Ron Paul is a Top Tier Candidate!

So I normally laugh at Jon Stewart because he's funny but rarely ever correct. This time I wasn't laughing. It was the first time that Jon Stewart made me think rather than laugh. Is Ron Paul a top tier candidate? If not, why not? If so, can he win?

My opinion

I think Ron Paul should be taken far more seriously. The guy is smart, consistent, conservative, and right on almost everything (I'll even give him the benefit of the doubt (now) on the wars). I really think that I'd have a hard time deciding between him and some of the others in the race. He is the only one who can point to genuine/unique policy positions and he has NEVER flip-flopped. I wouldn't hold my nose to vote for him. I don't find him politically strong and I'm not certain he could win against Obama (which is the only reason I'd vote for anyone at this point). He would likely be laughed off is he did win the nomination and the media would ignore him out of the race (case in point). But if we had someone with his character and ideas in office he would probably make changes in this country that would be lasting and positive.

What do you think?

EDIT:
I like this video he's going to run. Ron Paul Ad - "The one who can beat Obama"

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Cage Match Round 4: Jon Huntsman vs. Mitt Romney

Last week we saw Michele Bachmann edge out Herman Cain for Round 3 of our cage matches. She's proving to be quite the competitor and could be out for blood with 2nd quarter fundraising numbers coming out soon. Until then lets see what this week has to offer.

Image via WikipediaThis is the battle you've all been waiting for. Mormon vs. Mormon. Moderate vs. Moderate. Well coiffed vs. Well coiffed. The battle of the centu...er week is about to unfold in a wildly underwhelming battle for the middle of the road Republican...and the big prize of most electable.

In the blue corner wearing a Boston Redsox cap and a tie and weighing in with an impressive performance against a strong contender in Sarah Palin and a flawless national debate appearance we have the Massachusetts Mormon....Miiiiiitttt Romneeeey!

In the other blue corner wearing a Chinese flag lapel pin just below his American flag lapel pin and just back from a tour of duty in China for the Commander in Chief. The Utah man with a plan and a charming persuasion. Jaaaaahhhhhn Huntsmaan!

Image via Wikipedia Jon Huntsman Jr.This is sure to be one of the most impressive battles we've seen. Two moderates fighting to win a nomination that has the unfortunate test of conservative-ness. Mitt leads with a jab of name recognition. It seems to have landed unusually hard on Jon. Huntsman is trying to shrug that one off with a healthy infusion of daddy Huntsman's money. Mitt doesn't stop and throws a hard right of experience running a left leaning state. Jon takes the hard right remarkably well and counters with a solid blow of working for a far-left leaning President.  This could go on all night. Mitt pulls out all the stops and throws his comb out of the ring in an effort to remove the weight of his "plastic". He leans in and throws a huge blow with his fundraising connections. Jon stunned only slightly puts his multi-racial family on the edge of the ring and flashes a genuine smile.

Ding Ding! Round one was hard fought. Mitt is looking strong and Jon is looking confident...something must be up these guys long sleeve shirts to be standing so steady.

Round two starts. And there's a lot of preening and posturing as these two take another chance to size each other up. Romney throws the first punch with an effort to move the Utah primaries up...trying to win Jon's own state. Jon looks taken aback but counters by spending more time in New Hampshire trying to win Mitt's state. Both men take off their ties and look serious now. Romney pulls out his experience in the private sector creating jobs. Jon points out real tax decreases in Utah claiming the mantle of fiscal conservative. Both men look ready to make their final blow...leaning into a Rocky-Apolo Creed like punch using their common Mormon roots in prominent early follower Parley Pratt.

Ding Ding. Calling this at two rounds. Both men seem evenly paired and it's time to take it to the judges. Vote in the top right of the blog to decide who won this bout.

Cage Match Round 3: Michelle Bachman vs. Herman Cain

{EAV_BLOG_VER:71a66d9ec44006bf}Last week saw Newt Gingrich get soundly trounced by Rick Perry. The blood is still flowing with news of his campaign finance operatives bailing.
To make things a little easier I've decided not to do cage matches between announced and unannounced candidates anymore. So...what that means is that unless Rick Perry enters the race sometime this summer he will not be paired against another candidate in the later rounds. Which means that round 2 may be a wash...which is just as well given that only 6 people voted. Lets see if we can get more people excited with two Tea flavored candidates.
This week the match is between the Tea Party darling Michelle Bachmann and the Southern Firebrand Herman Cain. Let's get strait to the ticket.

Image via WikipediaIn the pink corner standing at a dainty 5' in heels carrying a nearly flawless record of obstructionist voting against the Democrats and weighing in with a flattering conservative rap-sheet that even Sarah Palin would relish the "mother of 5 and foster mom to 23" the strongest announced female candidate to run in the Republican Primaries...Michele the Minnesota Momma Bachmann.

In the blue corner standing a solid 6' 2" and weighing in with a couple dozen extra toppings of Tea Party vigor the first legitimate African-American Republican candidate and the man who's strength of passion is only second to the strength of his voice the Godfather of Tea-Parties everywhere...Herman the Huri-Cain.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Ding ding...Bachmann opens up with a strong New Hampshire performance and a quick jump in the polls. Cain counters with strong business cred and a powerful rhetoric. Bachmann shrugs it all off with a quick jab of political experience.  Cain takes it in stride by singing the National Anthem with a Tea Party fan.

Both of these candidates could go all the way.

Entering the ring strong Cain goes for the win with a huge hook counting on a 0% corporate tax rate. Bachmann strikes back with big fundraising numbers. Cain looks dazed after that exchange.

The last round here starts with Michele touting her position on abortion. Cain comes back with equally strong Christian support. Both candidates reach for the "historical" card and trip over each other trying to berate the media. They both manage to get up....ding-ding.

Alright so there isn't much here...but maybe you have something to add. Drop some comments on me and then  hit up the poll on the right.

Quick reference for GOP Candidates

I'd like to create a "hit list" of the positives and negatives of the top candidates (announced and not) for the GOP race. I'm going to try and hit the basics and then leave the comments sections for your input on the things that you think I missed.
In no particular order...at least not one that I care to admit.

Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana (not announced)
Pros:

• Fiscal conservative; lowered taxes and eliminated $200million deficit and turned it into a $1.3Billion surplus
• Strong history of results in a state that needed serious help
• Family values even in the face of his wife leaving him for another man then returning
• Rides a motorcycle :-)
• He's short :-)
• Excellent speaker 

Cons:

• He's almost exclusively concerned with fiscal matters saying that "social issues" need to take a back seat
• Slow to enter the race (this speaks to the ever elusive "fire in the belly")
• Not well known (this could be remedied if he gets himself some serious press coverage with outrageous populist rhetoric)
• He's losing his hair :-) (like I should talk)

Mitt Romney Former Governor of Massachusetts 

Pros:

• Legit business credentials that he can bring to the biggest economy in the world
• Governor of a liberal state (shows he can get things done with bipartisan atmosphere...better than Obama with both houses who barely passed Healthcare)
• Speaks well and isn't afraid to use red-meat rhetoric (this has changed from 2008)
• Family values (being Mormon actually helps here)
• Already dispelled "Mormon Issue" with his awesome speech in 2008
• Awesome hair and movie star looks ;-) tell me otherwise ladies.

Cons:

• He's Mormon...Yeah I still think there's folks that are that bigoted
• He has unquestionably flip-flopped on social issues...largely legit explanations but still gotta hang the summer footwear on his neck
• RomneyCare...he's gotta separate the difference between a State solution and a Federal solution we are a Republic and he's got to explain what that means to those who aren't smart enough to understand what that means

Herman Cain 

Pros:

• He's black...yup I think he will prove that the GOP is not racist and that as a Tea Party favorite he can unite the apparent division in the party
• Legit business credentials as CEO of Godfathers Pizza (He should be President because his chains gave me all you can eat buffets through high school)
• He's so right on all the issues social and otherwise 
• He's popular with the Tea Party, like it or not the Tea Party will dictate the discussion for this primary season
• He has the "fire in the belly" and to spare...when he speaks people listen and are informed, entertained, and convinced

Cons:

• He's black...yup there's a group of insane bigots 
• He will undoubtedly stick his foot in his mouth due to his being so flamboyant and unscripted
• He has no middle ground...he sees things in very stark terms and this will not win everyone over
• He's a Tea Party favorite...this will be something that the moderates and white collar Republicans won't like

Tim Pawlenty Governor of Minnesota

Pros:

• Very good Governor of a liberal state with solid performance and support from his own state
• Seems to ride the Republican planks like they were made for him
• Moderate on almost all issues but sufficiently conservative for even the furthest to the right
• Well groomed...this is important no matter what you say
• Socially conservative enough
• He's not Mormon...he is basically the Evangelical alternative to Mitt Romney

Cons:

• While he's given some spirited speeches he's not particularly powerful
• He's not well known...he doesn't seem to be able to correct this issue even with four years to try and correct the issue
• He is not well connected...money will have a lot of influence in this years campaign with Obama set to raise $750 million for his campaign

Michelle Bachmann

Pros:

• Enjoys broad Tea Party support
• She's got the "fire in the belly"
• She speaks truth to power in a way that is easily understood (rhetoric for the blue collar and red-neck)
• Her gender will help her gain notoriety and name recognition in the media overcoming the fact that most people don't know her name
• She's got the conservative planks covered REALLY well

Cons:

• Enjoys broad Tea Party support and for moderates this will be the sole reason for not voting for her
• She's "too" salt of the earth and may come off less serious despite her taking on serious issues
• Her gender will make her a target and there are simply some women/men who will not vote for a female President
• She's going to have "see Russia from my house" moments because she's so vocal about things

Newt Gingrich former Speaker of the House
Pros:

• The head of one of the greatest eras of prosperity in recent history
• Smart- he knows his stuff on just about every political topic out there
• Bedrock Republican meaning that he's what the foundation of the current Republican party was built on
• He's relatively well known and admired for his time as Speaker
• His connections are going to give him some help with money

Cons:

• He pissed off a lot of folks by knocking Paul Ryan's budget suggestions
• He's a Bedrock Republican and that means he's the foundation of the current Republican party...some say that's a bad thing
• Evangelicals still aren't going to be happy with his marital situation

Sarah Palin former Governor of Alaska

Pros:

• She about the most well known potential candidate out there after her entry as a celebrity in 2008
• The Tea-Party is her party and if she doesn't run her endorsement could be king-maker 
• She was a wildly popular Governor who was creative in finding real solutions to her states problems
• She's hot! She'd be the best looking President ever if she ascended to the throne in the Oval Office

Cons:

• She's a girl and that's going to be a liability for some voters...particularly Republicans
• The Tea-Party is strong but are they strong enough to move the whole Republican establishment?
• She is not liked by WAY too many people and she isn't going to be able to fix that easily

Ron Paul Congressman for Texas

Pros:

• Has got to be one of the smartest men in the Republican party
• His fiscal policies are exactly what America needs and no one, not even Romney, has made as well a reasoned argument on fiscal matters as Ron Paul
• He's Liberterian which means he'll bring in a voting block that is important to merge into the Republican party eventually

He has one of the most consistent voting records and has voted his conscience and not party line

Cons:

• He's cracked in the head. This guy still thinks we shouldn't have gone to war in Iraq or Afghanistan. The legality is beyond question. If you disagree let me know
• He's a Liberterian and there's a lot of fundamentalist Republicans that have forgotten about the Big Tent
• He's ancient as in just about dead ancient...agism aside he would be by a wide margin the oldest president in a first term and a second term would almost certainly be out of the question

Alright...that's my list. I know there's Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, John Huntsman Jr., and there's still hope that Chris Christie will change his mind, but I'm sticking with this field for my purposes. If you've got more bullets that I missed for any of these or have another candidate suggestion leave it in the comments. Now hit up the poll to the right and tell me who you're favorite is.