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View Full Version : I like Paul, my wife needs convincing. (My 1st post!)




larryoswald
11-19-2007, 05:34 PM
My wife is convinced that Ron Paul isn't a viable candidate. I know he has raised a ton of money despite the fact that the media ignores him, but I'd like to know how many individual donors he has had compared to the other candidates (both Republican and Democrats). Wikipedia has the contributions for each candidate for the 1st three quarters, but doesn't list the number of donors for each candidate.

Is there a website that has this information? I'd like to prove to her that he is just as viable as any of the other candidates that the media talks about.

Chibioz
11-19-2007, 05:37 PM
This is unofficial, but ronpaulgraphs.com lists fourth quarter donors at 98,867. If I'm not mistaken this is only for this quarter, so at least 100,000 including the other quarters.

kylejack
11-19-2007, 05:39 PM
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/republican_primaries.html

He's out-polling Thompson in New Hampshire, and gaining on McCain. Giuliani is falling fast. New Hampshire sets the stage for the rest of the country.

Zarxrax
11-19-2007, 05:40 PM
On november 5th, I believe he received donations from around 35,000 people. I don't have numbers for any other candidates, but I doubt they have that many donations altogether!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZngnWAQfM0
This youtube video shows a comparison of meetup groups for a number of candidates. The red points represent ACTUAL groups, and white points represent places that would like to start a group.

I drive down the road and see Ron Paul signs, I see Ron Paul messages chalked all over my college campus. I'm not seeing anything like this for other candidates!

0zzy
11-19-2007, 05:40 PM
Also ask your wife, why would you vote for someone who is "winning"? This isn't a poker game, your not losing any money. You're voting for who you like the best, not who you think can win.

ItsTime
11-19-2007, 05:51 PM
I wish more people understood this. :eek:


Also ask your wife, why would you vote for someone who is "winning"? This isn't a poker game, your not losing any money. You're voting for who you like the best, not who you think can win.

Original_Intent
11-19-2007, 05:54 PM
Also ask your wife, why would you vote for someone who is "winning"? This isn't a poker game, your not losing any money. You're voting for who you like the best, not who you think can win.

This is the most critical point but also point out that Ron Paul's support has been in the face of the media repeating over and over "He can't win". What kind of support would he have if they had just impartially covered the news?

Sandy
11-19-2007, 05:57 PM
Take a look at the thread I just posted "What Will You Tell Your Children?"

Doesn't matter whether or not you have children! Something to show your wife.

CurtisLow
11-19-2007, 06:06 PM
Sup larryoswald! welcome to the RP forums.

I always say, I vote not for the party, but look for the integrity and honesty of the person running. And Ron Paul fits that 100%

bbachtung
11-19-2007, 06:09 PM
Welcome to the forums, Larry.

Have you shown your wife a bunch of RP videos yet? Those are great ways to sell people on RP.

Does she know that he's been married to the same woman for 50 years? My wife was very impressed with that.

Last, why does your wife care whether he's "viable" in the primaries? It is not a "wasted" vote in the primaries because you're not actually electing a president yet. Once RP gets the nomination, the GOP will rally around him if for no other reason than that he's the Thomas Jefferson of our day and is the only candidate who can beat Hillary.

iddo
11-19-2007, 06:14 PM
You should also note the cash-on-hand figures, see http://opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp
After we'll have the Q4 figures, I guess that Ron Paul will be 2nd in terms of cash-on-hand (3rd if you include Mitt Romney, who keeps borrowing from himself and obviously doesn't intend to pay it back...)

kylejack
11-19-2007, 06:15 PM
You should also note the cash-on-hand figures, see http://opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp
After we'll have the Q4 figures, I guess that Ron Paul will be 2nd in terms of cash-on-hand (3rd if you include Mitt Romney, who keeps borrowing from himself and obviously doesn't intend to pay it back...)

Giuliani raised the most, at 11 million in Q3. We may very well be in first place.

Goldwater Conservative
11-19-2007, 06:28 PM
My wife is convinced that Ron Paul isn't a viable candidate.

No votes have been cast, so I'm presuming she bases this on general election electability. If that's the case, point out how Paul's position on the war, foreign policy, and civil liberties scare Hillary, since it'd attract many people from her base, to say nothing of new and disgruntled voters, without losing as much of the GOP base as Romney or Giuliani would.

If she's talking about the primary election, advise her to vote for who she likes best, not for who the talking heads on cable "news" have already anointed. Anything less would devalue the entire point of voting.

Remember, the now viable Huckabee was polling no better than Paul a few months ago, and McCain is now on par with Paul despite starting with a commanding lead. Also, Kerry was at 4% in Dec. '03, with Edwards behind even that. Sharpton had 5%, while Dean had 23%. And then there's Bill Clinton in the low single digits in 1991.

larryoswald
11-19-2007, 06:34 PM
Thanks for all the replies. The cash on hand data is the kind of info I am looking for. He is trouncing McCain and close to Thompson in COH, and they get 100 times the press as him.

I am sure it seems silly to many of you, but she treats the primaries like the general election, and she doesn't want to "waste" her vote supporting someone who (she thinks) has no chance, because she absolutely loathes some of the so-called frontrunners. I have a few friends who I think could vote for Paul but the "viability" thing seems to be an issue. I have to believe there are a lot of people out there like this. I think his latest burst of donations can turn it around though.

mtmedlin
11-19-2007, 07:19 PM
for me it isnt about vaibility, It is about right and wrong. You cannot vote "against" someone else, only for them. If you vote for a candidate, you essentially tell them that you agree with their positions. They in turn believe that their choice is the consensus. (ie. Bush going to war) I support Ron Paul because he is right for me and America. I also think he is viable....very viable.

Corydoras
11-19-2007, 11:23 PM
she doesn't want to "waste" her vote supporting someone who (she thinks) has no chance, because she absolutely loathes some of the so-called frontrunners.

Actually, if she's that pessimistic about Ron Paul, you could say that she should voe for him because he's the protest vote candidate...

Bradley in DC
11-19-2007, 11:49 PM
a lot of it is organization and support that manifests itself with who's on the ballot.

In DC, we're in the middle of circulating petitions to gather signatures to get Dr. Paul on the ballot. The only other candidates circulating petitions are Rudy, Mitt and McCain.

Ergo, only candidates on the ballot are "viable" by any definition no matter how much money they raise. That's it. Only these are viable:

Ron Paul
Rudy Giuliani
Mitt Romney
John McCain

(of course, circulating petitions is not a guarantee of getting on the ballot...)

ronpaulitician
11-19-2007, 11:57 PM
You should also note the cash-on-hand figures, see http://opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp
After we'll have the Q4 figures, I guess that Ron Paul will be 2nd in terms of cash-on-hand (3rd if you include Mitt Romney, who keeps borrowing from himself and obviously doesn't intend to pay it back...)
We'll be in first place in cash-on-hand among GOP candidates when the fourth quarter ends. December 16th will make sure of it.

ronpaulitician
11-19-2007, 11:59 PM
I have a few friends who I think could vote for Paul but the "viability" thing seems to be an issue. I have to believe there are a lot of people out there like this. I think his latest burst of donations can turn it around though.
The guy that made the biggest impact on me was someone who came up to me during a sign-waving event and said he liked Paul, but questioned if I really thought he had a chance. "That's why I'm out here," I replied, "and why all these other Paul supporters are out here with me, and why thousands of Paul supporters across the nation are waving signs wherever they live."

I have a feeling this was the kind of person who, after November 5th, may have given Paul another look.

noztnac
11-20-2007, 01:13 AM
Drag your wife away from the TV. Force her to use the internet for a week.

noztnac
11-20-2007, 01:14 AM
Who is she considering voting for?

constituent
11-20-2007, 06:46 AM
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larryoswald
11-20-2007, 08:45 AM
>Who is she considering voting for?

She really detests Rudy Giuliani (I am no fan either) so she is mostly concerned that he not get the nomination. She would probably vote for Mitt Romney at this point.

It is ridiculous, but she dismisses the Ron Paul movement as being a few rich college kids having fun. I KNOW that his support is deep, but I don't really have the data to back it up. That is why I was looking for the number of donors data.

constituent
11-20-2007, 10:24 AM
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constituent
11-20-2007, 10:26 AM
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