"With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero."
Which means Ron Paul publicly admits he cannot win the GOP nomination, which is no surprise. Some of us were holding out another hope.
"Of course, I am committed to fighting for our ideas within the Republican party, so there will be no third party run."
That's a significant departure from "I have no plans to run," which he's said before and which would have given him an out should he have been drafted. If I am to take him at his word, and I've backed him so far because I have, this is unequivocal, and dashes all hopes.
So he's trimming staff and focusing on his congressional seat. Fine, but where does that leave the national movement?
I guess, according to his Rah Rah team, the plan is to go to the convention and keep getting out the message . We've seen how the mainstream media has managed to stymie that tactic.
If it's a matter of getting out the message of liberty, why not do that directly instead of diluting it with the distraction of running what he admits is a losing campaign? If he focus on the one, he detracts from the other--if he wants to run a liberty message campaign, as opposed to a presidential one, what's the plan? He says he has one, but he said he had a plan to win the presidency, too.
Come back to me when you have a plan you can share, Doc, but don't expect me to stay revved up by this.
I see no reason to put any more energy or reputation into stumping for this guy if that's his final answer. Does the campaign think this will do anything but immediately discourage future contributions?
I have to admit I am tremendously disappointed by this. I don't take back anything I've said, because my support for his candidacy has always been based on the information at hand. And I certainly don't take back anything I've said about the other GOP frauds we're expected to roll over for.
So no, don't expect any "lesser of two evils" backtracking here--I'll continue to speak out on that train of abuses as I think circumstances merit--as well as doing what I can to decry Hillary and Obama outrages.
I would like to see someone from the Paul campaign give me some credible reasons why we should spend one more minute talking about his apparent non-campaign, though. And yeah, I'll still vote for him in the primary out of protest. But with this latest development, you're going to have to come up with your own reasons for doing the same.
I'm going to end this for now and put it aside before I say something based on emotion. I don't think this is an indictment on Paul's character, message or principles-- I've just never seen admitting you can't win as a particularly effective strategy for effecting change before, and unless someone can give me some compelling arguments to change my mind, I've got my own agenda to focus on.
I'm open to hearing why I shouldn't do just that.
7 comments:
David, I am disappointed too, but I understand why he's ruling out a third party run.
McCain can't win in November. His strongest support thus far has come from states that will go "blue" in the general, and from "independents" who tend to vote for the Democrat when it really matters.
If Ron is not running on a third-party ticket, the neocons cannot cast him as the spoiler who "cost Republicans the White House". We know that a warmongering Republican will lose regardless, and that Ron would siphon as many votes from the anti-war left as the old-school right, but that wouldn't stop the neocon spinmeisters from casting him as "H. Ron Perot". No, let there be no doubt in anyone's mind how the Dems regained the White House. The realization might lead to a long-overdue purge of the GOP. Many of the neocons will jump ship anyhow if they think Hillary will bomb enough muslims to suit them. Watch for this to start happening in the months leading up to November.
Besides, I believe TPTB would only step up the news blackout and exclusions if the good doctor ran as an independent.
Yeah, it's a bummer. I had really been hoping he would run third, but ... I am still voting for him as a write in. I refuse to throw my vote away on a fascist or commie or any other ism out there. And I refuse to "sit it out".
Freedom is just not popular anymore. Too many parasites have too much to lose.
Your points are well taken. What I'm looking for is why I should follow people who have told me they will lose. If there is a plan for a future effort, I'll judge it when I hear it. But for right now, how do I credibly and sincerely urge people to continue putting money, time and effort into "Ron Paul for President" when he's told us the path he's chosen will not lead us to the goal and he intends to stay on that path?
I can get behind Ron Paul for Congress. I may be able to get behind whatever this plan he mentions is, but I'll need to see more before I blindly jump on.
But why should there be any fire left in my belly for "Ron Paul for President," and if I don't have it, how can I credibly and honestly encourage others to get it?
I had hoped that regardless of the admitted odds, the 3rd party run would be made.
Sometimes, you simply have to stand.
I will not attack Congressman Paul for his decision.
But I am so disappointed.
It's just got much more lonely on this hill.
If the liberty movement dies just because Paul has to get reelected to Congress, then We the People have a lot more work to do.
What good is someone like Ron Paul when there's an Authoritarian Socialist majority in Congress?
I recently discovered that I have had a much greater influence on people here at home than I thought. You might be surprised by who listens to you when you aren't purposely preaching your beliefs.
Let's face it, when human nature is taken into account, authoritarian socialism it is little more than epicaricacy. People can only practice it for so long before they realize they are making themselves miserable, and they've wasted opportunities to improve their own lives.
David,
RP will get my ballot come the Texas primary and that of the rest of those in my local Meetup Group. They, along with the rest of those we have committed to voting for him are awake- more than I had ever thought possible just one year ago. Many are young, fit and desirous for the Liberty and Freedom passed down to us by our forefathers, and with that said, I will remind everyone what I have posted here, and elsewhere before- let them elect Hillary as the war will just start sooner.
Keep your powder dry Gentlemen and understand this, there are those, besides we who have been screaming in the wild for years, that have realized what "sacred honor" means and have absolutely no wish for servitude.
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