So first my apologies to all the Ron Paulians (and there were a lot of Muslims aboard that bandwagon)-- yes, I would have probably taken Dr. Ron Paul over any of the current candidates (with the exception of Musa Maguire :) ), but only IF he could be elected (though my feelings about his libertarian positions are changing as you will read later). And yes, you all can continue to be in a state of denial and believe that he will come out of nowhere and still win. And yes, I admit that the mainstream media has pretty much ignored Ron Paul, even the malicious NPR (sarcasm alert). And yes, we can insist that this lack of coverage has nothing to do with Paul not having any real impact on the primaries already occurred (sarcasm alert).
But here's the bottomline:
If Ron Paul does win, it won't be because of Muslims. Muslims can make the difference only in razor-thin competitions (like helping His Highness Bush win Florida in 2000- a mistake that we will always rue), but let's admit it, we are not going to get Paul over the top all by ourselves. We simply don't have enough of us.
On a more serious note, I don’t think the Muslims on the Ron Paul bandwagon totally get Ron Paul's libertarian approach. While I was quite enamored with it initially, I am less sure by the day if that’s where my compassions-as-a-Muslim slant lies (i.e. in having government involved in helping the poor, universal medical coverage, etc.).
I still prefer, though, the Ron Paul non-interventionist approach to the one-sided approach in the Middle East that all other candidates would continue to progress.
Let's consider where we can make a difference. Obama and Clinton are running neck to neck. I think many Muslims recognize that Obama is the better candidate, not just for Muslims, but for this country.
Yes, it sucked that Obama had to make a big deal about how he isn't/wasn't a Muslim (make sure you read all the way to the bottom of this link where Umar Lee's letter is mentioned). Muslims already knew that he is not a Muslim, so he didn't have to rub it in. But perhaps he did. Unfortunately, islamophobia has made the Muslim sticker a ticket to instant death for a politician in a country-wide election.
Yes, it sucked that Obama wants to invade Pakistan. But at least, he is honest. America has ALREADY invaded Pakistan in all ways that matter.
If Muslims can make any difference in the Primary, it's in helping Obama. He may not be the ideal candidate, but at least he provides a ray of hope that things might be a little different, that the status-quo may actually change: that health-care may get a shot in the arm and that the tax laws may be garnered towards helping the lower to middle-class and not the wealthy.
And of course (in what many many Muslims care deeply about), there may be some change in foreign policy-- the small chance that Obama represents for repairing America's badly damaged image around the globe. Hillary Clinton will be Bill Clinton all over again. Which would STILL be a great improvement over Bush or ANY electable Republican candidate. But been there, done that. Ultimately, I don’t think we can base decisions on the Palestinian occupation, because for any candidate to have a shot at the ultimate prize, he/she needs AIPAC and the Israeli lobby at large’s blessings. Yes, they are that strong... ask Cynthia McKinney! So, all we can hope for is little openings... for a little more fairness.
Change, it can happen. As the campaign slogan goes: Yes, we can.
<span>www.barackobama.com</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>
Post-Script
SOOOO, it seems that Obama and Clinton are still running neck to neck. To be honest, it seems to this lay-observer, that the street vote is for Obama, but the party machinery vote is for Clinton. And I for one think that the machinery cannot, should NOT decide who the candidate should be. Let the COMMON people decide!
I also believe more and more that Obama has a much better chance against McCain. It is going to come down to independents, and Clinton just comes across as too much of antagonist to make much hay with the independents. Though, if Clinton does become the nominee, every DECENT American needs to get behind her, because the alternative is Mc-Bomb-Iran-Cain, and that is one angry old man that you don't want in the hot seat!