Agree with the post objecting to using children in ads. See the AARP ad on Social Security, for example, or the GM and Toyota ads on environmentally friendly cars. What do the kids in these ads know about the future unfunded liabilities of Social Security or the legitimate questions some scientists have raised about the inevitability of global warming?
You can imagine the same kids in the Ron Paul ad appearing in an ad supporting the Iraq War. The long-haired girl says, 'We have to stay in Iraq because we have to defeat the terrorists " , the short-haired boy says 'We have to stay in Iraq because we can't just cut and run', the girl with short hair and earrings girl says "We have to stay in Iraq because our country's honor is at stake.", etc.
We have to persuade the Republican base that we cannot have guns and butter, as Ron argued so well in the debate last Wednesday. We have to persuade them by fleshing out arguments such as the following. A declining economy and collapsing dollar are a greater threat to our national security than Iran or other Middle Eastern nations. We cannot handle the $9 trillion dollar debt and the $50 trillion plus in unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare unless we retrench from overseas. War and big government go hand in hand, and the Iraq War under Bush has created the biggest increase in federal spending since LBJ. The specters of 'Islamic terrorism' and '100 years of war' are neoconservative fantasies; peace will come to the Middle East through the spread of capitalism, free markets, and rising prosperity.
I'm sorry, but I don't think using children is the best way to make these arguments. I think children can help to pull at the heart-strings of conservatives by emphasizing that Ron Paul is not a big government leftist, but is for capitalism, free markets, the Constitution, etc. However, the Republican base still has a national security hang-up. I think the only way we can get them over it is through hard facts and figures and concrete policy proposals.
I hope there is enough time in the campaign for Ron's recently hired advisers to come up with concrete proposals on withdrawal from Iraq and tax and spending reductions for the first year and succeedidng years of his Administration. When confronted with the hard facts of proposed tax and budget cuts that would shame even Barry Goldwater versus the continued spendthrift irresponsibility of McCain and the neocons, some of the talk radio hosts, pundits, and conservative leaders may begin to turn, and then we can get the base.
