Ron Paul supporters walk through life with blinders on. They believe the Texas congressman is absolutely right on every issue. When it comes to foreign policy, that means almost every other Republican is absolutely wrong.
Paul ranks alongside ultra-liberal Dennis Kucinich as having the weakest foreign policy stances in the U.S. House. Tuesday, Paul and Kucinich were two of only 12 House members that voted against imposing new sanctions on Iran. The resolution that would penalize foreign companies from selling oil to Iran passed 412-12. "This will unify the Iranian people against us," Paul incorrectly predicts.
The truth is, the Iranian regime is dangerous and out of control. It grows ever closer to creating a nuclear arsenal that the Iranians keep threatening to use against Israel. Iran must be kept in check with economic sanctions. The recent uprising of the Iranian people against their oppressive government will intensify if these sanctions are put in place.
Paul's stance on this falls perfectly in line with his world view. He takes the ostrich approach, burying his head in the sand and pretending the U.S. would have no problems with other countries if we just left everyone alone. Paul wants the U.S. military pulled not just from Iraq and Afghanistan, but from bases all over the world like Korea, Japan and Germany. He opposes U.S. support of Israel.
Paul's views are completely out of the mainstream, but you cannot explain that to his supporters. They will tell you he won every GOP debate in 2008. They point to opinion polls showing he won. What they refuse to tell you is Paul's very loyal supporters figured out ways to spam all of those polls. Offline polls showed little support for Paul.
During Iowa Caucus night in 2008, a Paul supporter stood in front of a group of America-loving conservatives in Sioux Center, Iowa and told them, "We all know the United States is no longer a great country." The crowd apparently did not know that, and less than a handful voted for Ron Paul.
His supporters blindly believe Ron Paul could actually be President some day. "Paul has just as good a chance of winning as any other contender if he decides to run," a commenter wrote in regards to a Ron Paul column I wrote last month. Any clear thinking person realizes Ron Paul will never be a serious contender for the GOP nomination or the Presidency.
Paul's supporters are well intentioned, but their in-your-face approach hurts his cause. They chased, cursed at and threw things at Sean Hannity after Paul was excluded from a Fox News debate in New Hampshire. They reportedly surrounded buses carrying Mitt Romney supporters to the Iowa Straw Poll, chanting loudly and not letting people off the bus. They are accused of creating illegal computer spam to promote their candidate. None of these things are appealing to the vast majority of Republican voters.
Paul is more of a libertarian than a Republican. A lot of conservatives agree with Paul's domestic policy views, like lower spending and smaller government. However, his weak foreign policy, accompanied by over-the-top supporters, make Ron Paul an annoying distraction in serious political discussion.
