Why the GOP needs Ron Paul supporters (that's us)

[Matt Collins]

The Cato Institute did a study in 2006 about libertarian voters.

As of 2006 13% of the entire electorate in US can be broadly defined as libertarian. This is growing because in 1999 this number was closer to 9%

The study also discovered that libertarians are more likely to vote than the rest of the electorate at large. And when they vote they overwhelmingly vote Republican, but not always. In fact libertarians are a major swing vote.

2000 - Bush got 72% of libertarians while Gore received 20% of libertarians (remember Bush was running on a platform of low taxes, humble foreign policy, etc).

2004 - Bush received 59% of libertarians and Kerry received 38% of them. That is a massive swing, and a larger swing than most voter blocs.

In 2006 the congressional elections 59% of the voting libertarians voted Republican and 36% for the Dems. That = 24% swing away from Republicans towards Dems. In 2006 the libertarian vote helped give Congress back to Democrats.

Most Republicans in Congress who lost in 2006 were "big spending / big government" Republicans.

The National Taxpayer Union (NTU) says big spenders = big losers. Why? Because of the 20 incumbents in 2006 Congressional elections who lost, 18 of them had below-average NTU ratings.


Also of note that the average libertarian is exceptionally younger than the average voters.


Libertarians are winning voting bloc and this is evidenced partly by the fact that 80% of the Republican Liberty Caucus endorsements won their elections.


we're young, we vote, we win. Libertarians are clearly important to the Republican Party. The GOP needs to reach out to libertarians (Ron Paul supporters) if it wants to continue to win elections.


SOURCES:

http://cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6715
http://www.ntu.org/main/press_papers.php?PressID=948&org_name=NTUF
http://www.rlc.org/2008/06/15/introduction-to-the-rlc/

[Matt Collins]

Bump

[Lucille]

I had an email dust-up (3 or 4 of them) with Goldberg (NRO) last fall about the libertarian faction being driven from the party, and NRO's bashing of Paul. I sent him that Cato link and in the end he was all, "I really don't think a few libertarians not voting for the GOP is going to make much of a difference."

Wrong again, "Chief." <--that's what he called me

[speciallyblend]

I had an email dust-up (3 or 4 of them) with Goldberg (NRO) last fall about the libertarian faction being driven from the party, and NRO's bashing of Paul. I sent him that Cato link and in the end he was all, "I really don't think a few libertarians not voting for the GOP is going to make much of a difference."

Wrong again, "Chief." <--that's what he called me


the gop will learn reality in the next 4-12 yrs. they have the blinders on. I plan ON SENDING MANY MESSAGES THRU MY VOTE and giving info to other Republicans so they can make an informed choice and send a loud and clear message to the gop. we basically sent the gop packing here in Colorado;)

[Matt Collins]

The only way to change them is to become them ourselves.

[anaconda]

The only way to change them is to become them ourselves.

Nice analysis in the OP, Matt.

I think if the RNC took Ron Paul's platform verbatim and got behind it with all the right spin, money, and advertising they would get about 65% of the popular vote in 2012. They would seem like a really new and very, very, different "Republican" party. They would truly be the peace party and the party For The People.

The problem, as I see it, is that the top players in the game are the power players representing the military/industrial/media complex. They could easily transform the Republican Party and win by a decisive margin but then there would be no financial
incentive or power incentive. So we are fighting a horrific battle with corrupt people who have gobs of money who are not willing to really allow any substantive change in the party.

[Stary Hickory]

A lot of conservatives are Libertarians and don't know it. You see to many Conservatism is the closest thing to their beliefs which in actuality are Libertarian.

I never knew the Libertatian party was really anything other than a strange fringe group until this year. When Bush totally departed from any semblance of principles and common sense I went on a crusade to find my own way.

And then I found Ron Paul, and Libertarian movement which mirrors my beliefs exactly. There are many more people like me that also need to realize that Libertarian beliefs are their beliefs too, and that true conservatism owes it's success in part to the fact it shares most libertarian ideals.

[Matt Collins]

The problem, as I see it, is that the top players in the game are the power players representing the military/industrial/media complex. They could easily transform the Republican Party and win by a decisive margin but then there would be no financial
incentive or power incentive. So we are fighting a horrific battle with corrupt people who have gobs of money who are not willing to really allow any substantive change in the party.

Yes. Well if we could get 1/6 (208k) of the people who voted for Ron to show up to their local GOP meetings and vote, the party would be changed within MONTHS; We'd simply out vote them. Problem is people are lazy and are unwilling to make any committed effort over the long-run. Actually come to think of it, if everyone who went to the Rally for the Republic (12k) would make an effort, it would still take very little time to change the GOP.

[american.swan]

Yes. Well if we could get 1/6 (208k) of the people who voted for Ron to show up to their local GOP meetings and vote, the party would be changed within MONTHS; We'd simply out vote them. Problem is people are lazy and are unwilling to make any committed effort over the long-run. Actually come to think of it, if everyone who went to the Rally for the Republic (12k) would make an effort, it would still take very little time to change the GOP.

That's going to happen, but it won't happen overnight, like it could. We have to keep pushing this agenda and keep pushing for GOP meeting attendance, and change we what WILL come, but we have to take into account the laziness will just make the change take longer.

[speciallyblend]

That's going to happen, but it won't happen overnight, like it could. We have to keep pushing this agenda and keep pushing for GOP meeting attendance, and change we what WILL come, but we have to take into account the laziness will just make the change take longer.

it really depends on your county and local politics. the republican party in lake county already blew it. I am making more inroads in the democratic party in lake county which is more libertarian then the lp or the gop!
we need an interactive map so we can show the strengths within each party and location. Then we can focus on taking over the right parties in the right counties locally!

focus on every party locally. some states it might be the gop and in others the dnc and in some locals the LP.

forget parties,work locally!!

[anaconda]

Yes. Well if we could get 1/6 (208k) of the people who voted for Ron to show up to their local GOP meetings and vote, the party would be changed within MONTHS; We'd simply out vote them. Problem is people are lazy and are unwilling to make any committed effort over the long-run. Actually come to think of it, if everyone who went to the Rally for the Republic (12k) would make an effort, it would still take very little time to change the GOP.

Won't we still be fighting the media machine and big money? Some NWO foot soldier will run in the primaries and all of the Sheeple will go vote for him because of the media and regardless of the party platform at the local level. Then he or she will get elected and have a similarly corrupt Congress and nothing will change. What are your thoughts on this?

[Matt Collins]

Won't we still be fighting the media machine and big money? Always



Some NWO foot soldier will run in the primaries and all of the Sheeple will go vote for him because of the media and regardless of the party platform at the local level. Then he or she will get elected and have a similarly corrupt Congress and nothing will change. What are your thoughts on this?In this case, if we infiltrate the GOP and BECOME the leadership, then we can have a much greater say in who the choices are.

[nobody's_hero]

Well, when it's ready, the GOP will know where to find us. ;)

[Buffalo Bruce]

Ron Paul received 14% of the votes in Minnesota's Republican primary. He showed up at the Minnesota Republican State Convention but was not admitted to the convention floor to speak with delegates. Although a presidential candidate, was not allowed past the lobby. The guest speaker at this event was Karl Rove. Only one Ron Paul delegate was allowed to attend the national Republican convention to represent 14% of Republican primary voters.

I was in that lobby reasoning with two Republican delegate. One of them, who couldn't defend his position told me to "shut up". When I went back to the point I was making, he loudly said, "Shut up. I told you to shut up." it definitely wasn't a libertarian atmosphere.

In the November election, the third party candidate Barclay received 18% of the vote for US senator. As it stands now, Al Franken (D) has beaten Norm Coleman (R) by 224 votes. My guess is that a lot of Ron Paul's primary supporters voted for Barclay still disgusted with what went on at the state convention. The Republican Party could have used the votes of a small fraction of the RP supporters that they chased away.

[Matt Collins]

In the November election, the third party candidate Barclay received 18% of the vote for US senator. As it stands now, Al Franken (D) has beaten Norm Coleman (R) by 224 votes. My guess is that a lot of Ron Paul's primary supporters voted for Barclay still disgusted with what went on at the state convention. The Republican Party could have used the votes of a small fraction of the RP supporters that they chased away.
So you are suggesting that the GOP chased away RP people who voted 3rd party and thus caused the vote to be a toss-up?

Can you give me more stats, figures, and evidence of this?

[Jeremy]

And 2006 was right before Ron Paul converted tons of people like me :)

[Indy4Chng]

And me... :)

[Buffalo Bruce]

posted by matt Collins-
So you are suggesting that the GOP chased away RP people who voted 3rd party and thus caused the vote to be a toss-up?

Can you give me more stats, figures, and evidence of this?


Yes, that is what I am suggesting. The Republican Party of MN managed to throw a senate race by being haughty toward Ron Paul and his supporters. My theory is in agreement with the Cato report suggesting that the Republican Party has become less attractive to libertarians.

No, I do not have access to exit polls. That is why I chose the word "guess". There was consternation expressed at the conduct of the MN GOP leadership on forums such as this. At the Rally for the Republic, Jesse Ventura made a strong point of dissing both the Republican and Democrat parties. He later endorsed Barkley. I don't remember Ron Paul having endorsed Coleman either.

I just looked up the final results by percentage.
Franken 41.99%
Coleman 41.98%
Barkley 15.15%
Libertarian .48%
Constitution .31%

Ron Paul received 15.68% of the MN primary caucus (not primary as I previously wrote) vote or 9,852 votes. Franken's margin of victory is 225 votes as of 1/9.

There were nine times as many Minnesotans who voted for Coleman in the general election as there were Minnesotans who voted in the Republican primary for all candidates. This, or course, does not mean that there were (9x9,852=88,668) Ron Paul voters that voted here and there but you get my point.

In the MN primary, all of the independent candidates and Coleman's Republican challenger polled 18% as many votes as Coleman. In the general election, Barkley, the Libertarian, and the Constitution Party candidates collectively received 38% as many votes as Coleman. It is unlikely that the swollen ranks of the independents came from the Democrats.

[Dequeant]

................

[Matt Collins]

I am absolutely chomping at the bit to get involved in local politics. The only problem is that I'm a Mississippian serving on active duty in Florida. I could change my registration to Florida, but I plan on running for office in Mississippi when I leave active duty in 2 years. The bright side of waiting is that I'm getting my bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration in the mean time.

I'm hoping to hit the ground running once I'm out, but I know I'll need the support, help, and donations of fellow Ron Paul supporters to even have a shot at winning.
Well get as many books as you can between now and then and read everything you can get your hands on. Also be sure to liaise with the local RP meetup and attend the local GOP meetings, even if you are not a resident there. It will teach you much so that you'll be prepared when you return home.

And where in MS will you be living?

[Matt Collins]

the Cato report suggesting that the Republican Party has become less attractive to libertarians.Do you have a link to this? :confused:



And thanks for your analysis. It's going to come in handy with some Republican neocons here in the future.

[rancher89]

I'm a fairly noob at this level of politics. My District is heavily weighted to the Dems.

I've done what I can, I've managed, dispite my lack of "polish", to get on my District's Ex committee and to SHOW FREAKING UP to all of the meeting and voila (pardon to French speakers, I am just in love with the word "voila" and have no idea if I have spelled or for that matter pronounced it right, which, I am informed, is very important, I am now on the State Platform (freeking) Committee.

You guys, I am really F capital reaking out about this, I am a responsible individual, granted with limited writing abilities, but now I find myself on "the inside" with so much responsibility. Sort of.... My district is so Dem weighted, my position, even at the state level means little.

I need a little advice, as a political noob, how can I make it easier for others to gain the position I've gained? I know that being "within the system" gives you advantages, how do I best do this?

[Matt Collins]

I'm a fairly noob at this level of politics. My District is heavily weighted to the Dems.

I've done what I can, I've managed, dispite my lack of "polish", to get on my District's Ex committee and to SHOW FREAKING UP to all of the meeting and voila (pardon to French speakers, I am just in love with the word "voila" and have no idea if I have spelled or for that matter pronounced it right, which, I am informed, is very important, I am now on the State Platform (freeking) Committee.

You guys, I am really F capital reaking out about this, I am a responsible individual, granted with limited writing abilities, but now I find myself on "the inside" with so much responsibility. Sort of.... My district is so Dem weighted, my position, even at the state level means little.

I need a little advice, as a political noob, how can I make it easier for others to gain the position I've gained? I know that being "within the system" gives you advantages, how do I best do this?


Be specific... what do you need help with?

[Bman]

The Cato Institute did a study in 2006 about libertarian voters.

As of 2006 13% of the entire electorate in US can be broadly defined as libertarian. This is growing because in 1999 this number was closer to 9%

The study also discovered that libertarians are more likely to vote than the rest of the electorate at large. And when they vote they overwhelmingly vote Republican, but not always. In fact libertarians are a major swing vote.

2000 - Bush got 72% of libertarians while Gore received 20% of libertarians (remember Bush was running on a platform of low taxes, humble foreign policy, etc).

2004 - Bush received 59% of libertarians and Kerry received 38% of them. That is a massive swing, and a larger swing than most voter blocs.

In 2006 the congressional elections 59% of the voting libertarians voted Republican and 36% for the Dems. That = 24% swing away from Republicans towards Dems. In 2006 the libertarian vote helped give Congress back to Democrats.

Most Republicans in Congress who lost in 2006 were "big spending / big government" Republicans.

The National Taxpayer Union (NTU) says big spenders = big losers. Why? Because of the 20 incumbents in 2006 Congressional elections who lost, 18 of them had below-average NTU ratings.


Also of note that the average libertarian is exceptionally younger than the average voters.


Libertarians are winning voting bloc and this is evidenced partly by the fact that 80% of the Republican Liberty Caucus endorsements won their elections.


we're young, we vote, we win. Libertarians are clearly important to the Republican Party. The GOP needs to reach out to libertarians (Ron Paul supporters) if it wants to continue to win elections.


SOURCES:

http://cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6715
http://www.ntu.org/main/press_papers.php?PressID=948&org_name=NTUF
http://www.rlc.org/2008/06/15/introduction-to-the-rlc/

Good stuff. I agree the GOP needs the Ron Paul supporters. And I believe they know it at this point. The economy's in the tank and we are the represenatives for free market and a non regulatory government. The beauty of Ron Paul for me is how he ties the actions of the federal government directly to the cost of the people. I'd have to say my biggest delight/sorrow will come when I hear Sean Hannity start talking about how Obama is messing up in Afgahnistan and we need to withdraw, immediatly.

[speciallyblend]

Good stuff. I agree the GOP needs the Ron Paul supporters. And I believe they know it at this point. The economy's in the tank and we are the represenatives for free market and a non regulatory government. The beauty of Ron Paul for me is how he ties the actions of the federal government directly to the cost of the people. I'd have to say my biggest delight/sorrow will come when I hear Sean Hannity start talking about how Obama is messing up in Afgahnistan and we need to withdraw, immediatly.


the gop are talking about things that they already blew during the election!!!;) now they realize they screwed up??. it will take 8-12 yrs to repair the damage they pulled on their own party. a lil too late but hopefully better late then never!!!(highly doubt) all this talk is to make the gop feel good,but they kinda already slammed the door! all talk(lies) coming from the gop.

the republican party burnt their bridges with many republicans to the point of no repair!!! Personally i see nothing coming from the gop that makes me think they saw the LIGHT!!!

[Matt Collins]

i see nothing coming from the gop that makes me think they saw the LIGHT!!!Who cares? If we go in and take them over then WE ARE THE GOP! :)

[loudes13]

Matt, that’s a good write up. I faxed it to a few GOP reps and GOP headquarters. A Pragmatic Libertarian is exactly what the GOP needs!

[Matt Collins]

I faxed it to a few GOP reps and GOP headquarters. A Pragmatic Libertarian is exactly what the GOP needs!Exactly.

[fj45lvr]

The best thing for the future revolution to restore a republic in lieu of the Fascism we live under is for the GOP to die....the 2 party system must die.

I would definetly like to see the Democratic party in ashes too!!! But that ain't gonna happen with all the brain washing in the educational system.

[fj45lvr]

the gop are talking about things that they already blew during the election!!!;) now they realize they screwed up??. it will take 8-12 yrs to repair the damage they pulled on their own party. a lil too late but hopefully better late then never!!!(highly doubt) all this talk is to make the gop feel good,but they kinda already slammed the door! all talk(lies) coming from the gop.

the republican party burnt their bridges with many republicans to the point of no repair!!! Personally i see nothing coming from the gop that makes me think they saw the LIGHT!!!


I am life long GOP, but I must say when was the last time the GOP did anything right???

I think if people look at it that way they will reaize that the "mistakes" and "damage" didn't begin this last election cycle.

The party is built on LIES (bait and switch). The "contract with America" was just as PHONY and FRAUDULENT as Obamas "change". The parties are corrupt.....

let's not slop paint on coffins (because a rotten corpse is at the center).

[Matt Collins]

I am life long GOP, but I must say when was the last time the GOP did anything right???Reagan (kind of) and Goldwater (mostly).

[american.swan]

I'd like someone to do the Cato polls again now that Ron Paul is definitely on the scene. It would be interesting to see how the demographics have changed. It could be about the same.

Remember politics is very emotional.

[anaconda]

As of 2006 13% of the entire electorate in US can be broadly defined as libertarian. This is growing because in 1999 this number was closer to 9%


I heard that when they give questionnaires to people to survey their political inclinations, something like 65% of respondents fit best into the Libertarian Party platform. Apparently, the majority of Americans are libertarians and just don't know it. Some county Libertarian Party chairman told me that on the telephone back in 2000, I think. Not sure if it's true. Not too much of a stretch to believe, however.

[LittleLightShining]

it really depends on your county and local politics. the republican party in lake county already blew it. I am making more inroads in the democratic party in lake county which is more libertarian then the lp or the gop!
we need an interactive map so we can show the strengths within each party and location. Then we can focus on taking over the right parties in the right counties locally!

focus on every party locally. some states it might be the gop and in others the dnc and in some locals the LP.

forget parties,work locally!!re you involved with the Democratic Freedom Caucus? I just heard of it the other day. Looks interesting.


I'm a fairly noob at this level of politics. My District is heavily weighted to the Dems.

I've done what I can, I've managed, dispite my lack of "polish", to get on my District's Ex committee and to SHOW FREAKING UP to all of the meeting and voila (pardon to French speakers, I am just in love with the word "voila" and have no idea if I have spelled or for that matter pronounced it right, which, I am informed, is very important, I am now on the State Platform (freeking) Committee.

You guys, I am really F capital reaking out about this, I am a responsible individual, granted with limited writing abilities, but now I find myself on "the inside" with so much responsibility. Sort of.... My district is so Dem weighted, my position, even at the state level means little.

I need a little advice, as a political noob, how can I make it easier for others to gain the position I've gained? I know that being "within the system" gives you advantages, how do I best do this?F-reaking awesome :D Seriously, good job! It's amazing how easy it really is to move up the ladder, isn't it? Obviously you're doing something right. It takes people showing up-- that's it. The right people need to show up-- REGULARLY-- and voila (:D :D :D) ! Committee in the bag. It really is that easy. What position do you have on your county committee? Are you involved at all with scheduling speakers? I know the more I do in that area (even though I'm Finance Chair) the more credibility I gain with the rank and file membership. I just hosted a meeting with Bob Schulz from WTP speaking and out of 14 in attendance (pitiful, I know!), 5 were from my county committee and they absolutely loved him/it. In contrast we only had 2 people from C4L besides me.

[free.alive]

Nice analysis, Matt.

[heavenlyboy34]

Another, better way to phrase it-"Why RP supporters don't need the GOP". ;)

[Matt Collins]

Nice analysis, Matt.I can't calim it, it came from the Republican Liberty Caucus website. ;)

[dr. hfn]

we're taking over the GOP and then freeing the elections up to 3rd parties!

[torchbearer]

I just looked up the final results by percentage.
Franken 41.99%
Coleman 41.98%
Barkley 15.15%
Libertarian .48%
Constitution .31%

Ron Paul received 15.68% of the MN primary caucus (not primary as I previously wrote) vote or 9,852 votes. Franken's margin of victory is 225 votes as of 1/9.

There were nine times as many Minnesotans who voted for Coleman in the general election as there were Minnesotans who voted in the Republican primary for all candidates. This, or course, does not mean that there were (9x9,852=88,668) Ron Paul voters that voted here and there but you get my point.

In the MN primary, all of the independent candidates and Coleman's Republican challenger polled 18% as many votes as Coleman. In the general election, Barkley, the Libertarian, and the Constitution Party candidates collectively received 38% as many votes as Coleman. It is unlikely that the swollen ranks of the independents came from the Democrats.

Send those numbers to that turd who says he doesn't need the libertarian wing of the gop.

[Theocrat]

The Cato Institute did a study in 2006 about libertarian voters.

As of 2006 13% of the entire electorate in US can be broadly defined as libertarian. This is growing because in 1999 this number was closer to 9%

The study also discovered that libertarians are more likely to vote than the rest of the electorate at large. And when they vote they overwhelmingly vote Republican, but not always. In fact libertarians are a major swing vote.

2000 - Bush got 72% of libertarians while Gore received 20% of libertarians (remember Bush was running on a platform of low taxes, humble foreign policy, etc).

2004 - Bush received 59% of libertarians and Kerry received 38% of them. That is a massive swing, and a larger swing than most voter blocs.

In 2006 the congressional elections 59% of the voting libertarians voted Republican and 36% for the Dems. That = 24% swing away from Republicans towards Dems. In 2006 the libertarian vote helped give Congress back to Democrats.

Most Republicans in Congress who lost in 2006 were "big spending / big government" Republicans.

The National Taxpayer Union (NTU) says big spenders = big losers. Why? Because of the 20 incumbents in 2006 Congressional elections who lost, 18 of them had below-average NTU ratings.


Also of note that the average libertarian is exceptionally younger than the average voters.


Libertarians are winning voting bloc and this is evidenced partly by the fact that 80% of the Republican Liberty Caucus endorsements won their elections.


we're young, we vote, we win. Libertarians are clearly important to the Republican Party. The GOP needs to reach out to libertarians (Ron Paul supporters) if it wants to continue to win elections.


SOURCES:

http://cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6715
http://www.ntu.org/main/press_papers.php?PressID=948&org_name=NTUF
http://www.rlc.org/2008/06/15/introduction-to-the-rlc/

I'll be driving next to you all in the GOP in my "CP Coupe." If you get a flat tire, run out of gas, or get in an accident, you're more than welcome to travel in my ride. ;)

[nelsonwinters]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a graph is worth a least a hundred. Take a couple minutes and check out this graph:

http://operationeducation.org/gop2007/donationsize.gif

I think this paints a clear picture why there's such a division within the GOP right now. The grassroots and the establishment clearly have differing opinions of who's right for the party.

[anaconda]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a graph is worth a least a hundred. Take a couple minutes and check out this graph:

http://operationeducation.org/gop2007/donationsize.gif

I think this paints a clear picture why there's such a division within the GOP right now. The grassroots and the establishment clearly have differing opinions of who's right for the party.

I don't understand the graph...shouldn't each politician's numbers add up to 100%?
Tancredo and Brownback, for example, seem to add to something like 10%.

[FSP-Rebel]

I don't understand the graph...shouldn't each politician's numbers add up to 100%?
Tancredo and Brownback, for example, seem to add to something like 10%.

I think he meant that the numbers add up 100% of each candidates respective donors.

[Matt Collins]

Here you go...


If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a graph is worth a least a hundred. Take a couple minutes and check out this graph:


http://operationeducation.org/gop2007/donationsize.gif


I think this paints a clear picture why there's such a division within the GOP right now. The grassroots and the establishment clearly have differing opinions of who's right for the party.

[Matt Collins]

I think this paints a clear picture why there's such a division within the GOP right now. The grassroots and the establishment clearly have differing opinions of who's right for the party.

FASCINATING!


It explains to us what we already know though, but it puts it in graph form. Ron Paul (and to a lesser extend Fred) were the populist candidates in a way.


Thank you very much for sharing this!

.

[dr. hfn]

Infiltrate the gop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anaconda]

I think he meant that the numbers add up 100% of each candidates respective donors.

That's what I was assuming also. But, for example, if we look at, say, Tancredo, we see that about 6% of his donors contributed $200 or less, 2% contributed from $201 to $999, about 1% contributed from $ 1000 to $2299, and about 0% contributed $2300. So 6+2+1+0=9%. Where are the other 91% of Tancredo's contributions coming from?

[anaconda]

Update:

I think I get it now (my bad).

I believe that the graph shows what percentage of the total donations in each catagory were captured by each respective candidate.

In other words, in the category of $200 or less, RP got 30% of those donations. And, for example, in the category of $201 to $999, McSame got about 17.5% of those donations.

I think maybe a bar graph might have worked better. Or a pie chart.

[HOLLYWOOD]

That's what I was assuming also. But, for example, if we look at, say, Tancredo, we see that about 6% of his donors contributed $200 or less, 2% contributed from $201 to $999, about 1% contributed from $ 1000 to $2299, and about 0% contributed $2300. So 6+2+1+0=9%. Where are the other 91% of Tancredo's contributions coming from?


I don't know... But didn't Manchurian Manadate Romney dump $40-50 Million of his own cash into his War Chest? I wonder if that's counted?

I'm sure they're lining up Mitt for 2012. Make sure Cerberus and Bain Capital are on board early to funnel $50 Million in "retired" donations. 3 cheers for the McMoron-Feingold Act! :rolleyes:

[nelsonwinters]

Here's another one that's easier to understand:

http://operationeducation.org/gop2007/donors.gif

I believe political donations are made because either a donor feels passionately about a candidate or is trying to gain some favor. Clearly, Ron Paul isn't selling favors so his numbers reflect passionate supporters.

The GOP has to come to terms with hipocrisy that they've allowed to be carried out under their banner. Whether it's

- talking limited government and then running up huge deficits, talking humble foreign policy and then going out on nation-building misadventures,

- talking about legislating moral behaviour and then getting caught in various scandals,

- talking about the need to control illegal immigration and then doing nothing about it

- talking about reducing the department of education and then doubling it's size

- talking about the huge burden of entitlements and then passing a huge prescription drug bill

Basically no actions to support all their talk. The GOP lacks authenticity and trust. The GOP leaders try giving examples where they acted conservatively or give excuses. Considering their status compared to the Democrats at this point, the graph makes it clear that the GOP can not afford to ignore the "Ron Paul Wing" of the Republican party.

[Volitzer]

Either the Ron Paul wing or the Constitution Party.

[LittleLightShining]

Here's another one that's easier to understand:

http://operationeducation.org/gop2007/donors.gif

I believe political donations are made because either a donor feels passionately about a candidate or is trying to gain some favor. Clearly, Ron Paul isn't selling favors so his numbers reflect passionate supporters.

The GOP has to come to terms with hipocrisy that they've allowed to be carried out under their banner. Whether it's

- talking limited government and then running up huge deficits, talking humble foreign policy and then going out on nation-building misadventures,

- talking about legislating moral behaviour and then getting caught in various scandals,

- talking about the need to control illegal immigration and then doing nothing about it

- talking about reducing the department of education and then doubling it's size

- talking about the huge burden of entitlements and then passing a huge prescription drug bill

Basically no actions to support all their talk. The GOP lacks authenticity and trust. The GOP leaders try giving examples where they acted conservatively or give excuses. Considering their status compared to the Democrats at this point, the graph makes it clear that the GOP can not afford to ignore the "Ron Paul Wing" of the Republican party.+1

[Matt Collins]

Bump