As Republicans and Democrats intensely spar over raising the nation's debt ceiling, the first official ad from 2012 presidential contender Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) bills him as one who is standing up to the Washington machine. Directly touching on the issues of raising the debt ceiling and achieving a balanced budget, Paul's ad attempts to give his viewers a history lesson, a glimpse into past debt ceiling negotiations that also ended with compromise.
"In the 80's, they did it to Reagan, a debt ceiling compromise. Democrats promising spending cuts, but delivering only tax hikes. The 90's brought more compromises, more broken promises, and more in new taxes. This August, the next new chapter will be written, a defining moment," the announcer says in the ad designed to look like a trailer for a summer blockbuster.
The Texas Congressman also recently announced that he will not seek reelection in his home district, essentially putting him all in for the 2012 presidential contest. With the subject of the economy being one of his most prominent platforms, Paul hammers home the dire situation which many Americans currently face on the home front. Taking these factors into consideration, his commercial stresses the position that compromise on raising the ceiling is not an affordable option.
"Fourteen trillion in debt. Millions unemployed. The dollar in decline. We know where they stand. But will our party's leaders repeat the mistakes of the past? Will they choose compromise or conviction? One candidate has always been true. Ron Paul: Cut spending. Balance the budget. No deals."
As the recent jobs report showed a higher unemployment rate of 9.2%, both political parties remain deeply divided and have failed to come to an agreement on the matter. One of the latest reports is that President Obama stormed out of negotiations and has pressed congressional leaders to come to an agreement within hours.
While the nation's debt load and spending levels are going to be a significant issue on the campaign trail, it's a bit of a mixed bag in the political big picture. In a Gallup poll conducted from July 7-10, surveying 897 voters, results showed that a generic Republican candidate has extended his lead over President Obama by a 47%-39% margin. Among registered Independent voters surveyed in Gallup's poll, a strong plurality would likely vote for a Republican candidate over President Obama by a 44%- 34% margin, with 1 in 5 not having an opinion. The preferences of Independent voters were similar to last month.
The real curveball was found in the Quinnipiac poll (conducted July 5- July 11 of 2,311 registered voters). It found that more voters by a margin of 48%- 34% blame Republicans for the current debt ceiling crisis. 49% of Independents polled agree that Republicans bear more of the blame for the nation's high debt. Only 33% of Independents placed blame on the current administration.