Ron Paul Supporters Are Phoning It In for 2012 GOP Nomination, Mitt Romney is the Man

President Obama has officially kicked off his re-election campaign. Despite his low job approval numbers, dropping personal approval, and an economy that requires fuzzy math to get the unemployment rate even close to 8%, some conservatives are already phoning it in.

By Jesse Merkel

Many libertarians seem to be telegraphing that they’ve given up, despite protests to the contrary. While they disagree with President Obama on most issues and would love to see him lose in November, many of them have indicated that they might throw the election for one reason or another.

If an individual believes they’re going to die the next day, they’ll probably find a way to make it happen. Some believe that Obama is unbeatable. Others believe that likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney is a compromise candidate who is not conservative enough for their tastes, so screw him, screw the party, and screw the country.

Their idea is to throw it intentionally this time around and go for it again with someone ‘better’ in 2016. To these people it does not matter what Obama would do in the next four years, unrestricted by having to fight for another election. After he’s out, they can fix everything. Right?

Wrong.

Every four years we hear that the coming election is the most important one ever to come. The electoral equivalent of crying wolf, many may come to believe that there is nothing that cannot be fixed later. Unfortunately for everyone across the country, this time it happens to be true. This time, it really is the most important election of our lifetime.

If Republicans cannot overturn ObamaCare before it is fully implemented, that’s the game. Democrats will have won. There will be no going back. People will not want to give up a new entitlement. All one has to do is to look at the troubles in Greece, Spain and the U.K. to see how people react when someone comes along and tells them that they should spend a little less in order to save their country. They riot.

Conservatives cannot hope for a miracle from the Supreme Court that may not come. And besides, if Obama is re-elected, there is nothing to stop him from trying again. Not having another election to worry about, he could just executive order it back if he wished. As part of his ‘We Can’t Wait’ initiative, Obama has been signing executive orders left and right. There’s no reason not to believe he won’t go on an even bigger spree after the November election. 

It’s also possible that Republicans will not win of the Senate in November. Even if they do, it’s highly unlikely that they will have majorities large enough in both houses to overrule Obama.

Conservatives of all stripes cannot afford to take this election lightly. There are several ways that conservatives could easily shoot themselves in the foot.

A floor fight at the convention would be a disaster. There have been four deadlocked conventions since 1960, each of which nominated a loser. (Several top strategists, including former Clinton advisor turned Republican Dick Morris have highlighted this beautifully.) If it goes to a fight on the floor, those that support Ron Paul could attempt to hijack the convention and the nomination. They might even walk out if Romney wins the first round of voting.

That would be a gift for the left. They could easily paint Republicans as unfit to lead. In 2008, the Democrats projected a sense of self-confidence and unity that catapulted them to victory. While the new school doesn’t like to admit it, the conventions matter. 

Ron Paul supporters could also sit home, or vote for the Americans Elect or Libertarian candidate. As Ralph Nader proved, it only takes a slim number of votes peeled away to deliver a major state and a victory. Angry Ron Paul fans could easily make this happen. Many would no doubt be happy knowing that they are helping to re-elect Obama in the process.

I believe that deep down many want to see the Republicans take another beating. They’re angry that more conservatives did not rally behind their candidate of choice, and that in the past Republicans made some pretty poor choices in Washington. Now they have the excuse to jam their finger in the face of the whole country, no matter what happens afterwards.

If Republicans, Tea Partiers, Conservatives and Libertarians don’t unite, there’s no going back. Obama in his second term would be a complete nightmare. Millions will be given freebies with ObamaCare that they’ll never want to give up. Amnesty for illegal aliens could be delivered with the stroke of a pen, resulting in a permanent Democrat voting majority for the next century. Then when someone does come around preaching the need for austerity, riots will ensue. America would look like much of Europe does today.

This is not the time to phone it in, yet many libertarians and Ron Paul supporters have done just that. They believe American is lost, or not worth saving, so why bother? Let it self-destruct, and then pick up the pieces later.

America’s not beyond saving. It can be saved over time, piece by piece. It just requires a little time, unity and compromise to do it. Many people believe that American is already too far-gone. Now they’re finding a way to make it happen without even realizing it.

See more of Jesse Merkel here..... http://www.policymic.com/profiles/3696/jesse-merkel