Ron Paul is not what he seems

Like most other conscious and engaged US persons, we have been victims of politicians two-timing us between the campaign and when they assume office. Barack Obama is a prime example of a changeling, one who sold his supporters a bill of goods, while delivering for the fat cats who ponied up moneys for his campaign. It seems to be in the genetic makeup of all politicians in the US, and Ron Paul -- in spite of his supporters' ardor -- is but another shyster. Watch how his campaign deals with protesters from the Occupy movement:

5 Occupy protesters arrested at Paul's Iowa HQ – USATODAY.com: "DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Five Occupy protesters were arrested Thursday outside the Iowa campaign headquarters of presidential contender Ron Paul as the group continued its protest against Republican candidates and President Obama." The action came a day after seven protesters were arrested outside Republican Mitt Romney's Des Moines headquarters, and Occupy spokeswoman Danielle Ryun said more protests, and probably arrests, will come."They're all going to get equal play on this," Ryun said. "We are very disillusioned with every candidate."

Granted, it's a bit severe to lump Paul in with Obama. After all, who else could be so craven and cynical? But the guy saw his opportunity and went for it, playing on the hopes and dreams of the many to advance his own personal fortunes, while serving the plutocrats on Wall Street who bankrolled his marketing campaign.

So how does it figure that Paul is similarly afflicted? Just watch him. It has nothing to do with what he says, and everything to do with how he handles himself when not talking about his preferred issues.

Ending the wars is great, and something that up til now has been forbidden in the political discourse. Ditto for the PATRIOT act and other eviscerations of the bill of rights as promoted by politicians of both major parties. Finally, he's against the Federal Reserve Bank, and the bailouts of bankers generally. These are all issue of critical importance at a time when the country is sliding to fascism and neo-feudalism.

It's just that Paul has no power to end the abuses and reverse the disintegration of the republic at the hands of the oligarchy. This isn't -- at least it isn't yet -- a dictatorship where a single person rules by decree. There's a vast machinery that's been erected by the powers that be to insulate and protect the levers of institutional power from interlopers intent on rolling back their hard-fought gains in terms of wealth and control.

Paul is a Trojan horse, just like Obama, who promises the things his followers wish to hear, in order to seduce and neuter their imagined political effectiveness.

There is no one principled or genuine in US public life. One becomes a member of the governing class by playing a role, and folksy, avuncular Ron Paul is no different. He'll go only so far, and no farther, and leave his starry eyed followers slack jawed and stupified.

If there's any part of his program that Ron Paul is serious about, it's about ending government regulation, and cutting taxes for the wealthy even more savagely than the GOP has managed to do thus far. There's the key to his support from the investor class, that has always tolerated the pandering to the religious right if it meant they paid less tax. If you get right down to it, this has been the sole objective to all GOP supporters who aren't so-called social conservatives.

In any case, it has been ordained that Ron Paul will not win the nomination to run against Barack Obama. At this point, Mitt Romney is the person to beat for that privilege, while the Ron Paul supporters will either pick up their marbles and go home, or get on board to defeat Obama, which is the only thing that motivates and sustains the GOP during these, the latter days, of the US decline into a genuine third-world banana republic.