A number of important issues were addressed at the just concluded Conservative Political
Action Conference, and some future stars like Marco Rubio of Florida lit up the cheering
crowds. The biggest disappointment, however, came when the straw poll for Republican
presidential candidates in 2010 anointed Congressman Ron Paul as the popular choice.
Paul's small government, balanced budget agenda struck fire with the conservative
audience sick of Obama socialism and tax and spend Democratic and Republican policies
of the past and present. But Paul and his ideas are like the proverbial mackerel in the
moonlight. While they may glitter, they also stink.
Being the darling of CPAC has never guaranteed anyone the presidential nomination. It
won't this time either, and the reasons are many and varied. Paul's rantings against fed
monetary policy, blatant isolationism and intent to emasculate the military are not only
dangerous, they are non-straters with most Americans. If you listened to his CPAC speech,
you heard the applause lessen every time he started down one of those tarils to nowhere.
At a time when the nation is being attacked fiscally and militarily, and when opposing
countries salivate for our withdrawal from the rest of the world so that they can feast on
the carcass we leave behind simply make Paul's extremism not credible. The point is that
while some of his ideas are good, e.g., reducing the size of government and balancing the
budget, the negatives of some of his other positions destroy his credibility as a serious
candidate.
Another strike against Paul is his age. And he looks and talks older than he is. Do you
really want to put an esoteric, grandfatherly, ranting professor up against a young, chic,
glib Barack Obama? Not! It didn;t work out so well for John McCain either.
In presidential cam[paigns, everything one has said and written comes back to haunt.
Many of Pual's writings and speeches, particularly from the 80's, are filled with what
shound like unmistaeable ant-semitic and racist commentary. If he runs on a major party
ticket, his mouth and pen from the past will be his toughest opponents.
And it is inconceivable that in a conservatism of Marco Rubios, Mitch Daniels', Paul
Ryans, Eric Cantors, Tim Pawlentys, Bobby Jindals, etc., etc., Republicans couldn't
find a young, vital, vibrant firebrand to enunciate their platform in an understandable and
appealing format that can reach all generations and cultures. Why offer up a sacrificial
lamb who would rather be right than president when you can bring out a feisty young
ram who can be both?
With respect to CPAC and their venerable straw poll, Republicans beware. Americans
who are reeling under left wing extremism may be leery of swinging so far to the right
in one fell swoop. The Republican candidate and his or her ideas will have to make their
bones in an increasingly critical public poltical marketplace. Sending Ron Paul out against
Barack Obama is not tantamount to sending David out against Goliath. It's more like sending
the Sta-Puff marshmallow man out against a blast furnace.