Posted on 12/30/2011 12:41:42 PM PST by presidio9
With Representative Ron Paul performing solidly in Republican presidential polls – and near the top in Iowa – a recurring question nags at political wise-guys: Will the Texas libertarian’s corps of loyal and energized supporters be an asset to an eventual Republican nominee?
Or will they be a liability if that nominee is not named Ron Paul — meaning, they will vote only for Mr. Paul as a third-party or write-in candidate, or stay home altogether, which would probably help the prospective Democratic nominee, President Obama?
Based on discussion with a dozen supporters at candidate events across the state — including a Paul rally of about 500 here Wednesday night – the Paul Posse contains a considerable “Ron or I’m Gone” population.
Of those people interviewed, three said they would vote for the Republican nominee if it was not Mr. Paul, and two said they were not sure. But seven respondents said they would support only Mr. Paul in the general election – either as a write-in or third-party candidate (the latter of which Mr. Paul has not ruled out). Ideally, they said, he would be the Republican nominee.
“If the Republican Party is going to remain viable, it needs to nominate Ron Paul,” said Sean Curtin of Iowa City, who estimates that that “Libertarian-Constitutional” constituency that supports Mr. Paul makes up 25 percent of the Republican Party.
And if they don’t nominate Mr. Paul?
“I would not vote for anyone else,” said Eric Grote, who travelled to Iowa from Turkey, where he lives half the year,
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
>>Paul running 3rd party will mean little to the GOP nominee. Look at the losers they cite in the article. Some dope that lives in Turkey and another who thinks that 25% of the base will walk if Paul isn’t nominated? On what facts? It is clear that Pauls support is primarily college punks and Libertarians who wouldn’t vote GOP anyway. Paul is this election cycles John Anderson. If he runs 3rd party, he will siphon disillusioned Obummer voters and not have an effect on moderates and GOP voters.
This is spot on.
Many Republicans fear a 3rd Party Ron Paul. I, for one, welcome it. Paul will siphon droves of former Obama voters away from the Democrats and local and state Democratic candidates will suffer MASSIVELY. Most of the Ron Paul people are Alex Jones drones. Many of the black students I taught 3-5 years ago that were big fans of Obama are Paulites now.
The only real danger is if Mitt was the Republican nominee.
“I will repeat my point in a way that you can perhaps understand: If you see no difference between the Conservative candidates (Dr. Paul is a libertarian, not a conservative) and Barak Obama, you don’t belong on this website.”
I’m content with leaving the decision as to who does and does not belong on FR to the owner of this website. Until such time as JimRob decides it’s time for my zot, I will continue to speak my mind.
And here is my mind: I would have been delighted with Sarah Palin. I would have crawled across broken glass to campaign for her and vote for her. But she decided not to run. I would have been happy with Herman Cain. But he was run out of the campaign. So we’re down to tradeoffs.
From my perspective, the best set of tradeoffs at this point is Ron Paul. Lord knows I disagree with him on certain issues, but when it comes down to the candidate most likely to downsize the Federal government and run it from a Constitutional basis, he is the the best candidate left in my view. He also has some traction among non-gop voters. Preaching to the already converted doesn’t win elections.
That said, I don’t think there is a chance in hades that Ron Paul will actually win the gop nomination. The gop-e won’t let that happen. It’s mittens and always has been mittens. I’m just hoping that Ron Paul does run a third party challenge so I have someone I could vote for on the general election ballot. If that challenge costs the gop the election, then so be it. If the “best” candidate the gop can pick is mittens, then they deserve to be defeated.
“Continued libertarian infiltration and support for Ron Paul, who is not a conservative (and not really pro-life) on this and other conservative forums seems guaranteed to present that choice. I agree that it sucks.”
How does the failure of other conservatives to coalesce around a different candidate the fault of Ron Paul or his supporters? Are they somehow preventing other conservatives from organizing? Are they barring the doors in some manner? Or is it just that the field of candidates is dominated by narcissists who won’t do the honorable thing and sit out the campaign in favor of coalescing around one stronger candidate?
“Cult followers are not known for the art of compromise.”
Sure they are. It’s just that their starting price is much higher.
“In which case, you will be responsible if Zero gets a second term.”
No. The gop will be responsible for having run such an incredibly poor candidate as mittens. Does anyone REALLY think we would be having a discussion about splitting the conservative vote if Sarah Palin was running? Ron Paul would be a non-issue. Mittens would be an issue, but not much of one.
“If liberal progressive RINO Myth Romney is the GOP nominee, I won’t leave the spot blank. I’ll either vote for the strongest third party conservative on the ballot if there is one or write in the name of the strongest conservative TEA party person I can find. You betcha!
RINOs be damned!!
Go TEA Party!!” .... stated by Jim Robinson.
I totally agree with JimRob and won’t vote for Obama-lite (Romney) either. If you think electing Romney will make things better then you’re delusional.
No, I think reelecting Obama will make things much worse.
Delusional is in the eye of the beholder. Got a mirror? It's your Vote to waste my FRiend. I will repeat what both I and the "Great One" Mark Levin believe, you vote your Principles in the Primaries and you vote your Party in the General. You, Jimrob and many others here disagree. So be it.
I’ve been starting to think that the GOP strategy is that prospective Romney voters will not be Republican party voters in significant numbers.
That would explain a lot, anyway.
I would like to add Newt Gingrich to that list. Anyone who considers them self “conservative” in the least bit needs to have their head examined for supporting either of them. If that's what the GOP stands for today than I want nothing to do with it. Newt or Romney will destroy the GOP for years to come (not that it hasn't already been doing this to itself for years). The last thing this country needs is another big government conservative! It my view they are worse than democrats/libtards b/c they water down and distort what it really means to be a conservative.
“you vote your Principles in the Primaries and you vote your Party in the General”
That reminds me of an old joke with the punch line: “I know what you are, I am just trying find out how much you cost”.
I have a neat solution for that obsolete formula which has brought us to this point. If Romney becomes the party nominee, that morning I will re-register as an independent. If the leftist stiff from Massachusetts is the best the GOP can come up with, the GOP is -not- my party, and I will no more belong to it than to the Menshevik party, on the theory that they are the kinder, gentler, compassionate communists.
There is a difference between compromise on an inadequate or flawed candidate, and pure capitulation for a wholly malignant one. Voting for Romney is abject capitulation. The willing surrender of every single principle and value.
GOP party hacks keep saying “In the long run you will vote for Romney if he is the nominee”. I anticipate that the opposite will happen in noticeable numbers. If Romney is the nominee, reluctant conservatives will go to the polls intending to vote party over principles, and at the critical moment realize they cannot defile their conscience enough to vote for the obvious charlatan, the distinction without a difference.
“Another winning strategy from the Purist crowd.”
We’ve been following the Impurist crowd’s diktat sine 1989.
Here we are. No more.
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