Election 2012: The Iowa Caucuses – Is Foreign Policy Helping or Hurting Ron Paul
Heads up from Iowa! While we won’t know the final results for a few more hours, pollsters are now predicting that Congressman Ron Paul will be among the top vote getters in the Iowa Presidential caucuses. So far the race to be the Republican Presidential nominee has been all over the map with one frontrunner after another. Yet all the while, Congressman Paul has maintained strong, consistent support placing him at or near the top of the field. No matter where he finishes tonight in Iowa, it is clear, he is very much in this race.
Why Ron Paul? What explains his consistent support?
Well, there are many factors, of course, but one of the unmistakable reasons he stands out in this field is because he has been the strongest and most consistent critic of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and wants the strongest cuts to wasteful Pentagon spending. If Ron Paul doesn’t win tonight, you’re likely to hear from the “spin doctors” on the network news outlets that his foreign policy views are “unacceptable” to mainstream Republicans (not to mention those in the military-industrial complex pouring large amounts of campaign dollars into this race who HATE the recent talk of cuts to military spending).
The reality is that Paul’s foreign policy views are a large part of what has attracted voters to him and continue to drive a significant portion of his support. A recent CNN poll found that 60% of Republican voters support the decision to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq [1], yet the major GOP candidates continue to decry this as a ‘mistake’ and ‘the wrong decision.’ While every other GOP candidate races to start a war with Iran, another CNN poll found that only 22% of Republican voters support military action against Iran. [2]
The simple reality is that all Americans, even Republican voters, are looking for candidates willing to stand up against war. We thought you should know.
Meanwhile, today’s New York Times featured a front-page article [3] on the upcoming Congressional battle over whether and how to cut the bloated Pentagon budget. We will be keeping you in the loop on this important debate from here in Washington and asking for your help to overcome the pressure being wielded by military contractors and their Congressional allies.
Thanks for being a part of a national network determined to bring sanity to the defense budget and peace in the world.
We are glad you are with us!
Happy New Year!
**Please Note ** Win Without War does not endorse or support any candidates. We encourage all voters to strongly consider candidates and their record/positions on all issues before making an informed decision. Win Without War seeks to educate voters on progressive national security issues.
[1] CNN Poll: Americans agree on bringing troops home from Iraq
[2] CNN/ORC Poll – November 18-20 – Foreign Policy
[3] New York Times: Panetta to Offer Strategy for Cutting Military Budget