Mutually exclusive
Now here is an interesting perspective on Ron Paul and the debates. Jay Cost, at Real Clear Politics, argues that Paul should be excluded not on the basis of his 9/11 comments, but based on the fact that he is libertarian.
Yes. That is the rationale. In its entirety. Because Ron Paul’s voting record is small-L libertarian, he is, apparently, not a Republican–the two are exclusive categories. The ideology of libertarianism is IN ITSELF a disqualifier from membership in the Republican party.
It seems my concerns about the death of the Reagan coalition were misplaced. There’s no prospect of libertarians leaving the Republican party–we’ve already been expelled.