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The Curmudgeon Party Representative Ron Paul of Texas has made similar interventions into the predictable party-line arguments of the Republican Party. The rest of the field ritually chants its litany of lower taxes, an indefinite stay in Iraq, and an eternal war on terror, all of this accompanied by much competition for the role of Alpha Wolf. Like Gravel’s, Paul’s interventions are surprising and refreshing. During a recent debate he objected, “That’s war propaganda!” Representative Paul opposes not only the Iraq war but also U.S. bases overseas, particularly in Europe, which has now more than recovered from the ravages of World War II. He considers himself a strict constitutionalist; therefore, he deplores the current Republican belief that the executive branch can go to war without consulting the legislature. “That’s against the Constitution!” he reminds his fellow candidates. Ron Paul has a mixed constituency of libertarians, second amendment freaks, anti-abortion zealots, opponents of the war, anti-tax people, and entrepreneurial types. Due to his voting record in Congress, Paul is known as Doctor No. Here’s my suggestion: that Gravel and Paul run together on a third-party ticket. They could call themselves the Mavericks, the Odd Squad or the Curmudgeon Party Unlike all their rivals, they’re unscripted, spontaneous, and fearless of alienating some micro-constituency. It would be a shame if they just vanished after the party conventions. Together, Gravel and Paul could serve as gadflies not just to candidates from their own parties but also to the general population of voters and the timid media. They could give us an October surprise about every three weeks. We should all send them some money.
Carol V. Hamilton has a Ph.D. in English from Berkeley and teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. She also writes for History News Network (hnn.us) and CommonDreams.org.
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