Who is Ron Paul? Is he a Republican or a Democrat?

[Shatterhand]

When I go out sign waving or set up my little table with flyers, people always ask the same two questions:

Who is Ron Paul?

I answer, "He is running for president."

They say, "Yeah, I know. But who is he?"

I say, "A Congressman from Texas."

Then they ask, "Is he a Republican or a Democrat?"

I say, "He is a Republican and a Libertarian."

Then they nod and walk away.

Question: What are the best ways to answer these two questions that seem to be the two more popular questions people ask?

It seems to me that some people have minds like a closed-maze where a lab rat tries to find the way out. If only they just climbed over the wall of the maze then they could free themselves, but they would rather keep running in circles. Once they hear that he is a Republican they have already made up their minds. :(

Also, I've noticed that the younger people seem more open and cool about Ron Paul. A lot of older people scowl and shake their heads when they see my signs, etc. :p

[JPFromTally]

I've gotten that a lot. People shut off after you tell them he's Republican. I think they'd rather cast a vote for Osama Bin Hitler before they vote Republican.

[Roxi]

hes a reagan type republican has been seeming to get a great response when we do this, we also say stuff like, hes a constitutionalist running as a republican or so on, we always get smiles saying stuff like this, democrats or not they can still identify with the constitution or with reagan

[Shatterhand]

hes a reagan type republican has been seeming to get a great response when we do this, we also say stuff like, hes a constitutionalist running as a republican or so on, we always get smiles saying stuff like this, democrats or not they can still identify with the constitution or with reagan

Wow. I like that one.

"Is he a republican or a democrat?"

"He's a constitutionalist running as a republican."

I think I'll try using that one. Thanks. Does anyone else have any good zingers for me?

[foofighter20x]

"Is he a Republican or a Democrat?"

I'd answer:

Does it really matter? I can tell you that he is above party labels. He's a patriotic American that want to put America back on the correct course. And he wants to cut wasteful government spending and your taxes so you can be better off in the long run.

If they push, then tell them he's a GOPer and leave them alone. If party labels mean that much to them, they are probably closed minded anyway.

[sylvania]

I live in a blue state. Here's some of the things I say:

"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home immediately."

"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to end the war on drugs and legalize industrial hemp."


"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to restore the constitution."

Things usually go better for me if I start with a stance I know many people in my district agree on. If they bother to take the time to listen to one of those, then I usually start talking about other things he stands for.

[mdh]

"He is a libertarian running as a republican" is fine, too, when you're not talking to republicans. :p

Also, sylvania's avatar wins.

[Shatterhand]

"Is he a Republican or a Democrat?"

I'd answer:

Does it really matter? I can tell you that he is above party labels. He's a patriotic American that want to put America back on the correct course. And he wants to cut wasteful government spending and your taxes so you can be better off in the long run.

I like that one too, but the problem is that they are usually walking by and don't stop. I need a quick answer to throw at them. :o

[Dave Wood]

Is he a Republican or Democrat?



He is both.

He is an AMERICAN PATRIOT first and foremost and he will work for you and me not the fatcats.

He is running for office to save our freedoms and give your money back to you, did you know that he is the only one that will truly end the IRS and the income tax?

People always want to know whats in it for them FIRST, give them some benefits of DR. KNOW when they ask the repub vs dem question.

We should be ecstatic that people are asking questions, even if it is as simple as the one above. I believe his message really does benefit everyone in some way, well maybe not the fatcats.

[Lord Xar]

When I go out sign waving or set up my little table with flyers, people always ask the same two questions:

Who is Ron Paul?

I answer, "He is running for president."

They say, "Yeah, I know. But who is he?"

I say, "A Congressman from Texas."

Then they ask, "Is he a Republican or a Democrat?"

I say, "He is a Republican and a Libertarian."

Then they nod and walk away.

Question: What are the best ways to answer these two questions that seem to be the two more popular questions people ask?

It seems to me that some people have minds like a closed-maze where a lab rat tries to find the way out. If only they just climbed over the wall of the maze then they could free themselves, but they would rather keep running in circles. Once they hear that he is a Republican they have already made up their minds. :(

Also, I've noticed that the younger people seem more open and cool about Ron Paul. A lot of older people scowl and shake their heads when they see my signs, etc. :p


I ask them.. "why does it matter? Do you care more about the messenger or the message?" How about this, you take a moment to hear me out and read some of this "handing them something" and then I will answer your question.

Then you can do the "Its not about left or right, but about right and wrong"

And if they walk away, you can fib a little and say "I use to be a democrate but...."
This way, they find common ground with you...

[Shatterhand]

I live in a blue state. Here's some of the things I say:

"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home immediately."

"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to end the war on drugs and legalize industrial hemp."


"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to restore the constitution."

Things usually go better for me if I start with a stance I know many people in my district agree on. If they bother to take the time to listen to one of those, then I usually start talking about other things he stands for.

Thanks. I like the last one especially. I guess it sounds a lot better than just saying he's a Congressman from Texas!

"Who is Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to restore the constitution."

Cool. :cool: Cool. :cool:

[torchbearer]

Digg story about debate becoming popular, needs your vote to stay on front page!
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Ron_Paul_Blasts_Unconstitutional_Undeclared_Wars_a t_GOP_Debate

[Lord Xar]

uhmmm... I would omit the "hemp" part... those who CARE about hemp will already know this... those who don't, will be turned off completely.. trust me.

[trispear]

"Ron Paul is an ardent defender of the Constitution." If they give me a little more time, I add "And he has been for over 30 years and for 10 terms in Congress but is completely untouched by the corruption in Washington. The lobbyists don't even bother trying to talk to him anymore. He votes by his conscience, not by party or compromise."

[Shatterhand]

I ask them.. "why does it matter? Do you care more about the messenger or the message?" How about this, you take a moment to hear me out and read some of this "handing them something" and then I will answer your question.

Then you can do the "Its not about left or right, but about right and wrong"

And if they walk away, you can fib a little and say "I use to be a democrate but...."
This way, they find common ground with you...

Great zinger, Lord Xar. I think I'll add that to my bag of tricks.

"Is he a republican or a democrat?"

I answer, "It's not about left or right, but about right and wrong . . . Ron Paul is running to protect the Constitution. He's doesn't care about party, but about principle."

Thanks.

[Ninja Homer]

"Is he a republican or a democrat?"

I find that excitement goes farther than any explanation you could give. Try a simple answer quickly followed by what makes you excited about Ron Paul.

"Oh, he's getting lots of supporters from all the parties, I can't wait until he's president and then..."

Show genuine excitement. People will be attracted to your excitement more than anything, and will want to know what you're so excited about.

Try not to get caught into answering a bunch of questions for Ron Paul. You can't do it as well as he can. Just get them interested, let them share your excitement, and point them to where they can find answers to any questions they might have.

[Darren McFillintheBlank]

..

[Brandybuck]

He's a True Republican, not a faux FOX Republican!

[Paulitician]

I'd say:

"You're confused, because he's a constitutionalist and you haven't met one in a long time."

:p

[CJLauderdale4]

I got this question line on July 4th at the YRNC rally here in Florida when I approached cars with flyers. I stuttered at first too...

By the end of the day, my answer was:

"He's a 30-year Congressman who believes in restoring the Constitution, and HE'S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!"

The next question was, "What about the Constitution?"

Then I would answer, "Making Federal government smaller, Declaring War than just marching, real money backed by something real, things like that...read more in the flyer!!"

Worked everytime after that...

[IrrigatedPancake]

Say he's a constitutionalist, or he wants to reverse the unconstitutional trend that's overrun DC, and try to say that before they get around to asking in which party he is.

[EvoPro]

How about "pro-constitution, anti-war, strong-defense Republican" :)

[wizardwatson]

Use the "Ron Paul is a Republican like Jesus was Jewish" analogy.

[jmarinara]

Also, sylvania's avatar wins.

Yes, but JPfromTally's signature trumps all!!!

[bygone]

Saying nothing... sometimes says the most.

- Emily Dickinson

[TeeJay]

"He is a constitutionalist causing a revolution of liberty within the republican party."

[BuddyRey]

I've never had much trouble with this one, because I usually preface it with "well, it's difficult to sum him up in a brief label" or "he's just a whole different kind of candidate." This not only disarms potential for misunderstood intentions, but catches their curiosities and imaginations! What you should probably tell people, if you suspect they might have presuppositions about "parties" and what they stand for, is "just go to YouTube and check him out." or "you have to see him to really understand what he's about."

The way the old media always talks about parties in terms of black & white is their tactic of further dumbing everybody down so we don't demand complexity and nuances in our political candidates. It's also effective for them because these blanket terms, defined and controlled by the bigwigs, will be repellent for whomever considers them the "opposition." It's divide and conquer stuff.

[Paulitician]

You know it's funny. On one side, there's people who'd never vote for Ron Paul because he's a Republican. On another, you have people who say Ron Paul is not really a Republican because he's against the war, and therefore will never vote for him. Both viewpoints are flawed (but for different reasons obviously). I'm glad Ron Paul dispelled those illusions for me, at least.

[foraneagle2]

"Have you heard of Ron Paul?"

"No."

"He is a Congressman from Texas running for president. He wants to reduce the size of the federal government and bring our troops home. Take this flyer and check out his website."

"Ok."

[Churchill2004]

"anti-Bush Republican"

That usually grabs them by the balls and gets their attention. Short, sweet, and to the point.

[Buzz]

"anti-Bush Republican"

That usually grabs them by the balls and gets their attention. Short, sweet, and to the point.

Good one. "Anti-neocon" would work too.

[specsaregood]

I've been thinking about this question lately -- since I have hit the same response (immediately being turned off)

The current regime has completely turned off the majority of americans to the republican party. And I think the fact that every MSM article labels him a Libertarian is going to turn out to be a GOOD thing. It could very well turn out to be another example of blowback. They try to paint him as a Libertarian to marginalize him; when my personal experiences are that painting him as a "Republican" does that even moreso!

[winston84]

I usually try to stray away from talking about party affiliation and let them find out themselves, but if I must tell them I usually say he's a Republican, but not a neo-con.

[mtmedlin]

the best that I have is " He's an American first and a Republican second." if they stick around I ask them "Did you like Ronald Reagan?" If they say yes, then I state, "We'll he's more Ronald Reagan then George Bush." If I get both statements in, I have never had someone not take the literature.

Overall I like the response that hes a constitutionalist that is running as a Republican.

[JosephTheLibertarian]

hes a reagan type republican has been seeming to get a great response when we do this, we also say stuff like, hes a constitutionalist running as a republican or so on, we always get smiles saying stuff like this, democrats or not they can still identify with the constitution or with reagan

Reagan was a joke but many GOP worship that guy night and day. I don't doubt that he was a nice guy I just think that many of his policies were fundamentally wrong.

[libertarian4321]

"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to end the war on drugs and legalize industrial hemp."

I'd be VERY careful about using this line. It just doesn't resonate with most Americans. If the guy is wearing a Tshirt with a marijuana leaf on it, fine, but if its Joe Sixpack, a businessman, or some soccer mom, this line is sure to drive people away- probably muttering "freak" under their breath.

"Who's Ron Paul?"

"He's a presidential candidate who wants to restore the constitution."

I don't think this line is very good either- it may work well at a libertarian debating society, but we aren't trying to win over libertarian wonks, we are trying to get regular people to support Ron Paul, you need an issue that THEY ARE CONCERNED WITH (the war, taxes, stuff like that)- and most Americans barely know what the Constitution is, let alone feel a need to "restore" it.

The anti war line is probably the best of the three, since most Americans, from all walks of life, have turned against the war- but you have to make a judgement about the person first- if he's wearing flag pins all over his clothing, you might not want to go with the "anti war", but with the "less government and lower taxes " angle.

[RonPaulCult]

I try to find out info about the person approaching me right away.

- Who is Ron Paul?

- He's running for president. Are you a republican?

IF YES

- Oh well you should really check him out. He wants to restore the constitution - make government smaller - get rid of the IRS - etc. etc.

IF NO

Well neither am I - but Ron Paul is running as one so I am voting republican for the first time in my life.


Then I talk about the war and his stance on it.

[ghemminger]

With passig out flyer to cars at an Intersection heres what works:

1. Hold out the flyer and ask, "Would you like a flyer?" If they roll down your window, give it two them....you can pass out 100-200 flyer per hour during rush hour traffic...you also can engage people in conversation.

Intros:

1.Who's Ron Paul? (Hold up a flyer saying that)............. Let me tell you

2. Do you vote?

3. Would you like a flyer?

4. We aren't selling flowers....THIS IS FREE!....Ahh COME ON! Take a flyer!


Who's Ron Paul ranking of our answers :

1. He's Running for President...Thanks....

2. He will abolish the IRS

3. He is the one the TROOPS Support...this one usually leads to more coversation....

4. "He stands for freedom and Liberty" works well also

( I never say he's a Rebublican, unless they ask....I'm going to use the RON Reagan idea posted here)

Follow up

1. Check him out on the internet
2. Pull over and check him out
3. Google Ron Paul:D

[ghemminger]

I try to find out info about the person approaching me right away.

- Who is Ron Paul?

- He's running for president. Are you a republican?

IF YES

- Oh well you should really check him out. He wants to restore the constitution - make government smaller - get rid of the IRS - etc. etc.

IF NO

Well neither am I - but Ron Paul is running as one so I am voting republican for the first time in my life.


Then I talk about the war and his stance on it.


I like this technique...find out who your dealing with and then serve up the best response!:)

[Shatterhand]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. The problem is that when people ask me a direct question I want to give them a straight no nonsense answer. If they ask me if he's a republican I don't want to evade answering the question. But I still think one can give an answer that makes them stop and think instead of giving them a unit of data that neatly fits into their pre-conceived categories of reality . . . if that makes sense. :o

Here are some of the ones I was thinking of using or building upon.

Who is Ron Paul?
1. A defender of the Constitution.

Is he a republican or a democrat?
1. He's a constitutionalist running as a republican/libertarian.
2. He's an American first, a republican second.
3. He's an anti-Establishment, anti-Iraq war republican.


I also like the idea of asking them questions first to better answer their own questions.

Thanks again for all the great ideas.

:D :D :D :D :D