tangent4ronpaul
09-05-2011, 09:04 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/05/republican-2012-field-in-order/
INTRO
Rick Perry
Mitt Romney
Michele Bachmann
Ron Paul
Ron Paul can command the support of about 8 percent of the Republican electorate indefinitely. That’s not enough to be the nominee, but it is enough to change the trajectory of the Republican Party for the next generation.
Unlike Michele Bachmann or any of the other candidates who have seen bursts of sudden support, Paul is not in the race because of his personality, biography or stump speech. His backers support the 76-year-old Texas congressman because he offers the purest articulation of libertarian principles and doesn’t change his tune is pursuit of broader support.
A lot of politicians like to say that they are leading a movement, not running a campaign. In Paul’s case, that is actually true. And while Bachmann has seen her support diminish amid questions of her viability, Paul has no such concern because his backers don’t care if he’s not the frontrunner.
The question that haunts Republican strategists is whether Paul will take that support into a Libertarian general election candidacy. Paul and his backers have a prickly past with frontrunner Perry down in Texas and surely have no love for corporate captain Romney, he of the mandatory health insurance. If he and his backers balk at backing the eventual GOP nominee, it could be serious trouble for the party in the 2012 election.
While Paul wouldn’t take all of his Republican supporters in the general election, he would pick up many independents and Libertarians to replace them. In an election that could come down to a few precincts in Ohio or Florida, that’s a serious threat.
Paul’s 8 percent is his ticket to stay in the race, remain on the debate stage and its also the reason that Perry and Romney can’t do what Rudy Giuliani tried in 2008 and attempt to demonize Paul or his principles.
The Rest
INTRO
Rick Perry
Mitt Romney
Michele Bachmann
Ron Paul
Ron Paul can command the support of about 8 percent of the Republican electorate indefinitely. That’s not enough to be the nominee, but it is enough to change the trajectory of the Republican Party for the next generation.
Unlike Michele Bachmann or any of the other candidates who have seen bursts of sudden support, Paul is not in the race because of his personality, biography or stump speech. His backers support the 76-year-old Texas congressman because he offers the purest articulation of libertarian principles and doesn’t change his tune is pursuit of broader support.
A lot of politicians like to say that they are leading a movement, not running a campaign. In Paul’s case, that is actually true. And while Bachmann has seen her support diminish amid questions of her viability, Paul has no such concern because his backers don’t care if he’s not the frontrunner.
The question that haunts Republican strategists is whether Paul will take that support into a Libertarian general election candidacy. Paul and his backers have a prickly past with frontrunner Perry down in Texas and surely have no love for corporate captain Romney, he of the mandatory health insurance. If he and his backers balk at backing the eventual GOP nominee, it could be serious trouble for the party in the 2012 election.
While Paul wouldn’t take all of his Republican supporters in the general election, he would pick up many independents and Libertarians to replace them. In an election that could come down to a few precincts in Ohio or Florida, that’s a serious threat.
Paul’s 8 percent is his ticket to stay in the race, remain on the debate stage and its also the reason that Perry and Romney can’t do what Rudy Giuliani tried in 2008 and attempt to demonize Paul or his principles.
The Rest