When Americans speak of the
things that differentiate the United States from other countries, inevitably,
the old phrase “Anyone in the United States can be President” oftentimes floats
to the surface. It’s a rather concise way of advising that the United States is
a country that values the ideas and abilities of the individual regardless of
their race, religion or social status. Oftentimes the “Anyone can be President”
proclamation is made in conjunction with some version of the “Only in America,
could…” adage, which is utilized to reinforce the position that anything is
possible in the United States of America.
These are beliefs in which
Americans take great pride. It makes everyone feel good and stimulates
aspirations, hard work and perseverance. Unfortunately, these cherished
beliefs, that have been passed down for generations and comprise the fabric of
the United States of America, apparently aren’t true, according to the
mainstream media. You see, one of the Republican candidates seeking his party’s
nomination for President can’t win. Not only has virtually every talking head
in the mainstream media indicated that Congressman Ron Paul couldn’t win his
party’s nomination, but also a vast majority of the leaders in the Republican Party
strongly agree…and they haven’t been shy to make their opinions known.
So if the mainstream media
and Republican Party both agree that it is impossible for Ron Paul to become
President of the United States of America, who else can’t be President? I think
it’s safe to say that I’m in the same car with Dr. Paul, along with a vast
majority of the people in the country. Perhaps a better question is who can
become President of the United States? Is there some type of path one follows
to arrive in the “qualified” box? There must be some type of template or
guideline that must be followed. Why else would the mainstream media and
Republican Party leaders be so absolute in their contention that Ron Paul can’t
be President?
Since the mainstream media
and Republican Party have sought to educate the American people with regard to
whom cannot be President of the United States, I feel it is incumbent upon them
to explain the qualification process in a more detailed fashion. Eligibility regarding
who can hold the office of President is specified in Article II, Section 1 of the
Constitution. Since Dr. Paul satisfies the constitutional prerequisites for the
presidency, I’m curious what additional requirements are necessary. Perhaps the
true litmus test the mainstream media and Republican Party employ is maintaining
the status quo with regard to the core issues of the day. Maybe it’s like
select soccer, where the players for the team are actually selected weeks
before the official try-outs are held, during a series of “open practices”.
Children of parents, who don’t know the system, find themselves disappointed
after try-outs.
I’ve been following American
politics for more than 30 years and have never witnessed anything quite like
what has transpired this year. When Dr. Paul wins a straw poll, its because his
“people” are adept at manipulating the system. We’ve been told that he has a
small cadre of hard-core activists that support him, but that he has a low
ceiling of support. Accordingly, when his poll numbers started to elevate, the
media ignored him, as he is, after all, irrelevant. Over the past three weeks,
Congressman Paul’s poll numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire reached a level where
the mainstream media could no longer pretend he doesn’t exist. So, rather than
scrutinize his “radical” positions that make him unelectable, the mainstream
media has chosen to revive an inflammatory issue from the past that has been
addressed repeatedly in previous elections.
There was a time in this
country when another phrase was embraced and reflected the value Americans
placed on individual choice…”Let the best man win”. Given the position taken by
the mainstream media and Republican Party with regard to who can’t win, I
suppose we should deep six this adage as well. If one has to pass a litmus test
regarding positions that are deemed acceptable to these wise overlords, many
would have to be excluded. Personal character, integrity and adherence to
principals are deemed meaningless if one strays outside the box of acceptable
core positions regarding domestic and foreign policy. In effect, this is
nothing more than a non-legislated regulation where the mainstream media and
Republican Party act as the regulators. The American people are apparently incapable
of rendering decisions on these matters, so like all good regulators, the
mainstream media and Republican Party must act to protect the voters from
themselves.
There’s an old George Carlin
routine where he explains the American Dream. Carlin speaks about the “owners”
of this country and how they depend on an uneducated, complacent population who
drink the Kool Aid the mainstream media and politicians are serving. The
“owners” fear an educated, well-informed people capable of critical thinking. It
appears the mainstream media and Republican leadership belong to the same
exclusive club, but we’re not in it…and neither is Dr. Paul.