Ron needs to launch third party bid... NOW!

[Computer]

Realistically, we're toast in the Republican party at this point. A Third party run would keep the message alive longer and would upgrade his chances from essentially zero to longshot/interesting.

McCain v. Hillary/Obama leaves conservatives with NO ONE to vote for. Limbaugh and Coulter are talking about supporting the dem nominee! A real conservative third party option would be the best strategy for our cause at this point. It would be a shot in the arm. Particularly if Paul made it clear that it's just a temporary maneauver, but we are still the future of the Republican party.

[spacebetween]

Particularly if Paul made it clear that it's just a temporary maneauver, but we are still the future of the Republican party.

That's an interesting way to put it that I haven't heard anyone talk about.

But I think you're on to something... if Dr. Paul goes Independent (rather than 3rd Party), he could do so partially because the GOP isn't ready for him -- as if we're all just waiting on Republicans to change. Meanwhile, we can work on getting him elected AND changing the GOP from inside simultaneously.

[RageAgainstDC]

i like this thread :)

[acptulsa]

Damnation. Every third thread is third party run. Can't we consolidate these damned things?

Ron Paul's home state is Texas. Texas' one hundred forty delegates are up for grabs in one month. There is an outstanding chance that if we put those in Dr. Paul's back pocket, we've guaranteed a historic brokered convention with our man as kingmaker. Meanwhile, the Republican primary voters will have all summer to think about the odds that any of their clowns can beat their archnemesis Hillary!

Remember the Alamo?!

[RageAgainstDC]

Damnation. Every third thread is third party run. Can't we consolidate these damned things?

Ron Paul's home state is Texas. Texas' one hundred forty delegates are up for grabs in one month. There is an outstanding chance that if we put those in Dr. Paul's back pocket, we've guaranteed a historic brokered convention with our man as kingmaker. Meanwhile, the Republican primary voters will have all summer to think about the odds that any of their clowns can beat their archnemesis Hillary!

Remember the Alamo?!


140 or so delegates doesn't make Ron the kingmaker. Huckabee and Romney will both have WAY more than we do regardless. Then, they will consolidate onto one ticket and beat us. McCain/Romney? McCain/Huckabee? Who cares, the GOP sheeple would eat it up and they know it. That is IF we have a brokered convention. Personally, I've heard the 'ol "just wait till this next state, were going to win this one!" one too many times. I think we need to save the support we have with a guaranteed run for November.

[John P Slevin]

The most logical way for Paul to proceed is to go independent/third party, so as to make the best effort to get on the ballot in all 50 states.

It is inconceivable that he can claim the Republican nomination. This always was highly doubtful and now it's moved to the point of being mathematically impossible.

There is absolutely nothing in the Republican bylaws or in common sense which supports the notion that the miniscule number of Ron Paul delegates ever could force the GOP to acknowledge them in a "brokered convention".

Conversely, Ron Paul can get on the ballot in all 50 states. He's raised enough money so far that projected, he could expect to raise between 40 and 80 million dollars for a general election bid. That would make him one of the most serious third party challengers in history.

The R and D party each looks likely to nominate a war monger of one stripe or another. Paul would be the only seriously funded candidate pushing for sound money and an end to empire.

Accepting the nomination of one or more third parties would give him ballot status in a majority of states. From there, he could use the party petition process in some states and qualify as an independent in others. His chief hurdle would be the inevitable court challenges...the history of such efforts leans to support his position, and he very likely could prevail since he wouldn't lack for money to pay for these court fights.

Right now, he's tilted at the windmill for a very long time, and maybe it now is leaning a bit. The way to knock it down is to run a 50 state ballot effort and truly be seen as a real challenger. You don't beat your enemies by joining with them, and any continued support for the corrupt GOP is in fact joining with the enemy.

[Computer]

140 or so delegates doesn't make Ron the kingmaker. Huckabee and Romney will both have WAY more than we do regardless. Then, they will consolidate onto one ticket and beat us. McCain/Romney? McCain/Huckabee? Who cares, the GOP sheeple would eat it up and they know it. That is IF we have a brokered convention. Personally, I've heard the 'ol "just wait till this next state, were going to win this one!" one too many times. I think we need to save the support we have with a guaranteed run for November.

Yeah, people need to wake up to reality. Your thread is correct. This is a golden opportunity for a third party run, and there is no other option. The message is dead in the water at this point if he stays within the republican party, which will mean no coverage, no votes, no money. Third Party = Ron Paul 2008 -- A Real Conservative Choice!

[MayTheRonBeWithYou]

Contact the campaign today and ask Ron to run independent!

[VIDEODROME]

I think Plan B is running for his seat in Congress again. It's not President but at least he'll have some kind of political office.

[acptulsa]

140 or so delegates doesn't make Ron the kingmaker. Huckabee and Romney will both have WAY more than we do regardless. Then, they will consolidate onto one ticket and beat us. McCain/Romney? McCain/Huckabee? Who cares, the GOP sheeple would eat it up and they know it. That is IF we have a brokered convention. Personally, I've heard the 'ol "just wait till this next state, were going to win this one!" one too many times. I think we need to save the support we have with a guaranteed run for November.

156 delegates does make the kingmaker if no one has 1191. McCain and Romney combine? You believe that? You think a brokered convention happens every year? You ever been part of a third party run?

We have all summer to get the petitions together to get our man on the ballots of the various states. I'm all for it. The Texas primary is in one month. Why the hell would you limit the options? 156 delegates in Dr. Paul's back pocket and forty-six ballot petitions in our hands ready for submission will make Dr. Paul an exceptionally powerful man at the convention! Add to that a tanking economy and a summer full of polls saying not one of the G.O.P.'s three stooges can beat the Democratic nominee and I think you can see that there's potential there. Texas isn't just "the next state." It's a one hundred freaking forty delegate state that calls Ron Paul their own!

Ballot petitions for summer. Texas now!

[THE RED DRAGON]

I think Plan B is running for his seat in Congress again. It's not President but at least he'll have some kind of political office.

Hes had his time in congress. I say lay it all on the table and go for the POTUS! He can continue to reach more people..incourage more people to run for congress.

If you had one shot to seize everything you ever wanted. Just one shot. Would you capture it? Or just let it slip? The moment you own it you better never let it go, You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
Cuz opportunity comes once in a lifetime.You can do anything you set your mind to

[Computer]

156 delegates does make the kingmaker if no one has 1191. McCain and Romney combine? You believe that? You think a brokered convention happens every year? You ever been part of a third party run?

We have all summer to get the petitions together to get our man on the ballots of the various states. I'm all for it. The Texas primary is in one month. Why the hell would you limit the options? 156 delegates in Dr. Paul's back pocket and forty-six ballot petitions in our hands ready for submission will make Dr. Paul an exceptionally powerful man at the convention! Add to that a tanking economy and a summer full of polls saying not one of the G.O.P.'s three stooges can beat the Democratic nominee and I think you can see that there's potential there. Texas isn't just "the next state." It's a one hundred freaking forty delegate state that calls Ron Paul their own!

Ballot petitions for summer. Texas now!

He won't win Texas. Republicans will go for the frontrunner(s). He's a lone congressman from Texas. That doesn't equate with having the state locked.

[Minuteman2008]

From Forbes journalist Peter Brimelow:


VDARE Blog: No Joy For The GOP - And It May Get Worse
By Peter Brimelow

There's no joy in the conservative/ Republican MSM/ blogosphere after Super Tuesday. The GOP is obviously profoundly divided, with little enthusiasm and the marked tendency to break along quarrelling tribal lines (Huckabee gets Southerners, Romney gets the Mormon-tinged Intermountain West) that I've noted before. American political parties are very hard to kill off, but the vital signs here are unmistakably not great. Thanks a lot, Dubya.

This matters, because even VDARE.COM's Democrats are deeply pessimistic that their party will embrace patriotic immigration reform.

It's possible, of course, that the GOP nominee may have learned from his experience in the primaries how powerful the immigration issue is, and exploit it in the general election. McCain is probably too pig-headed, but Huckabee has shown himself remarkably adaptable.

And it's also true that a McCain-Clinton race is a perfect foil for Ron Paul, if he does make his rumored Third Party run - and is not scared off the immigration issue by the political correctness obviously endemic in the libertarian Establishment.

You have to marvel at the role luck plays in politics. Why didn't two War On Terror types (McCain and Giuliani) take each other out rather than two Amnesty opponents (Romney and Huckabee)? (Why, for that matter, did Bush and not Reagan have political sons?)

And you have to acknowledge that the MSM's ability to create celebrity candidates is still a force. But the internet has not yet begun to fight.

I stick with my conclusion yesterday: the big news is that immigration is showing up as an issue in opinion polls. Reluctantly, but increasingly, politicians will have to navigate around it. Probably in the end a new party will arise to deal with it.

I really think there is a case to be made for a third party Dr. Paul run if Clinton and McCain get the nod (less so if Obama wins). Conservatives, like those on freerepublic and talk radio may be desperate enough to finally acknowledge that Paul is a true conservative, and even some Democrats who formerly supported Obama may even join in for the anti-war vote.

[wgadget]

The most logical way for Paul to proceed is to go independent/third party, so as to make the best effort to get on the ballot in all 50 states.

It is inconceivable that he can claim the Republican nomination. This always was highly doubtful and now it's moved to the point of being mathematically impossible.

There is absolutely nothing in the Republican bylaws or in common sense which supports the notion that the miniscule number of Ron Paul delegates ever could force the GOP to acknowledge them in a "brokered convention".

Conversely, Ron Paul can get on the ballot in all 50 states. He's raised enough money so far that projected, he could expect to raise between 40 and 80 million dollars for a general election bid. That would make him one of the most serious third party challengers in history.

The R and D party each looks likely to nominate a war monger of one stripe or another. Paul would be the only seriously funded candidate pushing for sound money and an end to empire.

Accepting the nomination of one or more third parties would give him ballot status in a majority of states. From there, he could use the party petition process in some states and qualify as an independent in others. His chief hurdle would be the inevitable court challenges...the history of such efforts leans to support his position, and he very likely could prevail since he wouldn't lack for money to pay for these court fights.

Right now, he's tilted at the windmill for a very long time, and maybe it now is leaning a bit. The way to knock it down is to run a 50 state ballot effort and truly be seen as a real challenger. You don't beat your enemies by joining with them, and any continued support for the corrupt GOP is in fact joining with the enemy.

To "make the ballot?" My question is, will Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani & Friends be on the general election ballot in November, too?

[acptulsa]

He won't win Texas. Republicans will go for the frontrunner(s). He's a lone congressman from Texas. That doesn't equate with having the state locked.

Not being a salesman myself, I certainly won't condemn you, but you're not a salesman, are you?

Depends on the sell. I have a thread open in this section called POWER at the CONVENTION. There are lots of good arguments to use on Texans in that thread. Since, as I say, we have all summer to do the ballot petitions (and my state is one of the toughest and, yes, I'll be at it) and Texas is in one month, may I invite you to read it so I don't have to re-post the whole thing here? Thank you.

[acptulsa]

I really think there is a case to be made for a third party Dr. Paul run if Clinton and McCain get the nod (less so if Obama wins). Conservatives, like those on freerepublic and talk radio may be desperate enough to finally acknowledge that Paul is a true conservative, and even some Democrats who formerly supported Obama may even join in for the anti-war vote.

Thank you very much for the Brimelow piece. There's the rub--to now these G.O.P. primary voters have had their heads up their asses trying to figure out which of the three stooges to back and having an understandably hard time. All summer they're going to be hearing about how and why none of the three could ever win in November.

We have an opportunity to make this convention the most interesting since the one that nominated Lincoln himself--but we need to tickle the native son sentiment in Texas to do it, and we only have one month.

[John P Slevin]

To "make the ballot?" My question is, will Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani & Friends be on the general election ballot in November, too?

No, Thompson, Ghoul et all are gone, they are bad history. The only people on the ballot will be those who have satisfied the legal requirements for getting on the ballot...typically this means having the nomination of a ballot qualified party or in obtaining status as an independent, usually through petitions.

[wgadget]

I think Plan B is running for his seat in Congress again. It's not President but at least he'll have some kind of political office.

What if he went for bust with a third/independent party run, and if he didn't win it, went on to travel the country EDUCATING the masses, giving speeches, writing books. He IS a superstar, ya know...:)

[wgadget]

From Forbes journalist Peter Brimelow:



I really think there is a case to be made for a third party Dr. Paul run if Clinton and McCain get the nod (less so if Obama wins). Conservatives, like those on freerepublic and talk radio may be desperate enough to finally acknowledge that Paul is a true conservative, and even some Democrats who formerly supported Obama may even join in for the anti-war vote.

Yeah, go over and look at what they're saying at the Hannity forum...

[John P Slevin]

Yeah, go over and look at what they're saying at the Hannity forum...

The Republican base totally opposes Paul's platform.

It is folly to suggest playing their game any longer. Logic dictates an independent/third party run and it is time for individual Paul supporters to begin the process of telling Paul this is what they want him to do.

[MayTheRonBeWithYou]

Who are all the conservative and anti-amnesty people going to vote for in a Hillary-McShame race?

RON PAUL!

[familydog]

Who are all the conservative and anti-amnesty people going to vote for in a Hillary-McShame race?

RON PAUL!

Seems how a lot of the anti-amnesty people have voted for McCain already, I think you found your answer.

[MayTheRonBeWithYou]

Seems how a lot of the anti-amnesty people have voted for McCain already, I think you found your answer.

Um, wrong. They are voting for Huck, Ron, and mainly Romney. Go check the anti-illegal message boards. They are vowing to NEVER support McShame.

[disruptorfund]

wake up