Ron Paul and the Requirements of the U.S. Presidency - Term Paper Example

 Ron Paul and the Requirements of the U.S. Presidency Abstract This paper examines certain aspects of the process that ultimately determines the winner of the U.S. presidency, and how they specifically relate to Republican Party candidate Ron Paul in the 2008 election cycle. Topics addressed include the basic requirements to become president; governmental agency oversight of the filing process; the number of registered political parties and candidates; and the rules and regulations governing campaign fund dispersals. Also discussed is the importance of the release of biographical information about candidates to the public through the media; extant political issues that candidates are queried about; special interest groups and their role in providing candidate support; voting records and public images and statements. Lastly, information regarding the presidential debates is disseminated. Ron Paul and the Requirements of the U.S. Presidency Peter Drucker, the late business leadership guru, once famously quipped that being the president of the United States was one of the four hardest jobs in the country (Chun, 2006). Long-time Texas congressman Ron Paul is one of the brave souls to engage in the contest for the 2008 presidential election. He is currently the only other prominent candidate still in the race for the Republican Party nomination, beside presumptive favorite Senator John McCain. For the most visible position in America, the basic requirements are surprisingly few. First, one must be a native-born U.S. citizen, or, if born abroad have two parents who were U.S. citizens. There is actually a small loophole in this requirement, though no longer relevant; that is, if one became a U.S. citizen by the time the Constitution was adopted in 1789 then a presidential run was possible, providing that other conditions were met (Trethan). Secondly, a potential nominee must be at least 35 years of age. No maximum age limit has been set by the Constitution. Inaugurated in 1961, John F. Kennedy was the youngest individual to be elected president, at 43 years of age. The last explicit requirement is that the person must live in the United States for 14 years. The Constitution is not specific on whether those years have to be consecutive (Trethan). Before one is allowed to proceed with a run for the presidency, forms must be filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the agency tasked with administrating and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) -- the statute that governs the financing of federal elections (“FEC Mission,” n.d.). Required forms include the Statement of Candidacy and Report of Receipts and Disbursements (“Reporting Forms,” n.d.). Congressman Paul (R-Surfside Beach), filed papers on January 11, 2007 to run for president. It was his second time around, as he previously ran in 1988 as the Libertarian Party candidate (Nicols, 2007). The general consensus at the time of filing was that Paul had an extremely long shot chance in the battle to secure the Republican Party nomination, based on his Libertarian voting record and staunch opposition to the Iraq War and adoption of the Patriot Act, generally unpopular views within the Party. There are literally hundreds of political parties registered in the United States, of both national and state scope. However, as far as the run for the presidency in 2008 is concerned, only the Democratic Party and Republican Party candidates are serious contenders. However, major “third parties” like the Green Party, Libertarian Party and Constitution Party have had impacts on past races (Gunzburger). For this year’s presidential race, approximately 50 candidates took the steps of filing papers with the FEC and raising at least $5,000 (“Candidate List,” 2008). Most, of course, are obscure from a national viewpoint, as only those favored to have a solid chance of ascending to the presidency are given appreciable amount of media time. Some have alleged that Paul’s campaign was deliberately ignored by mainstream media outlets, due to his message. A large grassroots organization sprang up to fill the void, prominently featuring college students, many who believed that Paul was the only candidate who strictly followed the Constitution and addressed vitally important issues that the other major candidates did not (Hawley, 2008). According to political strategists, serious major party presidential contenders needed to raise at least $100 million in 2007 to effectively compete in the 2008 campaign trail (Miller, 2007). In 1971, the Federal Election Campaign Act was voted into law, setting up a public finance system that partially funds qualified candidates in the primaries, and fully during the general election season. The payments, from the U.S. Treasury, are drawn from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, garnered by the money solicited from the appropriate checkbox on Federal Income Tax returns (Appleman, 2006). Due, in part, to the very public meltdown of the campaign finance system during the 1996 presidential campaign, the Senate passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in 2002 (also known as McCain-Feingold). The Act raised the existent $1,000 limit on individual contributions to $2,000. A continued weakness in the planned attempt to control corruption on the campaign trail is that it cannot prevent leading candidates from forgoing public matching funds for the primaries, thus avoiding the noted constraints. In the 2004 presidential contest, a total of $207.5 was distributed by the Fund: $28.4 million to eight primary candidates; $29.8 million to the two major party conventions, and $149.2 million to the two major party candidates for the general election (Appleman, 2006). A primary candidate can qualify to be eligible for public funds by passing the $100,000 “threshold.” This entails raising at least $5,000 in 20 states from contributions totaling $250, or less. Qualified candidates begin receiving the matching public funds (dollar for dollar on contributions up to $250) near the beginning of the election year. In receiving the funds, candidates must agree to the established spending limit, which during the 2004 campaign was $37.31 million (Appleman, 2006). A candidate who opts out of the public funds system can spend as much as he or she wants, but individual contributions are still limited to $2,000. During the 2004 presidential race, both George W. Bush and John Kerry decided not to receive matching funds, so as not to be held back by the spending constraints. In the 2008 campaign, Paul broke a record in contributions received during a single day from a relatively new campaign funds source – the Internet. On December 16, 2007, $6 million was collected online in just 24 hours, trumping the old record of $5.7 million by John Kerry after his nomination speech (Stirland, 2007). It is vitally important that the appropriate biographical information on each candidate be released to the public by the media. In an arena filled with lurid scandals, it certainly behooves every presidential contender not to appear to be hiding embarrassing personal details that could potentially derail their campaigns. Campaign managers are paid a lot of money to manage this flow of information to the media and to ensure, as best they can, that controversial topics are diffused by being let loose into the public domain to be discussed and assimilated by voters nationwide. Paul, who graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine and practiced as a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, has distinguished himself during his tenure in Congress as consistently opposing bills that cannot be expressly tied to the provisions in the U.S. Constitution (“Paul Biography,” n.d.). His adherence to the concept of limited government has been a point of emphasis in the information released to the media. He is also portrayed as a solid family man, touting his five children and seventeen grandchildren. There are a number of “hot-button” issues that presidential campaigners must address for the voting American public. It behooves any candidate to discuss the issues as forthrightly, and as early, as possible so that they become “known” for their stance on the matter. Being forced to publicly back down from a major policy stand is a significant faux pas, and has grounded many a nascent campaign over the years. Many would assert that the two most important issues in the 2008 presidential contest are the state of the American economy and the Iraq War. Candidate Paul has been outspoken in his opposition to the latter, stating: “The Iraq war was not worth the price in blood and treasure,” further noting that the war was driving the U.S. into bankruptcy. He is also among the few candidates to publicly raise the issue of a possible war with Iran, noting that no presidential authority to bomb the Islamic country exists without Congress. On the economy, Paul has garnered both passionate support and condemnation for his call to repeal the 16th Amendment and abolish the Federal Income Tax. He is also on record as promoting the necessity of paying down on the national deficit. (“On the Issues,” 2008). On other issues of national import, Paul’s congressional voting record reveals that he: opposes abortion as a woman’s right; strongly opposes affirmative action; favors same-sex domestic partnership benefits; favors teacher-lead prayers in public schools; opposes the death penalty; strongly opposes the mandatory three-strikes sentencing laws; favors the absolute right to gun ownership; strongly opposes illegal immigrants being able to earn citizenship; opposes expanding the armed forces; and strong favors removing U.S. forces from Iraq (“On the Issues,” 2008). Special interest groups tend to coalesce around given candidates based on stated policy stances. Such groups, depending on how organized and financially able, can provide a major boost for a candidate by promoting his or her name, in tandem with the particular cause. In Paul’s case, anti-war coalitions comprised of voters who favor getting out of Iraq and scaling back the military, as well as the tax protest movement fall into this category. The candidate, however, has spoken out forcefully against allowing special interests to overshadow governmental commitment to the general welfare. As previously alluded to, a candidate’s voting record establishes a track record on issues important to the public. Serious contenders for the presidency tend to have had long careers in government, either on the national or state level. In such positions, they can build up national name recognition and take advantage of the media platform for the causes that they espouse. Voters naturally find a certain level of comfort with individuals who have proven their ability to function in high-level capacities, such as governorships, senatorial positions or congressional seats. On the campaign trail, it is common for candidates to tout their experience in dealing with difficult issues as a method of projecting their worthiness for the highest elected office. If a presidential candidate does not have such a record to stand on, he or she is at a decided disadvantage against other contenders who do. Although this type of experience is certainly important, it is not a bar against a younger, up-and-coming candidate who can leverage other traits – such as distance from the established political scene – to form a pact with voters to provide some measure of reform to the current political system. In Paul’s case, he can point to a long congressional career, having served from 1976–1977, 1979–1985 and 1997 to the present. When he stands in front of a television camera during an interview projected nationwide or is able to handle criticism from peers during a presidential debate, it is those long years of public service that provide the confidence in himself and among supporters that he can “get the job done.” Before declaring one’s candidacy for the presidency, it is vitally important to consider national public perception. An individual can be an exceptionally capable administrator, but have “skeletons in the closet” that would render them “unelectable.” For example, voters will look at a candidate’s marital status, its longevity and how stable it has been. Projecting a “family friendly” image is a very pertinent threshold to reach, although not an absolute bar to becoming elected. Paul’s public images has been somewhat sullied by connections to groups that have espoused racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic views. In the 1980s and ‘90s, he was involved with a number of newsletters (Ron Paul's Freedom Report, Ron Paul Political Report and The Ron Paul Survival Report) in which the noted statements were reportedly made on a regular basis. Given that a major candidate would not want to be associated with such views, Paul has taken steps to distance himself from the newsletters and to refute any public perception that they represent his own personal opinions. He has stated, in reference to the newsletter, “For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name” (Regan, 2008). Since 1960, it has become customary for major party candidates to engage in televised debates, wherein they are asked their responses to some of the most controversial issues of the day. Performance in the debates have historically had a major impact on presidential campaigns, with some rising to the occasion, while others have failed in front of an audience of millions. For a number of elections (1976, 1980 and 1984), control over the debates was exercised by the non-partisan League of Women Voters (LWV). However, for the 1988 election the LWV was supplanted in this role by the two major parties when a the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates was formed (Witcover, 2001). During the primary season, a number of sponsors have a significant input in the setup of the debate schedule, including national networks like CNN, in conjunction with local television affiliates and newspapers. The Internet gained some clout during the process, with YouTube.com co-sponsoring two debates with CNN. When the two major candidates have been established the number of debates and their venues are usually established through protracted negotiations between the two camps. In the 2008 election cycle, the television networks have exercised more control over the process, taking the prerogative of narrowing the debate field by excluding lower-polling participants – an eventuality that Paul supporters strongly condemned it resulted in the sidelining of their candidate (“Low-polling Candidates,” 2007). The final chapter has yet to be written on the 2008 presidential election. However, it appears that Paul has very little chance of capturing the Republican Party nomination from John McCain, who leads Paul in the number of delegates, 1,240 to 7. Still, by remaining in the race, Paul is managing to keep issues important to his supporters alive in the national consciousness. References 2008 Presidential Election Candidate List. (2008, February 10). MyPolitician.Info. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.mypolitician.info/election/2008-presidential/2008-presidential-election-candidate-list.html. United States House of Representatives. (n.d.). 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Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://politics1.com/parties.htm. Hawley, Brenna. (2008, January 30). Students Campaign For Ron Paul. CBS News. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/30/politics/uwire/main3773582.shtml. Miller, Talea. (2007, January 31). Ready, Set, Campaign: 2008 Presidential Race Starts Early. PBS NewsHour Extra. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june07/2008_1-31.html, Nicols, Lee. (2007, January 12). Ron Paul Running for Prez … Again. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Blogs/News?oid=oid:435691. Regan, Tom. (2008, January 10). Ron Paul Newsletters Become Campaign Fodder. NPR: The News Blog. Retrieved May 10, 2008, from http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2008/01/ron_paul_newsletters_become_ca.html. Reporting Forms. (n.d.). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.fec.gov/info/forms.shtml. Ron Paul on the Issues. 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