Does Ron Paul have a chance?

[timvp]

I haven't been following the polls very closely. The short snippets I read seem to indicate Paul has no chance. But it seems like everywhere I go I see some sort of Ron Paul related pimpage. Whether it be bumper stickers, signs, flyers, business cards and my favorite - some peeps dressed up as the founding fathers chanting "Ron Paul Two Thousand Eight, Make This Country Great".

Gotta love his libertarian values but before I donate I'd like to know if there is at least a snowball's chance.

[Holt's Cat]

In the days of 3 networks and 2 colas Paul wouldn't have a chance. Today he does have a shot. Thanks to the one medium which big media has yet to control, Paul not only has an effective marketing tool, but an excellent fundraising one as well.

Paul has close to $20 mil in the bank. That can do some serious damage in the primaries. That will enable him to get his message to those who still rely on traditional media for their political information. Plus I think the grassroots campaign on the web will have a much bigger impact at the voting booth than is expected.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

I thought this was gonna be a vbookie.

I think he's got a GOOD fighting chance. His campaign and support has grown exponentially.
The military favors him,

and the entire gambling industry will be behind him:

Gamblin911.com -- "As Gambling911.com disclosed on Wednesday, online bookies were working feverishly trying to get their customers on the Ron Paul bandwagon. The Texas Congressman who is running as a 2008 US Presidential candidate has raised close to $20 million this quarter alone and - best of all for the online gambling industry, including online poker - Ron Paul is one of the few candidates who is pro Internet gambling.

Another artic;e from there --
"Gambling911 has Ron Paul in a dead heat tie for second with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee among gamblers betting on the Republican race. Only Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani lead overall in the odds to become the next President of the United States."



I think that it is accurate to believe that he polls low because his supporters are largely not called for polls. Many have never voted before and many are young people who don't have land-lines.

I gave him a whopping $20 bones. f'ing inflation.....

[Holt's Cat]

It's a nice cycle. The media tells us who the top candidates are and then calls us and asks us who they told us are the top candidates so they can report that people actually pay attention to their reports.

Giuliani and Clinton are the top police state candidates, that's for certain.

[Mavtek]

I've given him more than $1,000, I've also given money to many of the grassroots efforts. I hope like he has a chance because I really do feel that he's the last chance we have to restore the republic to what it was meant to be. FYI I also belong to the SA meetup group, if you want to find out more join up see what's going on.

We've raised more money than anyone this quarter, we have our own grassroots commercials, and we work harder than anyone you've ever seen. The Ron Paul campaign is my new 1st job and my full time job that pays me is my 2nd. If you're not keen on donating to the campaign yet contact the SA meetup and I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem getting you a bumper sticker or a yard sign.

http://ronpaul.meetup.com/119/
We have over 300 members in SA and we'd love to have more.

[DarkReign]

No he doesnt have a chance. But I knew that when I gave him $$$.

Some may say thats dumb, that you shouldnt waste a vote knowing it doesnt make a difference.

I say, brother, there hasnt been any "difference" making in this country in 40 years. Maybe, just maybe, when the election is over and they analyze the results, they'll see a nice section of the population has grown tired of government in general.

Maybe Paul's campaign will influence future candidates and their policy.

Maybe. Either way, I wouldnt vote for anyone else out of good conscience.

[Extra Stout]

Maybe Paul's campaign will influence future candidates and their policy.

That's the reason to support Paul. He obviously is not actually going to win the Republican nomination. But, he does provide a stark contrast between the views of conservatives of 25 years ago (insofar as he shares them), and the views of the Republican establishment today.

[JoeChalupa]

Ron Paul does have a chance......1 in a million....but he still has a chance.

[Holt's Cat]

If you consider yourself a libertarian, Paul is the strongest candidate for your views in a long, long time.

The way I look at it is that one of the 'traditional' candidates is likely to win. So what's the point in having to hold your nose and support one of them instead of putting your chips on what you really believe?

I think what we're seeing is that the mainstream is getting concerned that if people actually hear Paul's views, they might like them. He has the $$ now to get those views out as well as the organization and he has enthusiastic support, not the bought support that other candidates have.

A strong showing by Paul in New Hampshire and Iowa could very well snowball. Never say never.

[JoeChalupa]

never

[01Snake]

Curious...what amounts of money are you donating?

[DarkReign]

So far, $399 dollars.

[Mavtek]

Katie Couric just reported on Ron Paul in New Hampshire currently at 3rd and rising.

[scott]

Does Ron Paul have a chance of being President? Not really.

Does Ron Paul have a chance to continue to change the way our election system works (a la pre-meltdown Dean 4 years ago)? Absolutely.

I don't think Paul is a very good libertarian (though he's as close as it gets in a National election), but to me his appeal is the effect he can have on the way our system works. Dean's meltdown 4 years ago proved costly for the non-traditional-candidate movement, but the momemtum he built up prior to that laid the ground for this type of grass-roots campaign. Paul's can continue to build such momentum and one day we may be able to have a viable candidate like Paul or some other 3rd party representative and threads like this one won't be needed because everyone will know the answer is "YES".

A vote for Paul is really a vote for Election Reform. At this point, it is really irrelevant what his platform is.

[MannyIsGod]

Can Ron Paul win? Yes, he can.

His chances of being nominated? I want to say about 20% or so. Ron Paul WILL pull in stronger numbers than are being predicted in Iowa. When Iowa is over with he's going to put together and even stronger showing in NH. He's more than likely not going to win either state, but the fact is that he's going to come in much higher than expected and he's going to get news coverage because of that. The MSM simply will NOT be able to ignore it at that point and everyone will want to hear about this guy that very few outside of the net know.

Thats where he's going to have to put together his 2 minute drill. Thats his opportunity to make the improbable happen. I don't see Ron Paul as an election reformist. He's simply a canddiate who's main demographic uses the internet more than any other medium and thats why he's performed the way he has. The thing is that his message will actually resonate with what this country wants if the country ends up voting on Iraq again.

I've felt good about Paul for months. He just steadily builds upon each minor victory and eventually each minor victory adds up and you have a pile of victories. We'll see if its enough. I really hope it is.

[MannyIsGod]

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Zog.../21/59011.html

[exstatic]

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Zog.../21/59011.html

That page is ed up. It keeps redirecting me to some sort of cleaner product for the PC which tripped my AV software when it autodownloaded something to my PC. Beware.

[MannyIsGod]

weird all i get is the article.

[Guru of Nothing]

• A Mormon

• One of the most divisive figures in American political history (female too)

• A black Muslim

• A cross-dressing New Yorker

• A conservative white male.

Don't underestimate the power of inertia. He has a chance.

[Nbadan]

A black Muslim

[scott]

Perception is reality.

[smeagol]

Who cares who wins the election . . . things are always pretty much the same in the US anyways, regardless who is in power.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

If only Ron Paul openly advocated the repeated nuking of Argentina, I would donate even more money to his cause.

[smeagol]

thanks for your dos centavos, fascist

Fascist? Why don't you back up your , for once in your life.

[smeagol]

If only Ron Paul openly advocated the repeated nuking of Argentina, I would donate even more money to his cause.

Why do you pussies get mad when somebody tells you the truth?

Things change very little in America when governemnts change color, wether you like it or not.

You think that the average American is much worse off today with Bush than what he was 10 yerars ago with Clinton?