Simple mathematics.

[JaredR26]

Statistics and simple mathematics dictate that we will not win this election.

I'm sure tons of you will attack me, saying I am not a true Ron Paul supporter or here as a shill/infiltrator.

But I went through the same process as many of you. I found Ron Paul months ago because my brother told me about him(found him on Digg). Spent 2 days stunned, watching every youtube video I could find. I couldn't believe there was an honest, intelligent candidate for president. I couldn't believe someone who could be like Ron Paul. I bought shirts, my car has 5 bumper stickers, and I've given over $600 to the campaign. I laughed my ass off when Ron Paul kicked Laura Ingraham's ass. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJXRa2n6Fe4) Best rwning ever.

I honestly don't see how anyone can NOT like Ron Paul. Everyone I have discussed Ron Paul with, even those adamantly against him, admitted that he makes very good points and he is a very smart, honest politician and a good candidate. No one was able to say anything bad about him, but some of them still won't vote for him.

But I don't think I can give any more. I don't like wasting money, and as much as I love Ron Paul, he can't win. The American people are too stupid. He isn't a sound-byte candidate with slick looks. He doesn't tell people what they want to hear.

We have been polling at 6-10% nationwide lately. And 6-10% in NH. And 6-10% in Iowa. That _IS_ our support.
For the first 6-8 months, Ron Paul's support was always within 1-3%. After November 5th we jumped to 5% nationwide.
We have been growing at 1% every 2 weeks roughly since November 5th. We have 4 weeks until super Tuesday, putting us at 10-12% nationwide. We can't win with that.

The campaign has experienced exponential growth in donations. We have had no such growth in polling. And the primaries showed that the polls were right.

For this election to have been stolen then every person involved with every poll and someone manipulating the diebold machines would have to be involved, and none of the poll workers or exit polls would have noticed the discrepancy.
Franky, this isn't possible. Sure, theoretically maybe it is. But it isn't whats happening. The (non-faux news) media marginalized us because we were a small group, not because they hate Ron Paul.

Some of you will say it is still name recognition. Sure, thats a problem in some places. It was a huge problem before the 5th. But it isn't a problem in NH or Iowa. NH and Iowa have been BOMBARDED by every campaign. Everyone who votes in NH or Iowa knows something about every candidate simply because thats what they get, every day for a month, and thats what they talk about every day.

WHY they didn't accept Ron Paul is beyond me. But they didn't. And the country won't pick him. If he went third party, he might be able to double his support at most, but thats it, and it wouldn't be enough to win.

So the conclusion is, we can't win. The support isn't there. Don't get me wrong- Ron Paul supporters are behind him 100%. A normal winning campaign has a few hundred, maybe a thousand behind them 100%. It also has 30% of the population behind them 20%. We have a good 5% of the population behind Ron Paul at least 60% or more, probably close to 100%. Thats how we outraised the rest of the republican field- Not because we outnumbered them, but because we had a lot of people who really loved their candidate.

I will still cast my vote for Ron Paul. But I can't stand the rest of the republicans, so I'll just pay attention to who wins the democratic primary and vote for them. They are slightly less tied to the military industrial complex, and they don't pander to evangelicals.

There is good news though. That 5% of us who solidly support Ron Paul have had a fire lit in them. And it won't go out, not for the rest of our lives. The r[evol]ution will continue, and it may continue to grow and eventually overcome the fascism and national collapse we are facing.

Ron Paul's message will carry on. His support won't die out, and he will get re-elected, maybe to the state senate of texas. I know many of you will keep fighting for him, and I am glad for it. But reality dictates it is a losing battle.

It saddens me greatly to write this. I don't like giving up. But I can't waste time and money on a lost cause, however much I love it. I will continue the fire of freedom though, and maybe someday the chance will come up again to make a difference, to fight for freedom.

[peruvianRP]

good night.

[RonPaulVolunteer]

Some revolutionary you are...

Give me liberty or give me .... a white flag??

Tonight is thinning out the talkers from the walkers... All good... We will win your freedom for you...

.

[JaredR26]

Some revolutionary you are...

Give me liberty or give me .... a white flag??

Tonight is thinning out the talkers from the walkers... All good... We will win your freedom for you...

.

I hope you do. I'd take up arms in a second if I thought there was a chance- Make it so, and I'll be there in a heartbeat.

So prove me wrong.

[ghemminger]

Statistics and simple mathematics dictate that we will not win this election.

I'm sure tons of you will attack me, saying I am not a true Ron Paul supporter or here as a shill/infiltrator.

But I went through the same process as many of you. I found Ron Paul months ago because my brother told me about him(found him on Digg). Spent 2 days stunned, watching every youtube video I could find. I couldn't believe there was an honest, intelligent candidate for president. I couldn't believe someone who could be like Ron Paul. I bought shirts, my car has 5 bumper stickers, and I've given over $600 to the campaign. I laughed my ass off when Ron Paul kicked Laura Ingraham's ass. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJXRa2n6Fe4) Best rwning ever.

I honestly don't see how anyone can NOT like Ron Paul. Everyone I have discussed Ron Paul with, even those adamantly against him, admitted that he makes very good points and he is a very smart, honest politician and a good candidate. No one was able to say anything bad about him, but some of them still won't vote for him.

But I don't think I can give any more. I don't like wasting money, and as much as I love Ron Paul, he can't win. The American people are too stupid. He isn't a sound-byte candidate with slick looks. He doesn't tell people what they want to hear.

We have been polling at 6-10% nationwide lately. And 6-10% in NH. And 6-10% in Iowa. That _IS_ our support.
For the first 6-8 months, Ron Paul's support was always within 1-3%. After November 5th we jumped to 5% nationwide.
We have been growing at 1% every 2 weeks roughly since November 5th. We have 4 weeks until super Tuesday, putting us at 10-12% nationwide. We can't win with that.

The campaign has experienced exponential growth in donations. We have had no such growth in polling. And the primaries showed that the polls were right.

For this election to have been stolen then every person involved with every poll and someone manipulating the diebold machines would have to be involved, and none of the poll workers or exit polls would have noticed the discrepancy.
Franky, this isn't possible. Sure, theoretically maybe it is. But it isn't whats happening. The (non-faux news) media marginalized us because we were a small group, not because they hate Ron Paul.

Some of you will say it is still name recognition. Sure, thats a problem in some places. It was a huge problem before the 5th. But it isn't a problem in NH or Iowa. NH and Iowa have been BOMBARDED by every campaign. Everyone who votes in NH or Iowa knows something about every candidate simply because thats what they get, every day for a month, and thats what they talk about every day.

WHY they didn't accept Ron Paul is beyond me. But they didn't. And the country won't pick him. If he went third party, he might be able to double his support at most, but thats it, and it wouldn't be enough to win.

So the conclusion is, we can't win. The support isn't there. Don't get me wrong- Ron Paul supporters are behind him 100%. A normal winning campaign has a few hundred, maybe a thousand behind them 100%. It also has 30% of the population behind them 20%. We have a good 5% of the population behind Ron Paul at least 60% or more, probably close to 100%. Thats how we outraised the rest of the republican field- Not because we outnumbered them, but because we had a lot of people who really loved their candidate.

I will still cast my vote for Ron Paul. But I can't stand the rest of the republicans, so I'll just pay attention to who wins the democratic primary and vote for them. They are slightly less tied to the military industrial complex, and they don't pander to evangelicals.

There is good news though. That 5% of us who solidly support Ron Paul have had a fire lit in them. And it won't go out, not for the rest of our lives. The r[evol]ution will continue, and it may continue to grow and eventually overcome the fascism and national collapse we are facing.

Ron Paul's message will carry on. His support won't die out, and he will get re-elected, maybe to the state senate of texas. I know many of you will keep fighting for him, and I am glad for it. But reality dictates it is a losing battle.

It saddens me greatly to write this. I don't like giving up. But I can't waste time and money on a lost cause, however much I love it. I will continue the fire of freedom though, and maybe someday the chance will come up again to make a difference, to fight for freedom.


The only thing you can do is to shake Ron Paul's HAND and tell him face to face to fix his campaign....

[ninepointfive]

dont give up just yet.

I will still vote, and get as many of my friends and family to support and vote for him no matter what.

[govtpigII]

It saddens me greatly to write this. I don't like giving up. But I can't waste time and money on a lost cause, however much I love it. I will continue the fire of freedom though, and maybe someday the chance will come up again to make a difference, to fight for freedom.

Hate to see you go, know that your money wasn't wasted and I am sure you will soon rejoin the Revolution....it may take years my friend but I promise you it will never leave you.

See you soon.

[JaredR26]

dont give up just yet.

I will still vote, and get as many of my friends and family to support and vote for him no matter what.

I have though. My brother, mom, and dad are all voting Ron Paul. My friends like him. I've told everyone at work about him. They all like him, but most don't care very much.

Its just not enough. I was just as strong a believer as all of you that the polls were wrong- They were polling the Republican base, not RP supporters... They were polling people with phone lines, not cell phones. Not polling young people.

But the polls were right. None of us ever doubted that the public was stupid, we just didn't know HOW stupid.

[mannycp]

The r[evol]ution will continue, and it may continue to grow and eventually overcome the fascism and national collapse we are facing.


Ron Paul R[evol]ution!!!!

[BeFranklin]

Then write your own concerned citizen letter and place an Ad in your newspaper. If only a thousand people did this, it would make a huge difference.

[BeFranklin]

FYI: The polls are right. Ron Paul just started, and no one knew him, and he was polling 0%. Some more people knew him, 5%.. etc

Polls are from the past.

[exer51]

I agree and disagree. I have never believed he could win until the last month or 2. I've been following RP for like 5 years and was ecstatic when he said he'd run, but I "knew" he wouldn't win. So things trucked along for months and months and I was quite glum about the whole thing. Then he blew up.

So here's my thing. I still have my doubts about him having a chance at winning the Republican ticket... However I think it is VERY possible to win as an indy. Way I see it is that with 11 months to campaign we can do it, or at least come within spitting distance... wake up a HUGE portion of the population. So huge that it will come unravlled even if he doesn't win. We have enough people now, many(most I think) of which won't leave if he goes indy. Given the amount of presence we can creat I think he's got a shot.

We can start playing to peoples emotions a bit more(the campaign has been lacking here), and to their minds as well. It's an uphill battle for sure... But once someone joins the RP camp they never go back, even if they whimp out like you on being active. With 11 months I think it is doable. So even if he doesn't get the Republican ticket, have faith!

Plus more than all of that the infrastructure we've built up for this organization is going to start dominating local elections I think. We here in Seattle are already plotting taking over every useless position that nobody ever bothers to even run for, and some of the ones people do make a serious bid for. WE CAN TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK. One city at a time if need be, but we can do it.

[BeFranklin]

We need to dig deep grooves. This can be the start of taking back the Republican party for the normal people. Thats the worse case.

I think we can still win this. We don't understand that normal people haven't really heard Ron Paul's message yet, and the huge impact the media censorship and manipulation are really having.

[dcatman]

The question before us is what WE the people will do with the 10-12% support.

The Libertarian Party has never seen this level of support, which tells me that the public sees them as a bunch of idealistic anti-government types (which they are IMHO).

But Ron Paul gains up to 12% of the people.

How do we turn that into something REAL instead of watching it disappear into the night?

DCatman

[jd603]

you're a fool. Plenty of presidents have come back from this sort of thing...

[govtpigII]

The question before us is what WE the people will do with the 10-12% support.

The Libertarian Party has never seen this level of support, which tells me that the public sees them as a bunch of idealistic anti-government types (which they are IMHO).

But Ron Paul gains up to 12% of the people.

How do we turn that into something REAL instead of watching it disappear into the night?

DCatman

Good question. Keep on truckin for now, let people find the way and there is no going back.

[JaredR26]

The question before us is what WE the people will do with the 10-12% support.

The Libertarian Party has never seen this level of support, which tells me that the public sees them as a bunch of idealistic anti-government types (which they are IMHO).

But Ron Paul gains up to 12% of the people.

How do we turn that into something REAL instead of watching it disappear into the night?

DCatman

An excellent question.

What I wouldn't give for 20 more Ron Paul's to elect everywhere.

[noztnac]

Statistics and simple mathematics dictate that we will not win this election.

I'm sure tons of you will attack me, saying I am not a true Ron Paul supporter or here as a shill/infiltrator.

But I went through the same process as many of you. I found Ron Paul months ago because my brother told me about him(found him on Digg). Spent 2 days stunned, watching every youtube video I could find. I couldn't believe there was an honest, intelligent candidate for president. I couldn't believe someone who could be like Ron Paul. I bought shirts, my car has 5 bumper stickers, and I've given over $600 to the campaign. I laughed my ass off when Ron Paul kicked Laura Ingraham's ass. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJXRa2n6Fe4) Best rwning ever.

I honestly don't see how anyone can NOT like Ron Paul. Everyone I have discussed Ron Paul with, even those adamantly against him, admitted that he makes very good points and he is a very smart, honest politician and a good candidate. No one was able to say anything bad about him, but some of them still won't vote for him.

But I don't think I can give any more. I don't like wasting money, and as much as I love Ron Paul, he can't win. The American people are too stupid. He isn't a sound-byte candidate with slick looks. He doesn't tell people what they want to hear.

We have been polling at 6-10% nationwide lately. And 6-10% in NH. And 6-10% in Iowa. That _IS_ our support.
For the first 6-8 months, Ron Paul's support was always within 1-3%. After November 5th we jumped to 5% nationwide.
We have been growing at 1% every 2 weeks roughly since November 5th. We have 4 weeks until super Tuesday, putting us at 10-12% nationwide. We can't win with that.

The campaign has experienced exponential growth in donations. We have had no such growth in polling. And the primaries showed that the polls were right.

For this election to have been stolen then every person involved with every poll and someone manipulating the diebold machines would have to be involved, and none of the poll workers or exit polls would have noticed the discrepancy.
Franky, this isn't possible. Sure, theoretically maybe it is. But it isn't whats happening. The (non-faux news) media marginalized us because we were a small group, not because they hate Ron Paul.

Some of you will say it is still name recognition. Sure, thats a problem in some places. It was a huge problem before the 5th. But it isn't a problem in NH or Iowa. NH and Iowa have been BOMBARDED by every campaign. Everyone who votes in NH or Iowa knows something about every candidate simply because thats what they get, every day for a month, and thats what they talk about every day.

WHY they didn't accept Ron Paul is beyond me. But they didn't. And the country won't pick him. If he went third party, he might be able to double his support at most, but thats it, and it wouldn't be enough to win.

So the conclusion is, we can't win. The support isn't there. Don't get me wrong- Ron Paul supporters are behind him 100%. A normal winning campaign has a few hundred, maybe a thousand behind them 100%. It also has 30% of the population behind them 20%. We have a good 5% of the population behind Ron Paul at least 60% or more, probably close to 100%. Thats how we outraised the rest of the republican field- Not because we outnumbered them, but because we had a lot of people who really loved their candidate.

I will still cast my vote for Ron Paul. But I can't stand the rest of the republicans, so I'll just pay attention to who wins the democratic primary and vote for them. They are slightly less tied to the military industrial complex, and they don't pander to evangelicals.

There is good news though. That 5% of us who solidly support Ron Paul have had a fire lit in them. And it won't go out, not for the rest of our lives. The r[evol]ution will continue, and it may continue to grow and eventually overcome the fascism and national collapse we are facing.

Ron Paul's message will carry on. His support won't die out, and he will get re-elected, maybe to the state senate of texas. I know many of you will keep fighting for him, and I am glad for it. But reality dictates it is a losing battle.

It saddens me greatly to write this. I don't like giving up. But I can't waste time and money on a lost cause, however much I love it. I will continue the fire of freedom though, and maybe someday the chance will come up again to make a difference, to fight for freedom.

Your post is shortsighted, inaccurate, and counterproductive! Please don't post here until you pull yourself together. If the Founding Fathers had your attitude we'd still be ruled by England. Pathetic!:mad:

[CrazyRonPaulSupporter]

Posts like this just makes me want to fight harder!! And call it a quit after 2 states is crazy!

.

[werdd]

Statistics and simple mathematics dictate that we will not win this election.

I'm sure tons of you will attack me, saying I am not a true Ron Paul supporter or here as a shill/infiltrator.

But I went through the same process as many of you. I found Ron Paul months ago because my brother told me about him(found him on Digg). Spent 2 days stunned, watching every youtube video I could find. I couldn't believe there was an honest, intelligent candidate for president. I couldn't believe someone who could be like Ron Paul. I bought shirts, my car has 5 bumper stickers, and I've given over $600 to the campaign. I laughed my ass off when Ron Paul kicked Laura Ingraham's ass. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJXRa2n6Fe4) Best rwning ever.

I honestly don't see how anyone can NOT like Ron Paul. Everyone I have discussed Ron Paul with, even those adamantly against him, admitted that he makes very good points and he is a very smart, honest politician and a good candidate. No one was able to say anything bad about him, but some of them still won't vote for him.

But I don't think I can give any more. I don't like wasting money, and as much as I love Ron Paul, he can't win. The American people are too stupid. He isn't a sound-byte candidate with slick looks. He doesn't tell people what they want to hear.

We have been polling at 6-10% nationwide lately. And 6-10% in NH. And 6-10% in Iowa. That _IS_ our support.
For the first 6-8 months, Ron Paul's support was always within 1-3%. After November 5th we jumped to 5% nationwide.
We have been growing at 1% every 2 weeks roughly since November 5th. We have 4 weeks until super Tuesday, putting us at 10-12% nationwide. We can't win with that.

The campaign has experienced exponential growth in donations. We have had no such growth in polling. And the primaries showed that the polls were right.

For this election to have been stolen then every person involved with every poll and someone manipulating the diebold machines would have to be involved, and none of the poll workers or exit polls would have noticed the discrepancy.
Franky, this isn't possible. Sure, theoretically maybe it is. But it isn't whats happening. The (non-faux news) media marginalized us because we were a small group, not because they hate Ron Paul.

Some of you will say it is still name recognition. Sure, thats a problem in some places. It was a huge problem before the 5th. But it isn't a problem in NH or Iowa. NH and Iowa have been BOMBARDED by every campaign. Everyone who votes in NH or Iowa knows something about every candidate simply because thats what they get, every day for a month, and thats what they talk about every day.

WHY they didn't accept Ron Paul is beyond me. But they didn't. And the country won't pick him. If he went third party, he might be able to double his support at most, but thats it, and it wouldn't be enough to win.

So the conclusion is, we can't win. The support isn't there. Don't get me wrong- Ron Paul supporters are behind him 100%. A normal winning campaign has a few hundred, maybe a thousand behind them 100%. It also has 30% of the population behind them 20%. We have a good 5% of the population behind Ron Paul at least 60% or more, probably close to 100%. Thats how we outraised the rest of the republican field- Not because we outnumbered them, but because we had a lot of people who really loved their candidate.

I will still cast my vote for Ron Paul. But I can't stand the rest of the republicans, so I'll just pay attention to who wins the democratic primary and vote for them. They are slightly less tied to the military industrial complex, and they don't pander to evangelicals.

There is good news though. That 5% of us who solidly support Ron Paul have had a fire lit in them. And it won't go out, not for the rest of our lives. The r[evol]ution will continue, and it may continue to grow and eventually overcome the fascism and national collapse we are facing.

Ron Paul's message will carry on. His support won't die out, and he will get re-elected, maybe to the state senate of texas. I know many of you will keep fighting for him, and I am glad for it. But reality dictates it is a losing battle.

It saddens me greatly to write this. I don't like giving up. But I can't waste time and money on a lost cause, however much I love it. I will continue the fire of freedom though, and maybe someday the chance will come up again to make a difference, to fight for freedom.


So will you still pledge to vote for Dr. Paul no matter what???

[Cali4RonPaul]

you're a fool. Plenty of presidents have come back from this sort of thing...

He is not a fool and he is not alone,.


THESE ARE ALSO MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY.

His experience and thoughts are very similar to my own.,.

I donated hundreds, I volunteered locally, Im a asst organizer at a meetup, and main chapter organizer for a student group connected with the students for paul campaign..

Lets be realistic.

[JaredR26]

So will you still pledge to vote for Dr. Paul no matter what???

Absolutely. If he ran third party and was on the ballot, I'd vote for him, even if it was a clear waste.

And when the CA primary comes around, i've already registered republican. I'll be there voting.

And I'm STILL going to tell my friends... I just know we can't win.

[JohnnyWrath]

It's been said a million times...Ron needs debate and speech coaches...the message will not be heard if it isn't delivered right. He should have had ammunition against each and every other candidate at the debates so the second they attacked him, he could attack back...he came across as their punching bag a few times...they even laugh at times....he needs to attack harder.

Allowing others to attack you without getting angry at least a little bit looks weak..people don't want yoda, they want skywalker. ATTACK !!!!

[JaredR26]

Your post is shortsighted, inaccurate, and counterproductive! Please don't post here until you pull yourself together. If the Founding Fathers had your attitude we'd still be ruled by England. Pathetic!:mad:

The founding fathers had a lot going for them. No one liked England in America except those who benefited.

Then England had to fight an aggressive war on unfamiliar territory against, basically, hit and run terrorist tactics. The americans were amply supplied and supported by the backcountry. The English were better equipped, but only had a slight numerical advantage. The English had many supply problems once the war began.

And they still almost lost the war.

The real glory of the founders(and Ron Paul) was their wisdom, and their views on government. They kept the people in power.

Ron Paul's support is roughly 10 percent at best. Thats wonderful, but it isn't enough to win the presidency.

It is, however, enough if galvanized correctly to influence the senate and congress.

[blakjak]

reluctantly, i'd have to agree with most of this

[Naraku]

It's not mathematics, it's hope:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=83190

[RonPaul2012grassroots]

This is only the beginning of the political season, everything thus far had been pre-game. What team has ever won by giving up at the kick-off??? :confused:

Of ALL the other teams, in realistic terms WE have the best field position.

Cast off those corporate media blinders!

[xtravar]

It's been said a million times...Ron needs debate and speech coaches...the message will not be heard if it isn't delivered right. He should have had ammunition against each and every other candidate at the debates so the second they attacked him, he could attack back...he came across as their punching bag a few times...they even laugh at times....he needs to attack harder.

Allowing others to attack you without getting angry at least a little bit looks weak..people don't want yoda, they want skywalker. ATTACK !!!!

Ron Paul doesn't suck at debating. I don't know what his deal is during the debates, but listen to him here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jJXRa2n6Fe4

Perhaps it's part of his strategy to come off as defenseless for awhile (like on Jay Leno last night). The less he does and meeker he appears, the more everyone else stands up for him and does the work for him, perhaps saving his resources for later.

Everyone knows that he's a good campaigner, so I'm not too worried.

As I've pointed out before, our current president sucks at debating and speaking, so that doesn't matter in politics.

[luaPnoR]

Quitter! I almost laughed when I read this. You're giving up after only 3 states? Wow. That's really surprising to me. I feel we've just started this! People still have never even heard his name. Well, at least where I come from anyway. We are the only house in our whole TOWN with a Ron Paul sign in our yard but you know what... we're the only house in our whole town with ANY presidential sign in our yard! One presidential sign in the whole town and it's in our yard! Dang right baby! I'm telling more and more people about him everyday. We've still got work to do and we've got time yet... don't quit you quitter! Quitters NEVER win! Seriously, it's way too early to tell. Wasn't John Kerry getting like 4% at this time when he was running and he WON the nomination! Come on!

[Victrix]

Winning this election (which is still wide open) may not even be the point in the long run.

Ron Paul is the spark for this movement. It is up to us to continue and grow it. The Revolution has just begun!

“It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." Samuel Adams

http://www.libertymaven.com/2008/01/...n-my-lifetime/

Much has been said recently blaming the official Ron Paul campaign organization for not doing things properly to get Paul the GOP nomination. They have not done things perfectly, but even a perfect campaign would not secure the nomination for Ron Paul in the election of 2008.

The problem is that America is not quite ready for Ron Paul. More accurately, America is not ready for the message of true liberty. We have to learn to accept it after the results in the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary. This does not mean we should stop the wonderful things we are doing. In fact, it means quite the opposite. Donate more money. Keep canvassing. Sign up as a precinct captain. Do whatever it takes to maximize the Ron Paul vote.

His movement of support suggests that someday America will be ready. Revolutions take time to build. George W. Bush sparked this revolution with his failed policies. He made it possible. We can thank him for that. Ron Paul lit the fire for the revolution with his candidacy. Ron Paul Republican candidates and grassroots supporters all across the country will keep that fire lit long after Ron Paul announces the end of his campaign.

I now believe true liberty is attainable 4 years from now. The best potential for this is if three things occur.....

[Larry_for_Paul]

Never, ever give up.

Michigan. Let's rock the Democrat vote.

NO MORE WAR! NO MORE NATION BUILDING!

[jake]

rated 1 for "terrible"

[LFOD]

We march with our man all the way, to the end. Why? Because Ron Paul is right. Our country needs his ideas, and our country needs us.

LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!

[Buffalo Bruce]

We used to have a sign in my high school pool that read, "Luck is where skill meets opportunity." RP has better answers (skill). Maybe the stock market will tumble. Maybe Iranian gun boats will attack American ships(opportunities). All the other Republican candidates have major flaws. Something might hit Americans on the head so hard that they will reject the status quo and start grabbing for better answers. Its lucky for us that guys who lost battle after battle didn't leave Valley Forge when things didn't go so great.

[scholarpreneur]

I hope you do. I'd take up arms in a second if I thought there was a chance- Make it so, and I'll be there in a heartbeat.

So prove me wrong.

You gotta CREATE the chances bro. Is this how you live your life? You wait for opportunities to fall in your lap? That apathetic mentality is what got us into this mess.

[Corydoras]

Here is a post I made in SEPTEMBER.
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=18472


Running for the presidency is not just whether you win. His numbers and fundraising ARE impressing the establishment, and they would just love to have supporters as enthusiastic as we are. Even RP himself was surprised at the power of the beliefs and feelings he tapped into.

When a candidate runs for the presidency, he gains visibility and influence. Ron was already influential in the House-- look at the committee memberships he has. If he has to go back to Congress, his profile and influence will be substantially increased. All the stories about how he is the lone vote against this or that do not reveal that he really knows how to work with Congress (which is another reason to support him for the presidency). Barney Frank freely told the New York Times that Ron Paul is one of the easiest of his colleagues to work with-- that is remarkable evidence of what a skilled legislator Ron Paul is... and from a congressman who as a lefty Democrat does not have a lot in common politically with him. Ron will find it easier to get cosponsors and backers for his positions after this campaign.

Howard Dean became head of the Democratic National Committee. Dennis Kucinich did well enough that he was allowed to address the Democratic convention. A good showing in the primaries means influence with the party as well as on Capitol Hill.

The stronger a run for the presidency we (and that includes you) can give him, the more influence Ron Paul will have as a voice for liberty. He will be seen by other politicians as a national figure and not just a congressman with seniority.

And think of the grassroots activity for Dr. Paul that is bringing the message of liberty to millions of Americans. Every time you hand out a card or flyer or hold up a sign or banner, you are exposing another voter to Dr. Paul's message and making some people think, "Gee, maybe they're right, I'm losing my liberties" or "I'm not alone in thinking this government is on the wrong track!" Every little bit counts in creating a groundswell of public opinion that will erode support for the establishment and make the climate more congenial to the message of freedom. More candidates with the same message will get elected, it will be harder to pass bills that infringe on our freedoms. This campaign is for the future past this election, as well as to get President Ron Paul in the White House.

If you look at history, yes, Clinton and Carter weren't front runners at this point in the game. Iowa and New Hampshire are not really indicators of how the election will go, either. And the primary season has not even begun yet. Take hope. Please continue to work for liberty and Ron Paul.

[JaredR26]

This is only the beginning of the political season, everything thus far had been pre-game. What team has ever won by giving up at the kick-off??? :confused:

Of ALL the other teams, in realistic terms WE have the best field position.

Cast off those corporate media blinders!

Those who have 10% of the support of the nation do not win the presidency.

Those who get 5th in both Iowa and NH do not win the presidency.

Just hard facts man. We are not in the best position.

NH was our state, it was our best chance. That we got <10% shows where our national support really is- where the polls put us.

Its not nothing but it isn't going to win unless something drastic happens, which I don't expect.

[Naraku]

Those who have 10% of the support of the nation have not win the presidency.

Those who get 5th in both Iowa and NH have not win the presidency.

Fixed. Hey, they're calling this the campaign of change. What bigger change could you ask for?

[JaredR26]

Here is a post I made in SEPTEMBER.
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=18472

Absolutely right. We have certainly accomplished a lot, and we have gotten a lot of people to notice and support Ron Paul.

To me it depends on how you define the war we are fighting. If the sole goal is getting RP elected, the chances of that are rapidly slipping away. Not from a lack of effort, from the stupidity of the populace.

If the war is waking people up to the revolution and RP's ideas, we are losing the battle and winning the war.

[JaredR26]

Fixed. Hey, they're calling this the campaign of change. What bigger change could you ask for?

If you are going to fix it you need to remove the not.

Kind of important to the sentence.
:)

[JaredR26]

You gotta CREATE the chances bro. Is this how you live your life? You wait for opportunities to fall in your lap? That apathetic mentality is what got us into this mess.

I work hard, and I look for opportunities to take.

I also try to be realistic. I thought that Ron Paul's support was rising exponentially with his fundraising. I thought that the polls were far wrong because they missed the young and independent voters.

I was wrong. Thats the brutal reality. Ron Paul's support is at 8-10%, nationwide. It has consistently gone up 1% every 2 weeks. Thats a fantastic rate of growth for a revolution. Its a really shitty rate of growth for a presidential candidate who has 4 weeks until super tuesday.

[JaredR26]

I now believe true liberty is attainable 4 years from now. The best potential for this is if three things occur.....

The only problem I have with that is that RP isn't young anymore. Sure he's plenty healthy, but the public has shown it is reluctant to elect 75 year olds to the presidency, rightfully so.

Not saying it couldn't happen, but it doesn't help our cause.

4 years is a lot of time to spread the message of liberty though.

[austin4paul]

Plus more than all of that the infrastructure we've built up for this organization is going to start dominating local elections I think. We here in Seattle are already plotting taking over every useless position that nobody ever bothers to even run for, and some of the ones people do make a serious bid for. WE CAN TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK. One city at a time if need be, but we can do it.

Here in Austin, we have 46 Ron Paul supporters running for Precinct Chair -- this is the lowest entry-level position of the Republican party leadership, but it is nonetheless an elected position with a 2-year term. 32 of our candidates ran unopposed, so we will will have a definitive voice within our local party politics.

5 of us attended a Republican party luncheon today. It's the first time I've ever gone to anything like this, and believe me, it wasn't particularly comfortable being in a room of war-mongering neo-cons. The support of the few others there helped. Next month, we're going to promote it to our meet-up members and will have a large presence there.

We need to realize that the internet is only going to get us so far. Iowa and NH only confirm this. We now need to carry our voices into the heart of the Republican party the old-fashioned way. With live people meeting face-to-face with other live people vs. trying to accomplish this with keyboards clacking.

When we say "Dr. Paul cured my apathy," I sincerely hope that doesn't just mean he sent it into remission for a few months. Keep posted. Keep spreading the message. It may be harder than it would have been if we'd won NH, but it's still a good message.

[ProBlue33]

Giga tuesday tells the tale

[ultimaonliner]

Statistics and simple mathematics dictate that we will not win this election.

I'm sure tons of you will attack me, saying I am not a true Ron Paul supporter or here as a shill/infiltrator.

But I went through the same process as many of you. I found Ron Paul months ago because my brother told me about him(found him on Digg). Spent 2 days stunned, watching every youtube video I could find. I couldn't believe there was an honest, intelligent candidate for president. I couldn't believe someone who could be like Ron Paul. I bought shirts, my car has 5 bumper stickers, and I've given over $600 to the campaign. I laughed my ass off when Ron Paul kicked Laura Ingraham's ass. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJXRa2n6Fe4) Best rwning ever.

I honestly don't see how anyone can NOT like Ron Paul. Everyone I have discussed Ron Paul with, even those adamantly against him, admitted that he makes very good points and he is a very smart, honest politician and a good candidate. No one was able to say anything bad about him, but some of them still won't vote for him.

But I don't think I can give any more. I don't like wasting money, and as much as I love Ron Paul, he can't win. The American people are too stupid. He isn't a sound-byte candidate with slick looks. He doesn't tell people what they want to hear.

We have been polling at 6-10% nationwide lately. And 6-10% in NH. And 6-10% in Iowa. That _IS_ our support.
For the first 6-8 months, Ron Paul's support was always within 1-3%. After November 5th we jumped to 5% nationwide.
We have been growing at 1% every 2 weeks roughly since November 5th. We have 4 weeks until super Tuesday, putting us at 10-12% nationwide. We can't win with that.

The campaign has experienced exponential growth in donations. We have had no such growth in polling. And the primaries showed that the polls were right.

For this election to have been stolen then every person involved with every poll and someone manipulating the diebold machines would have to be involved, and none of the poll workers or exit polls would have noticed the discrepancy.
Franky, this isn't possible. Sure, theoretically maybe it is. But it isn't whats happening. The (non-faux news) media marginalized us because we were a small group, not because they hate Ron Paul.

Some of you will say it is still name recognition. Sure, thats a problem in some places. It was a huge problem before the 5th. But it isn't a problem in NH or Iowa. NH and Iowa have been BOMBARDED by every campaign. Everyone who votes in NH or Iowa knows something about every candidate simply because thats what they get, every day for a month, and thats what they talk about every day.

WHY they didn't accept Ron Paul is beyond me. But they didn't. And the country won't pick him. If he went third party, he might be able to double his support at most, but thats it, and it wouldn't be enough to win.

So the conclusion is, we can't win. The support isn't there. Don't get me wrong- Ron Paul supporters are behind him 100%. A normal winning campaign has a few hundred, maybe a thousand behind them 100%. It also has 30% of the population behind them 20%. We have a good 5% of the population behind Ron Paul at least 60% or more, probably close to 100%. Thats how we outraised the rest of the republican field- Not because we outnumbered them, but because we had a lot of people who really loved their candidate.

I will still cast my vote for Ron Paul. But I can't stand the rest of the republicans, so I'll just pay attention to who wins the democratic primary and vote for them. They are slightly less tied to the military industrial complex, and they don't pander to evangelicals.

There is good news though. That 5% of us who solidly support Ron Paul have had a fire lit in them. And it won't go out, not for the rest of our lives. The r[evol]ution will continue, and it may continue to grow and eventually overcome the fascism and national collapse we are facing.

Ron Paul's message will carry on. His support won't die out, and he will get re-elected, maybe to the state senate of texas. I know many of you will keep fighting for him, and I am glad for it. But reality dictates it is a losing battle.

It saddens me greatly to write this. I don't like giving up. But I can't waste time and money on a lost cause, however much I love it. I will continue the fire of freedom though, and maybe someday the chance will come up again to make a difference, to fight for freedom.

RP's message does not end with this election or even RP's own finite life.

Think of RP in '88 driving state-to-state campaigning. He'd attend college campuses where only 3-4 students would show up, and yet he would speak for hours with enthusiasm over his libertarian platform.

Do you think RP just gave up in '88 because he was worried about whether or not he would personally win? You think he was somewhat aware that he "statistically" speaking would not probably win the election?

[Corydoras]

To me it depends on how you define the war we are fighting. If the sole goal is getting RP elected, the chances of that are rapidly slipping away. Not from a lack of effort, from the stupidity of the populace.

If the war is waking people up to the revolution and RP's ideas, we are losing the battle and winning the war.


I take the latter view and believe that this particular battle has to be fought to the max for it. There's a difference, and not just a moral one, between losing a hard-fought battle and losing by giving up.

That is why I do not consider continuing with this campaign to be a "waste of money," as you seem to view it.

I mean, what does it cost, fifty bucks or less, to buy a thousand Freedom Cards or Liberty Cards and hand them out to bring the message to people who might not have thought of it?

This campaign is the best marketing campaign that the message has ever had. We have to strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of it.

Look, we can deplore the fact that Huckabee is stealing Ron Paul's phrasng and positions wholesale. But it also is a sign of our increasing influence. We have to capitalize on that and start changing the terms of the discourse.

The terms of the discourse have been how big the government's budget should be, how hard the war should be fought, who gets the largesse, who gets the tax cuts, which party controls the media. We, however, are shifting that by asking how small the government's budget can be made, saying there is no reason to fight the war, arguing there should be be largesse, saying there are should be no income taxes, and demonstrating that the parties have no control (yet) of internet politics. We are changing the questions.

You know how it happens when the lid on a pickle jar is on too tight. Everyone passes it around and nobody can open it. Finally someone opens it with very little effort and everyone laughs. But what was happening was that all those prior efforts that made no visible difference were loosening up the lid. We gotta keep working on that lid even if the jar doesn't open for us.

[Energy]

As others have said, many past presidents came back from this sort of thing.

Also consider unexpected events, slip ups (Dean moments) that will knock out some candidates.

Keep on keeping on... some amazing things can happen to launch this campaign to the skies.

[JaredR26]

RP's message does not end with this election or even RP's own finite life.

Think of RP in '88 driving state-to-state campaigning. He'd attend college campuses where only 3-4 students would show up, and yet he would speak for hours with enthusiasm over his libertarian platform.

Do you think RP just gave up in '88 because he was worried about whether or not he would personally win? You think he was somewhat aware that he "statistically" speaking would not probably win the election?

A true testament to the strength of the man.

Unfortunately many have done similar things under what we believe as misguided beliefs- Many candidates polling less than 1%, knowing they would drop out of the race soon. Others like Nader who were sure to lose.

They didn't have the ideals of Ron Paul.

We have his message now, and we must carry it fourth. We should not mislead ourselves thinking we can get him elected president. If donating the campaign is still the true best way to further the message, so be it- but don't delude ourselves thinking we can achieve the impossible.

[JaredR26]

As others have said, many past presidents came back from this sort of thing.

Also consider unexpected events, slip ups (Dean moments) that will knock out some candidates.

Keep on keeping on... some amazing things can happen to launch this campaign to the skies.

Yeah, but the Dean scream happened immediately after Iowa, and his campaign was losing steam before that.

Maybe a Dean moment will happen to 2 of the 4 other candidates.

We would still have 2 more to beat, and we still only have 10% of the populace.

I don't think there has been a single president in history to come in with less than 10% in the first three primaries and then win the primary. I would love to do the impossible, but I am also realistic.

[BeFranklin]

The only problem I have with that is that RP isn't young anymore. Sure he's plenty healthy, but the public has shown it is reluctant to elect 75 year olds to the presidency, rightfully so.

Not saying it couldn't happen, but it doesn't help our cause.

4 years is a lot of time to spread the message of liberty though.

This might be true, but Ron Paul is our leader. If the worse thing happened, he would loose the election, because our leader for next 2 and 4 years, still speaking, and we'd have a whole slew of candidates to run.

Ron Paul is the President, of our movement for sure!

[Man from La Mancha]

Statistics and simple mathematics dictate that we will not win this election.

I'm sure tons of you will attack me, saying I am not a true Ron Paul supporter or here as a shill/infiltrator.
.
Well we know which way you would of run when the redcoats were coming!

.

[BeFranklin]

RP's message does not end with this election or even RP's own finite life.

Think of RP in '88 driving state-to-state campaigning. He'd attend college campuses where only 3-4 students would show up, and yet he would speak for hours with enthusiasm over his libertarian platform.

Do you think RP just gave up in '88 because he was worried about whether or not he would personally win? You think he was somewhat aware that he "statistically" speaking would not probably win the election?

I wish he had told me, I voted for him! lol j/k

[BeFranklin]

I don't think there has been a single president in history to come in with less than 10% in the first three primaries and then win the primary. I would love to do the impossible, but I am also realistic.

Thats only because we didn't have the Internet. Maybe it won't make that much difference in this election, but it is making a difference. The end result is trying to knock candidates out in the early states will cease to be - that happens because candidates can't get the media exposure they need to continue to gather money and supporters on a national level -- but the Internet *is* media exposure.

I wish more older people were using it though.

[Channing]

OP, be careful who you accuse of being too stupid.

It may actually be *you*, if you believe the official poll numbers and vote counts.

Have you ever stopped to think that whoever or whatever is orchestrating the brainwashing of America would also make sure the elections go in their favor regardless of how people actually vote?

[JaredR26]

OP, be careful who you accuse of being too stupid.

It may actually be *you*, if you believe the official poll numbers and vote counts.

Have you ever stopped to think that whoever or whatever is orchestrating the brainwashing of America would also make sure the elections go in their favor regardless of how people actually vote?

Phone poll numbers. Faked.
Vote counts, both by hand and by machine. Faked.
Exit poll numbers. Faked.
All members of the media = In on the gig.
All politicians = In on the gig.

Ron Paul = Somehow not in on the gig. (Step 2: ... Step 3: Profit!!)

I'm sure its all a conspiracy. After all, if the media/bush/themilitary/congress can destroy the twin towers and not even know they were in on it, stealing an election is childs play.

[Tronchaser]

JaredR26,

Can I make one request of you?

Hang in there until after Super Tuesday... we'll know everything we need to then.

Keep the faith man.

[Madison]

I've also lost a lot of hope, but the fact is America is too superficial to get behind someone like Ron Paul.

However he woke a lot of us up, cured our apathy, and we need to continue the movement he started.

[devil21]

Allowing others to attack you without getting angry at least a little bit looks weak..people don't want yoda, they want skywalker. ATTACK !!!!

And that is precisely what is wrong with this country. Too many Chuck Norris (lol) and Rambo (new one coming out in time to rile up the sheep again!) movies encourage RAWWR KICK SOME COMMIE ASS sentiment. Yoda lived 800something years and trained the best of the best Jedis...including Skywalker. Both of the Skywalkers...

We are turning into the Romans.

[drsubrotoroy]

Statistics and simple mathematics dictate that we will not win this election.
...
We have been polling at 6-10% nationwide lately. And 6-10% in NH. And 6-10% in Iowa. That _IS_ our support.
For the first 6-8 months, Ron Paul's support was always within 1-3%. After November 5th we jumped to 5% nationwide.
We have been growing at 1% every 2 weeks roughly since November 5th. We have 4 weeks until super Tuesday, putting us at 10-12% nationwide. We can't win with that.
T.

Dr Paul is the only principled and coherent Republican candidate, and he is anti-war. His 8% or 10% in the initial voting will not go down -- ie those who vote for him in the primaries are loyalists who understand what he stands for. Now, the so-called front-runners may poll 37%, 33% or 25% or whatever now... the people who vote for them will desert them if they do not end up being the absolute front-runner. Where will those deserting percentages end up? Where could they be encouraged to end up?