Smears of Ron as opposed to Johnson are coming back

[sailingaway]

this is the second I saw today. They bring up the newsletters libertarians are fully aware he didn't write to try to MAKE Ron less electable, and pretend Gary has no skeletons (divorce, prochoice in a GOP primary, pro-NAFTA etc.)

Whatever, I'm not here to tear down Gary, but to let you know this is gearing up again. I've seen this story on six or seven sites tonight.

I thought they'd drop the meme that Gary is a better speaker and candidate after the May 5 debate, but apparently not.

h xxp://www.opposingviews.com/i/who-s-better-gary-johnson-vs-ron-paul

I commented but it doesn't seem to be showing up which pisses me off since I had to register....

--

LOL! I went back and other comments are registering, but not mine. I wasn't nasty, I just rebutted his points, but I guess he didn't like it. The only comments being allowed are 'cheerleader' comments and one of those has its own slur. I think the comments allowed are orchestrated. Oh well.

[sailingaway]

Plus I just now went on twitter and there are several tweets of this out there just in the last twenty minutes, some quoting parts of the slurs. this is an outright coordinated campaign on this, although I don't know how long they'll keep it up. I offered them a link of the May 5 debate so they could compare speaking style (since the article pretends Gary is better.) Haven't heard back yet, but at least my tweets go out unlike the comments they won't post. I assume it is because they are desperate, but talk about burning bridges...

[realtonygoodwin]

Better than smears of Santorum...



What?

[sailingaway]

Eww....

I'm more concerned about Bachmann, but we have to stay ahead of the newsletter crap because particularly when libertarians smear it, people think they know. And they are clever about using terms like he 'published' which he didn't, there was an independent editor and he was practicing medicine, but it makes it vague and more believable, though false.

[Meatwasp]

Like a few of us said Gary Johnson is an opportunist. Forget him as he is yesterdays dead leaves

[CaptUSA]

I must admit that I like Gary Johnson sticking around though... During the debates, it's like a one-two punch for liberty. When the average voter hears two people saying nearly the same thing, it adds to the credibility. And it doubles the amount of time spent on freedom issues, while cutting into time that would have been spent by Santorum explaining why God has chosen him to save the country. Eventually, Johnson will drop out and, at such time, he should direct his supporters to Ron Paul. Most of them will have no problem with this transition.

I don't want him going away just yet. He's serving a valuable purpose.

[sailingaway]

I must admit that I like Gary Johnson sticking around though... During the debates, it's like a one-two punch for liberty. When the average voter hears two people saying nearly the same thing, it adds to the credibility. And it doubles the amount of time spent on freedom issues, while cutting into time that would have been spent by Santorum explaining why God has chosen him to save the country. Eventually, Johnson will drop out and, at such time, he should direct his supporters to Ron Paul. Most of them will have no problem with this transition.

I don't want him going away just yet. He's serving a valuable purpose.

I disagree since I want Ron's numbers higher early so the media has to take him more seriously, but Gary has a right to stay in if he wants, but this article is dirty pool.

[CaptUSA]

It's a checkers/chess thing I guess. I like having Johnson in there. I know you'd like to see his support go to Ron early, but as long as he gets it before the primaries begin, what's the harm? It makes some good strategic sense to keep him in the conversation.

If Johnson can build a small, but devoted core that would not typically go for Paul, I say let him build that up and then transfer it to Paul once the real games begin. In the meantime, he's making Paul look "less kooky" to those who are unfamiliar with the freedom agenda. I don't think he's splitting the vote, but growing support for the same vote from a different angle.

[SimpleName]

I disagree since I want Ron's numbers higher early so the media has to take him more seriously, but Gary has a right to stay in if he wants, but this article is dirty pool.

Gary is barely taking 1% away from Paul. I don't think there is much to worry about. Surely he could pull up a percent or 2, but I seriously doubt he'll be cutting into Paul's media attention.

As for the article...UGH! Its more infuriating than the standard neo-con articles posted here all the time. What crap. Johnson is really only a libertarian on an issue-by-issue basis. There isn't enough principle aligned to it. That is ok. But how could the pragmatist be a "better" libertarian?

[sailingaway]

It's a checkers/chess thing I guess. I like having Johnson in there. I know you'd like to see his support go to Ron early, but as long as he gets it before the primaries begin, what's the harm? It makes some good strategic sense to keep him in the conversation.

If Johnson can build a small, but devoted core that would not typically go for Paul, I say let him build that up and then transfer it to Paul once the real games begin. In the meantime, he's making Paul look "less kooky" to those who are unfamiliar with the freedom agenda. I don't think he's splitting the vote, but growing support for the same vote from a different angle.

I disagree that any core that would not typically go to Ron would if Gary endorsed Ron. He might however take some who don't look to Ron only because they've heard 'he's kooky / racist" -- such as from articles like the one in the OP, whom if they did look would like Ron.

Gary looks more kooky than Ron, to be honest, with pro abortion and drug legalization actually being his primary platform, at least in a GOP election, and by putting them together Ron is put in a more socially liberal light than is attractive to GOP voters.

However, I don't care much because Bachmann is a bigger taker of votes than Gary who in my opinion is simply not going to take off at all. because of that, if his 1% keeps Ron from getting a win in a big media event like the Ames straw poll, it would be a huge loss for liberty.

People here worked very hard and pitched in funds to chip ins to send people to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference last year because their straw poll gets a lot of conservative press in precisely the circles we need to be convinced of Ron's viability as a candidate. Ron lost by one vote. Gary got one vote. Romney got all the media.

That is the 'benefit to liberty' I see from Gary running. But then, he has no draw for me. I tried to like him a year or so ago when I thought Ron wasn't going to run again, and couldn't. So to me it is just loss, not gain.

But again, Gary has his own life and future and has a right to run. I don't see an argument for it raising the profile of liberty, though, instead mainstream press is using it to marginalize Ron.

However, Ron has a chance at very high profile and even a path to winning, and I hate to see supposed allies shooting out the crap in the article above.

[Chester Copperpot]

I must admit that I like Gary Johnson sticking around though... During the debates, it's like a one-two punch for liberty. When the average voter hears two people saying nearly the same thing, it adds to the credibility. And it doubles the amount of time spent on freedom issues, while cutting into time that would have been spent by Santorum explaining why God has chosen him to save the country. Eventually, Johnson will drop out and, at such time, he should direct his supporters to Ron Paul. Most of them will have no problem with this transition.

I don't want him going away just yet. He's serving a valuable purpose.

+1

[AndrewD]

You guy's wanna support someone thats cool with Guantanamo Bay and gushes at Hannity during his interview, go ahead. As for me those are deal-breakers.

[CaptUSA]

I don't think I indicated any support for him. I was just saying I like him filling time in the debates.

Think of it like this: If you have Rick Santorum on one end of the stage and Ron Paul on the other, the more weight you have on Paul's end of the stage (even if they're not all the way there), tilts the balance towards Paul's side of the issues. This is a good thing. In 2008, Paul was visibly in opposition to everyone else on the stage - while based on principles, this is not a politically advantageous space to hold. This time around, if more people lean towards Paul, he gains credibility with those who only pay attention in passing.

[Nathan Hale]

Like a few of us said Gary Johnson is an opportunist. Forget him as he is yesterdays dead leaves

He's not a bad person. His motives for seeking the office are no less noble than Ron Paul's.

[low preference guy]

He's not a bad person. His motives for seeking the office are no less noble than Ron Paul's.

It's just too bad he looks like a tired pimp and very few GOPers feel like voting for him as President.

[Nathan Hale]

It's just too bad he looks like a tired pimp and very few GOPers feel like voting for him as President.

Don't be bitter.