The Los Angeles neighborhood I live in is extremely liberal. It's rather bohemian, and cars are festooned with Obama 2008 and Repeal Prop 8 and the multi-religion symbol “Coexist” bumper stickers.
Yesterday I came across a car with a large Ron Paul bumper sticker. Below that sticker was another which said (using symbols, and I can’t find the darn thing on line):
Obama does not equal Peace
And I thought:
Ron Paul? Seriously?
And this was before the renewed interest in his racist, homophobic, anti-semitic ravings.
Now sure, there are some things we can get behind, like ending the war on drugs and legalizing hemp. In other words, like a broken clock that's right twice a day, a sweeping anti-government stance will certainly yield some results with which democrats and liberals can agree.
However . . .
Liberals are angry at President Obama because he didn't push for Single Payer health care.
Ron Paul says to the uninsured kid who finds out he has a major illness: Tough Shit, and stands by as the debate audience yells "Let him die!" He does not believe the federal government should play any role in the provision of health care. He does not believe that illegal aliens should be provided emergency health care.
Liberals are angry at President Obama because he delayed tighter clean air standards and is considering approving the Keystone pipeline.
Ron Paul doesn't believe in environmental protection . . . at all. He would rely on the market to protect the environment. He does not believe climate change is a major problem.
Liberals are angry because President Obama is wrestling with his own beliefs and has not come out strongly in favor of gay marriage.
Ron Paul is afraid to pee in a toilet used by a gay man. He supports DOMA, and while he does not believe the Federal government should interfere with the rights of same-sex couples to marry, he does not support gay marriage - he believes it should be up to individual states. (This is one of the "clock's right twice a day things. Paul's anti-fed stance means he's against the FED defining marriage. But he's not against the states defining marriage.)
Liberals are angry at President Obama because they feel he's too hawkish.
Ron Paul would never intervene in any situation, even for humanitarian reasons such as Darfur or the Sudan. This includes "financial interference". He believes the U.S. should withdraw from the U.N.
He also believes we should erect a 700 mile long wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Liberals are angry at President Obama regarding the availability of Plan B to minors without a prescription.
Ron Paul signed the Anti-Abortion Pledge. He introduced the "Sanctity of Life Act which defined life as beginning at conception. He does not recognize the right to privacy underlying Roe v. Wade
Liberals despise Grover Norquist, and they believe that the government has an important role to play in leveling the playing field and protecting us.
Ron Paul would eliminate the following agencies: The Department of Education, The Department of Energy, The Commerce Department, Health and Human Services, FEMA, the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the IRS and the Federal Reserve. He has signed a pledge not to raise taxes or create new taxes.
Liberals are angry at President Obama because they think the stimulus was too small.
Under Ron Paul, there would not have been any stimulus, and the auto industry would be dead in the water.
Liberals are angry that President Obama has "caved" on tax increases to the rich in order to get things passed.
Ron Paul does not believe the government has the right to institute an income tax on anyone. He has indicated he would support a flat 10% tax, or a national sales tax, both of which are regressive and would have a greater impact on the poor and middle class.
Liberals are angry that President Obama hasn't done enough to re-regulate and punish Wall Street.
Ron Paul opposes any government interference with the free market, especially any new regulations on Wall Street.
Ron Paul:
Does not believe in the separation of church and state.
Thinks school prayer should be allowed (but not mandatory)
Thinks the left "hates religion"
Introduced a bill that would allow pilots to carry guns on planes.
Introduce a bill making flag burning illegal.
Does not support any gun regulations, even against assault rifles.
Thinks the census collects information that is none of the government's business
Opposed renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
So again I ask the wholehearted Obama 2008 supporters who have now rejected Obama in favor of Ron Paul:
Ron Paul? Really?
4:56 PM PT: People are asking whether this diary is based on one bumper sticker. The answer is no - the sticker was sort of a last straw because it was emblematic of disappointment in Obama and a blind move to Paul, something that I've been seeing anecdotally for a while now. Indeed when Obama was running, there was some strong Paul support because of his anti-war stance.
Bruinkid cited a recent poll in this diary thread showing a Ron Paul favorability of 24% among people who consider themselves "extremely liberal".
If a high enough percentage of these folks would actually vote for Paul over Obama, then it's important we at least pay attention to debunking his "myth" by pointing out those positions that come along with being "anti-war" and for an end to the federal war on drugs (not support for legalization per se).
If Paul shows up as a third party candidate, it's even more important that we keep an eye on disaffected Obama voters and young folks who might be inclined to vote for Paul because of a narrow set of issues, disregarding the larger picture of a Paul administration.