Is The Ron Paul Movement Over?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, 3rd Party, General Politics, Libertarian, Ron Paul
Over at Poligazette Jason Steck ruminates about the demise of Dr. No, and while I do agree that Paul is going to find it impossible to dig out from under the weight of nearly a decades’ worth of newsletters and 1-800 number, I think he started something that will live beyond him. The only question is: in what form?
First, let’s check in with Jason, who slams Paul on states’ rights…
[...] many of Paul’s critics may have long overlooked the critical weakness in Paul’s and his supporters’ claims to be the vanguard of a new small-l libertarian “movement†— that Paul’s “states’ rights†focus is anathema to any reasonable conception of individual liberty anyway. Paul is, in fact, a statist with rather authoritarian leanings — he just prefers that government coercion and infringements on individual liberties originate with the state governments whenever possible instead of the federal government. Big difference. Or not.
While I think that’s an interesting argument, Paul has always said he believes in the Constitution first and everything else second. That’s why he believes in states’ rights. Whether or not you can find your particular freedoms in a state at the point when all those powers are transferred back them remains to be seen, but at least you have the choice to move around and find a state that better suits your needs.
I think Steck digs himself an even deeper hole with this comment…
When combined with Paul’s rigid and coercive positions on abortion and immigration as well as his continual and willful association with openly racist groups like Stormfront (actual Stormfront endorsements here), it is increasingly clear that the authoritarian and even racist underpinnings of the Ron Paul “movement†should have been visible all along. The novelty of an anti-war “Republican†who mouthed some of the politically correct (among libertarians) positions about “hard money†and the drug war was enough to divert many eyes from the weird conspiracy-mongering about a “NAFTA superhighway†and the faintly lingering stench of Jim Crow.
First off, people have been calling 1-35 the “NAFTA superhighway” for years and the company that I just linked says they are “focused on coordinating the efforts of local, state and federal agencies and the private sector to integrate and secure a multimodal transportation system along the existing “NASCO Corridor.”" Integrate and secure? Hmm, sounds like expand and provide little access to.
There are also groups trying to “integrate and secure a multimodal transportation system” starting in Mexico and running right up to Kansas City. It’s not necessarily difficult to see some trends here.
As far as Paul being a racist or hinting at a return to Jim Crow, I really don’t buy it. I think he was just remarkably dumb in the 90s and let somebody co-opt his name to sell hate. And he should take all the slings and arrows that come with that lack of action. But when Jason says he has willful association with Stormfront, well, that’s nonsense. There’s nothing willful about it. I’m sure the dregs of society have donated money to all of the candidates. Are we going to go through all the records of all the contributions and ask the candidates to answer for everybody? “Mr. Romney, a serial pedophile donated to your campaign. Will you give the money back or do you support pedophilia?” I mean, come on Jason…
Again, I do think Ron Paul is over, and that’s mostly due to his judgement. You can’t credibly push a guy for President who has allowed stuff like the newsletter scandal to happen. You just can’t. But the movement has only just begun, and I think in the years to come it will find more credible voices to push the freedom message.
I do agree with Jason on one thing: a lot of the more vocal Paul supporters come off sounding like nuts. Sorry, they just do. So if you’re a reasonable Paulite, take heed of this because you’ll need to do something to marginalize these voices in the future. People-powered campaigns can also be people-destroyed, and if you’re truly thinking about starting a 3rd party movement you’ll need to start locally, work hard and slowly change the system from within. Well, unless your next “Paul-like” candidate is a billionaire. Then it MIGHT be a top down movement like Perot. But those opportunities are rare indeed, and I don’t necessarily see that on the horizon anytime soon.
So question to Paul supporters, where do you go from here? And please be realistic. No “We’re going to win!” comments. This isn’t a time for cheerleading. Inject some reality into your movement. It needs it.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, 3rd Party, General Politics, Libertarian, 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.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:12 am
oh God why do I have see this loser every day in the news results?
January 16th, 2008 at 8:24 am
“So question to Paul supporters, where do you go from here? And please be realistic. No “We’re going to win!†comments. This isn’t a time for cheerleading. Inject some reality into your movement. It needs it.”
As a Ron Paul supporter, someone who thinks his way through a day, it’s offensive to me that you arrogantly prescirbe the limits of my enthusiasm for my candidate. Am I concerned? Yes. Do I feel defeated? No. Vote in your own primary; be enthused about your own candidate; leave me to my own opinion. I am quite capable of having one–no matter how foolish it may seem to you.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:26 am
I am just surprised that Ron Paul is talked about this much in a negative light. Are you that afraid of a candidate running for president? This used to be a democracy where the common man can run for president. You should write substantiated articles about the candidates you support and if you absolutely must, write things that are critical of a candidate without name calling. Didn’t your mother teach you not to say bad things about people?
All of these newly formed negativity is simply proof that a “long-shot” is making waves. If he is such a “long-shot” then your energy should be focused on making your choice win, but trying to break down someone else’s.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:26 am
“You can’t credibly push a guy for President who has allowed stuff like the newsletter scandal to happen.”
With the amount of scandal and corruption associated with Rudy Giuliani, doesn’t this statement sound a bit silly?
January 16th, 2008 at 8:42 am
You want reality? We’re working to restore freedom. And, we’re doing it all alone without any real front page coverage at all. Politically, the only avenue we have is the one we are traveling on. The campaigns that need a dose of reality are the Thompson and Giuliani campaigns.
Paul is whipping both of their neocon butts. I don’t think that freedom needs a “fallback” or “compromise” strategy. The reality is that over 60,000 people have already voted for Paul. That in itself represents a strong statement against the status quo.
Maybe reality is changing under your feet.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:54 am
To a small island? Seriously.. when you look at the other candidates for D&R it becomes clear that we’re going to continue down the path we’re on. The US is headed for some very rough times. As for the Paul campaign it seems the consensus (if you look at activity on the forums and donations) is to stay behind the campaign until Super Tuesday. It also seems very likely that the Republican nomination will be through a brokered convention. Things are going to get very, very interesting for the GOP.
As for the issue of the newsletters.. you’re absolutely right that it was a huge lapse in judgment to allow others to send that trash out with his name on it but I think it pales in comparison to what the other candidates have done with their “clear” judgment. They’ve done things that shock me more and meant what they did like John McCain calling people “gooks” in public or Huckabee using his political office to cover up the involvement of his son in the brutal killing of a dog. ack!!
January 16th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I respectfully disagree with your assessment. So far we’ve had a better showing in three states than Giuliani and Thompson. We’ve raised more money than any other candidate on the Republican side, and the worse “controversies” are behind us. Would it help if someone other than Dr. Paul took responsibility for the newsletters, sure. But they truly aren’t important. After Iowa, I realized that this would be a lot harder than we all thought. But that doesn’t mean we should give up. And I reject wholeheartedly the assumption that “we can’t win!”
That is unrealistic. Those who continually doubt the Ron Paul movement need an injection of reality.
Even without this election Ron Paul has lit a fuse, especially among young Republicans and Libertarians. Luckily for us, the Young have time on their side, whereas the establishment (McCain and Clinton, etc) don’t. I have no doubt I will see a Ron Paul Republican President in my lifetime. If it’s next January, so be it. If a little later, great.
And btw,
Can you not call us “Paulites,” “Paultards”, “Paulestinians”. “Ronulans”, “MoRons” etc? Just by doing so makes are movement appear fringe and scary. My worry is that by using these terms you scare people away from supporting Ron Paul. You may not care, but this perpetuates the myth that we are a band of terrorists or geeks or whatever. We are just supporters of a candidate, not a race of subhumans, not aliens, not worshipers of the man.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Does that mean that Giuliani and Thompson’s campain should be over too? I mean, if they can’t even beat out Ron Paul every time how much of a kook can he be. But there is something else about the whole Anti-Ron Paul thing that is a double standard and the previous post touched on that. Here are some examples:
You can google everthing stated below and read it for yourself.
John McCain – His racist comment- All they want to trade is burkas- referring to Arab Muslims during the last debate. How about John McCain calling Vietnamese people “gooks†in his last campaign.
Rudy Giuliani – How about John Deady speaking for the Giuliani campaign – All Muslims need to be pushed back into their caves… His new co-chair in South Carolina, Arthur Ravenel, Jr. – he called he NAACP the National Association for Retarded People. (Not to mention ‘Mob’ connections.)
Huckabee – Racist and crazy comments about watching for Pakistani’s crossing the Mexican border with misiles on their shoulders after Butto’s assassination. Plus Huckabee defended his remarks with a lie about the number of Pakistani’s coming across the border. It’s been fact checked with Homeland Security. Huckabee’s visit and sermon at Cornerstone run by anti-Catholic extremist, John Hagee, who said in his book –Jerusalem Countdown- the Catholic Church conspired with Hitler to exterminate the Jews.
Fred Thompson – Iranian sailors getting their virgins remark at the debate. George Allen is backing Fred Thompson. How about Thompson’s chauvinist remarks, “Fred Thompson said, repeating remarks earlier in the week, no woman is up for the job of president just yet. ‘This year, it’s a man, and next year, it’s going to be a man,’ said Thompson. ‘I can see no one else who’s qualified to be president of the United States.’†and how about him referring to his wife as his favorite possession. Geez, and his racist comments -saying immigrants are partly to blame for the sub-prime mortgage crisis – A lot of them couldn’t communicate with the people they were getting the mortgage from,â€- spoken to a group in Iowa.
Romney – Who endorsed religious discrimination in government by stating he would never appoint a Muslim. Calling the Big Dig a “Tar Baby†an old racial slur – J.C. Watts complaining about Mitt’s lily white campaign…
Clinton – recent comment about Marting Luther King and civil liberties– How about her racist joke about Ghandi running a gas station in St. Louis at a fundraiser.
I defy anyone to find one instance of a racist or bigoted remark crossing Ron Paul’s lips, or to show him to be a member of a bigoted or racist organization.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:07 am
So if a Ron Paul paradise were to come about all you have to do in order to have basic rights is to uproot yourself and move away from a place you used to be happy in? All you have to do is hope that you can find a state that won’t follow the path the one you currently live in followed in restricting individual rights and hope you can find work there? All you need to do is come up with the money to afford that? Justin, are you aware of the costs of moving nowadays? You make it sound so easy and convenient. It isn’t and no one should have to do it because a fruitcake enabled tyranny while claiming to love freedom. Paul and his followers do not simply claim to adhere to the Constitution. Over and over again they say that freedom is the reason they do this. How does this reconcile with the willingness to let states restrict freedom? I don’t think it does.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:19 am
To be quite frank, I don’t recognize the authority of folks who say that I have to work in order to pay for their murderous ways.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Now we must play for a brokered convention. If we can go through and pick off delegates from McCain and Romney we can push this race in such a direction. Hit Romney hard on the economy. Hit McCain hard on national defense. Keep the message alive, and maybe something will break. If not, play through February and begin to evaluate the possibility of an Indy run in March. We have more money than ANY of the candidates. We can make that far on the (R) ticket. All we have to do is outlast, and outwit.
At the same time supporters need to stand up and join local, state, and federal elections. The campaign is giving us lessons on how to canvass, precinct data, and everyone has a small base of local supporters through their respective meet-ups. We can bring all of the candidates together under the moniker; “Ron Paul Republicans” for national fund-raising and support purposes.
Even if we don’t make the convention (which is still possible), we begin to change Congress now. By the time our base grows, the message will be “mainstream”, bring the (L) and (C) parties together, and then play a candidate (Ventura) in 2012.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Apparently Jim S forgot about the 10th Amendment. Ron Paul and his supporters believe that if it’s not specifically enumerated in the Constitution, it’s to the states. He has addressed numerous times that some states might restrict more freedoms than others, but it’s what you have to love with in a Constitutional Republic like this country is “suppose” to be.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:30 am
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE WRITER OF THIS IS GETTING PAID. I DIDN’T EVEN FINISH READING THE ESSAY BECAUSE IT WAS BORING WITHOUT ANY REAL SUBSTANCE. JUST YAK YAK YAK.
I WANT YOUR JOB BECAUSE IT IS EASY!
‘VOTE RON PAUL OR NOT AT ALL!’
January 16th, 2008 at 9:32 am
You don’t seem to get that Americans are very forgiving. This was a long time ago, and even if it were true he had some racist sympathies back then, he doesn’t appear to anymore. So we don’t care. The only people who care are a few reporters and bloggers trying to make people care. But we don’t. So it’s not going to hurt him.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:32 am
“Again, I do think Ron Paul is over, and that’s mostly due to his judgement. You can’t credibly push a guy for President who has allowed stuff like the newsletter scandal to happen. You just can’t. But the movement has only just begun, and I think in the years to come it will find more credible voices to push the freedom message.”
————————————————————–
Can’t credibly push Paul…why not? Because your idea of defeat is based on the foundation of poor judgement that occured 15-20 years ago? Tell me, what candidate out there can claim total righteousness? None. With that kind of criteria, I guess you won’t be voting this campaign season.
I, on the other hand, will. I am totally confident in Ron Paul. His record in congress, his philosophy and commitment to the Constitution are my criteria. Isn’t that supposed to be the criteria for all of us?
January 16th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Where we go from here is to vote in the rest of the primaries. It ain’t over till the fat lady sings. I find it interesting that Rudy and Fred get a pass and are allowed to have ‘a Florida strategy’ or a ‘South Carolina strategy’, yet Ron Paul has beaten Rudy (badly) twice and has defeated Fred with a nice margin. Yet nobody asks what strategy Ron Paul has. Let’s call it ‘the tortise and hare strategy’.
Let us examine a few facts. Rudy and Fred have not given the time of day to voters in early states. They have both done worse than Ron Paul. Each says they are banking on a certain state to springboard to the nomination. They are in effect given a free pass for loosing so badly in early states.
Ron Paul on the other hand has more money to spend and believe me, more to come. Ron Paul is opening offices and others are closing their’s, pulling ads off air, and neglecting to pay their staff. Lets not forget that formidable army of Ron Paul volunteers who spread his message at their own expense.
If Rudy looses in Florida, even by a slim margin he is probably doomed. If Fred looses in South Carolina he is also doomed. Huckabee may be drawing a few bucks now since he has finished well, but his comments about bringing the constitution more in line with the bible are going to hurt him bigtime. That message may play to the bible belt, but it’s not gonna fly elsewhere. And lets not forget that the constitution would forbid such a thing anyway.
Now we have Romney. Poor little rich boy who changes his message as fast as his underwear. It is natural for him to win on his home turf, especially since he has dumped enough cash there to choke your average elephant. But his slick talking flip flopping style will soon wear thin.
Now we come to Mc Cain. If he looses in SC he will probably be in serious trouble. He too has lots of problems with us ‘real conservatives’ and people who think immigration is a real issue. He has ‘adjusted his message’ (can you spell flip flop) but it isn’t going to fly either.
Now here is good old Ron Paul, slow and steady, staying in the race drawing respectable numbers and defeating ‘front runners’ one by one, state by state. Ron Paul for the long haul in other words. Others will drop out and Ron Paul will be there, slowly building momentum till the press has nobody left to talk about but him and maybe 2 more candidates.
I am sure when we get to that point Brittney Spears will barf on a cat or something and the networks will all watch her self destruct rather than talk about Ron Paul and his ideas.
Oh, those newsletters? Old news from when he was not even in office and delivering babies. And lets be clear, nobody knows who wrote them so give it up allready, nobody who knows Ron Paul buys it.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Look at the Michigan results, There is a core of 5-8 % (more in some states) that have not abandoned the movement despite the fact that Lew Rockwell used race baiting to raise money for Liberatians 20 years ago.
The RP revolution Needs to run a third party candidate – I don’t know who, maybe Sarah Palin of Alaska, doesn’t really matter, they won’t win – but, they can keep the republicans from winning any swing state, and they can keep Libertarian Ideas in the media – then either the republicans will have to pander to the RP crowd, or more likely, the republicans will implode, and will be ripe for the picking by their more reasonable libertarian wing, or go the way of the Whigs.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:48 am
There is no question that the Ron Paulers are idealist that seem to love this country and the Constitution more than the average Republican. The average Republican has never read the Constitution or the Communist Manifesto. Because of they had they would realize that the two documents are polar opposites. Karl Marx advocates for an income tax, a federal reserve bank, government invasion into our papers and personal effects, unreasonable gun restrictions and the idea of trading liberty for security. The Constitution says “HELL NO!” The government should not have any of the above and by writ and decree signed by the “Founders” the document was made the law of the land. And you call yourselves CONSERVATIVES!? Conservative Trotskyites maybe. When is the last time any of you exercised your Second Amendment right? How about any other right other than the First Amendment? I bet you don’t even know what they are anymore. Because if you did you would be fighting for them. Not so for yourselves so much but for the children in your family. They will grow up to be void of the rights you failed to protect and slaves to the state because you sold them out because you were stupid. Ron Paul may or may not have a chance to win. But WE THE PEOPLE cannot afford to lose. Everything is on the line. So if you are a supporter of the idea of freedom, prosperity and protecting the Constitution. Do something today! Read the Constitution if you have not read it in the last six months. Get out and talk to your neighbors. Call all of your friends and family and talk to them about the Constitution. Bring a Bible if that helps. Do what you have to there is only a few weeks left. If we do nothing it will be the another repeat of what we have been getting. The same old choice between the lesser of two evils. I want better for my family. And I hope you care enough about your family to want better for them too.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:50 am
While I am dissapointed in the whole newsletter debacle I am not suprised to find that even Ron Paul has political baggage. His lapse of judgement is bad but he’s explained it well enough. I’d love to see the ghostwriters step and take full responsibility.
That said, in comparison to ALL the “serious contenders” for the American Presidency that little bit of baggage is just a carry-on. All someone needs to do is Google a candidate’s name and the word racist to find troves of claims, sound bites, and documented media that associates all of them to offensive policies, major lapses in honesty, and asinine statements; Clinton, McCain, Giuliani, et al.. Outside of those instances there are sex scandals, drug scandals, criminal asssociations, and criminal proceedings galore; all of which are much scarier than Dr. Paul’s lack of attention to a third rate newsletter to which he lent his name. The other candidates in this race don’t just need baggage for their transgressions, they need moving trucks.
I don’t think the movement is over, it has just hit a big pothole. Dr. Paul is still doing better than anyone in the “mainstream” thought possible in funds, in besting both Rudy and Fred in popular support, and in the primaries. This election cycle is far from over and no one can predict the impact, or outcome, of the movement to return to a Constitutional America.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:52 am
The revolution is not even close to over. If anything it is growing! Michigan is clear proof of this. Without so much as a visit, his campaign (people like you and me, not professional “campaign managers”) secured a solid 6% of the vote! More than that HE RECEIVED TWICE AS MANY VOTES AS MR.9-11 and MR. LAW AND ORDER!!! HA HA HA HA!!!!
The funny part about it is that I suspect that many of his votes came from traditional “democrats” who switched over just to vote for him!
January 16th, 2008 at 9:55 am
The movement is over when WE THE PEOPLE decide it’s over. Not you, not your masters, nor anyone else can decide anything about OUR movement. To me, the movement will will be no more only when I am dead. Regardless if your rigged voting machines steal yet another election from the people or not. All empires end…usually very violently involving very ticked off citizens. Take a look at your history…then ask yourself, where do you want to be sitting when the people take the power back. We are not stupid….Ron has the most supporters everywhere the campaign goes, has the most funds raised from individuals and overall for all the GOP candidates, and yet these people that get out into the snow and yell and chant for some reason don’t go out and vote when it matters the most? Sorry…I’ve still got some common sense…I don’t buy your BS, nor do the rest of us. I’m one of the several million registered gun owners here in the US, and being a combat vet, I’m not afraid to use it either. We can take a cue from Bush…when peaceful means fail, kill them. Now does that make me nuts, or a pissed off citizen? In my eyes, I just want back what was taken from me…my rights and my freedoms. If that makes me nuts, then call me crazy, because I was willing to die for our freedoms while in the service…why would that change now?
January 16th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Well, i for one never thought he could win. I Hoped he’d do better, like 3rd in NH. i think that was possible before the McCain surge.
Ron Paul was about ideas and despite what some libertarians say, he has been a great soldier for the movement.
January 16th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Hillary Clinton is married to an adulterer, so does she support adultery?
January 16th, 2008 at 10:27 am
We are going to win!
January 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Over? Nothing is over. Ron Paul has only begun to sow the seeds of individual liberty, peace, and proseperity.
His educating the American people about fiat money, fractional reserve banking, inflation, and the warfare/welfare state with a supreme executive has served to show the American people the danger to our constitutional republic.
When Rudy is in the poor house Ron Paul will still be raking in donations from “We The People”.
I know this time on MLK’s birthday I will give more than the last two times. Maybe this will shut up the hacks and shills.
Thank you for your courage Ron Paul!
January 16th, 2008 at 10:39 am
The name of this column should be
“IS THE RUDI G MOVEMENT OVER?
Rudi and Thompson are finished and going backward while Ron Paul who has the solutions that Americans are looking for keeps growing.
Ron Paul and my whole family have his total support….
January 16th, 2008 at 10:48 am
“So question to Paul supporters, where do you go from here? And please be realistic…
I still think that is the wrong question. the real question of whether “the movement” succeeds, is whether we see other, more mainstream candidates, modify or embrace “freedom movement” positions and issues in an attempt to entice a portion of the Paul following. As commenter John Galt points out, there is a definite ~5-8% in the GOP primary that is committed to these ideas.
Tell me that there is not any leading candidate of either party that would not love to have half of that vote in their tally? I am surprised we have not seen more pandering to Paul’s ideas. Maybe we are seeing it to some degree. Surprisingly consistent 2nd amendment defense in the Dem debate last night.
January 16th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Dear Jim S,
You lack faith in yourself. A clear consequence of living under the thumb of the Federal Government for so long. With greater state’s rights your voice would carry all the more weight, not drowned out by the 300 million or so other Americans. If there is a political aspect you wish to change then get-up and change it. You will find that without an authoritarian Federal Government this will be much easier. Don’t forget that all the while we are protected by the Constitution. This means no segregation, anti-gay laws and so forth. If we actually followed the letter of the law, as has been rarely done in our history, we would be quite protected from the will of tyrants certainly more so than now where the tyrant lives possibly a thousand miles away.
Peter
January 16th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Justin, I think many Paul supporters are (and always have been) realistic about his chances. But we’re also pragmatic, so we know it’s important to lend our support to the first remotely-credible libertarianesque candidate to appear in a long time. It’s for that reason that I hope Paul can be talked into an independent candidacy for the general election. He won’t win, but we need to capitalize on any opportunity to get mainstream exposure for libertarian ideas, which exist outside the political/philosophical thought-box for many people.
I’m not even necessarily talking about hardcore, scrap-the-whole-government-now-and-let-the-market-sort-it libertarianism, because that’s obviously a political non-starter. The “movement” (a word I use with hesitation) would be best-served by using Paul’s candidacy to help build an alternative political dialogue in the mainstream consciousness. A dialogue that encourages people to question the idea that government is always the agency best-equipped to solve their problems. A dialogue that alerts people to the personal & economic freedoms they used to have vs. the less-free world (West & East alike), and one that illustrates how that gap is closing. The public is sleepwalking on all those counts. A high-profile, third party run by Paul potentially provides a platform to start waking them up.
Unless we can help our fellow citizens break through that conceptual barrier, classic libertarianism will remain dead (and it is dead, folks). We’ve reached the point where the problem is less one of politics than of activism and awareness.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Ron Paul has the funds to survive well beyond super Tuesday. For the little coverage he receives, drumming Gouliani and Thompson was quite an achievement.
McCain and Huckabee are running on fumes. It could come down to Romney and Paul for the long haul….hmmmm I wonder which one gets the NRA endorsement?
Conservative Gun Owners of America offers the following Ratings:
Paul A
Huckabee A
Thompson D (surprised?)
McCain F (not Surprised)
Guliani and Romney – rate lower than McCain. (also not surprised)
What’s a conservative to do???
January 16th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Let’s give scrutiny to Ron Paul and ignore the problems with the other candidates??? Even if Ron Paul were a racist, which I don’t believe he is, his proposals and policies go against these ideas. Now Hillary, Barack and Edwards believe in legalized theft and are willing to enforce it. Is that better? McCain, Thompson, Giuliani, Romney and Huckabee believe its ok killing innocent civilians as part of the war on terror. They also believe its ok to have our soldiers die in Iraq where we have no business being. These are real problems.
We can throw the baby out with the bath water and say Ron Paul is unacceptable and that’s fine. Just don’t tell me the other candidates are any better. In fact they are far worse. Let’s give them the same kind of scrutiny RonPaulHaterBots are giving to Ron Paul.
Ron Paul is still the best choice of both parties.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Why is Dr. Paul counted out because of these newsletters? So he is human, just like the rest of us. Look at the crap we put up with from the so-called front runners! From the Presidents past!
Okay, done with that, the answer doesn’t really matter.
I do hope that the movement will go forward. I’m tired of setting by and watching the things being done in the name of Liberty, freedom, and justice. It’s crap. We can become what we were before if we all stand together and stop listening to all the crap we get spoon fed by the old media. Think about it. All we know is what they tell us. How do we know that the things that they say are going on in the rest of the World really are? Why do we trust these people so much? I don’t get it.
One example, the Iran ship encounter that happend last week. They wanted us to be afraid. When Dr. Paul said that it may not have happened the way the Government was saying it did people got pissed. Well guess what, it didn’t! They are now saying that the little speed boats were probably not the ones who sent the threat.
So lets try something. Everything the old media tells you, believe the opposite. My brother is a Captain in the Marines. He has been to these other countries and has heard what the media says about them. He said and I quote, “Don’t believe anything you see on the news and only half of what you hear.” That comes from 30plus years of serving this country!
January 16th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Jim S said
So if a Ron Paul paradise were to come about all you have to do in order to have basic rights is to uproot yourself and move away from a place you used to be happy in? All you have to do is hope that you can find a state that won’t follow the path the one you currently live in followed in restricting individual rights and hope you can find work there?
Jim,
At least there might be somewhere to go. Where is there to go now? No where!! People came here with nothing from Europe in the past on disease filled boats and you are unwilling to move to a neighboring state. Also freedom makes people prosperous. States that are more free will be more prosperous. People will start to migrate to more prosperous states. In order to stop the migration states will become more free. The problem we have right now is that there is no place in the world that is even moderately free. Thus, no place for people to migrate. I hope I get to see real freedom in my lifetime. Hopefully when the government expands and liberty contracts even further, under the presidency of whoever wins, more people will wake up. Until then I will be fighting to shrink the size of my local government. I would suggest that all Ron Paul supporters do the same.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:09 am
here is why you get the impression that RP supporters are nuts. It’s simple. BECAUSE RON PAUL HAS AWAKENED SO MANY APATHETIC PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER PARTICIPATED IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS.
The reality couldn’t be more clear. Our economy is already crashing at a rapid rate. We are getting duped into wanting the 4th Reich and it seems as though the only man who is a true American is being shunned as a kook or a nut.
It takes a lot of guts for Ron Paul supporters to stand up and say NO to a possibly-soon-to-be fascist nation.
This revolution is just beginning.
Also, let me point out something. For the majority: JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE NEVER WITNESSED A REVOLUTION, HOLOCAUST, MASS KILLING, ETC DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL NOT SEE IT HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE TIME.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:12 am
The campaign has clearly not been spending the $20 million they have… who knows why? I think the campaign’s been reading your blog, Justin =)
January 16th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I don’t think for a minute the Ron Paul Revolution is over. I think people are just regrouping. Ron’s campaign is not the usual political rhetoric. People have not yet learned not to listen to propaganda which is the reason we keep hearing about these letters which were never written by Ron Paul. It’s just a way to keep people divided. Is racism dead? No. Why not? Because people will not let it die that’s why. It isn’t Dr. Paul these people hurt like they think they do. It all people of all races. Now who are the real racist? Those who keep trying to divide the country.
I hear this morning on the news that the country is in the start of a recession. Now why do you suppose that is? Is that going to bother you? We have bad government and it needs to change. How long has hillary been in washington? How long has obama been washington? Have either of them been able to do anything to curb the state of affairs this country is in? We hear a lot of promises. Question is who is will really change it? There is no economist I have listened to on cspan who disagrees with Ron Paul. How come? Because he knows what he is doing that’s why. If people want real change, the only way to do that is to get away from the type of people who make the outlook look good but don’t deliver. Some ideas sound crazy but maybe a radical change is just what we need. Nothing else is working. Bush over seas begging for oil. How come? No one wants to deal with him and now that the country is in really bad shape the washington talking heads are just a bit too little too late.
People need to start thinking. If it sounds comforting maybe it would be. Maybe it wouldn’t be either. Until you actually try something its nothing more than an experiment. But while washington is experimenting with you, your life, your money, and your states rights, your the one who is going to have to live with it. Maybe down the road you won’t have a place to live and bread will be $7 a loaf. This nafta highway would be real trouble. It would erase the borders as you know them. This in turn also erases your constitution. The very thing that gives you your protection from a bad government.
I still think Ron Paul is the way. I think him being a strict constitutionalist will keep the government in check and we won’t see them able to spend money like they have been doing which is making your bread $7 a loaf.
Think people. Think about what is going to happen to you. We are in a fight for our lives and very close to losing it. We need Ron Paul. No matter what color you happen to be.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Folks, pay no attention to the trolls who keep bringing out the newsletter controversy before and after each primary, newsletters that have been addressed by Paul way back in the 90s. If Paul didn’t represent a threat, why would they waste time rehashing this?
The real story is that Paul has consistently came in at 6%-10% and is going to hang around, to the establishment’s chagrin. Remember, that Paul was supposed to be a non-factor at “2%” and drop out after Iowa. Paul have beaten Rudy & Thompson in all three states so far. If it wasn’t for free liberal media coverage, he would be beating Huckabee as well. McCain and Huckabee are going broke. Paul’s support is consistent and it will only go up as more people hear the message.
I’m not going to make any predictions, but there’s a good possibility of Paul winning NV and finishing strong in SC. He could also win in ME too. That gives him staying power and more donations, while the big donors are wary of donating because there’s no clear front-runner yet. All of Paul’s donations are from grassroots who haven’t maxed out yet, and Paul is eligible for matching funds.
This is the real reason why this newsletter story is still around.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I saw an interesting blog response on the New York Times website. It mentioned that Dr. Paul was one of the earlier supporters of Reagan and that Reagan complimented Dr. Paul on his efforts.
Dr. Paul’s views are mainstream and not fringe in the Republican Party and I doubt that any Republican, even Reagan, had such a consistent record against large government interest in the lives of ordinary people.
As far as this issue or race is concerned, that was a coordinated attack on a man who has excellent character. Someone took advantage of Dr. Paul then and the media is taking advantage of Dr. Paul now. Does that mean he should not be President? No. It just means that there is still a lot of racism in this world and that we continue to have a media that interprets the truth instead of reports it.
Dr. Paul’s movement does not go anywhere. He has inspired a lot of mainstream conservatives and the nation in general. Your emphasis on he cannot run for President based on those letters is simply wrong and in my opinion, narrow-minded. However, I bet the media will continue to drudge this up like a parasite even though it is old news. You should focus on the man himself and his ideas.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:34 am
The more we push now , the more it will resonate in the future. It really doesn’t matter if he loses now his movement will echo in future candidates. And yes, I still believe Ron Paul has a chance at the presidency and everyone who wants to see real change in government and not just a change in management style better get off the couch and vote. Merely talking about change is not enough anymore.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:40 am
OK, here’s some reality:
Ron Paul has overcome a media blackout and trounced Giuliani and Thompson.
Let’s face it: television controls the minds of most Americans. And as far as television is concerned, Ron Paul doesn’t exist. His success so far is simply remarkable.
I, for one, am not swayed by a few white men who are worried about the political correctness of the man. Liberty has nothing to do with political correctness.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Justin,
re: where do you go from here?
Paul will not win the republican nomination, of course we know that. BUT I think it is important for Paul to campaign and push for votes through Feb 5th – here’s why:
His message is continuing to gain recognition; it cannot be denied that many people still do not know who RP is, and that lack of name recognition certainly doesn’t help his campaign/message.
Paul has, arguably, the most money to spend. He will, more than likely, continue to out raise the “other guys”, allowing him to have a presence in every state in Super Tuesday. As covered by CNN last night, and as several bloggers have pointed out, McCain, Guiliani, Huckabee, and even Romney don’t have the money to advertise and run a real campaign in every primary for Feb 5th.
This gives Paul a chance to out spend everyone else and gain more national exposure. (Sidebar: anyone else find it interesting that the cut spending, Dr. No candidate is the one spending more than anyone else in his party?)
Thats where we go from here… Continuing to spread the common sense small L philosophy until Feb 5th. If Paul would endorse a young, popular in his district congressman as his predecessor, it would make life much easier for the Paulites.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Where do we go from here? Onward! If Paul keeps up this string of losses, then he’s going to lose the presidency; but you don’t know what’s going to happen and neither do we. What we do know is that we’ve already won a lot more than we could ever possibly lose. The congressional candidates are beginning to come forward. We’re going to support them too! We’re going to start teaching our children and our neighbors about how we the people are at the top in the chain of command—that we created the government in order to serve us—and that the Constitution puts limits on government so the servant doesn’t turn around and afflict its master.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Hey Justin,
I really wish most of these people would have actually answered the question you posed. I myself am hoping that some of the issue awareness and energy generated can be shifted behind similar Congressional Representative candidates for the November elections and beyond. I think we really need more representation (a wing) in Congress made of people like Ron, and I think people should pay more attention to Congress rather than the Oval office. After all, both are supposed to be one third.
That being said, I do think the “newsletter” crap was way blown out of proportion, just as I believe the idea of Ron’s support was crazies. I’ve been in 3rd Party circles for over fifteen years and honestly, Ron has the most sane and respectable bunch I’ve ever encountered. There’s always one or two, but if you repeat something long enough it becomes the truth. People will squint and look at a crowd of a hundred and see the one guy and say “yep, there he is, that proves it!”
And one thing I can say for the Paul campaign, however flawed, is that they refused to give free press to the tiny, obscure people and organizations involved in the ’scandal’ by NEVER SPEAKING THEIR NAMES! How many people, thanks to the MSM, now know the name Stormfront? This pathetically small and insignificant trailer trash operation received more free press than they could ever hope for from the main stream media, but never from Paul. He was right to dismiss them, they’re nobodies who don’t deserve to be validated. Just ask the ADL what their real numbers are. There’s more people in the Flat Earth Society! No joke, seriously, look it up.
What irks me a little more is how quickly everyone forgot that Ron attended the Travis Smiley Black Issues debate on PBS while the ‘top tier’ all snubbed it with transparent excuses that amount to a load of bull.
And…whoever wrote this is not paying attention:
“Paul’s “states’ rights†focus is anathema to any reasonable conception of individual liberty anyway.”
So medical marijuana, same sex marriage and right to die legislation are all right wing causes that are intruding on individual liberty? All this is being enacted by State Legislatures and is actively under fire by the Federal Government. Nice try Trotsky, but I’ve had enough Central Planning.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
How many black babies has Ron Paul brought into this world ? I know this, as much as anyone tries to cover up the truth the truth eventually cuts through everything. People are not voting for Ron Paul because they agree with him on every level. They vote for him because he exposes our biggest enemy and
he does it with the truth. He doesn’t attack other candidates, he attacks issues.
Issues that are near and dear to big, deceitful government who has been bought by corporations and congressional lobbyists.
Ron Paul’s only motive is to bring back the Ideals of our founding fathers
who wrote them down, Mr. Paul is the only candidate that apparently knows how to read !!!!!
January 16th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Sure, it hurts. Sure, it’s disappointing. We’re not dumb. We can see how much it’s hurting the campaign. But, what alternative do we have? Pick one from the debt, torture and permanent war crowd? A drowning man will grab onto anything that will keep him afloat, for good or ill. That’s just America, circa 2008, friends. Sigh.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Ron Paul and Lew Rockwell have nothing to apologize for. Nothing but smear campaign timed to try to ditch a great candidate during a crucial time.
From the Paul newsletter excerpts that I have read, many were (offcolor) but not racist in comparison to what many in the Republican party expouse against Arabs and others of middle eastern descent. Listening to Tancredo, 911 Guiliani, Bomb-Bomb McCain or Go to Little Green Footballs, Hotair and many other sites and you get the impression that they are ready to exterminate all of brownies with the towels on their head.
Pot calling the kettle black if you ask me.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
“where do you go from here? And please be realistic.”
I’ve never given a crap about politics, I live in montana and the vast percentage of this population knows that we don’t matter on the federal level.
I will most likely, for the rest of my life, believe that the ideals of Ron Paul are the ideas that america should still be based on.
On the newsletters even if he put his seal on it knowing what was written (don’t believe he did but that’s a belief), well people have the right to write whatever they damn well please and have the right to believe however they do. As long as those beliefs don’t inflict others with harm I don’t care.
I’m almost 30 years old have never cared about any politician alive in my lifetime other then distaste. I’ve said many times since the age of 12 that I would never vote for a president as they were all #$%^, I also stated that I doubted there would ever be a candidate in my lifetime I’d vote for.
I now have to recant that prediction.
I didn’t even know that there was a possibility of a politician like Ron Paul.
The “newsletters” as a smear campaign is the most useless of any I’ve ever heard of.
So to answer the question, I go till the end. Call me “crazy” “loon” “kook” “racist” (I dare you to call me that to my face) or whatever you’d like, your allowed to…….. We were freed by a war “by the people for the people” I consider myself to be fighting a war to keep my freedoms, and all in such an easy thing as believing in Ron Paul’s belief in the Constitution.
(why is it that the only press he seems to get is belittling press unless its press provided by the people)?????
January 16th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Anyone, Anyone, Buellar,Buellar… that is the nail on the head Abe, bring anything and everything, You can ask my three daughters, “What Amendment to the Constitution gives women the right to vote, and what year was it ratified?” there ages 4,7,12 they can answer the Qestions, Can any of the ladies reading this care to give it a go? Ron Paul 08 for freedom for everyone!
January 16th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
“Again, I do think Ron Paul is over, and that’s mostly due to his judgement.”
Out of all the other candidates Paul has the best record _for_ his judgement.
“You can’t credibly push a guy for President who has allowed stuff like the newsletter scandal to happen. You just can’t.”
This is like saying making a mistake makes you ineligible to be a President.
“But the movement has only just begun, and I think in the years to come it will find more credible voices to push the freedom message.”
Are you implying that Ron Paul is not credible?
January 16th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
This Ron Paul supporter thinks things are just getting started. A strong primary showing will lead to a viable Independent run. He’s got the name recognition, money, grass roots support and best message. Mix that with a collapsing economy/dollar and things get very interesting.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I support Ron Paul 100% but I tell you what troubles me the most. Today I have seen Fred Thompson and Rudy on national TV and Paul has beat them both. Paul is now facing a virtural media black out while those he beats if anything are getting more attention. How is this possible? The MSM has ever been fair to Dr. Paul but they don’t even try to offer the illusion that they are now.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I’m in this for the long haul and I’m looking forward to the MLK money bomb. The problems of this nation are coming to the forefront at just the right time for the economically conservative message of Ron Paul to resonate.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
You are right Darel, the NYT does not even have him listed on the MI results page, even though it lists Giuliani and Thompson, both of whom he defeated. wtf?????
And it’s amazing how the ( admitedly foul ) statements of 3 or 4 newsletters has turned into “piles of racist newspapers from the 80s and 90s.” Seems like Stalinism to me. “Ron Paul was guilty of thoughtcrime in 1984–shoot the mad dog!” Too bad the other candidates are not studied as much. Gem
January 16th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I find it ironic that Paul is being declared dead even as he finishes at the highest place yet in any primary–fourth. Don’t jump on bandwagon’s yet, there is still a message to get out.
January 16th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Ron Paul is a real threat to a lot of people — but not because of anything wrong he’s done in the past or will do in the future.
Even as he knocks former “front-runner” Guiliani and former “contender” Thompson to the back of the line in the 3rd primary, he is still blatantly being ignored by the media except for 20 year old smear tactics.
How could the Ron Paul Movement be “over” if it never existed? According to what the news stations and mainstream newspapers would have you believe, he never even existed; but mainly they (and people with an agenda, like you) just want him to go away quietly. You wish.
Your attempts to silence and tarnish Ron Paul only make us grow stronger and more willful. We will prevail.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Why does everyone strive to prove Ron Paul cant win? They must be dieing for someone to come out and say he cant. Well folks im here to say there is no proof that he can or cant win but it seems people from other sides are more worried about Ron Paul than their own candidate which proves they are attacking the Ron Paul movement and it’s threat on their party!!! If Ron Paul has no chance why waste your time trying to kill it? After all he is just a nobody beating the “Top Tier” nobody’s. Lets face it folks Ron Paul is in this race til the end and he may just end it by stepping into the White House.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
The problem with Ron Paul is that his idea if elected would move up side down every one successful in the current system. Look how many people got rich from bankers to contactors on the last housing buble. So why whould they want a change? Ofcourse they did not study austrian econnomy, insted, they got educated how to make monay and get rich in our monetary system. Did you read Rich Dad Poor Dad or the books by Donald Trump? or the great advertising how to work 4h a day and get rich etc etc, All teaches how to make most of the paper money and speculations with out any kwnoladge.
Ron Paul’s idea would prevent such techniques and allow to get rich only by hard working, by beeing bright and educated. If you are lazy you have null
January 16th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
It’s about your Rights and Freedoms Jim S. stated
“So if a Ron Paul paradise were to come about all you have to do in order to have basic rights is to uproot yourself and move away from a place you used to be happy in? All you have to do is hope that you can find a state that won’t follow the path the one you currently live in followed in restricting individual rights and hope you can find work there? All you need to do is come up with the money to afford that? Justin, are you aware of the costs of moving nowadays?”
A Ron Paul paradise? You criticize while making the argument to support Ron Paul. This is about the Constitution. Remember the document providing you the rights and freedoms. The document stating ONLY Gold and Silver to be used as legal tender. Why do you think it costs so much to move? Ignore some of it and all is ignored.
We supporters realize this you will soon.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Well, for one thing Paul supporters can’t read. Here’s the Michigan results page from the NYT. Yep, there’s Ron Paul. After reading yet again the rants and conspiracy theories I would like to suggest that the appropriate name for Ron Paul supporters should be the Straight Jacket Brigades. The more I read from them the less impressed I am and the less convinced of their sanity.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Considering the NAACP backs Paul, I’d say he still has a chance to win. If this can get some press coverage.
http://southernavenger.ccpblogs.com/2008/01/14/naacp-president-defends-ron-paul-against-recent-smear-attempts/
January 16th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I think this post is fair. I gave money to Paul. I think the damaging thing in my mind is that he made money on the things. Putting that issue aside and looking at the future.
I don’t see much hope for it this time around. Paul could control this, do the politically correct thing and perhaps say we talked about that issue months ago and stonewall. In such a fragmented Republican field I wouldn’t give him 0 chance but it was a long one.
I just hope that this issue, which I don’t believe has much to do with the man himself or his stances in congress over 20 years, will overshadow what is right about him.
In my mind what is right is the foreign policy, and individual rights stuff. I’m not a pure Austrian economist. He is right though that we have to deal with the entitlement system. I want people to actually talk about these things and I am tired of both sides being married either to the entitlement system or the military-industrial complex. Let me say that again: sick. I’m tired of being taxed to kill people, I’m tired of being taxed to pay for inefficient and bad government services.
I like that Paul is a total outsider when it comes to the foreign policy.
Will there be another Paul? It will be hard. You see as the wacko point out, they gave him the push to get enough attention be noticed, by the people who aren’t brain dead or brain washed.
I think things are probably over, but I think everyone took notice of the numbers of people who gave him money, and that there just aren’t that many conspiracy folks out there.
Sorry there are a lot of us who want real changes not the imaginary ones the democrats talk about, which to me sound like the same old boring rhetorical changes.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Note to author: how can a movement that is based on individual liberty and freedom be over? One does not put these ideas back into a box. The fact that the public has been getting scammed for years is only recently getting some exposure with Paul’s candidacy. The ideas spread, and people spread them, and we move on. Whether Ron Paul is the benefactor of the movement remains to be seen. But, what kind of other “movement” is out there? A Romney movement? A Giuliani movement? A Clinton movement? What grand philosophy do these candidates espouse? About all they offer is more statist control, gimmes, handouts, and protectionism. That works well when there is something to give and to protect. That illusion is fading. And yes, there is constant reinforcement from the TV box and the pollster empire about who will win. Soon, these nuisances will be diminished in importance or gone altogether. Soon, we will be looking for something larger than a phony promise or a campaign smile. When? Who knows? But the movement is not over. Actually, it will grow. History tells us this.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Did Hillary write those newsletters. Is this proof?:
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/07/16/hillary.book.response.02/index.html
January 17th, 2008 at 1:03 am
what I find great, is that I click on these ‘junk’ stories that come in my news pile… only to read all the positive responses… i think it ‘powers-up’ everyone of us RP supporters…. so take that!!!! enjoy helping the resistance!!!
January 17th, 2008 at 8:12 am
I find it ironic that we could “never” expect Dr. Paul in the White House because of some unsubstantiated newsletters, yet we could allow
any of those four candidates who made it on the Judicial Watch’s list of 10 most corrupt politicians:
Hillary Clinton
Obama
Rudy
Mike Huckabee
Come on!
January 17th, 2008 at 8:25 am
No it is not over. Who says it is over? Wake up sheeple. This movement is not going to stop. Ron Paul started something and it does not end with him becoming or not becoming president. People are becoming inspired and expect for many years to be discussing these revolutionary ideas, while the economy is getting worse.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Are you kidding me?!
The Ron Paul revolution is just beginning. And whether he becomes our next President or not, the freedom movement is about America waking up…
Turn off your TV and do your own research, use the computer at your local library if you don’t have one, because you will be in the dark if you depend on mainstream media for truthful information. Do it for your children and your country.
I’ve never been interested in politics until now. And I’m still not interested in typical, corporate-lobbyist owned politicians. But the Constitutional rights and liberties that are mine, the way our forefathers fought to protect them, all the inspiring individuals who sacrificed so I could experience this freedom today….
I can get excited about that. And I’m not about to give them up because the gov’t expects us to sit down and be quiet while those rights are stripped from us.
Ron Paul cured my apathy!
January 18th, 2008 at 2:30 am
You asked the wrong question. “Where do we go from here?” Well, Ron Paul’s still running, we still have a campaign to fight, we still have people to influence and thoughts to propound. That’s where we go. One step at a time. When Ron Paul withdraws, then it’ll be time for your question.
January 18th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Is there really a media blackout or is there something the Ron Paul campiagn could be doing differently to get more coverage?
I would love to see some articles in a MSM publication analyzing the movement that surrounds Ron Paul. There is a big awakening going on that is being ignored. Thimgs like the blimp get little to no notice, imagine if the blimp was emblazoned with google Hillary – it would get hours of coverage each day on Fox and CNN, with hourly updates of it’s latest location.
Ron Paul may not be the perfect candidate, but he is the best one we have running by far. It is way too early in the whole primary process to talk of where to go from here or talk about defeat.
Besides that the pillars of power in this country are directly threatened by Ron Paul the other factor that makes it hard for the campaign to gain traction is that a vast majority do not understand where money comes from and how inflation is a hidden tax. Real change is uncomfortable and takes time for people to grasp.
What we need is for Ron Paul supporters to get off the internet for a few hours and do some real work for the campaign getting out the vote and introducing our neighbors to Ron Paul and his ideas. Like many of you I think I am right and Ron Paul is the way to go, but I respect dissenting opinions as long as they are backed up by reasoning and thought and not imagined support based on lack of thought and misinformation.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am
54,000 votes in the Michigan primary is a pretty strong sign that the Revolution is far from over. In precincts with precinct captains, turnout was double that of other precincts — apply that math nationwide, and 6-10% could turn into 12-20%, which would have a big impact on his perceived viability, as could a strong showing in Nevada this Saturday.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Ron Paul is no authoritarian, at the state level or anywhere. Look up “Ron Paul’s freedom principles” on his Congressional website — they are 100% libertarian. He IS pro-life, because he thinks the unborn baby is a separate human life, endowed by God with the rights to life and liberty, just as the mother is.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Canada’s PM Brian Mulroney isn’t a great role model for libertarians or conservatives, but he did know politics. One piece of advice he’d give in a situation like this is, “You dance with the lady that brung ya.”
The RevolUTION united to support the Ron Paul 2008 campaign. IMO, it should continue to support the Ron Paul 2008 campaign until that campaign is over. After that, I hope, it will continue and turn its attention to capturing some seats in Congress in 2010. 2012 will be early enough to start thinking about another presidential candidate with a newsletter-free (and blog-free) past. There’ll have to be one then; at 72, this is Dr. Paul’s last hurrah — and I’m all for letting him take his best shot at it.
January 19th, 2008 at 3:29 am
I guess we’re only “reasonable” if we’ve given up on the campaign, eh? Oh well, I guess I just can’t be reasoned with then. I’ll worry about the future of the movement when the election results are announced. Until then, I’ll keep believing that in America, anything can happen…
…and it has. American history is full of long shot candidates who found their way in against all odds.
January 25th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
2nd in Nevada, (1st 2nd or 3rd in Louisiana depending on what the ..ahem…”results” that state “decides” to release…if at all…) If Giuliani is out after Florida that leaves only 4 Candidates, and lets not forget Huckabee’s having money issues. So is the Ron Paul revolution over? Big no on that. Even if he makes it to be one of the top 3 candidates, how can anyone say he was a flash in the pan, or a anomaly. Good for him!!