(ThyBlackMan.com) Make no mistake about it. This election boils down to a contest between Ron Paul and Barack Obama. None of the other Republicans is different enough, or powerful enough, to entice the country to change horses in midstream. Yes, they sound different, but would any of them end the wars or stop the upward flow of wealth to a fewer and fewer few? Ron Paul would stop the wars, and as for reversing the increasing concentration of wealth, who knows, but he would move to radically alter our financial structure. And that is why they say he doesn’t have a chance. But unless they nominate him, neither do the Republicans. . .
Herman Cain is gaining ground. But is he really anything more than Obama Light, or rather Right? Should Cain emerge the nominee, he’s likely to be seen 
as a Michael Steele-like projection of the Republicans, a jumping on the bandwagon of inclusiveness to hide a real lack of inclusiveness. What about Texas Governor Rick Perry? He’s the front runner and so he has become the target of all the others with devastating results.
Romney, the early front runner who usually turns out to be the pace horse, but who this time might win the nomination, is still just a pace horse. One can go all the way down the list. Only one candidate seems able to mount a serious challenge to this sitting president. Ron Paul. He has a massive base among the young and the very restless, many of whom don’t have a job, something they had thought was guaranteed. Which brings us to the Wall Street protests which have morphed into a broad based Movement Against the Rich (MAR).
While the media has focused almost exclusively on the minutiae of the irrelevant, long winded, foolishly deadlocked debates in Washington, the people spontaneously developed their own forum, like people all around the world are doing. The people’s forum is the place where people always first begin to organize, the street. The government is the projection of the street. The people stay out of the street as long as the government functions. When it stops, the street comes to life, as it is now. Where is it headed? Who will assume the leadership or be projected, even if only by default, into that role?
The president has thrown his hat into the ring declaring that the protesters were “giving voice to a more broad based frustration about how our financial system works.” Many Republicans have responded with charges of “class warfare.” But how likely is that to fly with the ever growing disparity between the haves and the no longer haves?
Ron Paul, though, has been cautious in his appraisal of the movement. He says he’s not sure what they are after, but they certainly have the right to practice civil disobedience. He is also quick to point out that he has long warned that current economic policies would bring about collapse, and that both parties helped shape them.
Not only does Ron Paul have a strong base with the young, he also has demonstrated great strength with “values voters,” and in a final showdown he may garner the lion’s share of Tea Party ballots. Meanwhile, Obama’s base amongst the youth is shrinking, and there is debate in the Black community about giving him unquestioning support. This may well dampen African American turnout on Election Day. However, given the policies, statements and behaviors of many Republicans, people of color, and others who feel beleaguered, are likely to remain firmly within the Democratic Party orbit.
No matter what the experts in the press would have us believe, Obama’s only serious opponent is Ron Paul. Conditions on the ground, in the economy and the society may well result in a Ron Paul vs. Barack Obama contest. However, things are likely to remain up in the air as the Movement Against the Rich (MAR) continues searching for a leader. If either Obama or Ron Paul ends up in the saddle, the road to the White House in 2012 would seem to be clear.
Staff Writer; Arthur Lewin
This talented writer has also self published a book which is entitled; Africa Is Not A Country: It’s A Continent.