Ron Paul Supporters Are The Best
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Ron Paul
Seriously.
I may not agree with them all the time, and some of them may leave me nasty, ill-informed comments, but they are collectively an ingenious, passionate bunch of folks.
Avery Knapp is typical of the Paul Web supporter. A 28-year-old radiology resident, Knapp describes himself as a lifelong conservative who voted for President Bush in 2000 before growing disillusioned with the Iraq war and federal spending.Bush “did nothing but increase the size of government. The Republican Party needs to move back to its core principles,” Knapp said. Many Paul supporters share Knapp’s disdain for what he called a “neo-conservative clique” and hope Paul can spark a Goldwater-style insurgency.
At 46, Kevin Leslie has never bothered with politics. After watching an interview with Paul during his 1988 campaign as candidate for the Libertarian Party, Leslie told himself, “If this guy ever runs for president again, I’ll back him.”
And about that picture…
Passengers on a plane leaving New York could see three words in 4-foot block letters painted on an East Village rooftop terrace as they ascended: GOOGLE RON PAUL. The entreaty to search the Internet for news of the Republican congressman from rural Texas is one of the more visible signs of enthusiasm from a do-it-yourself base of Web fans. Their support doesn’t show up in public opinion polls, but it’s unmatched among presidential candidates in its passion.
If any of the front runners had supporters with this much DIY passion, they’d be a shoe-in. Maybe that’s a sign that purely partisan-driven agendas are on the verge of dying out? Let’s hope so.
UPDATE:
Again, though, I question whether or not that passion can turn into feet on the ground.
Example? The straw poll in Texas this weekend. Ron Paul’s website has been talking about it consistently, and they placed third…behind Duncan “Who?” Hunter and Fred Thompson…a guy who wasn’t even running.
Story courtesy of TheNewsRoom.
This entry was posted on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 and is filed under 2008 Election, Ron Paul. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 1st, 2007 at 6:20 pm
We’ve never seen anything like Ron Paul. It’s not only going to put him in the White House, it’s going to change the country in historic ways.
I couldn’t be happier about it!
September 1st, 2007 at 7:01 pm
GO MR. PRESIDENT, RON PAUL.
It’s about time we elect not strict constructionists, not narrow construtionists, but TRUE CONSTITUTIONALISTS!!!
September 1st, 2007 at 7:09 pm
The straw poll allowed only Republicans who were active subsequent to the neocon coup hence it was rigged by the neocons to exclude the Republican base. The Republican base has been so repulsed by the neocons that they have dropped out of Republican party activism. Ron Paul is reviving the Republicanism and which indeed is the only hope for the Republican party.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Also,
My understanding (not confirmed yet) is that at least one bus full of Ron Paul supporters was turned away and not allowed to vote, even though they had been GOP delegates before, and met all the requirements.
That might have been the difference between first annd third place in a low-turnout event…
September 1st, 2007 at 7:46 pm
On the contrary.. this proves that we DO get support on the ground. We had more people on the ground than any other candidate. Heck, we were probably half of the people at the straw poll if not more.
We were just not allowed to vote due to their restrictive rules. The fact that we had so many neocon converts is amazing and really gives me hope for this country.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:54 pm
The biggest losers were the “top tier” candidates, Rudy McRomney, and the GOP itself. They were expecting 15,000, and got only 1,300 voters.
LOL.
Go Ron!
September 1st, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Noobs couldn’t vote in the Texas Straw Poll, even if Texas residents. The poll represents a loss for Fred Thompson more than anything. Fred is the “big star” candidate yet hasn’t been able to translate that into any sort of victory dance on the ground. The Republican base does not like Fred Thompson, they’d rather have Duncan Who? Sure, he STILL hasn’t officially announced, but FredHeads have been pumping hot air for months and Fred himself announced in the days prior to the poll that he would announce that he is running.
September 1st, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Tara:
You make an excellent point. As we (grass roots) called delegates to get people to come out, the OVERWHELMING response we got was that they were disgusted with the party and were not willing to give it $75.
We are talking about Republican delegates who are traditionally hardcore. More than a few of those people then decided to come out for Ron Paul.
There is extreme discontent in the broader Texas GOP. There were 17,000 people eligible to vote and only 1,300 did. That should give you an idea. And its not like those 17,000 people were wafflers – they are the people who get their friends to the polls and do the hard ground work in Texas. They ARE the grass roots of the establishment.
September 1st, 2007 at 8:27 pm
I live in Texas. I support Ron Paul immensely, I’ve donated money to him and will continue to do so.
I could not vote in this straw poll because I did not meet the criteria. If I had a poll call on my land line (yes, I actually have one!) I would still not meet the criteria of the national polls of a “likely republican voter”.
I have the passion and dedication and drive of 100 Mitt Romney supporters, yet my voice is quieted by the Bygone Media (BM) because of this emphasis on criteria polls.
Fortunately for us, the primary polls will not have these strict criteria and I will be there for that one.
September 1st, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Excellent point Tara. When we (grass roots RP) called delegates the most common response was complete disgust for the republican party for big government spending/growth and total unwillingness to throw away $75, gas, hotel, food, etc to go vote. Some of those guys were the most receptive to RP and we got more than a handful of votes from them.
There were 17,000 republican enthusiasts/machine people and only 7.6% voted.
If Ron Paul people did not come, it would have been one empty and boring convention – and probably underwater financially.
September 1st, 2007 at 8:30 pm
I was there…and let me tell you Ron Paul supporters were everywhere. All Friday they held signs and walked and drove around the downtown area. Paul also raised a s-load of money. Considering the the fact that the delegates were the modern Taliban republicans pro war abroad and pro theocracy at home, he performed exceedingly well. The nonvoting presence was yet another sign that there is something happening here…
September 1st, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Ron Paul got 16% of the Republican party that’s controlled by the Bush family. What’s not to be happy about?
September 1st, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Check out the youtube video showing Ron Paul supporters being turned away from voting, absolutely disgusting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDnWT4gCJSE
September 1st, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Ron Paul raised $103,000 in one night.
Ron Paul got 16% of delegates that had previously voted in the GOP. Dr. Paul’s most support comes from a group that doesn’t qualify to vote in that regard.
This was still a success compared to how well he’s doing in the national, telephone polls.
John Kerry was still considered a hopeful, at this point 4, years ago.
Whether Ron Paul wins or not, let the push for liberty continue.
September 1st, 2007 at 10:58 pm
ron paul is going to win wether you zionist israelis like it or not,fuck you and fuck israel,too
September 1st, 2007 at 11:24 pm
If 1,300 delegates voted, and it cost $50 per vote, that’s about $65,000 raised by the Texas GOP. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Ron Paul had a fundraiser the night before that raised $102,000.
I think the real story here is the clear apathy of the general Republican base, contrasted with the fervent support of Ron Paul’s supporters.
There really is something going on here, and it will be interesting to see if he can get his message out to the masses to envigorate non-voting and apathetic citizens to rally to his freedom message.
September 1st, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Hello. I’m a big supporter of Ron Paul! I’m not a Republican but I have become a huge fan of Ron Paul. I just hope the Media reports on him more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWfIhFhelm8
September 1st, 2007 at 11:59 pm
I hope you Ron Paul supporters marginalize idiots like this quickly.
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:31 am
I would say that that person’s feelings are irrational and I don’t believe he understands exactly what he is talking about.
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:33 am
Justin – I agree people who deal in hate speech like that need to be marginalized. However at the same time, if a reporter were to cherry-pick hate comments and publish articles proclaiming that they represent the majority of Ron Paul supporters, I believe that to be a blatant lack of journalistic integrity. 98% of comments I see are from friendly Ron Paul supporters cheering him on, or dissecting a journalist’s delivery of Ron Paul’s stance–those aren’t always “nice”, but the spirit typically is of honesty in reporting.
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:54 am
Why should we marginalize anyone Justin? Tim doesn’t speak for Ron Paul. His words only reflect (poorly) on himself.
But seriously Justin, what do you think of the video showing QUALIFIED, CONFIRMED, pre-paid Ron Paul DELEGATES being turned away at the door?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDnWT4gCJSE
Each of these delegates would have been able to bring 2 other Ron Paul supporters (Texas residents, if not former GOP delegates) in with them, so we are looking at 30-36 potential Ron Paul votes. If this happened at any other doors (unknown at this time) it may well rise to over 50 votes (which would be enough to surpass Fred the head for 2nd.) The print out confirmation was clearly designed to mislead.
Also, here is one more data point to impeach the accuracy of landline telephone polls:
Not to minimize his win, but where did Duncan Hunter get all this support? Latest landline telephone polling shows him with *less* support than Paul. These should be similar groups – polsters say they only contact core Republican voters and this straw poll was similarly restricted. This is not to say Hunter doesn’t have support, obviously he has a lot of support in TX, and good for him. I hope he lasts long enough to get to the TX primary. This is to say that the national telephone polls are either seriously rigged, or seriously misrepresented (i.e. maybe they measure name recognition, but they sure don’t measure political support or likely votes.)
One would have expected Rudy McRomney to do pretty well, all things considered – and yet, here is Duncan Hunter besting Fred Thompson. Fred Thompson didn’t show up, and still did very well. Paul beat Giuliani, McCain, and Romney (by overwhelming multipliers)
The reason Giuliani, McCain, and Romney didn’t do well in the TX Straw poll isn’t because they didn’t show up, it’s because they aren’t really conservatives.
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:57 am
Whoops!
That was Mike who said that, not Tim…..
Sorry Tim.
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:08 am
Justin,
Do you truly believe the person you quoted is representative of the Ron Paul support-base? Let’s be reasonable here, as per your blog’s motto, and not focus on the few immature comments brought up in this discussion.
Regarding the results from the Texas Staw Poll, it was logical to assume from the start that Dr. Paul would not win. Prior delegates have a bias towards the party’s typical platform of supporting strong defense (which sadly for many translates to a hawkish position regarding furthering US interests abroad) and conservatism on social issues. Hence, Mr. Hunter and Mr. Thompson were likely choices given the restriction that only prior delegates could vote. In my analysis the Texas GOP has simply hurt themselves by taking the unnecessary measure of restricting participants (and thus donations) by adding this criteria that will thankfully not exist in the primary itself. I am surprised that you did not mention any of the inherent disadvantages and biases of the Straw Poll in your article.
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:29 am
[...] more from the original source: Ron Paul Supporters Are The Best 2008 election, donklephant, environment, gender, history, iran, iraq, ron, ron paul, september 1st, [...]
September 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 am
Apparently my comment did not appear, I apologize if this is posted a second time.
Justin,
Do you believe that the person whose comment you quoted is representative of the Ron Paul support-base? Let’s be reasonable here, as per your blog’s motto, and not focus on this civil discussion rather than immature comments.
Regarding the Texas Straw Poll, I find your lack of reporting the restrictions surrounding participant eligibility to be a considerable oversight. You bring up the results of the Straw Poll as evidence that Dr. Paul’s campaign is not gaining traction, yet you do not mention that voters had to have been delegates or alternates for delegates in previous state and national conventions. An analysis of the likely participants would lead a reasonable person to logically assume that Ron Paul would not garner considerable support from this group of eligible participants. Delegates and alternates are generally well in line with the party’s general platform of strong defense (which is sadly misconstrued by many Republicans to include furthering supposed US foreign interests) and conservatism on social issues. Thus, the potential participants are likely to support candidates who share these viewpoints, which lead to Mr. Hunter and Thompson finishing strongly. In my view these overly restrictive eligibility requirements not only trivialized the Straw Poll through bias by means of selecting a more like-minded sample of Republicans, but also was not a wise strategic decision given that it unnecessarily resulted in fewer participants and thus fewer donations to the Texas GOP. Thankfully the primaries do not share these inane restrictions. My advise would be to amend your article to at least mention the nature of the Texas Straw Poll when using the event to “question” the appeal of a candidate to the electorate. I appreciate your article and look forward to further coverage throughout the campaign.
September 2nd, 2007 at 6:10 am
Mr. Moore,
Thanks so much for that, but:
What makes you think the party will not figure out a way to make the primaries restrictive, if need be? There’s already talk about not allowing non-republicans to vote in Texas’s (formerly open) primary.
Wherein a republican is defined as someone who previously voted in a republican primary, I think…
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:46 am
3 percent national polls, 17% in diehard party delegate votes?
I have not seen Guiliani come close in any real vote, just nationwide polls?
No matter, for now we can let the charade of phony polls go, The FOX polls and the mass media polls. The next poll that matters is the quarterly fundraising numbers, not in total, but by number of contributions. I think you will see Mitt pour in more into his fund. I think Paul is playing it smart, he is moving up and cash is flowing in nicely from a huge base of growing support. He will turn up the heat soon enough.
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:14 am
While on the surface the results are disappointing, Ron Paul still received 200+ votes from the party faithful. The story is also how Texas decided not to show up. While the Democratic Party lacks vision or a soul, the Republican party is close to unraveling itself.
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:20 am
mike wilson Says:
September 1st, 2007 at 10:58 pm
“ron paul is going to win wether you zionist israelis like it or not,fuck you and fuck israel,too”
Mike Wilson is probably an agent provocateur. I doubt he is a real Ron Paul supporter. He is just here to discredit us.
Thanks for saying we’re the best, Ron Paul deserves the best. He has served this country faithfully for many years.
http://freedomjoyadventure.blogspot.com/
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:40 am
Yep, Mr. Wilson has got to be a plant.
September 2nd, 2007 at 10:03 am
Ron Paul is ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE! Yes Ron Paul voted against going to Iraq but Ron Paul has not even proposed legislation to recall the troops. If you think that is not true please post the date and legislation that he proposed removal of our troops from Iraq since I can not find it. He could at least propose legislation and hold a press conference with like minded congress people. He needs to challenge Congress in the media the way Ronald Reagan did.
In regards to who has authority to bring our troops back, Read the War Powers Resolution H. J. Res. 542 of 1973 and “Use of Force†H.J.Res 114 of 2002. It says Congress can bring them home at anytime no matter what the President wants. Stop blaming the President and start holding Congress to task.
Here is a quote from Ron Paul about his fake anti war legislation: “Unlike other proposals, this bill does not criticize the president’s handling of the war. It does not cut off funds for the troops. Nor does this bill set a timetable for our withdrawal†WHY NOT?
http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/document.php?id=757
September 2nd, 2007 at 10:51 am
I think this poll shows that Guiliani and even Romney are in deep sh@# and the news isnt picking up on this yet.. lol! Also, Ron Paul is going to gain a bigger upset in the northeast and possibly northwest. like it or not, Ron Paul is going to be around awhile ; )
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:20 am
The GOP’s persistent efforts to sideline the only conservative who can beat the Democrats in 2008 are self-defeating. One wonders why they would rather lose to socialist liberals than help a real conservative into the White House – and win.
The truth is: They’d rather ‘lose’ to one of their own (another corrupt, power-hungry demagogue from another corrupt, power-hungry party) than win with someone they can’t control once he occupies the White House.
It is up to us to drag the GOP, kicking and screaming if need be, back into the White House in 2008 – under the leadership of Ron Paul. Nothing else will do.
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:57 pm
OTOH, Ron Paul gave the very best answer at any presidential debate I’ve seen in decades. When asked which three government programs he would cut, he answered (from my memory) something like this:
Programs? Let’s start with departments: Education, Energy and Homeland Defense.
Excellent! Our government is way, way too big and Ron Paul knows it.
But OTOH, he doesn’t see the Sons of Satan in the Middle East as a threat to our way of life and our every existence. Even President Reagan didn’t give Islamic Hatefuls the serious attention they deserved, and no president since then has been responsible either.
But we FINALLY have a president who understands the danger and is willing to take the unpopular stand to help shepherd a couple Arab Islamic nations into the current century of peaceful, prosperous civilization, just as we did with Japan and Germany in the last century.
Ron Paul falls victim to the thinking that if we just hide in our own country and don’t bother them they won’t come and kill us.
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:40 pm
To the idiotic statement that Paul is a “fake” anti-war candidate:
How can you vote against the Iraq War from the start and vote against every appropriation for the Iraq War if you’re a “fake” Iraq War candidate? I think he’s been pretty damned consistent on that point.
Secondly, with regards to the question of whether or not he has introduced legislation to end the war…
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Ron_Paul_teams_up_with_Dem_0724.html
“As the host mentioned, the Texas Congressman has co-sponsored a bill with another presidential contender, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, that would repeal President Bush’s authority to use force in Iraq within the next sixth months. Besides Kucinich, 18 other Democrats have signed on.”
In other words, after six months, it’s illegal for the Bush Administration to continue the war and keep troops over there. So he can either bring the troops home, or the Adminsitration will be prosecuted for not doing so.
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I attended the straw poll as the guest of a delegate and was horrified at the pro-war propaganda used before, during, and after the speeches. Were it a prom, the theme would have been “9-11, Never Forgetâ€.
The openening video consisted of 9-11 footage with some country western pop song in the background (â€some say we should give up now, but I don’t think that’s true…†or words to that effect), and most speeches (besides Paul’s) beat the war drums. One candidate I had never heard of, a terrorism expert, warned of suitcase bombs blowing away the eastern seaboard (at his suggestion of nuking Iran, a loud “booooo†rang through the room, from Paul supporters, no doubt). The last speaker, not a candidate, was a Pentagon 9-11 survivor who shared his flesh-melting experience in great detail, with pictures of his melted arm (pre-skin graft) shown on the two huge video monitors that flanked the stage.
Initially, I was disappointed with the third place performance, but considering that the straw poll voters were DELEGATES from past conventions and that the war drums were beating so loudly that morning, I think this represents a victory for Paul’s message. Not everyone in the GOP machine is taking their marching orders from the powers that be.
September 2nd, 2007 at 3:14 pm
You forgot nasty and informed. Thanks for being brief for once. You critiqued a respondent above. Every campaign has idiots. The ‘Ron Paul’ difference is that ours isn’t at the top of the ticket.
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:37 pm
About the Texas Straw Poll results. The Texas GOP made it especially difficult for a candidate such as Ron Paul with an uprising up grassroots support to have a dominant impact on this event. They did this by restricting the illegable voters to only those who had participating in the GOP the past year. This obviously would put a crimp in Ron Paul’s base, as most of them are either new to the GOP (like me) or new to the political process in general (like me also).
Lets change the world. Be a part of the movement for a truly free country again.
Donate your dollars to:
http://www.RonPaul2008.com
Or donate your time to:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:39 pm
KEEP THEM REVOLUTION WHEELS A TURNIN’
VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Previous libertarian campaigns have been based on utopian intellectualism, whereas Ron Paul’s campaign is far more about love. Here is an interesting article:
http://spirituallibertarian.blogspot.com/2007/09/libertarian-love-revolution.html
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:10 pm
The Texas straw poll was fixed from the beginning to prevent Ron Paul from winning. The Texas GOP made it so that only delegates who had gone to the national or state convention could vote.
As a result, the Texas GOP screwed themselves out of a great deal of money.
Governor Rick Perry, in a video taped speech claimed that there were no Texans in the race.
Even with the stacked odds, Ron Paul came in third. That is not something to be ashamed of. In fact, it is very, very good. At least 16% of the hardcore Republican base was in favor of a Ron Paul candidacy. With all of the crossovers, Ron Paul has a very good shot at getting the GOP nomination in spite of the neo-conservative tactics to lock him out. In an open primary, if his name-recognition improves significantly, the “top tier” candidates are going to be stunned.
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:41 pm
david said:
david, did you actually read the page you linked? The last sentence, Paul’s summary, says:
Ron Paul is holding Congress to task; he pointed out, on the House floor, that Congress has an obligation to exercise oversight of the war.
Also, how do you reconcile your admonishment to, Stop blaming the President, with the fact that you then ask, WHY NOT? after quoting Paul as saying, Unlike other proposals, this bill does not criticize the president’s handling of the war.? Do you not see the disconnect here?
Ron Paul is introducing his fake anti-war legislation, as you call it, because he believes it has the best chance of bipartisan support, and thus of being passed by the House. He may be right or wrong in his political strategy, and if you think a different strategy would be more effective, then by all means, let’s hear it. Do not assume, however, that Ron Paul lacks real anti-war credentials simply because he doesn’t use your preferred method of ending the war.
September 3rd, 2007 at 1:10 am
Go Ron Go!!!
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:41 am
Whilst I love Ron Paul and think he could be a very good thing for America, I don’t think he’s going to win. And that will be very bad for all the people who want a step back from partisanship.
The film Snakes on a Plane made very little money, yet the internet buzz about it was like no other film. Ron Paul is the political equivalent of Snakes on a Plane. He will not get enough votes to even become the Republic nominee let alone president. And then everyone who comes after him will decide that speaking one’s mind is less important than pandering to the party base, or toeing the party line. In short, the Republicans (at least) will become _more_ partisan should Ron Paul fail.
It’s sad because the last thing America needs is more division, but it’s where you’re all headed. Defeatocrats versus Retreaticans. Bleeding heart liberals versus chickenhawks.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:26 am
Ron Paul supporters are investing heavily in a fine constitutional conservative gentleman who is not, however, currently leading for his party’s nomination.
Please ask yourselves: What will you do if he does not get the nomination? Support Rudy? Support Mitt? Support Fred or Hillary?
Your other choice is, of course, the Libertarian choice, but if you do not put some of your effort now into supporting some Libertarian candidate and Libertarian ballot access, you may find next Fall that the Libertarian choice is a bit disappointing.
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:21 pm
I honestly believe that if all the candidates had shown up,and 20K eligible voting delegates had shown,Ron Paul still would have gotten 16%(or better).The pro-war vote would have been split 10 ways.16% could have won.Once people support Dr. Paul,no one else will do.His base WILL NOT SHRINK! I believe this is why Huckabee dropped out,the GOP did not want to dilute the pro-war voters.
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:22 pm
lol AB that just about sums it up. It’s better to have idiots posting comments on the internet than to have an idiot on the ticket. In response to George Phillies all I can say is…. if Ron Paul doesn’t win then we’ll just run into the woods and bend over and kiss our asses goodbye. lol actually if/when Ron Paul loses I’ll just quit giving a crap about my country and be like everyone else. I’ll focus on getting rich rich rich, screwing over my country any way I can so I can raise enough money to get the hell out of here before we implode. I’ll buy a few acres up in the Yukon and live a humble life and let my kids deal with the tyranny when it reaches us up there. Isnt that the american Way?
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:50 pm
I live in Texas. I support Ron Paul immensely, I’ve donated money to him and will continue to do so.
I could not vote in this straw poll because I did not meet the criteria. If I had a poll call on my land line (yes, I actually have one!) I would still not meet the criteria of the national polls of a “likely republican voterâ€.
I have the passion and dedication and drive of 100 Mitt Romney supporters, yet my voice is quieted by the Bygone Media (BM) because of this emphasis on criteria polls.
Fortunately for us, the primary polls will not have these strict criteria and I will be there for that one.
That is good for ther American people Mr Moore..I will be there with you in support of legalizing our Constitution.
Keith Crawford
Houston4RonPaul2008.com