Hello fellow Paulites...

[alien]

I am relatively new to the forum but not new to the revoLution or Ron Paul.

Question is, how do you convince people that WOULD vote for him if he had a chance (which we all know that he does) to vote for him? I have tried to point out that the media is biased and that the best way to see what is really going on is to do your own research. People just need to give him a chance. I really gets to me when people say he does not have a chance and I want to say and have sometimes said that "it is because people like you will not give him that chance." Do something! They agree with the issues, they just do not want to "waste" a vote. :confused:

[BLS]

www.ronpaullibrary.org (http://www.ronpaullibrary.org)

That outta keep em busy.

[kylejack]

Alien,
Thankfully, we're finally getting some answers to that question in the form of viability. He's up from * (0%) to 5% in national polls now (Gallup) and he raised 5 million dollars in the last quarter. Furthermore, a good way to turn it around is to tell them that a wasted vote is a vote cast for a candidate that doesn't represent your beliefs.

Then send them to http://www.ronpaulgraphs.com to get them excited.

[FrankRep]

CNBC learns not to 'mess with' Ron Paul, followers (Awesome Video)
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/John_Harwood_After_poll_removal_CNBC_1016.html


Ron Paul: A New Hope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG2PUZoukfA

[Cindy]

Welcome!

I carry on about his meet up groups, military support, straw poll wins, size of rally's, growing funds. That usually starts to open people up.

I say things like, they said the same about Carter and Regan and that Bill Clinton was at 5% in Oct. when he first ran and look what happened.

I remind them that voting is about voting for who you want to win, not who you think will win.

[ronpaulitician]

Let him know that you realize the concerns of those that don't want to "waste their vote". Let him know that you believe that there are MANY voters out there who agree with Paul on the issues, but believe he doesn't stand a chance, and are therefore telling pollsters they'll vote for one of the other candidates.

Then tell him that...
a) Paul's national polling numbers are slowly climbing up. 5% now in Gallup poll.
b) Paul still has relatively low name recognition among voters.
c) The media is more and more treating him as a contender.
d) Paul has enough cash on hand to run a lot of ads.
e) The combination of a, b, c, and d means that his numbers will most likely continue to climb upwards, and that it's just a matter of time until the voters that are on the fence will join the Revolution. If that moment can come closer to today than to the day the first primary vote is cast, then Paul has a real chance of being a true contender.

[davidkachel]

I simply ask, "OK, if you won't vote for Ron Paul, which warmonger, gun-grabber, statist, big government, tax and spend (etc. pick the hot button that best applies) will you be voting for? Because if you don't vote for RP only because you think he can't win, you are just giving your vote to someone you are against!"
Also, point out the fact that whatever issue(s) cause them to vote for some politician they think can win, they must remember experience shows us that politician is probably lying about that issue anyway. The one thing you can be certain of with RP is that he is NOT lying!!!

[shadowhooch]

Here are some good facts to convince them:

1) Ron Paul has won more straw polls than any other candidate.
2) Ron Paul has won every single "who won the debate" poll.
3) Ron Paul has won every single online poll.
4) Ron Paul is a front runner in cash on hand having more than double of what McCain has and nearly as much as Thompson.
5) A vote in the primaries for Ron Paul is far from a waste because all the other candidates are so similar to eachother, it doesn't matter which one gets the nod. If Ron Paul doesn't win, you can still vote for the "status quo" or "lesser of two evils" in the Presidential election.

[Cindy]

Here are some good facts to convince them:

5) A vote in the primaries for Ron Paul is far from a waste because all the other candidates are so similar to eachother, it doesn't matter which one gets the nod. If Ron Paul doesn't win, you can still vote for the "status quo" or "lesser of two evils" in the Presidential election.

I do that one too and that almost always gets them to agree to at least give him a shot in the Republican primaries.

It doesn't work as well on those who are wanting to play Obama agsint Hillary to keep her from getting the nomination though. Arg who started this voting for leeser evil nonsense anyway.

[theseus51]

If you are happy with the way things are going, then vote for anyone else. If you like Ron Paul vote for him. Elections are about voting for who you want to win, not voting for who the media wants you to vote for. Think for yourself, don't let them do the thinking for you.

Even if Ron Paul doesn't win, if they see a decent percent of people voting for Ron Paul, they might look at him and adopt his ideas. The way Ross Perot made people pay more attention to the debt. Or how Howard Dean made the Democratic base more anti-war.

But if you just keep voting for the same Bush & Hillary team, then politicians will think "the country must like our big government welfare / warfare state. Let's continue it cause everyone voted for it"

[Shink]

I do that one too and that almost always gets them to agree to at least give him a shot in the Republican primaries.

It doesn't work as well on those who are wanting to play Obama agsint Hillary to keep her from getting the nomination though. Arg who started this voting for leeser evil nonsense anyway.

Hegelian dialectic...

[klamath]

The primaries are the time to vote for the best candidate, the general election is when it is the lesser of two evils.

[alien]

Thanks for all the replies. See, these are the most helpful, eager people I have ever met on the internet. That is what being American is all about, enjoying life and helping others. Which inturn of course will help us all.:D

[JaylieWoW]

I think there were a couple of good articles and essays on the "waste your vote" myth. I'll see if I can look them up.

[Hurricane Bruiser]

Like someone else said - The primaries are the time to vote for you REALLY want to see win. Some say the general election is for the lessor of two people but I'm voting Ron Paul all the way no matter what because I'm tired of the Republican Party's nonesense and can't stand the dems. on most things.

[SeanEdwards]

I am relatively new to the forum but not new to the revoLution or Ron Paul.

Question is, how do you convince people that WOULD vote for him if he had a chance (which we all know that he does) to vote for him? I have tried to point out that the media is biased and that the best way to see what is really going on is to do your own research. People just need to give him a chance. I really gets to me when people say he does not have a chance and I want to say and have sometimes said that "it is because people like you will not give him that chance." Do something! They agree with the issues, they just do not want to "waste" a vote. :confused:

The election isn't a horse race. You don't win a prize for picking the winner. You win by electing a candidate who represents your views.

[blamx8]

I use the straw polls charts on ronpaul2008.com

Even if they won't consider the online polls as valid they usually admit that straw polls are a good boots to the ground indicator of support, especially when I show them the head-to-head chart.