2008 Presidential Election

I've donated $25 to Ron Paul's campaign and now I get e-mails every other day asking for me to contribute the rest of the $2275 that I am able to give to the Congressman's bid for the presidency. At this juncture, I have decided that what I have given thus far is enough. I'm not even sure if I'll cast my vote for Dr. Paul in the Republican primary on Tuesday, February 5th. Shouldn't logic dictate that I vote for the person for whom I have donated my hard-earned money for?

Well, yes and no. There's the one part of me that wants to vote for the eventual winner. If my sole goal was to vote for the Republican candidate who has the best shot of winning, I would opt for the socially liberal Repubican (pro-choice, pro-gun control, soft on illegal immigration) ex-mayor from New York, Mr. Rudy Giuliani. But do I really want to vote for someone who is comfortable being kissed by Donald Trump while dressed in drag? I'll pass. I'm Dead Certain that I will not vote for Giuliani in the primary. General election, maybe, but primary, no.

Okay, so I'm not voting with the general election on my mind, which will take place on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 when I cast my primary ballot in February. So why not vote Ron Paul, the libertarian? Why not vote for the most articulate Republican out there, a guy who sits on the House Finance Committee and has delivered over 4,000 babies? While he may represent the a ideologically pure wing of the Republican party (abolishing of the 16th Amendment, Federal Reserve, return to gold standard), there's the theory that it's not wise to waste one's vote on someone who has not shot at winning the nomination. Still, I admire Dr. Paul, or Dr. "No" (nicknamed so because of his refusal to pass any measures dealing with tax increases) for his steadfast principles in a non-interventionist foreign policy and an economic policy based on seemingly sound monetary principles.

Which leads me to either Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, or John McCain to round out the more serious of the Republicans. The other Republicans who are in the race include Alan Keyes, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, among others. While Romney's Mormonism is honestly a concern for me, his religion alone would not preclude my voting for him. I may end up voting for the guy. His "convenient" conversion to being pro-life, however (more on Romney in Hardball and turn to the right on other social issues may conjure up images of a flip-flopping Republican cut out of the same cloth as Demicrat John Kerry in '04. With Thompson, I'm withholding judgment until he makes more of a positive splash in the race. Which leaves me with Mr. John McCain.

I appreciate McCain's principled stance on issues almost as much as Dr. Paul's. McCain's view of Iraq and his insistence on staying there to finish the job is as admirable as Paul's insistence that we leave on principle and that our interventionist foreign policy has had "blowback" implications, such as the 9/11 attack. And McCain's got enormous credibility. Who can question the patriotism and heroism of a Vietnam vet who spent 5 years as a POW, refusing to be released early on account of his heritage? It's not to say that McCain is not without his flaws. He married his wife, Cindy, many years his junior, after having abandoned his first wife who became disfigured in a car accident while courageously waiting for McCain to return home from Vietnam. I suppose life happens and who am I to judge, but that part of his life appears very politically expedient.

So, as yet, I am an undecided Republican. It's certainly more "hip" to be a Democrat today with the choice of Hillary, Obama, Edwards, and the rest, but don't count out the Republicans. Although Bush has claimed that he won't be "pundit-in-chief," he predicts a Republican defeat over Hillary. And that's not such a bad political prognostication given that the American public has given Congress low approval ratings and may be disinclined to give the House, Senate and the presidency to the Republicans. Don't forget that the Republicans have traditionally conveyed the more presidential image over the years and more Republicans have occupied the White House than have Democrats in the post-FDR era (a narrow 6-5, but more total years). But, make no mistake about it. Democrats are craving the White House after 8 years of abstinence and will do their best to carry the party of the ass, or donkey, that is.

I was a Senior at Claremont McKenna College during the 2000 presidential elections. Having followed the Republican primaries and the likes of Gary Bauer, Alan Keyes, Steve Forbes, John McCain in the Fall of 1999, I naturally rooted for Governor George W. Bush to defeat Vice President Al Gore. So on that Tuesday night in November, I spent the evening watching the returns at the Athaneum and was happy when the Republican candidate won. But then he unwon, and the there was a bit of unsurety, and then he won again. But then Al Gore came out and challenged the victory, and so we had to wait another month and a half to figure out who would win the electoral college.

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In terms of my evolution as an informed voter, I certainly have become a bit more economically conservative and less socially conservative as time has progressed. Right now, I'm supporting Ron Paul in the 2008 Republican primaries which will be held on Super Duper Tuesday, February 5th, 2008. More than likely, the Democratic and Republican parties will have anointed their candidates by that time. So America will have to brace herself for 9 months of non-stop campaigning between Hillary and Rudy McRomney (or whichever Republican gets the nod).