Can Ron Win?

Many voters - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike, may be reluctant to throw their support behind Ron Paul with one powerful reason in mind; he simply has no chance to win. But is Ron Paul just a relatively obscure, "lower tier" candidate who cannot distinguish himself from the rest of the pack or who does not have a wide enough appeal? Or instead, is there something truly unique about Ron Paul and his candidacy? Is there a quietly growing groundswell of grassroots support that could spill over into strong showings in the early primaries?
Although the media widely describes Rudy McRomney as the top 3 candidates and many now throw Fred Thompson into the "top four," Paul has raised more money in New Hampshire than either Rudy Giuliani or John McCain. Am I suggesting that Ron Paul is going to win the New Hampshire primary? Well, no. But could Paul shock many political analysts by making a very strong showing - possibly even in the top 3? If fundraising is any indicator then the obvious answer is yes! Now granted, it isn't enough for Ron Paul to make a respectable showing in New Hampshire and immediately declare victory. Naturally we are talking about his ability to win the whole thing -- to win the national primary (and then the presidency). However, the respectability of a strong showing in the first primary would give Dr. Paul even more of the national exposure he needs to showcase the singular nature of his candidacy.
This brings me to the real meat of the argument -- Ron Paul is the true conservative candidate in this election. He is the candidate that the real base of the Republican Party has been yearning for since the conclusion of Reagan's 2nd term, when the torch of the party was picked up by Bush Sr. in 1988. Most just don't yet know it. I readily admit that the possible or likely candidacies of Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich could muddy the waters and make it more unlikely that a large number of Republicans will have the opportunity to hear Ron Paul's distinctive message. Yet I also assert just as readily that their presence in the campaign does not diminish the fact that he alone among the candidates is a true conservative. While others claim to be the standard bearer of the conservative movement, I think it can be plainly demonstrated that only Ron Paul passes the test.
The starting point is a non-interventionist foreign policy. This has historically been the conservative foreign policy position, as Ron Paul rightly has been insisting until he's blue in the face. Many people today don't realize that even George W. Bush espoused a non-interventionist foreign policy when he argued in his first campaign that we should not be policing the world. He did this precisely because he knew that position would resonate with his conservative base. Conservatives also attacked Clinton mercilessly for his interventionist foreign policy - including but not limited to the entanglements in Bosnia and Somalia. Ron also passes the conservative test on 2nd Amendment rights, taxation, abortion, immigration, and above all, limited government. He is the only candidate actively pushing to dramatically scale back the size and scope of the federal government, frequently invoking the Constitution to that end. There is simply no other candidate out there who is expounding these conservative principles.
An increasing number of Americans feel that our country is headed down the wrong path - that our politicians are selling us out, that we're losing a cultural war with widespread ramifications, and that we're a nation drifting away from the rule of law - a nation of contradictions. Americans are growing in their discontent with politics as usual, and with a run-away train bureaucratic Leviathan that grows every four years whether Democrat or Republican occupies the Oval Office. The bottom line is that our country needs a leader like Ron Paul.
The last Republican candidate for president who won decisively was Ronald Reagan - because he appealed not just to Republicans, but to independents, moderates, and "Reagan-Democrats." Who then has the best chance to win in 2008? Rudy McRomney or another candidate in the tradition of Bush Sr. or Bush Jr.? Or Ron Paul, whose honesty, integrity, and common sense approach will appeal not just to Republicans, but to Americans.

http://ronpaul.newlibertyusa.com