In the contest to be the Republican party candidate for President of the United States, the standard narrative characterizes Mitt Romney as a moderate, without solid conservative principles to inform his decisions, who has the support of the party establishment. At the other end of the spectrum, Ron Paul is characterized as as a conservative-zealot, a party outsider whose system of libertarian principles trump all practicality and compromise.
Because of this contrast, more than a few Paul supporters have demonized Romney as the functional equivalent of President Barack Obama, and many indicate that if Romney becomes the Republican candidate they will vote for a third party candidate or refuse to vote altogether. Quite a few Romney supporters, on the other hand, demonize Ron Paul as a crazy, conspiracy theorist whose views are simply too extreme to take seriously.
What most people don’t seem to realize is that, ideological differences aside, if you compare the details of what Ron Paul and Mitt Romney say they plan to actually do as President they are much more similar than the characterizations would lead you to think. Continue reading →
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