[quote=paramount]That’s what is so great about Ron Paul, he is the only Republican (or democrat) who transcends right and left politics.[/quote]
Good point. I like Ron Paul, to a degree. Part of what I like about him is that he is not a social conservative (like most republicans) and he is not a tax and spend liberal (like most democrats). The only thing worse than a tax and spend liberal is a borrow and spend conservative. And these are our choices.
I think (and have for a long time) that it’s time for a new political party in this country. Perhaps we could call it the “pragmatic libertarian party.” It would be socially liberal as it would be free of the religious baggage that the right lugs around. It wouldn’t think that government is a cure for everything as some on the left do. But it would be pragmatic. It would understand that some things should be publicly funded. There is a role for government, and that role should be played strongly and efficiently. Easier said than done, obviously. But to base your platform on common sense and pragmatism rather than on idealism would be a good start.
For just one instance, the free market. The free market is a powerful force. But if you let it run rampant without any oversight or regulation, there would be too much manipulation, deceit, power grabbing, monopolization, and outright thievery for it to work the way that those who idealize the free market would like to think it would work. So you use common sense and the government performs an oversight and regulatory function while letting the free market gain your economy as much as it can.
Why wouldn’t such a party get a substantial portion of the vote? Why couldn’t it win congressional seats and the presidency? (Not a rhetorical question).
