Sand In The Gas Tank

*Written by Rob Rimes.

I’ve pretty much got a migraine right now and a gallon of coffee and a wet burrito al pastor has done nothing to thwart the pain. Yet here I am, writing away in an effort to jot down some thoughts I have had in the last week or so regarding the direction of the 2012 presidential election.

Truth be told, I don’t like writing when my heart isn’t into it and right now, it just isn’t. I’ve had somewhat of a short hiatus because the state of things in the presidential race is just awful and uninspiring. It’s not like I didn’t know this is how things would go. Way back in 2008, during those primaries when it looked like we were headed towards a Hillary Clinton versus Mitt Romney showdown, a friend asked me where I thought we would be in 2012, as neither Clinton nor Romney were worthy enough to be POTUS. I told my friend that neither Clinton nor Romney would win in 2008 and that it was going to come down to Obama versus McCain. He thought I was nuts. I added that Obama would win and that it would come down to him trying to desperately hold on to his presidency against Romney in 2012. I also predicted a 2012 win for Obama in a race that would find Americans angry but disinterested in the whole shit show. So far, I have been right and I don’t see the accuracy of the last few links in my chain of predictions being in jeopardy. As much as people bitch and moan, they will still vote Obama back in by a few percentage points. I think Romney would be a slightly better choice but in the end, it won’t matter either way, as both will take us in the same chaotic direction.

Now I’m not claiming to be a psychic or to profess that my cryptic and magical foresight is infallible and always correct, I was wrong about Obama the President on many things. At one point, I believed that he would at least end the wars and shut down Gitmo. How fucking naive of me and truthfully, those are the issues that got him my vote over the warmongering police state-loving douchebag John McCain. That was also the event that made me swear to myself that I would never again vote for the lesser of two evils. Looking back, I would have rather missed the ballots that day and slept my hangover off from the “End of the World” party I went to the night before. In 2008, I felt like I had no choices and truthfully, I couldn’t vote libertarian either as the LP propped up Bob Barr as their guy: no fucking thanks. Writing in Ron Paul was an option but I knew that it wouldn’t have mattered at the time and even though he was the guy I wanted, his popularity hadn’t yet reached a monumental level. I didn’t want to feel like I was wasting my vote but as soon as I turned in my ballot, I felt horrible. It was that day that forever changed me though. If it wasn’t for that election and my lack of choices and being so disenfranchised by the whole thing, I would have never started really paying attention to all this stuff.

As disappointing as 2012 seems, we are in a better position as far as choices go. We still have Ron Paul and regardless of what happens, he will get support at the ballots come November. We also have Gary Johnson, who could make a serious dent in the two party system and essentially shake things up – this is still a long shot though. Truthfully, I hope the Paul supporters do jump on the Johnson train, as the combination of Johnson supporters, the Paul supporters, Libertarian Party loyalists and well-informed independents that are sick of the “politics as usual” scenario in this country, could significantly change the game. It angers me that the liberal side of the coin is able to mobilize behind one person regardless of who their initial choice was, while at the other end of the political spectrum, people continue to bicker and then check out when their guy is pushed out of the race.

As far as conservatives go, they tried to usurp Romney from his destiny but in the end they just gave up and fell in line behind him, not in a way that looks like solid unification but in a way that looks like sad shitty brats arms-crossed with sourpusses on their faces because they didn’t get their way. “Anybody but Obama!”, right? That’s not support, it’s submission. Those in the middle, the libertarians, the independents and others need to take a page out of the Democrats’ playbook on this one and support the only choice that is actually a change of pace from the norm. Paul isn’t going to win the primary but Gary Johnson has a shot at taking Paul’s ball and carrying his message to the next stage. Johnson might not be able to win this year but he could make enough of a dent to get himself involved in the debates and take the Ron Paul-Gary Johnson message to the greatest stage it has ever been on in most of our lifetimes. Plus, a strong finish would ensure a third party with some real muscle behind it – ready to take it to the Democrats and Republicans in the future.

Ron Paul has been collecting delegates like a beast and has put himself in a position where he will make an impact at the Republican National Convention in a few months. Once that impact is made, it is time for Johnson to step in and take this race to the end. It’d be nice to see Obama and Romney come face-to-face with a third choice that is a great contrast to either of them. In fact, Johnson on that stage will help to show Americans that there really isn’t much of a difference between the Democratic and Republican establishments. I admit, it is hard to imagine Johnson making it this far and I’m not trying to be a pessimist, I’m just being realistic. However, it can happen if people who embrace the Ron Paul message and want to see it carried forward get behind Johnson, even if he isn’t their first choice for president. If you have been sending money to the Paul campaign, feel free to continue to do so but maybe you should start thinking about sending some to Gary Johnson as well. He needs money to compete and if he can’t compete, the message ends with his inability to advance. Do you really want to wait another four years and then another four and then another four to get a real pro-Constitution candidate on the largest stage in the political game?

With some of the Paul supporters, it’s as if they perceive Ron Paul as the only ambassador to the message he carries. If this sort of logic keeps up, we’ll continue to be pinned down by the tyrants and the dickbags that have our backs against a wall now.

This isn’t an endorsement of Gary Johnson as much as it is an endorsement of the message and making sure it survives well into the next round. Ron Paul is going to go to the RNC and make his final speech. After that he is done. He is retiring from Congress and most likely riding off into the sunset with the hopes that his supporters and candidates like him will be able to keep up the fight that he has led for decades. Dr. Paul knows, as do I, that the machine can’t properly perform if we keep stuffing sand into its gas tank.

Eventually, the engine will blow.