None of the above.

[Menthol Patch]

Could the Ron Paul Revolution spark a "none of the above" campaign where people are urged to write in "none of the above" to oppose ALL the Republican and Democratic candidates?

If we could get even 20% of the population to write in "none of the above" it would spark a huge frenzy in the media.

[Eponym_mi]

Write-ins are generally ignored unless the person has filed as a write-in candidate. Likewise, writing "None of the above" would be ignored. Write-in vote often get reported as "scatter".

[dbhohio47]

Now you are talking!

At the risk of blasphemy, I think one of the biggest problems of the Ron Paul Revolution as a means to significant change.... was Ron Paul. Although he is a brilliant, principled, and dedicated man, he does have his short-comings as a presidential candidate. As a libertarian-principled Republican, he has no party clout to get things done "by the book". As a candidate with no party clout, his message comes off as more of a "whine" than inspirational....again, not very presidential. Then, of course, you have infamous "racist papers" of the late 80's and early 90's that dog his credibility. (I realize this is a minor blemish on an otherwise spotless record by comparison to others....but, not having national name recognition, that is all it takes to marginalize him). Also, at age 72, you will have those that think him to be too old to be president. All of these issues have conspired against him to marginalize his candidacy. With the media black-out and a lowly 6% popular vote, his ability to be heard to 'revolutionize' government was pretty much doomed from the start.

In constrast, the beauty of a "none of the above" candidacy is that your "candidate" has no baggage! The campaign is run TOTALLY on the issues, using a 'this is the problem....here is the solution' approach. It is in total contrast to the way politics is done now.....where the candidates and their parties all obfuscate and hide behind slogans. REAL issues are never discussed. REAL solutions are never forthcoming. We have been fighting the Wars on Poverty, Drugs, Education Reform, Political Reform (hell, just pick a war) for DECADES now....with no appreciable progress. The only thing we have managed to accomplish is that our standard of living is shrinking and we are going broke.

If the campaign is set up as a means of establishing a NATIONAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT that the SYSTEM IS BROKEN, it resonates with all parties and party sub-sets. It establishes a national mandate for reform. It becomes the tool to allow the TRUE majority of Americans to vote their conscious...... that they are fed up with a broken system and want their country back. We already know, through voter apathy and congressional approval ratings, that this represents at least 60 to 70% of ALL POTENTIAL VOTERS. The current system establishes a quorum of the minority. Politicians know this, and use it to their advantage.

If set up as a kind of "We, the People's" Party, where the platform is all the issues that the national parties duck, the process is reversed. Instead of a Democrat or Republican making false promises of what they will do to effect "change" under the system, the We, the People's Party will DEFINE the system, and the issues, and tell the politicians what hoops they must jump through to get our vote. As the majority, these are the terms and conditions under which we are willing to be governed. Issues such as health care reform, social security, foreign policy, immigration, etc. would all be measured against the obvious....how are you going to pay for it all? No more idle promises. A "None of the Above" candidacy changes the very dynamics of the political process.

Such a movement would do way more to effect substantial and necessary change QUICKLY than trying to run a candidate through a broken system.

[pcosmar]

Just a thought
What about a Write in" as a Republican Ticket out side of the GOP?
Not Third Party but....Conservative Republican
I'm not sure it would work but it might.

[Sematary]

I'm writing in Ron Paul. We need to get everyone who supports him to do the same!