After the excitement of the 2010 midterm elections, which saw Republicans gain 63 seats in the House of Representatives and six seats in the Senate on a wave of Tea-Party anger at Obamacare and government spending, it seems as if the Republicans have lost this mantle of enthusiasm as a result of two years of partisan bickering in Washington and mostly lackluster presidential candidates.
The one candidate that actually excites a large group of Republicans and non-Republicans alike is Ron Paul.
Even though Rep. Paul is not going to win the nomination, he has made it clear that he will continue to campaign until the convention. It appears as if he will win between 10 percent and 25 percent of the vote in most primary elections and caucuses, and since most of the contests award delegates proportionally, he will have a sizeable contingent of delegates at the convention in Tampa, Fla.
Paul knows that he is not going to be the candidate and has no chance of becoming president; yet, he is going to stay in the race to continue to promote his cause, Libertarianism. Republicans ignore this movement at their own peril.
Much of Paul’s support comes from groups that are not traditionally Republican, including college students and a fair amount of independents that normally do not vote Republican. Rep. Paul is the only Republican candidate since Ronald Reagan to attract new voters to the party, and in order to defeat Obama in November the Republicans will need them.
Gov. Romney, who will most likely be the Republican nominee after what amounted to a convincing win in the Florida Primary on Tuesday, must make a direct appeal to get the endorsement of Paul after the convention. Rep. Paul did not endorse Senator McCain in 2008 because McCain more or less represented the big government kind of Republicanism.
Winning his endorsement could be vital in the general election, because it will prevent him from running as a third party candidate, which would be fatal for the Republicans. He would most likely win between five percent and 10 percent of the vote and ensure victory for Obama.
Speaker Gingrich seems to understand this, and in the most recent debates has made overt efforts to woo Paul by crediting him with being correct on the Federal Reserve and monetary policy in general. However, Paul’s foreign policy views remain so far outside of the mainstream Republican positions, and frankly most Democratic positions as well, that it may be difficult to fully win every Paul supporter over to the Republican ticket.
In order to attract as many Paul supporters as possible, and prevent a possible third party candidacy, the Republican establishment must come to terms with this potential new wing of the party. They can give Paul a prime time speaking spot at the convention, which they did not do in 2008, and alter some parts of the party platform to be even more anti-government. It is more or less a natural fit, especially in the realm of economics, and this is the point that Romney and other Republicans should start pressing.
Republicans and Libertarians are concerned with the growth of both the size, scope and power of the federal government.
The bailouts, the new health care law and the stimulus are not only extremely unpopular among Republicans and Libertarians, but also with Independents and even a fair amount of Democrats. Attacking these policies and advocating smaller government will draw a support from all of these groups.
In addition, Romney should begin attacking the Federal Reserve’s monetary policies and begin proposing more drastic cuts than the ones he has already announced, in a direct appeal to Paul and his supporters. Without Paul’s and the Libertarian cause’s support, Obama will most likely win re-election. Romney must make the case that this would be the worst possible outcome for Republicans and Libertarians alike.
Andrew is a sophomore majoring in finance, French and markets and culture.
