  This means that if the American Dollar was still pegged to Gold, then the cost of oil would not be affecting the lives of Americans as negatively as it is.  In addition, the cost of oil went from $27 a barrel before the war in Iraq to $100 today.  The same can be said for food and travel costs; we are importing more and more food and goods from oversees, ignoring the lack of safety standards, these goods cannot keep being imported at dirt-cheap prices; current prices are artificially deflated by countries such as China illegally subsidizing its goods and deflating its currency in order to prevent other manufacturers from competing.  Once China has completely dominated the world’s manufacturing industries it will allow the Chinese Yuan to return to true market rates, and the American dollar will be utterly worthless.  China will take over all of our big businesses and banking industry, and we will not even be able to afford to keep our defense spending up and we will be sitting ducks for invasion.  Essentially, we are heading down a road on which we are bankrupting ourselves; instead of outspending the Soviet Union on military defense, we are devaluing our currency and paying for our enemies to build mighty militaries against us because we are borrowing money from them and paying them high interest payments.

            Ron Paul is the only candidate on either side who has a true understanding of economics and how economics is the ONLY factor that affects every aspect of our lives, not only as individuals, but as a sovereign nation.  All of the issues, both foreign and domestic, revolve around the state of the American Dollar.  All of the current candidates were for the invasion of Iraq, except for Obama and Paul.  At the same time, these candidates refuse to acknowledge the dangers we face from countries such as China.  Iraq was not an imminent danger to the United States, we know now that Saddam Hussein did not have WMD.  The Neo-CONs can spin the rhetoric against countries such as Iraq and Iran all they want, but the American People are sick of all the lies.  The American People are aware that the combined powers of the Neo-CONs and the Clinton Machine have led our country down this road to destruction.  The current War in Iraq began under Clinton and came to a head under George W. Bush; NAFTA began under Clinton and has expanded under George W. Bush.  The America People are sick of all the lies, we are sick of having the wool pulled over our eyes.  John Edwards applauded Teddy Roosevelt, the great Republican who took on the monopolies and ended their wrath against the American People.  Today our government has become united in a world-wide monopoly over individual rights and freedoms.  Our government no longer represents our interests; we borrow money from China to fight a war against Iraq; Iraq never had the money to build a military large enough to destroy us, but China does.  How can we blindly allow these candidates to sway us with rhetoric when they are stealing our money and our rights and giving it away to countries like China?  We worry about the domestic healthcare crisis, yet that will not matter one bit if we continue our record of propping up our enemies.  We created our current crisis in the Middle East by propping up regimes such as Saddam Hussein and the Iranian Shaw, and even Osama Bin Laden.  Now we are doing the same in China, by paying them interest rates on the money we borrow to fund our excessive spending.  When will we learn our lesson?

            The American People are sick and tired of a government that no longer represents our interests.  We are sick and tired of a government who allows good jobs to be sent oversees, of allowing Big Business to lobby for more H1-B Visas so well-paid college educated Americans can lose their jobs to lower-paid immigrants.  We are sick of seeing our tax dollars being spent defending borders oversees when our borders here at home are wide open.  We are sick, literally, of seeing politicians receive money from special interests and lobbyists who only want the freedom to sue doctors for malpractice rather than cure Americans’ illnesses.  And yes, we are sick, literally, that our government is willing to put small family farms out of business through over-regulation while at the same time allowing poisonous food and goods from China to enter this country unregulated.

            America needs a President who will stand up for Americans, who will defend our Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.  America needs a President with real life experience and a true understanding of our current foreign and domestic problems.  America needs a President who will just say NO to all the special interests and lobbyists.  America needs “Dr. No”: Ron Paul: an experienced Air Force surgeon, a real medical doctor, a leader who has actually studied economics.  A congressman who spends his time reading every bill that comes up for a vote and always takes the floor to explain why it is good or bad.  A true defender of the freedoms this country was built on, a man of integrity who listens to no special interests and bases every vote on our most sacred document, the Constitution of the United States of America.

            If Hillary Clinton becomes the Democrat’s nominee, then the Republicans had better leave the Neo-CONs in the dust and nominate Ron Paul if they are to have any chance of winning in November and saving us from yet more Clintonian tyranny.  Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate with support from Independents and Democrats.  And 2/3 of Democrats have already shown that they do not like the Clinton Machine.   The age of Neo-CON tyranny is breathing its last breaths, so stop pandering to the past and embrace FREEDOM!

If Barack Obama becomes the nominee for the Democrats, so be it.  Americans truly are ready for change.  But we want real change, and we want it fast.  Our economy is too far gone, our international reputation is all but shot.  We do not have time for a President who is far behind the learning curve.  Obama claims to be a “Uniter,” a person who can bring together Democrats, Republicans and Independents.  Ron Paul has the very same reputation.  They have the same views on the most pertinent issue of our time: The Iraq War.  Obama needs a running mate with experience who is also a uniter, not a divider.  The Neo-CONs may hate Ron Paul, but the Neo-CONs hate America.  Fox News may hate Ron Paul, but America hates Fox News.  If America truly is ready for change, truly ready to embrace a new form of government, a government that truly represents the PEOPLE, then America is ready and jumping at the chance to vote out our two-party system.  America is ready for a Barack Obama – Ron Paul ticket this November!

Do Obama and Paul compliment each other?  Let’s see (the following comes mostly from www.issues2000.org as well as other sites and debates, speeches):

Obama - Black

Paul - White

Obama - Young

Paul - Old 

Obama - Little political experience

Paul - Member of Congress since 1976

Obama - No military career

Paul - Air Force flight surgeon

Obama - Wants to fix healthcare

Paul - Experienced medical doctor; make healthcare affordable by ending corruption; tax-free Health Savings Account

Obama - Ban smoking

Paul - No ban; insurance credit for non-smokers

Obama - Allow re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada

Paul - Allow re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada

Obama – Increase taxes, no spending cuts

Paul – Get rid of IRS, cut taxes, cut spending

Obama - Fiscal Policy ???

Paul - Return to responsible fiscal policy / Gold Standard

Obama - Farm Plan costs $300 Million a year more in spending

Paul - Eliminate all subsidies / Free Market creates small businesses, protects family farms by creating a level playing field

Obama - Against ‘No Child Left Behind’

Paul - Against ‘No Child Left Behind’

Obama - Government control of Education; sends his children to private school

Paul - Parental control of Education; for school choice, home-schooling rights

Obama - Voted YES on Patriot Act

Paul - Voted NO on Patriot Act

Obama - Register women for draft, but not for combat

Paul - Terminate Selective Service (end draft registration at age 18)

Obama - Against War in Iraq

Paul - Voted NO on War in Iraq

Obama - Against NAFTA, CAFTA; Voted YES on Free Trade with Oman

Paul - Against NAFTA, CAFTA; Voted YES to Withdraw from WTO; Voted NO on ‘Fast-Track’ trade agreements; Voted NO on all trade deals (individual businesses can trade, but government cannot regulate unless it will interfere with our sovereignty)

Obama - Supports Israel; Palestinians suffer for “not recognizing Israel”

Paul - Get out of Arab-Israeli conflict, cut off all aid to Israel and Arabs

Obama - For Energy Independence / Alternative Energy

Paul - For Energy Independence / Alternative Energy; Co-Sponsor of Solar and Wind Power tax-credit bills; Energy that pollutes the environment should internalize those costs because it is an invasion of individual property rights, then clean energy will be comparably cheaper on the Free Market.

Obama - For Carbon Credits

Paul - Carbon Credits legalize pollution; pollution is an invasion of individual property rights

Obama - Extend welfare and Medicaid to immigrants

Paul - Welfare State is the cause of illegal immigration

Obama - Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security

Paul - Voted YES on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment; end illegal alien birthright citizenship

Obama - Voted YES on border fence

Paul - Voted YES on border fence