Will Ron Paul Invite Mitt Romney To Be His Vice President?. by Allan Stevo

Conservative Americans DO NOT WANT Mitt Romney. That’s pretty darn obvious. He spends a fortune trying to convince voters, gets a generous amount of media time to express his message, and still can’t seem to inspire the Republican base, even when he’s running against the likes of crooked party hacks Santorum and Gingrich, or against that other guy – the Congressman from Texas who seldom gets mentioned in the media. Against opponents like that, the out-of-touch punditry have long expected that Super Tuesday 2012 would be the coronation of Mitt Romney.

 

In the era of the Tea Party, Mitt Romney is simply too big of a statist and is too inconsistent with his views to sew up the nomination or the presidency. Does he like gun control (as past action has shown) or does he like the Second Amendment (as his current rhetoric is demonstrating)? Does he want national healthcare (as past action has shown) or is he against government healthcare (as his current rhetoric is mostly demonstrating)? Is he against the concept of the free market (as past action has shown) or is he in favor of a free market (as his current rhetoric is occasionally demonstrating)?

Republicans clearly do not want Mitt Romney as a president, but we’re still only 8 weeks into this 8 month long nominating contest and perhaps they’ll take a liking to the number two man in the delegate count – Ron Paul when they come to realize what a chance they have at choosing a principled candidate who can succeed at winning the White House. He has the second largest fundraising apparatus of the candidates, has the largest volunteer army, appeals to the swing voter, appeals to the youth, appeals to activists, gives the angry ex-Obama voters on the left a safe home, attracts independents, Greens, and Democrats, grows the party, and has a record of winning 12 elections in the conservative south, all of which nearly ensure that his nomination would bring about a Republican win in November.

The Adversarial VP

"But why," you might ask, "would Ron Paul want Mitt Romney, a soon-to-be washed up politician, as his running mate?" Well, because Ron Paul, a fan of the wisdom of the founding fathers, might appreciate the pre-1804 thinking of having a man who is his biggest opponent as his vice president. The idea was encouraged in the U.S. Constitution Article 1, section 2 before it was altered by the 12th Amendment. Jefferson, for example, was the vice president to Adams. Boy did those two not get along. They had some fundamental differences of opinion.

Mitt Romney is a saboteur within the Republican Party – a man who pretends to be conservative, while so effectively being a statist. He would leave our country spread thin and defenseless by entering into another war and impoverishing our country for the sake of pumping up our national ego and, more importantly, his own ego. Mitt Romney would swear an oath to the U.S. Constitution that he would not uphold. He would continue the horrible Bush record of deficit spending, bigger government, and high federal tax rates. He would continue the dismantling of our civil liberties and economic liberties. He would support more huge bailouts. He would not stand against the Federal Reserve Bank.

Candidate Romney, described above, is almost the opposite of Ron Paul who is strong on national defense, strong on veterans, strong on the economy, tough on government spending and taxation, a strong adherent to the wisdom of constitutional government.

As you read this, Mitt Romney might be sitting somewhere looking over the Super Tuesday returns, saying to himself "Ron Paul’s so into the Constitution that he might follow in this tradition of the adversarial vice president that the founding father’s began." I doubt Ron Paul’s thinking that, but Mitt Romney when listening to Ron Paul speak about Mises and Keynes in those pre-debate green room discussions probably says to himself repeatedly "Is it time to ask him yet?" Because Ron Paul is starting to look like Mitt Romney’s last hope – Romney either becomes VP to Paul, riding the septuagenarian’s coattails for a term before running again himself, or Romney never again gets a chance to become the president.

Unelectable Mitt

The elections of 1976, 1980, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 have shown that an uninspiring and merely tolerable candidate like Romney fares poorly in general elections, especially when paired against a candidate who knows how to inspire his base.

It’s time for leaders in the Republican Party to face the facts and to start asking Mitt Romney this important question – if the Republican voters don’t actually want him and if he is likely to be unelectable, would Mitt Romney be willing to step down and throw his support behind Ron Paul in hopes that Ron Paul would consider having Mitt Romney serve as the 48th vice president of the U.S.?

Mitt Romney understands that such a move would help bring unity to a splintered party, and that a Ron Paul candidacy would flank Obama on the wars and civil liberties in the run-up to the election, would eliminate the divisive talk on social issues, and would give Republicans the best chance at a win. It’s time for Mitt Romney to make that phone call to Ron Paul and to tell him that in exchange for being Paul’s vice presidential choice, Ron Paul will get Mitt Romney’s full support.

I’m not sure Ron Paul will accept the offer, but it’s a good place to begin the discussion.