OPINION:
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin recently commented on the tight race in the Iowa caucuses. On Fox Nation she said, “The GOP had better not marginalize Ron Paul and his supporters after this because Ron Paul and his supporters understand that a lot of Americans are war-weary and we are broke.” She is right on the money.
The GOP faithful have typecast Ron Paul supporters as misguided, rabid young people mainly interested in the legalization of illicit drugs. Other descriptions have been of stupid kids, Democrats and atypical Republicans.
I am proof that the picture they have tried to paint is extremely blurred. I am a 62-year-old registered nurse, a dedicated Republican and, yes, a “rabid” supporter of Mr. Paul’s message.
Mr. Paul’s is a message of a return to constitutional and Christian values, of wanting a country that is not always fighting wars to maintain the military industrial complex, keep oil lines flowing and serve the United Nations.
Many mimicking the media in Iowa said that if Mr. Paul won, Iowa would become “totally irrelevant.” That statement demonstrates the cluelessness of Iowa’s GOP. This country is on the brink of bankruptcy. Which other conservative candidate has a real plan to reduce the deficit and debt?
No money equals no war on terrorism, drugs or poverty. This is not a difficult concept. Does the electorate ever wonder what life would be like if the dollar had no value?
I have come to believe it makes little difference which party is in power; taxpayers have to pay for wars, foreign aid and a welfare state created by the government. In return, they seem to receive a continued loss of liberty.
A smart GOP would welcome independents, Democrats, libertarians and the disenfranchised. Mr. Paul, an “unelectable candidate,” is the only candidate who can beat President Obama because he speaks to people tired of the status quo and fearful of America’s future without principled leadership.
ANITA GAUCK
Columbus, Ind.
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