Liberty Maven

Much speculation has occurred about who Ron Paul will endorse following the Republican Convention and his Rally For The Republic. Perhaps just as much speculation has occurred about whether he will endorse anyone at all. If he were to endorse a candidate, the two names that have the most potential are Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin. However, it’s high time to realize that Ron Paul’s endorsement isn’t the be all and end all. Let’s take a look at some other candidates that Congressman Ron Paul has endorsed already.

Sifting through the list of endorsed candidates from Ron Paul’s Liberty PAC web site reveals that Paul is no liberty purist like so many of his supporters. To me, this shows Paul does compromise and play politics to further the larger goal rather than focus on specific issues of fundamental disagreement. The fact that he endorses sending money to Paul Broun, an Iraq war and surge supporting Congressman from Georgia demonstrates this. It gets worse, much worse.

Also on Ron Paul’s endorsement list is Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn who has these decidedly non-Ron Paul like words on his web site:

The Global War on Jihadist Terror must also be fought vigorously. Although we all want our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible, the surge devised by General Petraeus has worked so far.

Also listed is Roscoe Bartlett, Congressman from Maryland who is a bit softer on the Iraq War but still condemns anyone who suggests an “arbitrary withdrawal.”

Virgil Goode from Virginia is also listed. His issues page is a litany of things we all know Ron Paul disagrees with. Goode supports a federal definition of marriage amendment. He wants to “preserve and protect Social Security”. He supports “strengthening” federal grants for higher education. He also voted to continue funding the Iraq war and against troop withdrawal.

I wish I could stop there, but Montana’s Denny Rehberg is especially vile in disagreement with Ron Paul even though he is listed on Paul’s Liberty PAC site. Rehberg gave a bold defense of President Bush’s foreign policy manuevers with respect to terrorism and Iraq.

U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg gave a spirited defense of President Bush Friday evening, telling fellow Republicans the president is a “fabulous individual” who has stood firm on national defense and against terrorism. “Why do we turn our back on a president who has not turned his back on us?” Rehberg asked. “The day will come that we will thank him for what he’s doing.”

Rehberg called President Bush a “victim of his own success,” saying he has protected the nation from harm after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and allowed citizens to go on with their lives and sometimes worry about other issues like health care, the economy and energy prices.

“But he stays focused on security, on defense,” Rehberg said. “He understands what it means to fight a war somewhere else rather than inside our own boundaries.” (Source: Missoulian)

Rehberg also has some nice words about John McCain in the article.

Rehberg also put in a plug for the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, saying some Republicans may think he “has some warts,” but that it’s important to recognize how much better he’d be than the alternatives.

“We have a nominee and he’s going to be a good president,” he said. “The man has got solid credentials” in faith, family and freedom.

Freedom, Denny? McCain doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as ‘freedom’.

This isn’t meant to be an attack on Ron Paul and his judgment or lack thereof, but I suppose it has turned out that way. The overall point is that on numerous other issues all of the Ron Paul endorsed candidates above are in strong agreement with Dr. Paul. Paul is able to separate areas where he and others disagree and focus on the areas of agreement.

This list should give some food for thought to the purists who believe Paul could never endorse Bob Barr for President. Barr is a Ron Paul twin compared to these candidates. Paul could easily endorse Chuck Baldwin as well. He is certainly more purist than Barr, but that is not necessarily a good thing for filling up the ballot box come November. I could certainly see Ron Paul endorsing both Barr and Baldwin following the Republican convention, assuming there is not some idiotic McCain-Feingold law against endorsing two candidates.

The big picture here is that Ron Paul is no purist when it comes to endorsements. Barr, Baldwin, and Paul are “Amigos In Liberty”. As long as the goal is liberty there is room for compromise. It matters little who Ron Paul endorses (if he even endorses someone). In the end it is all about growing the freedom force Ron Paul began assembling with his Presidential campaign.

Don’t wait for Paul’s choice. Just ask yourself which current candidate can be most affective at growing that freedom force right now. Bob Barr is my choice. Who is yours?

(Note: To further explore how well Ron Paul’s own endorsed candidates stack up to Ron Paul himself we will be rating each of them on the Paul-O-Meter in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.)