Ron Paul is Much More Like Ronald Reagan Than Mitt Romney Wants You to Believe

Impact

With all of the uproar about Ron Paul supporters “stealing” delegates and “cheating” the system or “abusing” the rules to rule the popular vote inconsequential, I felt like it was past time to correct the negative propaganda put forth by Mitt Romney and the mainstream media. The same organizations that want you to believe Ron Paul is a wacky isolationist preach loudly that Ronald Reagan is among the greatest Presidents of all time.

Ronald Reagan is commonly known as “The Great Communicator.” He stood for reduced government regulation, free markets, and anti-welfare programs. He represented an increased focus on National Defense but investments were largely on arms transfers and domestic spending. Troop deployment was not elevated by this increased spending. In terms of defense spending Reagan’s “massive” military budget is puny compared to today’s standards – peaking at $540 billion compared to an estimated $705 billion in 2012. The 2012 figures do not include the costs associated with the War on Terror, which are excluded from the official defense budget. Reagan’s buildup for the 1980 Republican nomination and consequent ascension to the Presidency actually began with a failed bid in 1976 that left Reagan supporters taking over and reshaping local and state level GOP organizations.

Sow how does Ron Paul stack up against the ideals of Republican icon Ronal Reagan? You may be surprised that he stacks up quite favorably. He stands for reduced government regulation (check), free markets (check), and is anti-welfare programs (check). His “isolationist” views are actually those of a non-interventionist – that is, you only engage in foreign military operations when the mission is clearly defined and supported by self defense. Ronald Reagan, while not 100% non-interventionist, was certainly much more cautious with his military than the neo-cons of today. Reagan was much closer to Ron Paul’s military strategy than he was to Romney or any other neo-con. With regard to defense spending, Ron Paul believes we should have a strong military that is found primarily on our soil and ready to fight at a moment’s notice. That folks is precisely what Reagan wanted.

Here is the bottom line – if you’ll do your research, or just expand slightly on mine – you’ll find that Ron Paul’s views are much more in line with Americans. That’s why Ron Paul pulls so many voters from all areas of the political spectrum. Recent polls show Ron Paul in a dead heat with Barack Obama, indicating just how much support he garners when polled as the Republican nominee. Don’t take my word for it, and please don’t take Mitt Romney’s word for it. Do the research yourself. Ron Paul and his supporters are not nearly as wacky as some would have you believe, who says that the Paul group in Oklahoma were “dedicated, patriotic citizens, and authorized delegates that deserve their voice to be heard.” I couldn’t agree more.