Who should we draft in 2012? Poll 2

[nate895]

Edit: Please refrain from voting until a supporter of each candidate can make a detailed case.

This is the second of a possibly four round poll where we will determine who we will setup an official draft committee for, complete with a website, forums, fundraising, and the spending of that money to convince the winner to run, and for others to vote for him after that happens.

In order to make an effective draft committee we need:

Chairman/Director-I'll take this post if there is no protest
Treasurer-preferably an accountant, files all paperwork with the FEC
Volunteer Coordinator
Youth Coordinator
E-Campaign Director
Fundraising Director
Media Coordinator/Spokesman-if you speak well and aren't afraid of the camera, this is your job
Writers-10 of them at least, I have one volunteer already
Web Designers-Already have the one I need to start, volunteer as you come along

Duties of each job:
Chairman/Director-In charge of the coordination of all the other coordinators and directors. Makes strategic decisions on how to most effectively convince the potential to run, and how to convince people to vote for him in the most strategically important states.
Treasurer-Keeps track of the money. You sign the checks and make sure we have all the information for contributions and expenditures so the FEC doesn't get mad at us and decide we need to be fined. An assistant treasurer would also be welcomed.
Volunteer Coordinator-Finds volunteers for the draft campaign, and makes sure they are at the places where they are most effective. This job gets really important when the candidate announces, as there will be more jobs to fill when that happens for volunteers.
Youth Coordinator-Helps organize "Students to Draft (winner of poll)" and other organizations for those under 25 to help with the campaign. Teams up a lot with the volunteer coordinator.
E-Campaign Director-Keep track of how many "Draft so and so" blogs there are, help make bloggers effective, and also manages the "Draft so and so" groups on social networking sites. Keeps all the email addresses and other information to give over to the campaign when it starts.
Media Coordinator/Spokesman-Whenever someone wants an interview, they turn to you first.
Writers-help write the blog on the site, issues, pieces on why so and so should run. Hopefully we can get 10
Web Designers-You help make the website

All directors and coordinators (including treasurer and assistant treasurer) are members of the committee and help make important decisions.

Plan:
Step 1: For whoever we have chosen to draft we need to setup a website and get other Paul supporters to come over. Someone with access to the front page of Daily Paul and other Paul websites/blogs post that the official draft campaign is starting when we get the website up.

Step 2: Raise money for a poll to be conducted of GOP voters for who they support in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevade, and nationwide

Step 3: Gather supporters and pledges. Hold a money bomb at some point in late winter to the start of summer 2009.

Step 4: With the money raised and hopefully thousands who have pledged to volunteer or contribute to the official campaign, and an at least temporary campaign organization already in place, we ask the potential candidate to officially announce his campaign. Use the money to put some ads up in early states for the potential candidate whether he agrees to run initially or not.

Step 5: Help draft Ron Paul/potential candidate Republicans for 2010 midterm elections in both House and Senate. This will help broaden the base, and it will help with the organization becoming important. If our organization helps win 15 to 20 seats for the GOP in the House, and up to 5 in the Senate, especially if they are from Democrats, it will give the candidate a huge boost in the primaries. After all, how can they deny the nomination to a person whose supporters were the backbone of the Republican efforts to retake the House and Senate?

Step 6: Campaign hard for the candidate throughout 2011, and if that candidate doesn't announce and neither does any other candidate we'd support, we enter him into the primaries anyway. This happened with Eisenhower when Henry Cabot Lodge entered him into the New Hampshire Primary back in 1952 without his knowledge. If he wins Iowa or New Hampshire without actively campaigning, there is no way they'd refuse to run.

PM me if you are interested in any one of the jobs.

[Austin]

Gary Johnson

[Kotin]

Garry Johnson and/or Jesse Ventura.

[itshappening]

it's worth noting while we all support and like Schiff he is not likely to run and is not really viable

Johnson is really the most viable and closest to our freedom principles that we're likely to get

[Kotin]

Andrew Napolitano would make a great running mate though..

[No1ButPaul08]

it's worth noting while we all support and like Schiff he is not likely to run and is not really viable

Johnson is really the most viable and closest to our freedom principles that we're likely to get

Peter, if he thought he could win, has more incentive than any of the others to run.

[Kludge]

NotA

[Kotin]

Peter, if he thought he could win, has more incentive than any of the others to run.

he could finally pardon his Father.. but I'm willing to bet some of our candidates would as well.... I know Ron Paul would.

[evilfunnystuff]

Andrew Napolitano would make a great running mate though..

agreed

[No1ButPaul08]

What happened to making a detailed case for each candidate to make the cut? I would like to make the case for Schiff but I have to put it together yet.

[nate895]

it's worth noting while we all support and like Schiff he is not likely to run and is not really viable

Johnson is really the most viable and closest to our freedom principles that we're likely to get

I agree. I would support him 100%, but I think that the only two up there who have built in winning potential are Johnson and Sanford. That being said, anything can happen over the course of the campaign, so don't rule any of them out as potential winners.

The reason why I included these four candidates is they got above 10% last time, and that is who gets to advance to this round. 20% and above (if no one gets a majority, which I am betting Johnson will) will advance. If no one other than Johnson gets above 20%, but he still doesn't get a majority by Tuesday, I'll make a "Draft Johnson, yes or no" thread.

[nate895]

What happened to making a detailed case for each candidate to make the cut? I would like to make the case for Schiff but I have to put it together yet.

Sorry about that, I put in large bold print now.

[Kotin]

What happened to making a detailed case for each candidate? I would like to make the case for Schiff but I have to put it together yet.


Gary Johnson was Governor of a Democrat-owned state for I think 3 terms.. he proved that our policy works on a state level and he has the best experience in the private sector, better than mittens romney.. he cut spending, he cut taxes, and he balanced the budget..

he vetoed more bills than he signed, but he also achieved significant reform in many areas.. he is an outspoken advocate of ending the War on Drugs.. He endorsed Ron Paul in the 2008 primaries.. and best of all he is a fighter!!! he will wipe the floor with the neocons in the debates.

[Xenophage]

Is Gary Johnson *really* that good? Is he fundamentally, ideologically sound enough to defend his positions against well versed, trained, charismatic candidates?

The most important thing to look for in a candidate is how well they can present our philosophy to the average joe, and how stupid they can make the other guy look.

[No1ButPaul08]

Sorry about that, I put in large bold print now.

Thank you


Gary Johnson was Governor of a Democrat-owned state for I think 3 terms.. he proved that our policy works on a state level and he has the best experience in the private sector, better than mittens romney.. he cut spending, he cut taxes, and he balanced the budget..

he vetoed more bills than he signed, but he also achieved significant reform in many areas.. he is an outspoken advocate of ending the War on Drugs.. He endorsed Ron Paul in the 2008 primaries.. and best of all he is a fighter!!! he will wipe the floor with the neocons in the debates.

Don't get me wrong, I like Gary Johnson, and he is my clear second choice. I just happen to like Schiff a little bit more.

[Kotin]

Thank you



Don't get me wrong, I like Gary Johnson, and he is my clear second choice. I just happen to like Schiff a little bit more.

are you kidding!?

ha! if it were schiff or johnson, I would choose schiff as well..


Peter Schiff is true blue.. hes just a great guy. and I would campaign day and night for him.

his economic policy would be unrivaled, along with his economic cabinet.

if he doesnt run for president at least he should run for the Senate.

[Xenophage]

Peter Schiff is about as far away from a charismatic politician type you could find. No way he would win any elections.

I love the dude to death and send his youtube videos out to all my friends, but I think he might even snort a little magic fairy dust from time to time, and he has the facial expressiveness of a wood puppet. He's very smart, very good... but not a politician.

[nate895]

Bump. Someone needs to make a case for each candidate.

[jmag]

Why isn't Rand Paul in these polls? Too young yet?

[nate895]

Why isn't Rand Paul in this polls? Too young yet?

Rand Paul wasn't mentioned in the thread I took the first poll from, and he is only an optometrist (I think) in Kentucky. Since he wasn't included in the first poll, he didn't get 10%, which meant he didn't make it past the first round.

[The_Orlonater]

Obama is going to get reelected. The sheep(my youth) are already preparing to vote for him. Racism is in the way of liberty.

[nate895]

Obama is going to get reelected. The sheep(my youth) are already preparing to vote for him. Racism is in the way of liberty.

I see him as being the next Jimmy Carter, he will totally blow it as President. Also, if he tries to get his community service requirements through Congress, and GOP Senators filibuster it, the GOP will go from losing the young vote 65-35, to winning 80-20.

[jmag]

Rand Paul wasn't mentioned in the thread I took the first poll from, and he is only an optometrist (I think) in Kentucky. Since he wasn't included in the first poll, he didn't get 10%, which meant he didn't make it past the first round.

I missed that thread, but Rand should certainly be in consideration unless I also missed some reasons for him not to be. Great clips of him in this thread below. He is on some political finance committee in KY.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=145631

[nate895]

I missed that thread, but Rand should certainly be in consideration unless I also missed some reasons for him not to be. Great clips of him in this thread below. He is on some political finance committee in KY.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=145631

Too late now. It looks like Johnson will win with a majority

BTW, if no one posts any affirmative posts by tomorrow afternoon, vote anyway.

[inibo]

Don't know if this constitutes a detailed case or not, but...

Gary Johnson is experienced and electable.
He has a record of coalition building and effective governance without compromising on principle
He is a good speaker
He is telegenic (Shallow, I know, but it matters)
He is an American success story
He is not scary.
He loves Ron Paul, he said so.

I'm basing all this on his performance at the Rally for the Republic (http://libertymaven.com/2008/09/04/ron-paul-rally-for-the-republic-gary-johnson-speaks-video/1752/), so it could all just be smoke and mirrors, but my instincts say he is the real deal.

[nate895]

Don't know if this constitutes a detailed case or not, but...

Gary Johnson is experienced and electable.
He has a record of coalition building and effective governance without compromising on principle
He is a good speaker
He is telegenic (Shallow, I know, but it matters)
He is an American success story
He is not scary.
He loves Ron Paul, he said so.

I'm basing all this on his performance at the Rally for the Republic (http://libertymaven.com/2008/09/04/ron-paul-rally-for-the-republic-gary-johnson-speaks-video/1752/), so it could all just be smoke and mirrors, but my instincts say he is the real deal.

Close enough.

One for Johnson, we need one for the others now. Feel free to post more about any of them, though.

[RSLudlum]

Why didn't Bunchies make the cut? It seems he has quite a bit of support around here.

Bunchies 2012!!!!

:bunchies:


:p

[No1ButPaul08]

Why I like Peter Schiff for President 2012.

Of the four choices, he has clearly shown he understand Austrian Economics (AE) the most.

There are hundreds of videos (http://www.europac.net/video.asp) with Peter Schiff speaking on financial television shows about his investment strategies and his view of the economy. His overall investment strategy is directly tied to his understanding of AE and it's monetary theories. Furthermore, not only does he understand AE, he can put it in terms so the average person can understand. Showing a person a video of Peter Schiff abusing Art Laffer on housing or Ben Stein on financials has an incredible effect. If more of Peter's prediction come true (mainly a dropping dollar), these videos will only have a greater effect.


If the economy is in really bad shape 2011-2012 (and I think most here think that is going to be the case), this video library would be incredibly valuable to a Peter Schiff candidacy. It's bad to think this way, but the worse the economy gets the more Peter's popularity will explode. Remember, RP's candidacy was driven largely by the internet, as would probably the candidates mentioned above besides Sanford. Also, if the economy is in really poor shape, it will be easily the issue that matters to most (even more so than this election), and if so, Peter will look like a prophet and people will be open to hearing his ideas

The other 3 candidates have shown understanding of the need to eliminate the Fed, but it's unclear to me that they can defend the Austrian theory in a debate, whereas Peter has shown time an again that he can think on the spot and defend AE with clarity. Again, if the economy is in the tank, this is invaluable.

He loves to talk

One of my biggest problems with Ron Paul was that he wouldn't press for time in a debate. Ron would let the moderators and other candidates control the debate. Some of this of course was media bias, but still, Ron failed to stand up for himself at times. Then you have people like Mitt "give me 30 seconds" Romney, who interjects himself any chance he can. In this regard, Peter is more like Mitt Romney than Ron Paul. In his appearances on the financial shows, Peter is always trying interject himself into the debate, and often the debate focuses on his views, which makes him the center of attention.


Peter Schiff is about as far away from a charismatic politician type you could find. No way he would win any elections.

I love the dude to death and send his youtube videos out to all my friends, but I think he might even snort a little magic fairy dust from time to time, and he has the facial expressiveness of a wood puppet. He's very smart, very good... but not a politician.

I disagree with this. My brother, a socialist Obama supporter (I believe he remains an Obama supporting socialist only because he has fallen for the previous investment trap, he's learning though) has been converted into a Peter Schiff fan. This is because of Peter's ability to put things clearly in terms he can understand with a heavy dose of truth. I told my brother of this comment on Peter's charisma and he had this to say. "Schiff is full of charisma. He has a quality most politicians don't have...he doesn't sugarcoat anything..he speaks the blunt truth, no matter how uncomfortable it is to hear. People are drawn to that."

There is more to add, but it's getting very late. Others can feel free to make another case for Peter or add to this.

[Austin]

I'm interested in fulfilling the Volunteer Coordinator position when we get this thing rolling.

[jmag]

I still don't understand why people aren't talking about Rand Paul. I've voted for Gary Johnson but I think Rand is a probably a better speaker.

[nate895]

I'm interested in fulfilling the Volunteer Coordinator position when we get this thing rolling.

Cool. PM me with some stuff you have done coordinating, and other experience.

[Kotin]

I still don't understand why people aren't talking about Rand Paul. I've voted for Gary Johnson but I think Rand is a probably a better speaker.

maybe because of the fact that if his last name was not Paul he would have no place in this discussion at all..

he has NO political experience to speak of.. don't get me wrong, hes great... but if you think hes a valid candidate for president your wrong.

[Suzu]

Jonhson is the best bet, with either Sanford or Napolitano as running mate. Schiff wouldn't have a snowball's chance, nor would Rand.

[Captain Bryan]

I haven't been able to find any of the debates he was in when running for Governor, but I did find these gems.

Part one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmwvcUaVILg
Part two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4GGHRZjc4Q&feature=related
Part three:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2W3p8aQ6V0&feature=related
Part four:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvWnioD-DqU&feature=related
Part five:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqVOSG3Atr8&feature=related
Part six:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOuwdEa-83Q&feature=related

I think he's a good speaker.

[Captain America]

I completly agree with No1ButPaul08 except that if we would pick Schiff or Napolitano even as a running mate i would like to see them run in 2010 for governor or senator.

Schiff/Napolitano!
if Ventura would join the Republican Party for the sake of getting into the debates that would be great also.

I would love to see a couple of these people in the Republican and Democratic Debates.