I hate to say it after Barr's fiasco, But Ron should be VP if he can

[Bman]

Besides the obvious loathing of Bob Barr at them moment. Is there any reason, such as not being able to run for his congressional chair, that should keep Ron from accepting the VP.

Certainly we all would want him at the top of a ticket. But lets face it. It is the biggest thing that could be done at this moment in time to try and break through the two party system.

Now lets not derail this topic. I'm just looking for what there is to lose as far as Ron Pauls current chair in the congress.

[Spider-Man]

xxx

[hard@work]

Paul could have been the LP Presidential candidate. There is no strategy here. Even if Barr did not enrage just about every new potential member to the LP and more than who knows how many existing or sympathetic players in this game.

So, no. It would get a smaller percentage of votes than if Barr would have just ... shown up.

[nc4rp]

Youd have Ron throw away his sure-bet congressional seat for a long-shot at VP?

[Bman]

Youd have Ron throw away his sure-bet congressional seat for a long-shot at VP?

Absolutely NOT!!!

What I'm asking is if he would have to give up his congressional seat to run as VP. I mean I know Lieberman kept his run for his senate seat when he was running as VP. I didn't know if the rules were different in this case for some reason.

[idiom]

Only VP he should consider is with Nader, otherwise it is way too long shot to turf his seat.

[kombayn]

Screw that. Bob Barr is a dumb-ass. His campaign has been a complete failure and can't even make his donation goals. He just needs to bow-out of the race. Nader, McKinney & Baldwin all look like better candidates then Bob Barr.

[Rangeley]

Why dont you accept his own reasoning for not running third party?

[acptulsa]

Absolutely NOT!!!

What I'm asking is if he would have to give up his congressional seat to run as VP. I mean I know Lieberman kept his run for his senate seat when he was running as VP. I didn't know if the rules were different in this case for some reason.

Yeah--Lieberman was still a Democrat when he ran on a Democratic ticket. The main issue is committee appointments and such.

Even so, I'm inclined to say I want him to accept the vp slot, too, if only to see how Barr reacts to having his painfully obvious bluff called and being forced to show his hand. I think it would be good for the severely ailing LP, the movement and the nation, though I'm hard pressed to tell you exactly how I think it will help...

[speciallyblend]

still no excuses for what barr did,so what that he asked does that give someone a free pass to stand them up ,when they accepted to show, barr is full of bs period!!

[svf]

Youd have Ron throw away his sure-bet congressional seat for a long-shot at VP?

This has been mulled over a hundred times at least.

The short answer is... RP has nothing to lose. You can run for Congress and president/VP at the same time. A few states have minor issues which are easily circumvented and have been in the past (see: LBJ and Lloyd Bentsen).

RP has NO Democrat opponent for his house seat and it's too late to run one, so he's essentially already been re-elected. So assuming he loses the Pres/VP race, his House seat is safe and sound. As far as pissing off the GOP by pulling a "maverick" LP run, they already hate him anyway so why should he care. And supposing Barr/Paul actually WIN in Nov, they have a special election to fill Paul's vacant House seat (hopefully with an RP endorsed "Ron Paul Republican".)

I'm too lazy to link it AGAIN, but for all the details Google "Sore Loser Laws Don't Apply to Presidential Candidates" to find the article at www.ballot-access.org.

It's all irrelevant, though, since RP is obviously more interested in being a (mediocre at best) "spokesman" for liberty rather than an actual candidate who wants to get votes and impact this race and the political landscape for years to come.

[mcgraw_wv]

IMO, VP of the LP is would kill the movement, forcing Paul to push the LP party, and lose momentum of the real movement.

The key to Paul is to simply push the movement... not try to push a certain Party... The single most intelligent thing he has done is stop campaigning for an office other than the one he already has, and focus on growing the movement... He is the grandfather of this movement, he's job is to raise and foster more like minded people to that that message to office...

I think if he took the VP nomination, he would disappear on the media map... Look at Nader, and others prior... The LP has about a 0 presence in Media and national awareness... however everyone has heard of Nader, and Perot...

He can do so much more in the position he is in right now.

[Rangeley]

Barr wants to strengthen the Libertarian party. Paul wants third parties to do well, to help re-enforce the point the two major parties are out of touch and to help the long term effort to take back the Republican party. Barr may or may not think the Libertarian party will ever be viable nationally against the two main parties placing roadblocks - Ron Paul knows it will never be viable nationally with the two major parties placing roadblocks.

He's run third party before, and knows it gets nowhere towards changing things. Barr said that it was Perot's run in 1992 that led to the 1994 Republican Revolution, as a backing for his strategy. He seems to forget that the Republican Revolution amounted to nothing. Paul is taking a different approach, and one that can and will work if people stick at it, and stay involved.

That's why.

[RCA]

Ron should stay in Congress.

[Truth Warrior]

Perhaps Ron should agree and then just not show up. :D

[constituent]

Perhaps Ron should agree and then just not show up. :D

+1

[forum violations]
someone oughta knock barr's block off.

i know pansy-assed politicos usually don't have the gall to deal w/ the aftermath of knocking some guy's teeth down his throat, but barr has it comin'

the most you'll probably get is probation....

plus he'd probably be too embarrassed to call the cops.

[/forum violations]

[SnappleLlama]

Perhaps Ron should agree and then just not show up. :D

ha, ha! :D

[speciallyblend]

well maybe barr should of thought about that before he no-showed , barr didn't win any friends yesterday. He actually made more enemies and turned off his base support... if barr is trying to lose ,he gets a A+ for effort!!!!

[acptulsa]

well maybe barr should of thought about that before he no-showed , barr didn't win any friends yesterday. He actually made more enemies and turned off his base support... if barr is trying to lose ,he gets a A+ for effort!!!!

Hara kiri by bomb--he's not only trying to go out with a bang, but take the LP with him. The "minor party" with some of the best name recognition and all of the right principles for the people who remember what the American Dream was all about, dead and about to be buried. What a great victory for TPTB.

I sure hope we can return the favor and either take back or destroy the G.O.P. I know I'm more ready than ever to fight.

[Dianne]

No way in hell Paul should be second man to Barr.... no way !!! Paul should have accepted the no. 1 man on the LP ticket though and told the repub's where to go.

[acptulsa]

No way in hell Paul should be second man to Barr.... no way !!! Paul should have accepted the no. 1 man on the LP ticket though and told the repub's where to go.

I don't think Ron Paul accepting the vp ticket would be a bad idea at all. Not that I think Barr deserves to be number one and Paul number two--ha!--but I would like to see the LP saved and I think the most bitter but unquestionably the best medicine for it is for Barr's obvious bluff to get called. He might just have to put his cards on the table as a result!

[durden0]

Running for VP with Barr would only reduce Dr. Paul's goal and strategy at this point.

It's pretty clear that his strategy here has been two fold.

1. To work within the party and encourage those most active and involved to put themselves in positions inside the republican party in order to 'seize the moment' so to speak when republican leadership and unity breaks down.

2. To encourage people who are less involved, maybe who only vote, to work outside the party and to pressure the republican party to fracture and pull some of them back to their roots, so that the people inside the party have a better shot of taking back control.

Ron Paul is part of the 1st phase contingent of this movement and running with Barr would only diminish the efforts of those working within the party to continue their efforts of climbing the ranks and remaking the party. Step back and look at the big picture and you will see why running with Barr is not in his best interests.

Besides all that, as he has said many times, if he runs as an independent, he would most likely lose his House seat. Without Paul in Congress to set the bar for voting, other RP republicans who get into congress will not have the leadership of Paul in the House when they do get there.

[acptulsa]

Great post, durden0. I think we're just in too much of a hurry. The doomsayers are wrong about whether or not we have the time to continue down this route. Rome wasn't built in a day, true--it also didn't burn in just one day.

Pity about the LP, but, well, to hell with it.