GOP operatives fear lasting Ron Paul problem

[low preference guy]

Republicans dodged a big bullet at the Ames straw poll on Saturday. If just 77 of the 4,283 people who voted for Rep. Michele Bachmann had voted instead for Rep. Ron Paul, then Paul would have won the straw poll. In the end, Bachmann came out ahead with 28.55 percent of the vote to Paul's 27.65 percent. No other candidate was close.

Some well-connected Iowa Republicans viewed it as a bullet dodged because they had long feared the possibility of a Paul victory. "It would pour jet fuel on the East Coast narrative that Iowa is just too nutty to have such an important place in the nominating process," says one of those Republicans. Before the poll, they saw a Paul-Bachmann one-two finish as the worst-case scenario. They ended up with Bachmann-Paul -- a result establishment Republicans viewed as somewhat better than the other way around -- and got a lot of the criticism anyway.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/08/gop-operatives-fear-lasting-ron-paul-problem#ixzz1V6IVp3KA

[Badger Paul]

What they don't understand is that both are connected. Foreign policy is never and should never be made isolated from proper U.S. interests.

[Brett85]

I really don't understand how it's so "extreme" to oppose sanctions on Iran. Pat Buchanan opposes sanctions on foreign countries and almost got the GOP nomination twice.

[realtonygoodwin]

Pat Buchanan is also considered loony, kooky, etc.

[pcosmar]

GOP operatives fear lasting Ron Paul problem

WRONG.
They fear the Ron Paul Solutions.

[Brett85]

Pat Buchanan is also considered loony, kooky, etc.

Yes, but he got a huge amount of support from GOP primary voters. I don't think most GOP voters are opposed to non intervention overseas as long as it's phrased in the right way.

[Brett85]

I'll also point out that Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi opposes sanctions. I guess that makes him an "extremist" as well.

[Cowlesy]

What puts bread on a "Republican Operative's plate"?

Continuing the BS for year after year, decade after decade.

What has the Pro-Life movement done? They haven't done ANYTHING legislatively, although in 1996 they reaffirmed the Life Amendment that was subsequently ignored by pretty much the entire legislature. Maybe a small victory here or there, but all it's really done is fund lots of people who vomit talking points but never achieve results.

How would Bill Kristol, the Kagans and all the foreign policy Grand Chessboard wonks put food on their plates if we didn't have dragons to slay worldwide? D.C. and it's consultants, operatives whatever are just a giant vampire squid blood funnel to borrow a Taibbi term for the politically naive who want to feel they're doing something by writing $100 checks to these "Victory Funds." In the end, nothing changes and life rolls on.

[trey4sports]

we must continue to fight. The GOP will have to come around, and we also pick up lots of indies. The political winds shift very frequently. Pledge to donate on Ron's birthday moneybomb - https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=233090810061090

[Cleaner44]

We are not going away!

[realtonygoodwin]

What puts bread on a "Republican Operative's plate"?

Continuing the BS for year after year, decade after decade.

What has the Pro-Life movement done? They haven't done ANYTHING legislatively, although in 1996 they reaffirmed the Life Amendment that was subsequently ignored by pretty much the entire legislature. Maybe a small victory here or there, but all it's really done is fund lots of people who vomit talking points but never achieve results.

How would Bill Kristol, the Kagans and all the foreign policy Grand Chessboard wonks put food on their plates if we didn't have dragons to slay worldwide? D.C. and it's consultants, operatives whatever are just a giant vampire squid blood funnel to borrow a Taibbi term for the politically naive who want to feel they're doing something by writing $100 checks to these "Victory Funds." In the end, nothing changes and life rolls on.

Well, recently we've gotten something like 5 states to stop funding Planned Parenthood...that is progress.

[Livefire]

Charles Krauthammer from The Washington Post on the special report with Bret Baier just claimed America is to conservative to elect Ron Paul there for he is unelectable and there for ignored email him and tell him how you feel about his opinion. http://projects.washingtonpost.....authammer/

[Napoleon's Shadow]

Obvious hit piece but it does prove that the establishment is SCARED of us.

[CaptainAmerica]

I really don't understand how it's so "extreme" to oppose sanctions on Iran. Pat Buchanan opposes sanctions on foreign countries and almost got the GOP nomination twice.

Pat Buchanan was robbed of victory landslide. George Bush senior won because of election fraud.

[nobody's_hero]

Lol, 'dodged a bullet.'

"Man, that guy who actually has a chance to beat Obama almost won the straw poll. Good thing he won't get the nomination." - GOP Old Guard

[angelatc]

What puts bread on a "Republican Operative's plate"?

Continuing the BS for year after year, decade after decade.

What has the Pro-Life movement done? They haven't done ANYTHING legislatively, although in 1996 they reaffirmed the Life Amendment that was subsequently ignored by pretty much the entire legislature. Maybe a small victory here or there, but all it's really done is fund lots of people who vomit talking points but never achieve results.

How would Bill Kristol, the Kagans and all the foreign policy Grand Chessboard wonks put food on their plates if we didn't have dragons to slay worldwide? D.C. and it's consultants, operatives whatever are just a giant vampire squid blood funnel to borrow a Taibbi term for the politically naive who want to feel they're doing something by writing $100 checks to these "Victory Funds." In the end, nothing changes and life rolls on.

My husband says that the Republicans treat the social conservatives much the same way that the Democrats treat the blacks. They tell them how wrong-headed the system is, promise them support, and then essentially ignore them once elected. But they people never seem to notice.

[angelatc]

Lol, 'dodged a bullet.'

"Man, that guy who actually has a chance to beat Obama almost won the straw poll. Good thing he won't get the nomination." - GOP Old Guard

Here in Michigan, the GOP Old Guard refused to make any change to the primary process specifically because they didn't want to give "one candidate" an advantage. As a result, we have an essentially open primary, meaning that they would rather let Democrats vote in the primary than have an actual conservative win. I seriously hope the Blue Republican movement takes off here, because they totally set themselves up for it.

[JamesButabi]

This is a hit piece through and through.

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

:mad:

[Paul4Prez]

They should be afraid, but then they should get over it. If they really want to beat Obama, they need to run a candidate who can appeal to independent voters. Someone like Ron Paul, who's the best fiscal conservative running anyway.

[Peace&Freedom]

They should be afraid, but then they should get over it. If they really want to beat Obama, they need to run a candidate who can appeal to independent voters. Someone like Ron Paul, who's the best fiscal conservative running anyway.

+1. Those 'GOP leaders' are not trying to further the interests of the Republican party, they're protecting the NWO/FED/War Inc. establishment. They want contrary interests within the party, or interests not directly relevant to the elite's priorities (social conservatives, et al) to be permanently subordinate to that establishment. Hence the marginalizing rhetoric calling such groups 'extreme.'