Ron Paul soon to be homeless? Not in our hearts.

Ron Paul, that paragon of traditional fiscal conservative values is apparently in danger of losing his seat as Galveston's congressman, but this doesn't mean much for his political career considering his track record.

If you haven't heard about Ron Paul by now, you probably don't spend enough time on the internet or on the road reading bumper stickers, where his few but very vocal supporters make themselves heard the most. He's considered a very fringe candidate, though many insist that he's exactly what the country needs. He votes based on fiscal policy alone, making him a bizarre relic of 19th century politics. Because of this, he probably will never gain enough mainstream support to actually be electable in his bid for the White House, but stands as a symbol, a boundary of fiscal conservatism rather than a practical politician. His approach to politics - completely eschewing social issues - is a brilliant strategy for breaching the battle lines between major political parties and fringe elements, in this case Libertarians, but this obviously comes at the expense of mainstream viability.

That's Paul's biggest problem: viability. And that's why his losing his Congressional seat would be hardly a loss for his overall political career. Dr. Paul (as his supporters LOVE to call him) has rooted out a niche as a bona fide celebrity not with his function as a congressman, but as a sentinel for political principles. His opponents smear him for voting against obviously humanitarian legislation, but his supporters love him for his conviction to longsightedness instead of compromise. This shedding of compromise is what keeps him unelectable, and would be the undoing of his Congressional seat, but the legitimacy that the seat grants him is, in my estimation, far outweighed by the legtimacy of his disturbingly impeccable voting history.

Why did Paul choose to run as Republican in '08? My belief is that Paul is using the Republican ticket for the publicity – running as an Independent (or moreso independent, with the little “i”) brings to bear a certain “tinfoil hat” element. His selecting the Republican ticket has catapult him into serious discussion, not as a viable contender, but as a man with popular policy ideas. My bet is that Paul will run as an independent in '12 as a hostage-situation issue vote draw (like Perot in the '92 election), forcing Republicans to reconsider their overall strategy or severely risk the 2012 presidency, which is these days based more on emotions (read: scare tactics and moral authority) rather than its fiscally traditional role concerning itself with the collective national pocketbook.