I am a conservative and I enjoy the reaction to Ron Paul's candidacy, but let's get one thing straight. He can't do it. He won't get the Republican nomination and if he runs as an independent, the Democrats will control the White House for the next 8 years.

Ron Paul's campaign is not useless by any means. With so many conservatives in the race, I think the GOP is getting a good view of the kind of policy stances driving excitement in the party - and I hope they are listening. However, there are conservatives and there are conservatives. What the GOP cannot afford is to have the polarizing effect within the GOP that is already being experienced between Republicans and Democrats. So, while Ron Paul is certainly bringing visibility to what a great number of conservatives find important and correct, he will only appeal to those voters. That isn't enough to win a presidential election in a country where the majority of voters are center-right and center-left.

I certainly do not advocate the GOP continue to abandon the 2004 platform. Most GOP voters, a great many independents, and conservative democrats are hard and fast believers that the party identity is reflected there. But, you cannot ramrod the rest of the party, let alone the rest of the country and expect results. Ron Paul advocates policy which will alienate roughly 1/3 of GOP voters. I have heard arguments that Paul's anti-war stance makes him a good candidate to appeal to the far left. If that is true, you are still looking at a candidate who only deals in the extremes - a vast minority.

The candidate who receives the GOP nomination has got to be the one most equipped to garner cooperation within the party. The "odd man out" for both Republicans and Democrats in Congress isn't going to do that.

About the Author

No Pundit Intended was started in the Summer of 2001 and has been featured on radio, as well as on MSNBC Television.