Left's profitable Pauline conversion?

Former Green Party and Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader said that Ron Paul's campaign is one of the few political movements that give him cause for hope. "Look at the latitude," Nader says, pointing to the possibility of libertarians and the left working together. "Military budget, foreign wars, empire, Patriot Act, corporate welfare-for starters. When you add those all up, that's a foundational convergence.'Green Party candidate Dr Jill Stein said 'We do have a lot in common with our opposition to the wars, our support for civil liberties, and our opposition to the bank bailouts.'

Paul wants to end the embargo of Cuba. He supports the Gaza Flotilla and recognizes Hamasas the democratically elected government of Gaza.

Dr Paul voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the US-Australia Free trade agreement and others including abstaining from the recently passed US – Colombia Free Trade agreement. Despite over 2800 union membersbeing killed in Colombia between 1986 and 2011, President Obama signed offon the agreement last October.

Dr Paul may not believe that government has a crucial role in protecting the environment but he does support one of the most important policy measures to address climate change – the removal of fossil fuel subsidies.At least Paul considers himself an environmentalist, though unfortunately, but consistent with his ideology, a free market environmentalist where the environment is protected by enforcing private property rights through torts.

Ron Paul has worked with Democrats to introduce a number of bills on issues close to the left.

Dr Paul has co-sponsored with Democrat Dennis Kucinich a bill to repeal the North American Free Trade Agreement, and another to remove all US troops from Pakistan and to end funding for the war in Afghanistan.

Paul teamed up with Democrat Barney Frank to sponsor a bill that would allow the States to legalise, regulate, tax and control marijuana. Dr Paul introduced H.R. 1831, the 'Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011' that would legalise hemp farming in the United States.

Many on the left rule Ron Paul out immediately because while they may like his stance on US led wars, they cannot stomach his ideas on the role of government in social matters. Importantly, the policies that Paul shares with much of the Green Left such as ending the wars, and the appointment of the chair of the Federal Reserve (which dolled out trillions in bailouts to big banks without congress approval) can be implemented by the President at the stroke of a pen. The President also has considerable power to reverse the War on Drugs. Congress has far greater control through budgets and regulatory statutes over those areas that those on the Green Left find abhorrent such as his desire to cut social spending.

In 2008 Barack Obama won easily on the back of his campaign of hope and change and what his candidacy represented as the first African American President of the United States.

But 2012 is a very different situation. Official unemployment is at 8.5% and one third of Americans are living below or near the poverty line.

While everyone was celebrating New Years Eve Obama signed off on the National Defence Authorisation Act, which codifies indefinite detention without trial, and has expanded the scope of the 'War on Terror' ten years after 9/11. Didn't the President just assassinate Osama Bin Laden rather than bring him to justice? What is he worried about?

Enthusiasm from the Left for an Obama reelection has waned. His administration has been a continuation and in some cases escalation of the Bush era policies. Obama's administration has failed to prosecute any of the bankers that crashed the economy, extended the Patriot Act, kept Guantanamo open, dramatically escalated the drone wars, maintained the Bush tax cuts, shown a willingness to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, assassinated terror suspects, including US citizens rather than bring them to trial, heightened tensions in the middle east, sat on the sidelines while police violently shut down peaceful Occupy protests, failed to push for any meaningful action on climate change.