(also ironically, I was just watching
this interview before seeing your post)
Obama's attack on civil liberties within and outside of the United States has gone beyond Bush. So I don't see how exactly right-wing authoritarianism or plain authoritarianism for that matter is an effective anti-Paul argument, quite the contrary actually. If you wanna talk about authoritarian tendencies, it's Obama you should be talking about. That is if you are awake to what your government has been doing and where it seems to be heading.
Personally what interests me the most about Paul is his foreign policy. I am from the middle east (from one of those Arab Spring countries), you know, that place where 99% of people either dislike or hate the U.S. (as a government really), and increasingly so over the years. If you want to know why and what these people really want from America, ask Ron Paul. He's the first American politician I've ever seen who got it all right. Just an honest perspective, it's your choice if you prefer more of that Obama-style change instead.
Oh God, I worked with Democracy Now! in college, and I have worked with Occupy Wall Street. While I agree with their sentiment and ideals, there are most definitely ulterior motives of some of its cohorts on the lowest level and biases in their articles. Even if it may not be connected to a mainstream media force, people will still tweak the facts to their advantage.
Actually the right-wing authoritarianism thing wasn't aimed at Ron Paul, but more just the Minnesota and the Mid-West in general. There's a sort a false sense of reality among some people there that makes me rage, blind to other cultures and religions, let alone no clue as to how "the other side" lives or issues with urban poverty. I've never been, but only heard stories. Personally, I have had no real deep-seated problems with Obama (mainly because of the push for health care reform.) I won't disagree with you about Obama's authoritative tendencies, but on a domestic level, it seems to have helped and acted as a safety net for people who are at risk or already have fallen into poverty. Perhaps authoritative measures were needed to repair the havoc left over from the economic deregulation and warfare from the Bush years?
Ron Paul is a viable choice, because he speaks truthfully and from the heart. He's out for the American people, not for himself, or a corporate entity. I like how his focus seems to be concerned with putting more power into the hands of the state vs on a federal level (most of our issues as a nation seems to be stemming from the fact that we are being treated as one lump rather than by regions) However, is he a realistic choice? Unfortunately, because so many Americans seem blind to party corruption or just disconnected from politics in general, we are sort of locked into the two party system (see my French election rant) People are waking up, but not fast enough. Because I'm concerned about where women's health issues may stand (especially with this bullshit birth control bullshit with the Catholic church) I'm probably going to vote Green Party, unless Ron Paul states he's okay with leaving these choices up to the state (which has not exclusively come out to say this election) I know he's strongly pro-life (which I have no problem with) but the fact that nothing is being done about making birth control more affordable is a bit scary if abortion legislation starts falling (I pay $60 a month for my BeYaz, which I can afford, but God forbid I wasn't living at home.)
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...e-facebook-generation-in-the-arab-spring.html
http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/y...a-failed-“arab-spring”-or-sectarian-nightmare
And honestly, too, I feel Arab Spring is a failed movement, if not, one that we haven't seen move to its fullest potential yet. The fall of Mubarak in Egypt destabilized the situation with Iran, causing bullshit with Israel, and now putting the Middle East at risk for another war. The movement sparked hell in Syria, now they are in civil war and I have no clue what is going on in Bahrain. People know what they DON'T want, but people can't seem to agree on what they DO want. This is the same problem with OWS, as someone who has attended GA meetings. There's so much idealism and so much hope, but people do not know how to turn these ideas and concepts into common actions which will satisfy everyone's needs. Sorry to be vague, but where do we go from here?
