As the presidential field has shaped up to a
certain Obama vs. Romney in the major parties, the desire for a
challenger championing either the serious right or the serious
progressive left grows. And Ron Paul—though he continues to deny
any third party plans and his political machine has clearly hitched
itself to the GOP for now—is strangely a viable candidate for
either role, should he choose to accept it.

As Senior Editor Brian Doherty observes, Paul is in many ways
the rightest of right wingers, with his desire to kill the
income tax, end government interference in medical care, and
get to a balanced budget in three years with no tax
hikes. Yet despite Paul’s impeccable Tea Party credentials on tax
and spending issues, he would be a more appealing choice to
progressives dissatisfied with President Obama. Even while running
for the GOP presidential nod, Ron Paul has presented a political
vision in many respects to the left of the Democratic Party.