Be the 5 Percent.

[lakefx]

Before 3 Million Ron Paul supporters scatter into the breeze of the next 3 months....Voting for Obama, Romney, Writing in Ron Paul, Not voting. And so forth.

The disunity and cacophony of our voice will be no voice at all. Only noise, or worse, crickets.

Writing in Ron Paul is a romantic idea. And I Like it. But its something that, A) won't likely be counted and B) Achieves nothing meaningful beyond momentarily satisfying your conscience.

Why not truly, honestly and uniformly SHOW our strength in the General?

The Anti-establishment, Anti-Republicrat sentiment is higher this year than any other, well beyond our own numbers. The candidates up to the plate are the most useless, wishy washy power hungry bastards we've ever seen. The 'Lesser of two-evils' philosophy is the only prevailing argument for Romney or Obama. Yet no-one knows yet who's less evil.

VOTE FOR GARY JOHNSON.

DEMAND he stands on the stage at debates.

DEMAND the media talks about him.

COMMENT for him.

FACEBOOK for him

TWITTER for him

Become a Gary-Bot, even if just for a season.

Be relentless, as we all were in December.

3 Million+ Ron Paul supporters.
+ GOTV
+ Swing Voters
+ Handfuls of disenchanted voters
+ Energized Libertarian base
+ Tea Party / Express

5% is within reach.

Send a LOUD, Clear message. We are not fooled, we are not bought, we are united, and we are the future. You are on notice.

5% is a nearly magic number. It brings a party into the future, to the dinner table, and into the airwaves. It opens channels. Changes rhetoric. It changes the landscape.

Our country DESPERATELY needs a 3rd party. Perhaps more. That's what I learned from Ron Paul--Even if he never spoke these words or endorses the idea. He himself ran as a libertarian once, if for nothing than to wake up a few more souls. Why, can't WE do the same? We can work within the GOP, But we can't change it permanently. So long as there are neocons. So long as there are religious statists and corporate scumbags, so long as there are ignorant people who can't find their state on a map or name a sitting vice president...They too will be sharing a party with the rest of us who truly love the constitution, liberty, transparency, and justice. With a strong 3rd party, Voter registrations will go up. Turnout will go up. Apathy will go down. Ignorance will become obsolete, rather than a requirement to vote without absence of conscience. Compromise with 2 of 3 strong parties will be REQUIRED to avoid gridlock and enact change. A strong Libertarian party doesn't have to cross the aisle...IT BRIDGES the aisle. A strong 3rd party will lead to defections. Liberty minded folks in congress become instant incumbents. It's happened before. Remember going the way of the Whigs? Democablicans, Replicrats will be forced to their own principals, and to being honest with themselves and to America.

Continue to be a Republican Insurgent.
For 3 months, Overwhelm the Libertarians. Become the Libertarians.
Become the 5%.

[sailingaway]

We are more than 5%, and I for one am not drawn to Johnson in the slightest. And I still resent his supporters hinting Ron was racist to get people over to Johnson when they knew better.

People who like him will vote for him, but it will also be counted to show up and vote, but not vote for President at all, or write Ron in. They track who votes, and they track how many vote for President. The difference in those numbers is a no confidence vote. That expresses me better than voting for a candidate I don't want.

My 2 cents.

[Endthefednow]

Good post, keep at it maybe you will convince me and others to vote for your guy and not write in Ron Paul!

at this point I hate my old party the DEMS and NOW I HATE the REPS just as much so if I do not do a write in

for Ron Paul I just might give my vote to GARY JOHNSON

[lakefx]

We are more than 5%

You may be right. However, I'm going with math on this one. If more than 5% are willing to vote for Ron Paul in an Indy bid. What subset of those would vote for Gary Johnson? A coalition of votes will be enough to hit 5%.

Gary probably won't win, but my point is, he doesn't have to. The best way to fix the GOP, In my opinion, is to give them hell from within AND without.

Screw 'No confidence' votes. The establishment will be plenty happy with the other 130 MILLION confidence votes.

[The Dude]

Completely agree, rallying around Johnson is the only logical destination for this movement in the general. Doing anything else is either betraying your principles or wasting a write in vote that won't mean anything. If Johnson got a large percentage, the whole country and media would know it's not because Johnson got a lot of Johnson voters - it's because the Ron Paul people voted for him.

[sailingaway]

Good post, keep at it maybe you will convince me and others to vote for your guy and not write in Ron Paul!

at this point I hate my old party the DEMS and NOW I HATE the REPS just as much so if I do not do a write in

for Ron Paul I just might give my vote to GARY JOHNSON

Didn't you already say that in the thread you started today on this same subject? I'm going to have to start moving these to opposing candidates again, in lack of anywhere else to put them, if they keep being this frequent in Ron's forum. Raising a topic is one thing, spamming people not here for that is something else.

[sailingaway]

Completely agree, rallying around Johnson is the only logical destination for this movement in the general. Doing anything else is either betraying your principles or wasting a write in vote that won't mean anything. If Johnson got a large percentage, the whole country and media would know it's not because Johnson got a lot of Johnson voters - it's because the Ron Paul people voted for him.

In my opinion voting for Johnson won't mean more than a write in vote, and would be for the wrong person, besides. I guess we internalize things differently. However, there are TOO MANY of these same threads. Maybe I'll just merge them all into one long one...

[The Dude]

How exactly is Johnson an opposing candidate? Ron isn't running for President. Johnson is the only candidate that represents the Ron Paul Grassroots in the election. Therefore discussion of it belongs in this forum?

[Endthefednow]

Sorry, Sailing could you please delete my post.

This is the Ron Paul forum thanks for letting my Poll stay.

[krazy kaju]

All this argumentation about who to vote for is nauseating. You're more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to change the course of the national election (no, this isn't hyperbole but an actual statistic). Real change doesn't occur in the general election. It occurs by staying active before and after the general election in any and every capacity possible.


LET'S BE THE FIVE PERCENT THAT REMAINS ACTIVE AFTER THE ELECTION AND TAKES OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BY BOOTING OUT THE PARTY INSIDERS IN OUR RESPECTIVE STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES

[lakefx]

Ron isn't running for President.

My sentiments exactly. We've got a lot of energy. Lets not waste it.

We need to sail on, sailingaway. I love your enthusiasm. It is unmatched. But we need to direct this into something positive, not self defeating.

[lakefx]

LET'S BE THE FIVE PERCENT THAT REMAINS ACTIVE AFTER THE ELECTION AND TAKES OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BY BOOTING OUT THE PARTY INSIDERS IN OUR RESPECTIVE STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES

These 5% can do just that. AND vote for Gary Johnson.

[jcarcinogen]

I am a libertarian but lately the bob Barr- Wayne Allan root - Reason types do not appeal to me and come across as arrogant or uncharasmatic in a pastey white guy way to the mainstream. Gary Johnson is ok but if Paul endorses him it would get him many of the Paul votes. I hope he doesn't endorse the Constitution party like he did in 2008 which will cause more people to write him in and dilute the third party vote. In 2010, in Reason, rp said he couldn't imagine not endorsing GJ.

[krazy kaju]

These 5% can do just that. AND vote for Gary Johnson.

I see your location there. Thought I'd let you know that one of the Gary Johnson Campaign leaders here in MI was a very loud opponent of Ron Paul, spewing bullshit about how Ron Paul is racist and anti-Semitic. His name is Aaron Bitterman. He used to be on board with Ron Paul and the Republican Liberty Caucus, but then he went batshit crazy.

Then there are also Gary Johnson's statist tendencies, like his support for "humanitarian" wars and the redistributive "Fair" Tax. If the LP had chosen someone like Harry Browne, then I would consider them as a good protest vote.

[krazy kaju]

I am a libertarian but lately the bob Barr- Wayne Allan root - Reason types do not appeal to me and come across as arrogant or uncharasmatic in a pastey white guy way to the mainstream. Gary Johnson is ok but if Paul endorses him it would get him many of the Paul votes. I hope he doesn't endorse the Constitution party like he did in 2008 which will cause more people to write him in and dilute the third party vote. In 2010, in Reason, rp said he couldn't imagine not endorsing GJ.

That's when Gary Johnson was considering a run as a Republican. Crossing over to the LP is self-defeating. Ron Paul tried the third party route and abandoned it. He understands that the LP will never accomplish anything. Just look at how Ron Paul has done more for the cause of liberty through the Republican Party in about five years than the Libertarian Party has done in four decades of existence.

[jcarcinogen]

Yeah, there are a lot of libertarians, big L, that like to knock Paul and his supporters for 'futility' etc which is ironic. Not Gary's fault but it leaves a bad taste in Paul supporter's mouths.

[libertariantexas]

In my opinion voting for Johnson won't mean more than a write in vote, and would be for the wrong person, besides. I guess we internalize things differently. However, there are TOO MANY of these same threads. Maybe I'll just merge them all into one long one...

Voting for Gary Johnson won't be like a pointless "write in" vote.

Remember, in some states, write in votes aren't even counted.

On top of that, we all know that a "write in" campaign for a candidate that refuses to participate is utterly pointless. Ron Paul's "write in" votes, despite a lot of "write in Ron Paul even though he isn't running" rhetoric on these boards, didn't even get noticed in 2008, and this year will be no different.

I prefer Ron Paul to Gary Johnson, that's why I've campaigned for him for 5+ years.

But I'm not going to cast a meaningless (and in my state, uncounted) vote for Ron Paul, who refuses to run, because he's a little better than Gary Johnson, who is running, will be on the ballot, and who's votes will be counted.

[krazy kaju]

Anyway, from my previous posts it should be clear that I won't be voting for Gary Johnson.

But it's also clear that 90% of posters here are set in their ways and won't be changing who they're voting for, whether that's writing in Ron Paul, voting for Romney, voting for Obama (LOL), or going for Gary Johnson.

At least we can all agree that we have to remain active in the GOP in order to boot all of the Party Insiders out.

[libertariantexas]

That's when Gary Johnson was considering a run as a Republican. Crossing over to the LP is self-defeating. Ron Paul tried the third party route and abandoned it. He understands that the LP will never accomplish anything. Just look at how Ron Paul has done more for the cause of liberty through the Republican Party in about five years than the Libertarian Party has done in four decades of existence.

But Ron Paul IS NOT running. He will NOT be on the ballot. He's done. He won't even bother to mount a write-in campaign- just as he refused to participate in 2008.

Gary Johnson IS running. He IS on the ballot. His votes WILL be counted.

BTW, before you dismiss Libertarians out of hand, you might want to consider that a large part of Ron's support comes from Libertarians- those of us who crossed over to the GOP to support him, and others who stayed in the LP, but still vigorously supported Dr. Paul in the primaries.

[lakefx]

I see your location there. Thought I'd let you know that one of the Gary Johnson Campaign leaders here in MI was a very loud opponent of Ron Paul, spewing bullshit about how Ron Paul is racist and anti-Semitic. His name is Aaron Bitterman. He used to be on board with Ron Paul and the Republican Liberty Caucus, but then he went batshit crazy.

Then there are also Gary Johnson's statist tendencies, like his support for "humanitarian" wars and the redistributive "Fair" Tax. If the LP had chosen someone like Harry Browne, then I would consider them as a good protest vote.

Justin isn't exactly perfect either. Perhaps outside of the aura of this Forum, neither is Ron Paul. I don't think we should just stop at voting for Gary, or just stop at infiltrating the GOP, we have the numbers to completely overwhelm, consume, and route the libertarian party and its platform outright. Why not?

I believe destiny is a divided GOP, eventually a split GOP, and many defectors. In the meantime, we have the numbers to overwhelm the LP.

We need a home for our ideas for when our ideas are not represented.

In some ways, members of the GOP will always be complete opposites to us. How does a party survive that can't agree on a direction or a purpose of government? How do we completely turn a war-loving party into a non-interventionist one? How do we turn a corporatist statist message into a fairness and liberty one? Let us by all means continue to try. But there's nothing stopping us from doing BOTH.

I'll continue to vote LP. But I'm going to take advantage of these Michigan rules and turn delegate for the GOP in a couple years. Nothing is stopping me. Ahd that's how Ron Paul won this election. He didn't just win my vote, he won my purpose.

Perhaps Gary is no Ron Paul, we are all aware, He at least occupies the same planet. Perhaps the LP is full of bad apples. Displace them too.

[Acala]

I am going to be listening to what Ron Paul says. And I will be watching what the delegates do after the convention, since I see them as the core of the movement at the moment. But my inclination at the moment is to write in Ron Paul.

[sailingaway]

My sentiments exactly. We've got a lot of energy. Lets not waste it.

We need to sail on, sailingaway. I love your enthusiasm. It is unmatched. But we need to direct this into something positive, not self defeating.

I think we will each direct our own vote in our own preferred direction. You are certainly welcome to do with yours as you wish.

I don't consider my writing in Ron Paul self defeating but the best representation of my views.

[Acala]

Justin isn't exactly perfect either. Perhaps outside of the aura of this Forum, neither is Ron Paul. I don't think we should just stop at voting for Gary, or just stop at infiltrating the GOP, we have the numbers to completely overwhelm, consume, and route the libertarian party and its platform outright. Why not?

I believe destiny is a divided GOP, eventually a split GOP, and many defectors. In the meantime, we have the numbers to overwhelm the LP.

We need a home for our ideas for when our ideas are not represented.

In some ways, members of the GOP will always be complete opposites to us. How does a party survive that can't agree on a direction or a purpose of government? How do we completely turn a war-loving party into a non-interventionist one? How do we turn a corporatist statist message into a fairness and liberty one? Let us by all means continue to try. But there's nothing stopping us from doing BOTH.

I'll continue to vote LP. But I'm going to take advantage of these Michigan rules and turn delegate for the GOP in a couple years. Nothing is stopping me.

Perhaps Gary is no Ron Paul, we are all aware, He at least occupies the same planet. Perhaps the LP is full of bad apples. Displace them too.

The Libertarian party has a long history of losing. I know because I ran for Congress on the L ticket. And lost. That was a long time ago and they have been losing ever since. Essentially every race, every time. Not only that, but, ironically for the party of principle, they make some really questionable nominations.

Unfortunately, losing every election for thirty years tends to taint the brand. It will be much better, although much more difficult, to take over a winning brand.

[libertariantexas]

I am a libertarian but lately the bob Barr- Wayne Allan root - Reason types do not appeal to me and come across as arrogant or uncharasmatic in a pastey white guy way to the mainstream.

So you don't like Libertarians because they are boring, pastey white guys?

I guess when you compare those Libertarians to the abundant charisma, savage tan, and rugged good looks of Ron Paul, that makes sense?

http://omaha.com/assets/images/OW7832828.JPG

Ron Paul is a boring, pastey white guy who is a libertarian/Libertarian with great ideas- you know, like those Libertarians you mock (including many of us on these forums).

[lakefx]

Unfortunately, losing every election for thirty years tends to taint the brand. It will be much better, although much more difficult, to take over a winning brand.

They lose to the system carefully designed to keep them out until extraordinary circumstances fall into their lap. And blame them?

[KEEF]

I am just as pissed at the GOP as everyone else, and my heart tells me to write in Ron Paul. At the same time though if I vote for Johnson (who stands with me far more than the Obamabidenromneyryan monstrousity) I help make ballot accessibility more accessable to other third parties which is good since the two party system is one in the same.

I guess I have from now and November to think about it.

[sailingaway]

They lose to the system carefully designed to keep them out until extraordinary circumstances fall into their lap. And blame them?

I don't. When they start running candidates like Browne again, let me know.

I blame them for becoming GOP - lite. Not necessarily at the lower levels, where I take each candidate separately, however.

[rich34]

Didn't you already say that in the thread you started today on this same subject? I'm going to have to start moving these to opposing candidates again, in lack of anywhere else to put them, if they keep being this frequent in Ron's forum. Raising a topic is one thing, spamming people not here for that is something else.

You're busted!

[shane77m]

I have been thinking about what to do now. Continue with voting republican and supporting liberty candidates or going third party. The choices here in Bama are few and far in between for liberty candidates.

Running for local office is a noble thing but the problem is the masses don't want liberty. They want a democrat or republican to swaddle them and tell them everything will be alright. They are terrified by terrorists under every bed that want to bomb half the world. They talk about liberty but in the end all they are all statist's that want to control your life and legislate your morality. Changing the hearts and minds of the masses is what needs to take place.

Watching the events at this convention it seems like trying to change the republican party might be a futile objective. Liberty lovers get delegates and they get stripped by the powers that be. The rules are instantly changed and made up as they go. Seems hard to fight that.

I have been planning on writing in RP if he is not the nominee but the more I think about it though I think I will go GJ.

[francisco]

BTW, before you dismiss Libertarians out of hand, you might want to consider that a large part of Ron's support comes from Libertarians- those of us who crossed over to the GOP to support him, and others who stayed in the LP, but still vigorously supported Dr. Paul in the primaries.

QFT.

For my part, I intend to work within the Republican party after the election to change it from within to be a mainstream Liberty party. The possibility of that happening should not be easily dismissed. Parties evolve. The Christian right, social conservatives, and neocons have all in turn gone from dissed and dismissed small factions to major wings that cannot be ignored. Now it can be the turn for the Liberty wing to achieve true power, but only if we work for it.

I need to emphasize after the election. After the Romney power grab at the convention, there is no way I can work for the national ticket of the Republicans. Romney must pay for his perfidy. The best, most visible way we can do that as a movement is to concentrate our power and vote for GJ. He is not perfect (and we should not delude ourselves, will not win) but he is the closest to our views and most importantly bears the Libertarian label.

[lakefx]

I have been thinking about what to do now. Continue with voting republican and supporting liberty candidates or going third party. The choices here in Bama are few and far in between for liberty candidates.

As per my argument, the two choices are not mutually exclusive. If you don't have a Liberty Replubican to vote for, vote for a Libertarian, or Constitution party. Nominate yourself, whatever you have to do.

I forget who said it best, recently. If you don't have a liberty person to vote for, become one.

[rich34]

So you don't like Libertarians because they are boring, pastey white guys?

I guess when you compare those Libertarians to the abundant charisma, savage tan, and rugged good looks of Ron Paul, that makes sense?

http://omaha.com/assets/images/OW7832828.JPG

Ron Paul is a boring, pastey white guy who is a libertarian/Libertarian with great ideas- you know, like those Libertarians you mock (including many of us on these forums).

I think you missed his point and going in the complete opposite direction of the intent he/she was trying to put across. Is this my wife?:eek:

[krazy kaju]

Check out this thread: The Johnson Deception (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?387987-The-Johnson-Deception&p=4613042#post4613042)

[unknown]

Gary Johnson's not a bad guy but hes no Ron Paul, no one is.

Ron Paul gets my vote.

[truthspeaker]

All this argumentation about who to vote for is nauseating. You're more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to change the course of the national election (no, this isn't hyperbole but an actual statistic). Real change doesn't occur in the general election. It occurs by staying active before and after the general election in any and every capacity possible.


LET'S BE THE FIVE PERCENT THAT REMAINS ACTIVE AFTER THE ELECTION AND TAKES OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BY BOOTING OUT THE PARTY INSIDERS IN OUR RESPECTIVE STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES

I second Kaju.


On another note--am I missing something? What is the big deal with 5% Why 5?

[DrHendricks]

I totally agree with this thread. I love RP and he's the sole reason for bringing me into the liberty movement, but I just can't believe he would want us to use our votes to write him in when in many states it doesn't even count. I believe he would want us to vote tactfully to do as much harm to the Establishment GOP. There's no better way to do that then voting 3rd party. Barring any unforseen circumstances, I will be placing my vote for Johnson in November and I urge all of you to do the same.

[1stAmendguy]

It's worth it for a protest vote above all, but I still haven't made up my mind.

[lakefx]

On another note--am I missing something? What is the big deal with 5% Why 5?

It's and important first step to going mainstream.

http://www.sparknotes.com/us-government-and-politics/american-government/political-parties/section3.rhtml

[WesSeid]

We are more than 5%, and I for one am not drawn to Johnson in the slightest.

He says he wants to end The Fed, end the IRS, end Afghanistan, end nation building, end the police state, end the spending, end the Patriot Act, end the NDAA, and you're not drawn to him in the slightest?

What's a guy got to do to get a vote around here? :D

Hell, if Obama or Romney said they would end even ONE of those things, (and if I believed them), I might have a real hard time not voting for them.


They lose to the system carefully designed to keep them out until extraordinary circumstances fall into their lap. And blame them?

If everyone votes for Gary Johnson just this once, and it puts the Libertarian Party on the map, if that Ron Paul guy who ran as a Libertarian in 1988 was running in 2016, he might just have a chance to win.

Before someone says how Ron won't run as a Libertarian in 2016, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if "a Gary Johnson" back in 1984 had the kind of support he could have now, that 1988 Ron Paul guy might have had a chance to win.

Gary Johnson's Paul Fest speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLN5NBZ5KU

Be Libertarian for one election. One election.

[mport1]

GJ, unlike Ron Paul, is not a libertarian. I can't in good conscious support his campaign. Is he much better than Romney and Obama? Absolutely. But the Libertarian Party is about spreading the message of liberty, not winning elections. He is not the right person to do that.

[jmdrake]

Didn't you already say that in the thread you started today on this same subject? I'm going to have to start moving these to opposing candidates again, in lack of anywhere else to put them, if they keep being this frequent in Ron's forum. Raising a topic is one thing, spamming people not here for that is something else.

Why is Gary Johnson still even in Opposing Candidates? Really this is getting downright silly. Before there was the "Ron is still collecting delegates" excuse. Well that process is to completely and totally over. Mitt Romney is the nominee and Ron Paul was screwed out of his prime time speaking spot. And you're mad at Gary Johnson because some of his supporters hinted that Ron was racist? Well in 2007/2008 some Ron Paul supporters who were racist hinted that Ron was racist. (Wishful thinking on their part.) Really, there are reasons to dislike Gary Johnson, but if we're going to play the "some of his supporters are douche bags" game then we are throwing rocks in a glass house.

[WesSeid]

Why is Gary Johnson still even in Opposing Candidates?

Because Gary Johnson is an opposing candidate. ...to Romney. :D

[Natural Citizen]

Historically, it only takes 2% to cause change.

Just one of those fun facts...

[CPUd]

Perhaps it would be a better idea to focus on 1 or 3 states for GJ. You guys campaigning nationwide might get 5%, but if you started working the phones in NM for the next few months, he could do as much as 15% there. If you all went out there and went door to door, you could make NM a GOLD state in November.

Plus, it would fit in with a greater strategy, where different things are done in different states, depending on what the most effective thing to do is to achieve our goal (ATM, not yet stated) for Operation Blowback.

[FindLiberty]

I'm pissed off about the way RP has been treated by the old guard GOP and MSM. Amerika has missed its chance, maybe its last chance to restore freedom and head off the hard times ahead! I'll vote for the LP POTUS candidate (GJ) with pleasure, realizing it will indeed help Obama get re-elected. It would be nice if the LP can reach the magic 5% number to ease future ballot access (with a better "Browne-er" candidate next time). I wish the RP inspired GOP new-blood the very best, but I hope the old guard GOP gets trounced in November and is unable to wash off their stink, ever.

[truthspeaker]

It's and important first step to going mainstream.

http://www.sparknotes.com/us-government-and-politics/american-government/political-parties/section3.rhtml

Okay, I thought it was the 5% for Federal funds thing. The irony is that the Libertarian party, on principle, would never accept federal funds. If they did, I'd be surprised.

[JamesButabi]

I'm voting for Gary. I wrote in RP in 2008 and it never counted. I love RP, but I want Gary on the debate stage. There are multitudes more people who watch debates for president rather than primaries. We need a voice of discontent up there.

[FindLiberty]

Gathering all the signatures (plus overkill to withstand challenges) for LP ballot access is very expensive and exhausting unless that 5% "most recent past general election" threshold is reached. Then those sig requirements are easy to gather, the exact same number the Demolicans and Republicrats have to deal with if the rules even apply to them (and they often don't). Yea, the LP should always say, "screw the matching funds" or if they "have to accept the bag of silver coins to make it to the debates", take 'em then dump 'em right back into the general "fund" to "pay down the (farce) US national debt".

[Vanilluxe]

I used to think that working within the Republican Party is the future, however, I have been thinking lately that there will always be opposition within the Republican Party and that we could never really take over the whole party (maybe for one election season) but just like Barry Goldwater there is the curse that ideas come and go and people tend to change their minds a lot. The future of the GOP I see is a large civil war stalemate between us and the other factors and its hard to go anywhere with it. Expanding a third party and having easier access to money and ballot might someday come in handy. I read there were a string of polls once that showed Ross Perot winning the election, but what brought him down was his suspension of the campaign over the summer and being indecisive to whether he really wants to run or not.

[TrishW]

OK, So I decided to see if Gary would work for me. We were doing fairly good until I hit this road block...

It should be easier for a potential immigrant to get a work visa. Potential immigrants should pass a background check, and then be issued a Social Security card, which would allow them to pay income, payroll, and all other taxes workers pay.


Sorry, but no. Let them stay home. They take jobs away from Americans. Why should we throw open the borders? I like Ron's idea better... bring the troops home to protect our borders. The last thing we need to be doing is handing out more SS cards. That's just too crazy!

[Akus]

We are more than 5%, and I for one am not drawn to Johnson in the slightest. And I still resent his supporters hinting Ron was racist to get people over to Johnson when they knew better.

People who like him will vote for him, but it will also be counted to show up and vote, but not vote for President at all, or write Ron in. They track who votes, and they track how many vote for President. The difference in those numbers is a no confidence vote. That expresses me better than voting for a candidate I don't want.

My 2 cents.
Dude, you're following the same crazy logic anti-Paulers do. Ron Paul's foreign wars policy is great, but I'm voting for Obama, because Ron Paul is against abortion.
I am voting Libertarian.
Our enemy is not a third party guy. Our enemies are Obama who promised, fooled, and delivered nothing. Romney, who is an Obama with an R. Guliani, who insulted the most transparent and pure hearted man in Congress. These are our enemies.
If you write in Ron Paul, and I vote Johnson, and someone else votes Romney just to stay on good terms with GOP, neither of us will achieve anything.
I thought liberty was about uniting people, not finding a candidate that is a carbon copy of oneself.

[lakefx]

OK, So I decided to see if Gary would work for me. We were doing fairly good until I hit this road block...

It should be easier for a potential immigrant to get a work visa. Potential immigrants should pass a background check, and then be issued a Social Security card, which would allow them to pay income, payroll, and all other taxes workers pay.


Sorry, but no. Let them stay home. They take jobs away from Americans. Why should we throw open the borders? I like Ron's idea better... bring the troops home to protect our borders. The last thing we need to be doing is handing out more SS cards. That's just too crazy!

Your version of Ron's plan is oversimplified. Yes we should protect our borders. Yes we should give them work visas if they want to work here. Yes they can immigrate here, legally. Closing the border down and declaring the U.S. closed to immigration is not Ron's idea, nor the LP, nor Gary Johnson. You *sound* as though you are more nationalist than anything else here. Only protecting our borders and having 0 mobility....That IS isolationism. We are not isolationists. Nor is Ron.


If you write in Ron Paul, and I vote Johnson, and someone else votes Romney just to stay on good terms with GOP, neither of us will achieve anything. I thought liberty was about uniting people, not finding a candidate that is a carbon copy of oneself.

Uniting in Liberty for the sake of Liberty is good. Uniting isn't by itself moral, nor is it always good. Uniting to bully, to commit violence, or to trample the liberties of another...these are never good things. Uniting alone is dangerous and should always be suspect. Uniting for Liberty, for our own, and for all others, is a good thing...And to me, Uniting behind Gary Johnson is the best thing we can do in November. Beyond that, we'll work on something else.


I do not see how, Voting for Gary Johnson, who IS running for president, who will NOT advocate the same crap Obama and Romney and their party leaderships are feeding America, is a bad thing.

FACTS:

Ron is not running.
Gary Johnson is.
Gary wants Freedom
We want Freedom
America needs more than 2 parties for Liberty continue to survive, Whether we infiltrate the GOP or not.
A divided GOP is not, nor will it ever be enough to support Liberty.
5% means many good things for a 3rd party.
Voting for Gary Johnson does not exclude you from being in the GOP
Voting for Gary Johnson does not exclude you from working within the GOP
Voting for Gary Johnson does not mean you don't prefer Ron Paul.
Voting for Gary Johnson does not mean you can't vote for a local, state or U.S. position outside of the LP.

[lakefx]

Just saw this on Twitter.

http://i.imgur.com/EF2bM.png