For no other reason than to make mike's head explode! http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/ron-paul-launches-presidential-campaign-20110425 Finally, a faint glimmer of hope. No other GOP hopeful merits any serious consideration.
I really hope he's got enough "I told you so" in him to win in the debates. He strikes me as too classy throw the economy back in everyone's faces after they laughed at him in '07.
I admire his tenacity, that's for sure. And I hope he picks a good VP candidate, because he'd be pushing 81 at the end of his first term.
Meh. His day came and went without him. Call me when Rand runs. in the mean time, I'll go with Johnson.
I agree with alot of his ideas. It's unfortunate that a candidate like Paul is not viable either for the GOP or the general election.
More than likely the GOP will go with a suck candidate, and the dems will stick with their suck candidate.
Pity Paul doesn't have the balls to cut the cord and go third party. It would be interesting to see if there really is a constituency or if it's all just Internet posturing. In the meantime, for sheer entertainment value, I'm hoping for a Trump/Palin ticket.
Couple of weeks ago Jessie Ventura was on one of the radio programs spouting how he'd run with Paul as his VP but Paul would have to leave the Republican ticket before he'd consider it. Just forcing himself right on in there. Like Paul would even consider this guy, he's all shoving himself in the passenger's seat and even suggested he'd take up driving duties from him even. Ahh Minnesota, always with the jokes. First Jessie then Franken.
You need not worry. Ron Paul won't even get past the first primaries before he gets trounced. His economic stuff is spot on but it's all the other stuff that makes people back off hard.
The media will crush Paul just as effectively as they did last time unless he radically changes his campaign tactics and buys air time Ross Perot style. Paul isn't the kind of guy who can deliver 10 second sound bites. You give him two minutes and then you'll listen for five, then an hour, and then he's got you. But the mainstream media with their constantly interrupting talking heads and never-ending shout-fests? No friggin' way.
Aye. Liberal media will condemn him for his small government stances. Ironically, so will conservative media. FoxNews will suck Romney and Huckabee's dick till the cows come home.
I hope both Johnson and Paul run and debate - it'd be at least a bit harder to ignore and marginalize two candidates than just one.
If you remember the debates last time, it was ten candidates and a moderator. Three guys got about 60% of the questions, and the moderator would butt in whenever he felt like it. Every time Paul was asked a question, he got about 30 seconds and then he was cut off and the floor turned back over to Romney or McCain. It was a total farce. The media focused on their darlings, and if you weren't one of them you had the door slammed on you on national TV.
Maybe once they've both been rejected by the big-government GOP machine (and they will be; anyone who thinks the small-government people ever have a chance of being a majority of the GOP doesn't know the way the party works), they could form a ticket and run third-party. I'd vote for them, either way around.
Garamet's got a point, though. With most American's taking a two party system for granted, we'd need to change attitudes on other options for him to be even be considered by most people. His ideas are closest to what the GOP of old used to stand for, though, so if he makes it through the primaries, he's got my vote.
Oh, I agree. I'd love nothing better than to see more parties, or even better, multiple candidates and no parties.
Huh. Jesse had a fairly long and successful career as a professional wrassler. He is a Vietnam-era Navy veteran. He was the mayor of Maple Grove(?) and governor of Minnesota. What does it say about our country when a pro wrassler is more qualified for the job than our current President?
Only today? If that's the only answer you have to why Paul refuses to break from the Republican party, then you've pinpointed the nature of the problem.
I just can't bring myself to support Paul. He's got some good ideas, and would obviously be better than the novelty currently in the white house, but some of his shit is way out there.
Yeah, it could all be internet posturing. Of course with his son winning a Senate seat over the protestations of the Republican party, in a very red red state with red state values, one has to wonder why the Republicans aren't embracing the Pauls instead of wishing they would cut the cord.
I disagree. My biggest concern about Paul now is his age: 75. We need someone who can be a two-termer. This mess can't be fixed in only four years. The Federal government needs to be gutted and sovereignty restored to the states. Paul is dead on target about that. Why are we still in Japan, Germany, and other places overseas while we are closing down bases here in the US and wiping out the local economies that depended on them? WW2 and the Cold War are over. Afghanistan should have been over in six months; it's dragged on for almost ten years now. Iraq and Libya should never have happened. The Founders never intended for an American Empire, but that's what we've wound up with and it is wrecking us.
There are plenty of things to be concerned about with Paul. That he might promote a thought or two that don't make me reflexively vomit isn't exactly a high standard to set for prospective leadership.
Because the Pauls' philosophies don't match the philosophies of the GOP, which has grown virtually indistinguishable from the Democrats.
Interesting point. What are your thoughts? From my POV, the GOP are happy to use the Pauls to make the rest of them look "mainstream" by contrast. Either that, or they're disappointed that, after all his years inside the Beltway, Paul Sr. still doesn't "get" the way things are done in a Company Town.
