Saturday, August 27, 2011

Re-Register Republican -- For Ron Paul

I've got the California voter registration form on my desk. I'm re-registering Republican so I can vote for Ron Paul in the upcoming GOP presidential primary next year.

It makes sense. Paul is the best of all the candidates -- of any major or minor party -- running for president in 2012. He has a proven record of being pro-peace. Pro-civil liberties. Pro-Constitution. A long-standing and consistent record of fighting for those positions, even in the face of public disapproval.

Sure, some minor party candidates advocate similar positions. But Paul has America's attention. He has the best shot at educating the public about those issues. He even has a (very slim) shot of winning.

Ron Paul appeals to progressives, conservatives, and libertarians alike.

Writing for the Huffington Post [July 7, 2011], Robin Koerner makes an excellent case as to why progressives should re-register Republican in order to vote for Ron Paul in the upcoming GOP primaries.

After arguing Paul's merits over Obama (Paul is more pro-peace and pro-civil liberties), Koerner observes:


Ron Paul's electoral weakness is not a difficulty in winning a presidential election. It is in winning a primary in a party with a Conservative constituency that includes the religious right and neo-cons. An influx of peace and freedom-loving independents and Democrats would change the math on the Republican side and potentially the future of America by setting up a presidential contest with a pro peace, pro-civil rights candidate (who could outflank Obama on those issues, at least, from the left).


Read the entire article.

Koerner is right. If every pro-peace/pro-civil liberties voter, of every party and no party, invaded the GOP by re-registering Republican, then Ron Paul can win the Republican nomination for president.

Rightist Neocons (and corporatists, and welfare statists) will back Obama. But Americans for peace and civil liberties (and who are opposed to budget-busting wars) will rally around Paul. It's a long shot, but if all the stars align, he might just win the presidency.

I urge all Americans, of every party and no party, to register Republican so they can vote for Ron Paul.

You can always vote for other parties' candidates in the general elections -- but you must be a registered Republican (in most states) to vote in the Republican presidential primaries.

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