Ron Paul and the GOP

Stephen Dinan makes the usual mistake that political pundits make when talking about Ron Paul and his supporters. He assumes that people who support Ron Paul are Republicans, and that the GOP just has to figure out how to keep them "in the fold."

I'm afraid Mr. Dinan is a little confused. OK, make that a lot confused. 

Ron Paul doesn't appeal to Republicans. He doesn't even entirely appeal to Libertarians. The people he appeals to are those who have this silly idea that the U.S. Constitution means something, and that the U.S. government is supposed to obey it. 

That's never been the Republican ideal, except in the rhetoric they used during the 1980s and 1990s to try to sell the Democrats as the party of socialism. The Republican Party is the party of high taxes, corporate welfare, large government projects, and empire. It's been that way since the 1850s. The whole image of the GOP as "the party of small government" is nothing but a marketing gimmick. Sadly, it's a marketing gimmick that the average American (and most Republicans in particular) believes.

Since the GOP has done everything from threatening Ron Paul voters (using Glenn Beck as their mouthpiece) to outright vote fraud (in New Hampshire, Louisiana, and Washington state, at the very least) to keep Ron Paul from getting the nomination, I have to ask, why should anyone who supports Ron Paul even give the GOP a second look? It's obvious they don't want you. It's obvious they think they can manage quite nicely without you. Well, why not take them up on it and show them just how well you can get along without the GOP?

Vote Libertarian. Vote Constitution Party. Vote Boston Tea Party. Hell, write in your own name on the ballot. Just don't vote for either of the "major" parties. If you support Ron Paul, it's obvious you're not a Democrat, so you wouldn't be voting for their candidate, and since the GOP has shown it doesn't want you, why should you vote for its candidate?