Looks like Ron Paul is giving up his House Seat

Thorgrim · 01-12-2007, 09:59 AM

Hotline On Call: TX 14: The First Open '08 House Seat?

He's running for president, which would almost certainly preclude him from running an effective re-election campaign, and "really" running for president (unlike Dennis Kucinich who does a half ass job and doesn't fully run for President)

AVengeance · 01-12-2007, 12:23 PM

I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

Twice, if I lived in Chicago.

Thorgrim · 01-12-2007, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by AVengeance

I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

Twice, if I lived in Chicago.

Great, all the libertarians vote for Ron Paul...that leaves a lot less people who would have picked a Republican over Hillary

lew · 01-12-2007, 02:09 PM

Ron Paul for President! And since he won't be running as a Libertarian, he may actually have a chance!

Thorgrim · 01-12-2007, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by lew

Ron Paul for President! And since he won't be running as a Libertarian, he may actually have a chance!

In a GOP Primary? Want to guess where he'll rank...even in libertarian friendly states like NH?

lew · 01-12-2007, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

In a GOP Primary? Want to guess where he'll rank...even in libertarian friendly states like NH?

Republicans lost this past election because the GOP left their libertarian and conservative base. Someone like Ron Paul - who is pro-market, pro-life, etc would be a perfect candidate for the libertarian and conservative Republicans. And those Republicans far, far outnumber neo-cons or liberal Republicans.

Ron Paul would have the support of the LP probably, the Constitution Party, Pat Buchanan, Alan Keyes, much of the Religious Right for his conservative and religious views, etc. He would have tons of support.

hsmith · 01-12-2007, 02:29 PM

looks like i will finally be donating money to a political campaign

lew · 01-12-2007, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by hsmith

looks like i will finally be donating money to a political campaign

As will I.

Also thorgrim, don't forget to include anti-War Democrats that dislike Hillary. Paul seriously does have alot of potential here.

AntiCentrist · 01-13-2007, 05:26 AM

I'd vote for Ron Paul in a second. I'd prefer him to Tom Tancredo anyway, I just didn't think Ron Paul was actually going to run. It'd definitely be worth re-registering as a Republican for.

Scrum · 01-13-2007, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by lew

As will I.

Also thorgrim, don't forget to include anti-War Democrats that dislike Hillary. Paul seriously does have alot of potential here.

I would have to consider voting for him against Hillary.

motivez · 01-13-2007, 01:01 PM

Soon as they hear some of the stuff he wants to do, like get rid of the Dept of Education, his candidacy will be over and done with.

That's the unfortunate and sad truth of the matter. Most Americans will not support someone who wants to get rid of their big, comfy government programs.

kinggovernor · 01-13-2007, 03:06 PM

I would consider voting for him

lew · 01-13-2007, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Soon as they hear some of the stuff he wants to do, like get rid of the Dept of Education, his candidacy will be over and done with.

That's the unfortunate and sad truth of the matter. Most Americans will not support someone who wants to get rid of their big, comfy government programs.

No, it won't. Republicans took Congress 10 years ago with their declaration that they would abolish the Dept. of Education. I think he has a real shot here, and I can only hope that he wins.

hsmith · 01-13-2007, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by lew

No, it won't. Republicans took Congress 10 years ago with their declaration that they would abolish the Dept. of Education. I think he has a real shot here, and I can only hope that he wins.

but you see, 10 years ago it was fine, now it is just a crazy idea!

motivez · 01-13-2007, 04:39 PM

Proof that they won Congress 10 years ago because of that declaration? I think there were many more factors involved.

The reality is that most Americans like their government programs. I bet with a cursory glance of Paul's writings and speeches you could find enough ammunition to make him appear to be a radical in the minds of most people.

It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I don't believe at this point he has any shot.

Thorgrim · 01-13-2007, 04:54 PM

Just a few thousand votes and the Democrats wouldn't have even lost Congress in 1994, the tippping point so many variety of issues, but no one doubts it was the anti-libertarian religious right groups that had a huge impact

AntiCentrist · 01-14-2007, 04:46 AM

Originally Posted by motivez

Soon as they hear some of the stuff he wants to do, like get rid of the Dept of Education, his candidacy will be over and done with.

Maybe he can finally explain to the American people that laying off 20,000 or so bureaucrats in Washington would do nothing but reduce the extent to which our public schools are hindered by those same meddling bureaucrats in Washington. I think most Americans are truly so friggin' stupidly ignorant they think abolishing the U.S. Dept. of Education would cause all American K-12 public schools, and maybe even public colleges & universities, to all close up shop. In reality, the effect would be almost nothing. If people understood that the U.S. Dept. of Education essentially serves no purpose, but is just a popular, very expensive boondoggle, which exists merely because its name contains the E-word, it wouldn't be nearly so unpopular an idea to abolish it. Hell, people would demand it be abolished!

MKULTRA · 01-15-2007, 10:57 AM

I'd vote for him and contribute money to his campaign(again).

lew · 01-15-2007, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by motivez

Proof that they won Congress 10 years ago because of that declaration? I think there were many more factors involved.

That's not the point. The point is that they did win with that declaration. Ron Paul's main campaign point would not be about abolishing the Dept of Education, so not sure what your point is.

motivez · 01-15-2007, 12:52 PM

John Kerry's main campaign point wasn't about this or that, but it was made into things that hurt him. McCain's main campaign point wasn't about having an adopted black child, but it hurt him in certain primaries..

My point is that he's very extreme when compared to the majority of Americans with what he wants to see happen to 'big government' and government programs, he's out of step with them, and it's not going to take much given his writings and speeches to make him look that way.

I'm not saying he's a bad guy or that I even dislike him or his ideas, I just have a hard time believing he has any sort of chance at all. He's a long shot like Vilsack