Rep. Ron Paul talks to CNN about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to speak at the Tea Party convention. (She is alleged to be collecting $100,000 for his speech.) Palin turned down the opportunity to speak at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) convention alongside other Republican 2012 hopefuls, which may suggest that she is positioning herself to run as a third-party candidate.
I don't think Palin is a serious candidate and even if she ran on the third party ticket, she would only guarantee their failure. Palin creates drama every where she goes, and unlike Ronald Reagan, who was called the Teflon President because scandals never stuck to him, Palin is theVelcro Candidate who collects scandals the way nerds collect Star Wars figures. If the Teabbagers want to put their faith in a candidate as shallow as Palin, they have big problems.
Paul, a Republican with a libertarian streak, says that the main problem with the American political system is that both parties are too similar, especially when it comes to their views about the size of government and fiscal policies. He has some points, although I would argue that there is a big difference between a Republican party that started two wars and gave tax cuts to the rich, and a Democratic party, which is trying to push through health reform and middle class tax cuts.
Paul says that any third-party candidate will have a hard time breaking through the American political system. He said that even getting on the debates is difficult if you do not belong to either of the two parties.
