From dmiessler.com:

First off, let me just say that I am a major Ron Paul supporter. I’ve blogged about him, spammedpromoted him to friends and family, and even put a Ron Paul 2008 bumper sticker on my car (I don’t do bumper stickers). I’ve been resisting the call to write this piece for some time now, but I can resist no longer.

It’s time for us, as Paul supporters, to stop pretending his ideological flaws do not exist. We are ignoring his extreme and illogical views because we’re so smitten by his good ones. This is a problem. Our ability and/or willingness to logically evaluate him as a complete candidate is being overridden by our surprise and appreciation for his views on foreign policy and personal freedom.

In short, we’re so in love with him that we’re focusing only on his positives while ignoring the negatives.

I’ve often questioned how viable Paul is as a candidate, especially for the GOP nomination, with such a singular viewpoint on how the country should be run. Many of his supporters have suggested that a Ron Paul presidency would have to be one about compromise because Paul would never have the votes to push that singular agenda through. And fair enough, that’s viable in my mind.

But what about some of these other viewpoints the blogger points out?

1. He Doesn’t Believe in the Separation of Church and State
2. He’s Not For Federally Supported Public Education
3. Yeah, That Means No College Loans
4. He’s Not For National Health Care
5. He’s Against Abortion and Would Like to See Roe vs. Wade Overturned
6. He Doesn’t Believe The Evidence for Man-Made Global Warming Is Convincing

Now, far be it from me to speak for the Ron Paul crowd, but my guess is that many of you are completely okay with most of these. Maybe one thing on this list would be a big problem for you, but it’s probably different for most everybody. I also think the blogger raising these concerns seems to me to be rather liberal in his viewpoints because he says he’s in love with Ron Paul for his foreign policy views.

Which raise the questions: How many of Ron Paul’s liberal supporters will really support his bid for the presidency? And is it really just about the foreign policy views?

This is yet another reason why I think Paul will need to go 3rd party if he has any shot of actually winning. His appeal is broad, but his liberal supporters will fall off once they start to really dig into the issues. He’s a libertarian through and through and that appeals so much more to Republicans and Independents.

Parting shot from the blogger in question…

I pains me to have to write this, and I am not going to stop supporting him. I am not taking the sticker off of my car. I am not going to stop talking about Ron Paul’s campaign or about how he’s igniting the political interest of so many young voters. I’m going to keep talking about his positives. But in the back of my mind I’m secretly hoping that he’ll get the message that his more extreme views will destroy not only him but his ability to help our ailing country.

You can read more in my series about Ron Paul where I first asked supporters 7 questions and they gave me back great answers to all 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of them. Hope you find them useful.

1. Is the Clinton campaign a true juggernaut — or is that just what she wants everyone to believe?
2. Is there a Republican front-runner?
3. Is anyone on either side positioned to break into the top tier?
4. Does the new, turbo- charged calendar make Iowa and New Hampshire more important — or less?
5. Is it too late for Al Gore or Newt Gingrich to get into the race?
6. Do ideas matter in this election?
7. When do I really need to start paying attention, and should I trust the polls?

Let’s focus on question 6: Do ideas matter in this election?

Yes, but no candidate has yet seized the mantle of the ideas candidate — though Edwards has certainly tried.

“Ideas do matter,” a GOP strategist said. “The American people are sick of the nonsense. They’re cynical. They’re angry, they’re sick of the status quo. . . . They’re looking for someone to call them to action. . . . I don’t think anyone has effectively done that so far.”

Democratic pollster Geoffrey Garin said the important ideas are not position papers but something larger. “What matters are big ideas about what’s at the root of our problems and what kind of leadership it will take to fix it,” he wrote. Reagan in 1980 and Clinton in 1992 found that chord. “I don’t think anyone has risen to that level yet.”

Dan Gerstein, a centrist Democrat and strategist, said: “The reality is both parties are brain-dead — they have no new big ideas to deal with the challenges we face today. Which is why I continue to believe that there is an opening for an independent, reform-oriented campaign to run against politics as usual and on a solutions-driven message.”

I’m telling you, 2008 is THE year for the independent run. You’ve got a war that’s pissing people off and a Congress that’s pissing them off even more. No party is able to truly lead, and people are sick and tired of the status quo.

Paging Mr. Bloomberg…Mr. Bloomberg you have a call from the American people…