Ron Paul for President!

My disdain for Barrack Obama as our President is not something I've hidden from you readers. If it's not already obvious posts such as this or this, then you know now. He seems to be a genuinely good guy based on his personal demeanor and hobbies, but unfit to become the president of a nation. For one, he is spineless when it comes to matters of his own party -- and it often appears he does not have a clue of how to run a country. Obama's 2008 campaign moniker of "Change" has not been realized at all. Instead, we have gone backwards as the country has fallen deeper in debt and unemployment levels at decades-high. Enough of Obama. Time for a breathe of fresh air.

Into this backdrop comes, in my humble opinion, the worthiest candidate thus far declaring his intention to run for the presidency. His name is Ron Paul, a Republican state representative from Texas, who has served many terms in Congress and is well known for his libertarian beliefs. I actually supported him in 2008 -- until his defeat to John McCain in the Republican primaries. but whereas in 2008 I could only provide moral support, this time around, I intend to support him with my vote and (possibly) with campaign contribution.

So why do I like Ron Paul? There are a number of reasons:

1. Consistency. In an era where politicians flip flop on issues faster than the time it took me to type this sentence, Ron Paul is a breath of fresh air. He is part of a minority in Congress who stays true to his platform and vote accordingly. The Ron Paul you see today isn't much different from the one that first appeared 20 years ago.
2. Experience. With age comes experience, something very important in the political arena. If you are naive (e.g. Obama), then others will manipulate you or it will be difficult to build consensus. Ron Paul is old. His age may be a bit worrying, but Ronald Reagan was older when he was first elected.
3. Honesty and frankness. This one may be the biggest reason I like Ron Paul. He is a straight shooter who is not afraid to tell the truth. His frankness may not always be well taken (e.g. when he suggested that September 11 is a result of American imperialism), but we must learn to live in reality. I would like to see a president who can be honest with the country about its issues, and work to resolve them.
4. Platform/Economics. Ron Paul has demonstrated a very high level of economics understanding, particularly in the neo-classical tradition (Austrian school is neo-classical). As an economist myself, I can identify with this. More importantly, his goal would be to implement the ideals of libertarianism such as small government and privitalization. However, I think a lot of people inflate the amount of economics Ron Paul really understands -- he is a doctor too, after all. His statements about the gold standard are not 100% correct from a economic perspective. But he also has a great deal of common sense, which is definitely a good thing for running a country.

Based on what I have read in the news article comments and blogs, a lot of people share my hope for Ron Paul's election. But the snag in the path is winning the Republican primary in order to become anointed as the GOP's challenger to Obama. And herein lies the snag: in a national election between Obama against Ron Paul, the latter would win in a landslide. Yet the political structure is not designed this way -- each GOP candidate must first fight off other candidates in local elections for registered Republicans. These elections are "local" because they take place in only specific states. To make matters worse, those inclined to vote for Ron Paul are likely not registered Republicans (e.g. moderates). This means Ron Paul's chances are entirely to how his message and platform targets a niche segment of the voting population.

I am hopeful that Ron Paul can win the Republican primary. In 2008, he lost due to a lack of name recognition and ostracization by the mainstream media. The latter looks to remain --which is perplexing, as Ron Paul is for deregulation-- but more people know his name know. More importantly, there is tremendous frustration with the direction the country is headed. Obama shouldn't shoulder all the blame for this country's woes on debt and unemployment, but shoulder a considerable portion of it. Looking back at Obama's track record, I am very disappointed.

Obama's Ratings Fall Back to Earth

A few weeks have now elapsed since the news of Osama Bin Laden's death broke out and everyone showered praise onto President Barrack Obama. Although the credit was not entirely justified, we can't say too much just as blame for the current recession was not Obama's work neither. Sometimes very significant events occur without our foresight. One simply has to take things in stride, adjust accordingly, and move forward.

Just as predicted/expected, it appears Obama's public ratings have now fallen back to pre-Bin Laden's death levels. As Yahoo News reports, his approval rating "back" to 47 percent while 49 percent disapprove of his performance. In greater detail, approval rating on the budget deficit is 33 percent (a new low) while 59 percent (a new high) is the new high for his disapproval rating on handling the economy. (All these approvals and disapprovals can be confusing, I know.) This is obviously glim news for Obama's reelection bids.

If it wasn't obvious before, I am no supporter of President Obama. He seems to be a good character, but is largely incompetent and ill-advised on important issues. I will even go as far as saying that, in spite of all the ridicule given to former President George Bush, Bush accomplished more as he was better advised. For example, what exactly has Joe Biden done? Cheney was a crook but at least he knew what he was doing. The bigger waste is always having the power to accomplish something, but not doing anything with that power. My opinion is not politically-based as I am no Republican either -- but largely derived from reviewing Obama's track record since his election.

Do I think Obama will get reelected? I do not, especially if the economy maintains its sluggishness until the end of the year. Inasmuch as the public is charmed by Obama's oratory ability and persona, we also recognize the pressing needs of our country today. Problems such as a tax system with more holes than Swiss cheese, massive government bureaucracy, soaring trade deficit, rising inflation, and rampant unemployment are no jokes. Nor can we afford to defer action on them any longer. What we need is a leader with an intricate understanding of our problems and a willingness to do what is right for the people, rather than for his (or her) political prospects. Tough decisions have to be made and implemented -- decisions that Obama has shown to be incapable of making. Examples? How about an austerity plan to tackle the country's massive deficit? Republicans have come up with a controversial plan, but at least they have a plan.

For one, we need to start making sizable cuts to the military spending. Because what is the point of having a state-of-the-art defense system when there isn't much left to defend?

Thoughts on the Death of Bin Laden

As most of the world found out last night, Osama/Usama (?) Bin Laden was killed last night in a nighttime raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on his well-fortified fortress in Pakistan. News reports indicate it was a short struggle -- 40 minutes and the architect of the September 11 attacks was dead, along with a few other collaborators. This news resulted in an amalgam of sentiments, an overwhelming amount which were positive, in addition to speculations of its implications. Most of the latter were on its impact on President Obama's reelection bid for 2012. I just thought to summarize the viewpoints I've been hearing about, as well as add in a few of my own.

Let's first examine at the implications being expressed by both individuals and by the media:

1. Obama just locked up the reelection bid.
2. Obama just capped up a "winning" week, with his snub of Donald Trump and this news.
3. Note to other terrorists: do not mess with the U.S. of A.
4. So proud to be an American!
5. This news just made my day!

Indeed the death of an individual responsible for more than 3000 deaths on September 11 and reshaping our world forever is to be celebrated. Al-Qaeda has certainly complicated the security issues surrounding our current environments. It also brings an end to a 10-year hunt for Bin Laden, who the former President Bush memorably conjured the "wanted sign" for a bounty on the person's head. But I feel that most people have either forgotten or just ignored the preface to the terrorist attacks.

(Before I proceed, I became a U.S. citizen last year through the naturalization process and am proud to consider myself to be an American. Yet at the same time, it is important to be critical of my government and the thoughts of the populace when I feel they are going down the wrong path. What I just stated is the essence of what being a patriot is all about.)

American imperialism is the main trigger for the September 11 attacks. Other explanations are negligible compared to the impact of America's attitudes and actions against other countries around the world. Yes, I know it doesn't sound pleasant but it is very true. We Americans live in a place very much secluded -- often voluntarily-- from the rest of the world. Most Americans simply do not care about the state of the world affairs, and possess this attitude of "We are better than anyone else". Representative of this arrogance, the American government has been at war with other countries for most of the last 200 years. We all know about the Second World War, Korean War, and Vietnam War. But how many of us know of the controversial actions taken by the government, such as the assassination of former leaders of nations (e.g. Salvador Allende) and the propping up of despotic governments (e.g. Shah of Iran, Cuba before Fidel Castro)? It is the latter that have profoundly instilled a mixture of fear and hatred towards the U.S. Unfortunately, the latter sentiment cannot be altered by sporadic humanitarian gestures.

When the U.S. attacked Iraq in the 1990s, it was rightfully under the guise to uphold the sovereignty of Kuwait. Saddam was beaten back and ultimately surrendered. But the U.S. often operates under the assumption that it is above the law of nations to which all countries are subject to. The political science term is "unilateralism", which stems from the U.S.'s position as the world's remaining superpower since the demise of the Soviet Union. This assumption results in taking actions regardless of opinions of other countries or peoples. For many in the Middle East and across the world, Bin Laden's planned attacks on September 11 were captivating for the sheer fact that he dared to stand up to the mighty of the American military machine. If anything, it damaged this image of America's invincibility and showed that she could be hurt in spite of all the military power.

Using film as an analogy, it is very much in the second Iron Man movie, where the villain Ivan Vanko stated his only reason to attack Tony Starks was to "make God bleed [because then] people will cease believing in him". Bin Laden, in a similar manner, destroyed the myth of America's invulnerability. And this is what makes things so dangerous, even following his death. Bin Laden was an inspiration for the haters of America to take up arms against her -- and inspirations tend to outlive their creators. Therefore, we should be weary (as some military strategists have declared already) of declaring total victory just yet. I will argue that unless this arrogance perception of the world is changed, very little will have. Another madman may come along to formulate another plan to make America "bleed". This just leads to an endless cycle of violence -- because of the hatred for the country we call United States.

Going back to the implications discussed in the beginning of this blog entry, Obama will take/receive credit about the death of Bin Laden and I think it is largely unwarranted. He simply inherited the operations from the previous president and it so happened that Bin Laden was found and killed during his presidency. He did not have an alternative to hunting down Bin Laden. If it does propel him to a second term, I really hope this is not the reason why.

Now now, I do not hate Barrack Obama. I think he is a positive change from Bush, but has largely fallen short of expectations and remains over-hyped. Inasmuch as Bin Laden was killed during his presidency, in the same way Obama inherited a dismal economy from Bush. He may not have done as much as I had hoped, but perhaps there is nothing more he can do.