Mike Gravel and Ron Paul: Some Surprising Similarities
Mike Gravel and Ron Paul: A Surprising Commonality
Maybe it’s their age and the fact that sometimes age can make people impatient with trying to be polite. But the fact is that Ron Paul and Mike Gravel are out there speaking their minds and their Parties (particularly Paul’s) are very uncomfortable with them because of it.
For example, both oppose what we’re doing in Iraq. Both want us out of Iraq.
Both feel that the Federal Government is spending too much money.
Both agree on a basic tenet of Immigration Policy: the border, particularly the Mexican border, must be secured. Once the border is secure, then we can work out what to do next, but not until.
After that, there is some divergence. Gravel, for example, wants universal health care for all Americans. Paul, a physician, argues that the problem with medical care is how HMO’s are allowed to operate and the fact that Health Savings Accounts require the purchase of a high deductible medical insurance policy. In our opinion, Congressman Paul’s position fails to adequately address the uninsured and those with pre-existing conditions.
Gravel is squarely of the camp that supports a woman’s right to choose with regard to abortion. Paul is opposed to how Roe v. Wade was decided and wants to let each state make its own decision on abortion. Gravel supports same sex marriage, Paul opposes it. Paul’s web site has an excellent article about him from the Philadelphia Bulletin. As one person commented in the discussion after the article, how perplexing is it that a Libertarian like Congressman Paul who supposedly believes in the right of individuals to live their own lives as they see fit to the maximum degree possible opposes the enabling of two of the most private and personal decisions possible.
One curiosity about Paul is his simultaneous opposition to the Department of Education and his support of Home Schooling. We live in a time when testing to a universal higher standard is more and more necessary. The global economy means American employers need that standard to compete. How else are we to have that without a Federal Agency coordinating it? Home schooling may provide a competitive educational product by itself, but it does not provide the socialization necessary for individuals to assimilate themselves into society. In some cases, home schooling may be deliberately used as a means to keep children from having knowledge of other groups of people and their beliefs.
Yet Congressman Paul has caught on and become something of a phenomenon. The Philadelphia Bulletin Article captures the appeal well. Were he to run against Hillary Clinton, Paul would be for the fiscal conservatism his party has abandoned (but he never left). Paul voted against the Iraq War, Clinton voted for it, so he could negate being associated with Bush and his policy.
On the intangibles, one clear mark against both Gravel and Paul is their age. The Presidency is a demanding 24/7/365 job that makes young men old before their time. It’s hard to imagine either of these two men being physically able to devote the hours needed to keep pace with the demands of the position. Is that age discrimination? No more than cutting an older athlete from the team in favor of one who is bigger, stronger and faster.
Comparing the two men to our methodology, we find the following. Both are strongly fiscally prudent. Gravel is socially tolerant, Paul is not. Both men believe in Limited Government, but Paul’s interpretation would mean much smaller government. Both men recognize that a strong national defense relies on much more than just a strong military.
Here is how we score them.
Here is how we score them.
Formal Senator Gravel
Fiscal Prudence: 7
Social Tolerance: 9
Limited Government: 4
National Defense: 6
Intangibles: 4
Social Tolerance: 9
Limited Government: 4
National Defense: 6
Intangibles: 4
Congressman Paul
Fiscal Prudence: 8
Social Tolerance: 4
Limited Government: 6
National Defense: 7
Intangibles: 4
As always, we invite comment. Tell us where you think you would change our rating and why.
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