Ron Paul is Winning

by Murray Sabrin - October 29, 2007

Despite his relatively low standing in the national polls, GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is winning the intellectual debate about the role of government. As the campaign unfolds we will see if his Internet support translates into huge fourth quarter contributions and then substantial votes in the early primaries. In the meantime, presidential candidates are sounding more like Dr. Paul everyday.

On Meet the Press yesterday, Senator Chris Dodd (D) of Connecticut was interviewed by host Tim Russert. Senator Dodd is seeking his party’s nomination for president and is polling at 0% nationally. That is not a misprint. 0%! Yet, Dodd’s appearance on the long running Sunday morning talk show is due to the presidential candidate series MTP is holding every week. Fair enough.

What was so surprising about Senator Dodd’s appearance yesterday was his statement that “…the first thing I would do on January 20th, 2009… is restore the Constitution. I’m very worried about where we’re headed… ” When was the last time we heard a Democrat state he wants to restore the Constitution! Does that make Dodd a Jeffersonian Democrat? Is Dodd a Ron Paul Democrat who wants to restore limited government and a noninterventionist foreign policy? Not quite.

On Senator Dodd’s presidential campaign website the following blurb under “Restoring the Constitution” appears: “Chris Dodd is appalled by the current administration’s assault on our Constitutional Rights. That is why Senator Dodd introduced the Restoring the Constitution Act, which would restore habeas corpus and require the US to live up to the Geneva Conventions. It would remedy much of the harm done to our nation’s commitment to due process rights by the misguided Military Commissions Act.”

Some may conclude that Senator Dodd has been a supporter of the American people’s civil liberties since 9/11. You would be wrong. Dodd voted for the Patriot Act in 2001. Nevertheless, he may have had an epiphany. Most people do. In the upcoming presidential debate televised Tuesday night on MSNBC in Philadelphia Senator Dodd will have another opportunity to express his unequivocal support for the U.S. Constitution.

I predict that as the primaries get closer and closer more of the GOP field will sound like Ron Paul on all of the issues except Iraq. However, if the war deteriorates over the next several months, don’t be surprised to hear pro-war GOP candidates calling for the troops coming home sooner rather than later. We will see.

In another vein, on The McLaughlin Group that also aired Sunday the panelists were asked to make a prediction at the end of the show. Newsweek columnist Eleanor Clift made the following statement: “Ron Paul with his anti-war and libertarian message will be the big story coming out of New Hampshire.” There it was from one of the media’s best known liberal commentators. Ron Paul will be the big story out of New Hampshire.

A colleague of mine at Ramapo College said he saw Ron Paul signs “everywhere” when he was in the Granite State recently. The “yard sign” indicator may be a better predictor of a candidate’s real strength than an establishment presidential poll. And by winning the intellectual debate on Iraq, civil liberties, taxes, government spending, regulation, the Federal Reserve, immigration, and other issues, the Ron Paul Presidential Campaign may be on the verge of winning the GOP nomination as well.