Michael Phelps...Ron Paul Supporter?

[0zzy]

Everyday I’m amazed at how many people I come across who say “Oh, Ron Paul. I like what he stands for.” Today’s great discovery is from the Baltimore Sun. According to this February 19, 2008 post, record breaking Olympian, Michael Phelps, is being recruited to join the Ron Paul Revolution. His training partner, Erik Vendt, is already a dedicated follower of liberty, a $200 donor to the Ron Paul campaign (on December 16th no less), and doing his best to convince Phelps that freedom works. Anyone know Michael Phelps and/or Erik Vendt? We’d be happy to invite them and their team as special guests to the Rally for the Republic.


Vendt and Phelps are an interesting yin and yang as training partners. Vendt is a voracious reader, a student of history, an outdoors enthusiast and a political junkie. He and Bowman traded friendly barbs during the build-up to the New Hampshire primary, with Bowman supporting John McCain and Vendt supporting Ron Paul.

“Ron Paul is my guy,” said Vendt, who describes himself as a libertarian ideologically. “It’s really frustrating the way the mainstream media just ignored him and acted like he was a fringe candidate without doing any research at all. I think he’s really what the country needs. … I’m definitely not a fan of the huge tentacle-like arms of the federal government invading everything in our lives.”

Vendt said he’s almost been able to convince Phelps to join the Paul Revolution.

“Michael is a big online poker guy, and that’s one of Paul’s issues, legalizing online gambling,” Vendt said.

Vendt says he could see himself possibly getting involved in politics someday.

“People joke around and talk about running for office, and I say ‘OK, if you do, I’ll run your campaign,” Vendt said. “But it’s definitely something I’m interested in.” - Campaign for Liberty (http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog/?p=359)

Who here agrees with me that it'd be freakin' AMAZING to have Pheleps and co at the event? :D Man that'd be drop dead gorgeous.

[MsDoodahs]

Get Vendt, regardless.

Anyone know if he's been invited, like formally invited?

[malkusm]

I would poop my pants.

Good for Erik Vendt, standing up for what he believes and getting others involved.

[Kludge]

I would poop my pants.

+1.... I can't articulate how exciting that would be.

[0zzy]

Though Michael Pheleps would probably just hang out, lol. maybe we can get vendt to so some speaking :).

[ShowMeLiberty]

Though Michael Pheleps would probably just hang out, lol. maybe we can get vendt to so some speaking :).

Hang out, sign some autographs, let people take pictures with him. Yeah, I'm not much into sports but that would be freakin' awesome. :)

[0zzy]

I just realized this Erik Vendt guy is a swimmer too and pretty young. Was thinking he was some old trainer rocky style or something lol. Swimmers4Ron Paul :P.

[amonasro]

It would be amazing, although nobody other than Vendt could probably convince him to do it. Regardless, better do it quick before Phelps is inundated with dozens of interviews and appearances and comfortable on his mountain of cash from endorsements.

[Vaio]

So since we got Jesse Ventura, an ex-navy SEAL, who agrees and supports Ron Paul, and we got the Olympic swimmers giving us a shot, shouldn't we make a catch-all website like Seamen4Paul.com?? :D

[JoshLowry]

That would be great to at least try and contact those two guys.

[mello]

A photo of Phelps wearing a Ron Paul Revolution t-shirt would be an incredible boost to
the CFL. Timing is of the essence though. I don't know how long his 15 minutes of fame
will last so strike while the iron is hot & shooting a million pics of him.

[ARealConservative]

good luck people.

As the pessimist, my hunch is he is going to not do anything to harm his golden parachute.

[michigan wolverine]

Plus the City of Baltimore is planning celebration for him during the same time.

[amy31416]

Dumb Question: Will he be back from China by then?

[surf]

Dumb Question: Will he be back from China by then?

if he weren't NBCs posterboy, i'd bet he'd skip the closing ceremony (this weekend). he's probably already booked on every talk show there is. estimates call for around $50 million in endorsement money - so i'd be surprised if his 'handlers' would 'allow' him to appear or take any political stand whatsoever.

we can hope though.

he'll be back in 2012

[zadrock]

Two RP Republicans have parts of Baltimore in their district. A Phelps endorsement would be outstanding for us.

Z

[nate895]

Two RP Republicans have parts of Baltimore in their district. A Phelps endorsement would be outstanding for us.

Z

We could get him to run after he's through swimming, or maybe we can get him to be the first Congressmen to also be a current Olympian.

[Vaio]

We could get him to run after he's through swimming, or maybe we can get him to be the first Congressmen to also be a current Olympian.

So wait a minute here...we're creating a hypocritical exclusive club it seems. Only liberty-minded candidates are accepted, but if you are a friend of someone who agrees with Ron Paul, you should be a Congressman to represent us?? Unbelievable. The logic never ceases to amaze me in these forums and in this movement. Most people have to prove they despise things like the Federal Reserve, income tax, interventionism, etc., but so many of you are ready to annoint Michael Phelps, a person who has no interest in politics and is simply a FRIEND of someone who supports Ron Paul, to be liberty dictator.

Am I the only one to see the hypocrisy? 99% of the people have to PROVE they're in line with "us," yet we'll make an exception if you're a superstar athlete or a celebrity. The precedent you're setting is ridiculous, naive, and hypocritical--not to mention dangerous. I mean I know this scenario would never happen, but just the thought that so many of you are paranoid about your rights and believe in an Illuminati conspiracy, yet you're so willing to support someone you have NO IDEA about, just the week he's been on TV and the interviews he's held about how great he is and how he likes Beijing, is scary! I'm rather open to candidates who speak with some sense of what they're talking about, but man-o-man, some of you Ron Paul fundamentalists are just pieces of work.

So if you're famous, you're welcome in the tent! If you're not famous, you have to run 10 miles in the snow, do 50 jumping jacks while playing basketball, and parallel park driving at speeds of at least 80 miles per hour. The overly critical nature of so many of you is just ridiculous setting radical criteria for people to follow, but bail out when you get a dim light of hope that some superstar is coming to the rescue. Nice principles.

What happens if a CFR member comes out sometime in the next decade and says he (or she) starts talking like what you all want to hear? So many of you believe in this CFR conspiracy, so would you blast him/her for being a lifetime member while in Congress, or would you be as receptive to them as you are to Phelps, a person you know nothing about? So here's the precedent: People you have no clue about get your vote because they have a friend who supports what you believe in, but you won't vote for someone on the CFR who talks the way Ron Paul does because of his or her history. What happens if Phelps is a radical democrat or a Neocon?? See, too many of you live in your fantasy lands where you believe in some liberty-utopia where we can all sing Kumbaya, and are willing to follow someone because they're famous. It's amazing how the irrationality of the human psyche has never evolved. This is how and why Hitler and Stalin were successful at persuading millions for their cause.

Maybe I'm making a lot out of nothing, but when you parse thoughtless comments like this with reality, it is truly scary how easily manipulated so many of you can be. I bet if Ron Paul came out tomorrow and said Russia needs to be invaded, most of you would sign up for the military or campaign and "spread the message" because Lord knows Ron Paul can't be wrong!! Jesus...some of you need to read some of Thomas Jefferson's works, and how he warns about things like this. Follow your intuition and reason, not the messenger. You make Ron Paul out to be someone no better than those who revered Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky, etc. Even though ideologically those men are all different, your absolute receptiveness to everything Ron Paul says is VERY troubling.

[nate895]

So wait a minute here...we're creating a hypocritical exclusive club it seems. Only liberty-minded candidates are accepted, but if you are a friend of someone who agrees with Ron Paul, you should be a Congressman to represent us?? Unbelievable. The logic never ceases to amaze me in these forums and in this movement. Most people have to prove they despise things like the Federal Reserve, income tax, interventionism, etc., but so many of you are ready to annoint Michael Phelps, a person who has no interest in politics and is simply a FRIEND of someone who supports Ron Paul, to be liberty dictator.

Am I the only one to see the hypocrisy? 99% of the people have to PROVE they're in line with "us," yet we'll make an exception if you're a superstar athlete or a celebrity. The precedent you're setting is ridiculous, naive, and hypocritical--not to mention dangerous. I mean I know this scenario would never happen, but just the thought that so many of you are paranoid about your rights and believe in an Illuminati conspiracy, yet you're so willing to support someone you have NO IDEA about, just the week he's been on TV and the interviews he's held about how great he is and how he likes Beijing, is scary! I'm rather open to candidates who speak with some sense of what they're talking about, but man-o-man, some of you Ron Paul fundamentalists are just pieces of work.

So if you're famous, you're welcome in the tent! If you're not famous, you have to run 10 miles in the snow, do 50 jumping jacks while playing basketball, and parallel park driving at speeds of at least 80 miles per hour. The overly critical nature of so many of you is just ridiculous setting radical criteria for people to follow, but bail out when you get a dim light of hope that some superstar is coming to the rescue. Nice principles.

Wait, I was just saying that he would have automatic political viability if he is a supporter. If he doesn't support our ideals, then I wouldn't say he should run. I am not personally one of the people who have to put up a litmus test for everyone running. I accept converts.

[Indy4Chng]

He would be an idiot to do anything with this movement or any political movement . He has $50M on the line. When he is finished swimming that is when you can start a political career.

[0zzy]

His personal trainer, and friend. Just sayin'.

[Vaio]

No, what you're saying nate895 is that you would vote for him if he simply showed up to the Rally and don't deny it. He wouldn't even have to give a speech and you would vote for him if he showed up on a ballot in your state for the simple fact that he was in the same building as Ron Paul. I don't doubt that would happen unfortunately.

[No1ButPaul08]

He would be an idiot to do anything with this movement or any political movement . He has $50M on the line. When he is finished swimming that is when you can start a political career.

This is the correct answer. No doubt his agent is all over this telling him to keep his lips sealed with regards to politics. I'm thrilled to hear he's an online poker player, maybe I can find him and take his riches. :D

[nate895]

No, what you're saying nate895 is that you would vote for him if he simply showed up to the Rally and don't deny it. He wouldn't even have to give a speech and you would vote for him if he showed up on a ballot in your state for the simple fact that he was in the same building as Ron Paul. I don't doubt that would happen unfortunately.

Sorry, I forgot you have the ability to read minds through a machine.

That's not what I was saying at all. I was saying, whether he shows up to the rally or not, he is almost a shoe-in to get elected, and it would be a great boost for the movement if he was a small government conservative.

[Vaio]

No need to be dishonest. I understand people because their irrationality is all the same and it's not hard to notice. Face it, if Phelps were on the ballot and if you saw him at the Rally, you would vote for him. No further information would be necessary, you would vote for him.

[nate895]

No need to be dishonest. I understand people because their irrationality is all the same and it's not hard to notice. Face it, if Phelps were on the ballot and if you saw him at the Rally, you would vote for him. No further information would be necessary, you would vote for him.

You have some nerve telling me who I'd vote for in a certain situation. I take my politics very seriously, and I have never automatically supported a candidate for any reason. There are few people (all friends and family) who would automatically get my vote under most normal circumstances.

[amy31416]

No need to be dishonest. I understand people because their irrationality is all the same and it's not hard to notice. Face it, if Phelps were on the ballot and if you saw him at the Rally, you would vote for him. No further information would be necessary, you would vote for him.

Bullshit.

RP endorsed a few people that I wouldn't consider voting for. I don't trust his vetting process and he's made mistakes.

You really aren't fooling anyone, in fact, I doubt you're trying.

[krazy kaju]

IIRC, Phelps used to live not too far away from me.

[forsmant]

Maybe that is why he wanted all those gold medals.

[michigan wolverine]

Sure is a lot of hero worship. And not clue as to how to win an election.

[Joseph Hart]

Headlines News: "Has Phelps been drinking to much Pool water?"

[yongrel]

Y'all are getting ahead of yourselves.

[JoshLowry]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.michael.phelps.covers/images/00.arch.jpg


Put on some clothes Mike! :eek:

[qh4dotcom]

He would be an idiot to do anything with this movement or any political movement . He has $50M on the line. When he is finished swimming that is when you can start a political career.

$50M is about a $15M income tax liability to Uncle Sam...even more if Obama is elected.

Well if Michael Phelps cares about his bank account as much as Erik Vendt obviously does, then it should be a no-brainer to support the candidate with the biggest tax cut.

If he wants to let Uncle Sam go waste his $15M then let him jump on the McBama bandwagon or do nothing at all.

[UtahApocalypse]

Even if he don't speak or anything, would be awesome to at least make the offer to attend.

[Eric21ND]

A photo of Phelps wearing a Ron Paul Revolution t-shirt would be an incredible boost to
the CFL. Timing is of the essence though. I don't know how long his 15 minutes of fame
will last so strike while the iron is hot & shooting a million pics of him.
15 mins of fame?? He earned 8 gold medals, he will be a legend for a long time.

[Joseph Hart]

15 mins of fame?? He earned 8 gold medals, he will be a legend for a long time.

Phelps teaches Ninjas!

[RSLudlum]

We could present him with a golden colored kiddy pool with the CFL logo :p

[Joseph Hart]

Phelps melts down the medals to make Ron Paul Liberty Dollars!

[itshappening]

TheEngineer will love the fact that he's into poker, he can expect some Poker Alliance literature coming his way im sure :D

if he turns up at the rally that would be amazing but i doubt he would be 'allowed' to!

[Conza88]

Fken tell Vendt, to tell phelps about Ron Paul's policies - specifically... he would abolish the Income Tax! :D And the IRS..

FARK, that would sell him for sure.. :D

[Paul.Bearer.of.Injustice]

I know Phelps is a hero and all, but the guy has been completely dependent on others for survival his entire life so he can train and not have to worry about the real world.
Doesn't government socialism support the Olympians?

[nate895]

I know Phelps is a hero and all, but the guy has been completely dependent on others for survival his entire life so he can train and not have to worry about the real world.
Doesn't government socialism support the Olympians?

In foreign countries it does, but here, the government gives minimal, at best, support to the athletes. They don't even protest when there is crappy judging. The Olympians, generally, are supported by their parents until they get cash from their sport, or ridiculous endorsement deals.

[Conza88]

Sport in Australia is really under funded, oddly... (for non-profressional stuff that is; like pole vaulting.. hahah) people get by, on the love of their spot. They often work part time jobs, do fundraisers etc. The AIS (Australian Institute of Sports) is a government agency, it works well, because there is nothing else on offer.

Seriously; the athletes should approach certain companies - ask for sponsorship. If that person wins olympic gold... and then, you could have it written in the contract; that they must then do some advertising for the company that sponsored that person.

Obviously, the more the company wants to support the player - the better the companies chances of that person succeeding.

They could have it arranged, for certain players uniforms - to get their sponsorship on it. Or on the tracksuit afterwards for the winning ceremony.. lol

Speedo sponsors specific swimmers etc.

:)

[No1ButPaul08]

I know Phelps is a hero and all, but the guy has been completely dependent on others for survival his entire life so he can train and not have to worry about the real world.
Doesn't government socialism support the Olympians?

What a load of crap. How dare he be dependent on his mother until he turns 18. :rolleyes: He learned to swim at a PRIVATE club, with no help from the government. Once he turned 18 it was clear that he was an excellent swimmer who had the potential to make loads of money at it, so he chose to continue swimming, like any other rational person would. Edit: I was wrong, he signed a million dollar contract with Speedo at 16, what a worthless needy depedent:rolleyes:

The other key figure in Michael's life, his coach Bob Bowman, recognized Michael's talent at 11, and decided to invest HIS time into Michael, thinking it might pay off some day. Sure enough, he was right. Bob Bowman will be generously compensated for his investment in Michael, just like any other businessman who makes a good investment.

Not have to worry about the real world? Being a professional athlete is a job like anything else, they just happen to get paid better. I'm sick of people saying pro athletes don't "work" because they just happen to play a game. Phelps is in the pool 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. I'm going to guess he works harder than you do.

Our government does not financially support the Olympics in any way, other than sending dignitaries to the games. The USOC is fully funded by charity and sponsors.

[mello]

15 mins of fame?? He earned 8 gold medals, he will be a legend for a long time.

I'm not saying that he won't be a legend for a long time, but right now every camera is
pointed at him. Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals, the only time I hear his named mentioned
is every 4 years. His achievements will last a lifetime but his life in the spotlight will be
much shorter.

[lasenorita]

From Eight things you might not know about Michael Phelps (http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/specialevents/blog/2008/08/eight_things_you_might_not_kno.html):


Phelps, who considers himself completely non-political, often finds himself in the middle of political discussions because Vendt, a ardent Ron Paul supporter, is a political junkie and he and fellow Club Wolverine swimmer Davis Tarwater, who trends liberal, love to argue politics before practice with coach Bob Bowman, (who trends conservative and is a McCain supporter). "They go at is right from the start of practice," Phelps says. "They're always like 'Did you see Hillary (Clinton's) speech last night?' and I'm like 'What do you think?' "





And to add to the conversation: it's the achievement that matters most. It's what you do, not who you are, that counts.

[Conza88]

From Eight things you might not know about Michael Phelps (http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/specialevents/blog/2008/08/eight_things_you_might_not_kno.html):

And to add to the conversation: it's the achievement that matters most. It's what you do, not who you are, that counts.

He obviously hasn't taken the time to check out Rp... :D

It's good he's apathetic... RP cures that stuff ;)

[Paul.Bearer.of.Injustice]

Not have to worry about the real world? Being a professional athlete is a job like anything else, they just happen to get paid better. I'm sick of people saying pro athletes don't "work" because they just happen to play a game. Phelps is in the pool 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. I'm going to guess he works harder than you do.

Our government does not financially support the Olympics in any way, other than sending dignitaries to the games. The USOC is fully funded by charity and sponsors.

All I'm saying is that based on his background I wouldn't think he'd lean libertarian.
He's lived a sheltered life and has probably gotten everything he's ever wanted from "investors".
I doubt he has ever experienced the loss of freedom that turns people on to the message.

[No1ButPaul08]

All I'm saying is that based on his background I wouldn't think he'd lean libertarian.
He's lived a sheltered life and has probably gotten everything he's ever wanted from "investors".
I doubt he has ever experienced the loss of freedom that turns people on to the message.

I wouldn't be so sure of that, either. As a 16 year old, he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. If that's not experiencing a loss of freedom, I don't know what is.

[TheEngineer]

TheEngineer will love the fact that he's into poker, he can expect some Poker Alliance literature coming his way im sure :D

if he turns up at the rally that would be amazing but i doubt he would be 'allowed' to!

He may get some. :D

[jarofclay]

I don't know about having this guy promote the revolution. He showed some pretty unsportsman like behavior at the Olympics (see vid).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhjwnsVUeto

[ashura]

You uh... you do realize that's not real right?

(sorry if you do, I can never tell on these forums :p)

[hopeforamerica]

I don't know about having this guy promote the revolution. He showed some pretty unsportsman like behavior at the Olympics (see vid).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhjwnsVUeto

LOL! Funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Thanks!

[Grandson of Liberty]

I don't know about having this guy promote the revolution. He showed some pretty unsportsman like behavior at the Olympics (see vid).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhjwnsVUeto

DANG that was funny, dude. :D

Thanks for the morning laugh.

[mediahasyou]

Companys pay millions to get testimonial deals with Phelps. Phelps would testify for liberty for free.