Ron Paul 2012: the Real Anti-Obama Candidate

Ron Paul's 2012 run represents the best anti-Obama hope America has.

Paul and Mitt Romney polled the best against President Barack Obama in a recent CNN / ORC poll. Paul polled best against Obama in an earlier NBC News / Marist Poll.

In the past four years, America has been disappointed with the Obama presidency.

The economy remains weak as third quarter 2011 GDP came in at an unimpressive annual rate of 1.8 percent. The unemployment rate is stuck near 9 percent. The real estate market is still a mess. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio recently reached 100 percent.

U.S. troops are just pulling out of Iraq (when campaigning, Obama promised to pull them out immediately). They are still stationed in over 150 countries around the world. The Patriot Act was reauthorized. Guantanamo Bay is still open.

Obama is going to sign NDAA 2012 and its indefinite detention provision into law. He is expected to sign SOPA into law. His administration's performance on the Net Neutrality rule is questionable.

Perhaps most importantly, he did very little to fulfill his promise of ending corruption and petty bickering in Washington.

When he had a Democratic Congress and overwhelming public support in early 2009, he shut Republicans (and C-SPAN) out and negotiated an unpopular health care bill behind closed doors with Democrats only.

He broke his promise to centralize ethics and lobbying information for voters, create a public Contracts and Influence database and provide tougher rules against revolving door for lobbyists and former officials.

He also took money from lobbyists even though he promised not to.

Ironically, Obama was the anti-Bush and anti-Washington vote back in 2008. (Remember change and yes we can?)

Obama, however, largely continued with the disconnected policies of George W. Bush.

Besides Paul, other leading GOP candidates - Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich - will likely continue with the policies of Obama and Bush before him if they were elected.

Only Paul represents a real change from the status quo in Washington.

Paul, for the record, was one of the few Congressmen who voted against the Iraq War Resolution and Patriot Act, opposes the U.S. occupation of over 150 countries around the world, opposes SOPA, opposes the indefinite detention provision of NDAA 2012 and is serious about cutting the budget deficit.

Americans of all stripes are tired of the status quo Washington insider games, and are looking for someone who represents real change. Congressman Paul is that candidate, said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.