Ron Paul would have won Iowa if people knew he was electable

[harikaried]

The media keeps stating that Ron Paul is unelectable, and average voters repeat that all the time without even thinking about it.

In order to win, we must spread the truth that Ron Paul is the most electable candidate.

Ron Paul is the most electable candidate because he attracts Independent voters, who are key to winning the general election. They want Ron Paul to fix the economy and create jobs with his Plan to Restore America, which cuts $1 trillion in federal spending in the very first year without cutting even one penny from programs like Social Security or National Defense. General election polls of Independents show that Ron Paul is the candidate who can beat Obama.

(The above is a slight tweak of what I gave for my stump speech in Iowa (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/entry.php?512-My-caucus-speech-for-Ron-Paul-in-Dallas-Couty-Iowa-Economy-Electability-Integrity).)

CNN entrance poll shows Ron Paul way behind for "beating Obama":
http://ed.agadak.net/ia-entrance.png (http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/ia)
http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/ia

If Ron Paul got 20% of the "Can Defeat Obama" vote instead of just 9%, Ron Paul would have won. This is even assuming Romney kept his 48% and Santorum's 13%. If Ron Paul got the extra 11% from the other candidates, Ron Paul would have lead a virtual 3-way tie in Iowa.


Everyone. We need to think of ways to advertise this message of electability to both potential voters and Ron Paul supporters. The voters will switch their vote to Ron Paul and supporters will have the facts to spread the truth that Ron Paul is electable.

[harikaried]

Bump with a different title for importance.

[fatjohn]

Yeah even more people voted for santorum of that group. lol

[bluesc]

Yeah even more people voted for santorum of that group. lol

Romney got 1% of the "true conservative" group. That is absolutely terrible. If we can stress Ron's electability while doing what we did in Iowa, we can beat Romney anywhere.

[itsnobody]

There's no way that Santorum is more electable than Ron Paul

Ron Paul appeals to a wide variety of people so he can easily beat Obama

He's the only person who appeals to the far left, independents, moderates and far right

He's the only one who appeals to everyone.

[sailingaway]

I think his third place really helps him. On the other hand Rasmussen is doing GOP only national polls, completely freezing out independents and Dems who can vote in many primaries, and is going to whack Ron's RCP average, if RCP picks them up. If that impacts where they stand at the debates this weekend I am going to be furious.

[sailingaway]

There's no way that Santorum is more electable than Ron Paul

Ron Paul appeals to a wide variety of people so he can easily beat Obama

He's the only person who appeals to both the far left and far right

Santorum has no organization. He didn't make the ballot in either HIS OWN STATE of Virginia or in DC, which only takes $10,000 and no signatures if you elect that.

[69360]

Ron lost Iowa to frothy on socon issues. All the entrance polling showed that.

Frothy isn't in the race long term, but it's still sickening to see this.

[justatrey]

I agree with OP, but I also would say that Paul should be blowing the others away in the "strong moral character" category.

Hopefully the RevPAC ad helps with this in NH.

[Tax the Fed]

Ron Paul is the most electable - 'cause he is the only GOP candfidate that can win the California electoral prize.

We did fine in Iowa - by June we will have plenty of delegates as
we won the First and Second Congressional Districts of Eastern Iowa -
see todays DM Register for the county map . . . send it to MSNBC if need be !

[goldpants]

Disgusting to see Santorum bury Ron on strong moral character...with our seniors showing intuition like that there is little wonder how this country slipped into the mess it has.

[TomtheTinker]

I still don't get why the camp didn't come out with an electability ad???????

[Cleaner44]

Ron is the most electable because we will not vote for Romney and he can't win without our votes.

No One But PAUL!

[LibertyEagle]

I'm still stuck on people choosing Santorum as the one who has "moral character". :rolleyes:

Santorum, who was listed as the "most corrupt member of the Senate" in his last year as a Senator before his home state kicked him to the curb.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/index.php/press/entry/crew-releases-second-annual-most-corrupt-members-of-congress-report/
http://news.yahoo.com/santorum-surge-brings-ethics-questions-152702229.html

[jmdrake]

Good point. This shows how uninformed the GOP electorate is. They think that if republicans have concerns about Ron Paul that means the general public does as well. They don't realize how far outside the mainstream they are. (Those still supporting endless wars). All of the polls show Ron Paul has the best chance of beating Obama. That's because dems and independents generally like him (no way Santorum get's the votes of Reagan democrats).

[Tax the Fed]

Disgusting to see Santorum bury Ron on strong moral character...with our seniors showing intuition like that there is little wonder how this country slipped into the mess it has.

You seem to forget -or just plain ignore - that Ron Paul has way too many delegates in the pipeline for the Iowa GOP State Convention in June.

so, remember . . . Santorum did not bury Ron Paul in Iowa - it ain't that hard for ya' to do, is it ?

Santorum's flimsy support was propped up by the media on New Years weekend and won't last until the March county conventions in Iowa,
let alone the June delegate selection.

[goldpants]

You seem to forget -or just plain ignore - that Ron Paul has way too many delegates in the pipeline for the Iowa GOP State Convention in June.

so, remember . . . Santorum did not bury Ron Paul in Iowa - it ain't that hard for ya' to do, is it ?

Santorum's flimsy support was propped up by the media on New Years weekend and won't last until the March county conventions in Iowa,
let alone the June delegate selection.

What the help is provoking this attack on me. I was commenting on the statistics in this thread you simpleton. I have been following RP since 2005.

[harikaried]

Any suggestions for how to get the word out on Ron Paul's electability? Newspaper ads? Radio? Flyers? Online ads?

[harikaried]

Curious, do people just think this isn't something grassroots can help out with? It's something that the campaign has to do?

[Salvial]

Electability ad needs to happen now! The campaign needs to run it hard. I've seen great points all over the forum, we just need the right delivery!

[Dr.3D]

Too many people believe what they hear on the television.

[brushfire]

Too many people believe what they hear on the television.

I think that folks are terrified of Romney too - that may make people more susceptible to media influence. Folks cant wait to flock to the next guy/gal.

[Maltheus]

This drives me crazy, and Paul didn't handle the question very well on This Week last Sunday. It's so infuriating to find a Ron Paul supporter and then find out that they're independent or Democratic. And I find that's the case with 60% of his supporters. Go on a liberal news site like CNN and read the comments. Routinely people will bash all the GOP candidates, while making an exception for Paul (and Huntsman). Add in the fact that 10-20% of the party will stay home or jump ship if he doesn't get the nomination and it's clear, a vote for Romney is a vote for Obama.

[LibertasPraesidium]

Something has to get these people to realize that if they would stop clamouring over who can and cannot beat obama and endorse Ron Paul they will have the best chance heading into the general election. The more support Ron Paul has the less support Obama will have, some of those who voted obama will only vote for paul in the gop.

[harikaried]

Too many people believe what they hear on the television.Might be a good reason to run TV ads? Or maybe radio?

[harikaried]

We need to make sure this is the message people give when asked "why do you support Ron Paul when everyone says he's unelectable, so you're throwing your vote away."

Instead of answering with something along the lines of "only voting for a potential winner instead of the right candidate on principle is throwing away your vote," you need to attack the electability issue straight on.

Ron Paul is the most electable candidate because he attracts Independent voters, who are key to winning the general election. They want Ron Paul to fix the economy and create jobs with his Plan to Restore America, which cuts $1 trillion in federal spending in the very first year without cutting even one penny from programs like Social Security or National Defense. General election polls of Independents show that Ron Paul is the candidate who can beat Obama.

[harikaried]

Do people feel that reaching out to average voters is going to be too difficult? How about we focus on just existing Ron Paul supporters and make sure they have the right message?

There were 2 Ron Paul supporters interviewed on WNYC today, and their response to electability is that people should vote for who they agree with. Imagine the impact they could have gotten if they corrected lies instead.

[Dr.3D]

Might be a good reason to run TV ads? Or maybe radio?

There isn't enough money in the world to buy enough ad time to counter what the media spews. The media makes tons of money from these elections and thus it is almost self defeating to give them more money trying to counter the crap they keep telling everyone between our ads.

The average Joe looks at the tube and is mesmerized by the talking heads and doesn't know crap about how the media is controlling his every thought. What we see on the media is like one huge advertisement for the status quo.

[unknown]

There's no way that Santorum is more electable than Ron Paul

Ron Paul appeals to a wide variety of people so he can easily beat Obama

He's the only person who appeals to the far left, independents, moderates and far right

He's the only one who appeals to everyone.

This.

[thoughtomator]

I am of the opinion that Ron Paul is the only candidate who can beat Obama. I trust everyone here is well informed of the LONG list of issues that have overwhelming popular support where RP is the only candidate with the correct position. Over time in the general, exposure will weaken any other candidate, but for Ron Paul exposure strengthens his support dramatically.

RP is the only available GOP candidate who can pull a majority of independents. He is also the only GOP candidate since Reagan with the ability to break the otherwise rock-solid Democratic coalition.

For an RP-Obama matchup, pretend for a moment you're a Democrat in the voting booth:

If you're sick of war, who do you vote for?
If you're sick of bank bailouts and privileged treatment for the elite, who do you vote for?
If you are aware of the profound damage that "free trade" (misnomer from Hell) has done to the economy, who do you vote for?
If you're mad at the "1%" getting to play by a different set of rules that lets them economically exploit the rest of us, who do you vote for?
If you want the madness of the drug war to end, who do you vote for?
If you want the government out of your private business, who do you vote for?
If you bristle being under constant surveillance, who do you vote for?
If you fear the militarization of police, who do you vote for?

and so on and so forth

and the fact is that this year these are far more salient issues than the old hackneyed divide-and-conquer issues (of which abortion is the most divisive by far) and that's what people are going to vote on when the rubber hits the road

[Matthanuf06]

Electability is a huge issue, and I am proof of that. I agree with Ron on many things while disagreeing on a few. This is the first cycle I'll be pulling the trigger for Paul, due to the electability issue. My vote isn't a black/white issue on principles or electability, but a combination of both. And my vote isn't solely to get a guy in office, but to send a message as well. Ron is my #1 choice, but is if he is not electable (which he is), a voter has to decide if that message is worth the risk of getting a guy you really disagree with in office. It is a balance. Ron is certainly electable enough for people to pull the trigger in the primary. If he is running as a third party, then that question is a lot more valid. Why use the vote to send a message, when it could very well cause you to get a candidate you REALLY disagree with over one you disagree with a bit less. Of course it is the chicken or the egg as well, since to become "electable" you need people to actually pull the trigger for him first, solely as a message sender. If Paul is polling very poorly as a 3rd party candidate, and it is Romney/Obama then there is a solid chance I'll vote for Mitt. I disagree with him a lot, but the level of taxes/government (my #1 issue) would be lower as compared to Obama to overcome the "send a message" motivation. Santorum, the story would be different. Him and Obama are both hell, so sending a message would trump all.

Long winded way of saying this is a real issue amongst the poulation, even people that would fall squarely into Ron Paul camp. It isnt' a matter of "wanting to vote for a winner" but rather an acknowledgement at the end of the day what matters is who is POTUS and what their policies are. If we can get people to believe Ron can be POTUS, then his numbers will surely see a significant bump.

Nationally the key to that is great showings in the early states. Stealth mode delegate accumulation is great, but doesn't help this issue.

However, the key to getting those great state showings is by pushing the fact Ron is the candidate for moderate and independent voters. He is the only one that can draw them. He is the best candidate to pull support from Obama 2008 strongholds of the youth vote and the African American vote. Ron Paul keeps the "Ron Paul" vote, whereas another GOP candidate may only keep 50% of that vote (some not voting, some defecting). Ron Paul will also get the establishment vote. Look, they trash us. But Romney/Santorum/Gingrich supporters are going to pull the lever for Paul over Obama. Sure some may stay home, but the independents/moderates/youths/minorities crossing over will surely make up for it. Push that message, and the people around the country will notice.

[harikaried]

Nationally the key to that is great showings in the early states. Stealth mode delegate accumulation is great, but doesn't help this issue. True, but as other candidates drop out and Ron Paul consistently gets 2nd if not 1st, people will have to listen to his message. Many people in later states haven't even been paying attention to the election, so getting a good first impression with a personal contact without the media getting in first shouting unelectable is crucial.

[John F Kennedy III]

Ron Paul did win Iowa.