Will Indie Vote Break For Ron Paul?
Tommy Christopher
Contributor
Posted:
02/2/08
With Super Tuesday fast approaching, and the state of Maine caucusing this weekend, this could be a golden opportunity for the candidacy of maverick GOP Congressman Ron Paul to catch fire. As The Political Machine's Denise Williams noted, he has his best chance so far to win a state in Maine. With some publicity for his huge fundraising activity recently, the stage could be set for Ron Paul to build some momentum going into Super Tuesday.
The National Ledger's Jeff Freeland makes an interesting point on the choice presented to indepenent voters:
Update: Still waiting...see end of story
The political mood in this country now is one of discontent, with voters across the ideological spectrum craving a change from politics as usual. Republican voters latched on to John McCain after his victory in New Hampshire, but his reputation as a straight-talking maverick has been diminished by shifts in his rhetoric early in the campaign. His positions on the key issues of the economy, Iraq, and immigration are vulnerable, and the debates have exposed those weaknesses.
Ron Paul, on the other hand, consistently wins the debates, and appeals to independent voters while maintaining core conservative values. Even Republican voters who support the war have got to see that McCain will be extremely vulnerable on that issue in a general election.
The real battle for Paul, if he should win Maine, will take place on the TV screen. Although the press has continually ignored successes like his 2nd place finish in Nevada, a win in Maine will be tough to overlook. The need to feed the 24 hour news cycle could work to Paul's advantage, with his name on every cable pundit's lips going into Super Tuesday. Expectations are low for Paul on the big primary date, so even if he wins no other states, but performs well in several, it could build some buzz for him going into the rest of the primary calendar.
McCain would do well not to ignore Dr. Paul's warning shot at the debate. Even if none of this happens, Ron Paul is very well-funded, and he will be around for a long time to come, exposing McCain's weaknesses and drawing at least some of McCain's indie vote. The Senator might want to crack open some of George W. Bush's pristine "Econ 101" textbooks before he tangles with Paul again.
Ron Paul Notes: There's a very in-depth piece from The Cornell Daily Sun that may be of interest to acolytes and neophytes alike, based on a conference call with Dr. Paul.
Call to Action: As many of you know, although I am not a Ron Paul supporter, I do think that he has been treated unfairly by the press, a situation that I have tried, in my own small way, to remedy. At the end of this article, I will post links to some of my other Ron Paul articles. First, though, I want to let you know that I am trying to set up an interview with Dr. Paul this weekend. Right now, his campaign would like to answer my questions via email, but I've asked for a phone interview instead, for a number of reasons, primarily because it will get much more exposure that way.
If you want Ron Paul to speak with me, send his campaign an email, (use this contact form) let them know that I will treat him fairly. I have already sent him my questions via email, so there won't be any surprises. I may not agree with Ron Paul, but he deserves to be heard. If you'd like to suggest interview questions, post them in comments or email me at TommyChristopher@comcast.net
Tommy Links:
Tommy's Facebook | Tommy's Mom, The Lady of Light | The Specious Report | Tommy's Youtube
Update: I am still waiting to hear the Paul campaign's decision. I realize that this is a busy time, but it would be 10 minutes well-spent. They've indicated to me that, at the very least, Dr. Paul will respond to my questions via email, but an interview would be so much better.
These are the questions I submitted to the Paul campaign. If you have any suggestions. let me know.
Your candidacy first entered the spotlight with your position against the Iraq war, particularly in an exchange with Rudy Giuliani at an early debate. How do you feel now that he has dropped out and you are still going strong?
Another hallmark of your campaign is the enormous amount of money you've raised. Why do you think that has not translated into victories in the primaries and caucuses?
Do you see yourself as having any strong geographic support, and where is it?
Do you feel as though your candidacy has been ignored by the mainstream media, and if so, why do you think that is?
There's a video on youtube of Fox News completely ignoring your 2nd place finish in Nevada, and they excluded you from their debate. Do you think their support for Giuliani played into that?
Your position on choice is one that I respect from a personal standpoint. Having said that, how do you reconcile that with the apparent contradiction to your other libertarian views?
As a followup, you are a doctor, don't you think that sort of decision should be between a patient and her doctor?
What is your position on gay marriage?
I have heard your explanation of the contents of your old newsletters, and I wanted to touch on that. What level of responsibility do you take for that?
I studied your platform in some detail, and I found that many of your rationales work perfectly in the abstract, but they assume a level playing field, which we do not have. For example, Affirmative Action. If companies act against their best interests and market forces due to the bigotry of its employees, what corrective is there in Ron Paul's America?
Finally, I'd like to ask you to describe your reaction to John McCain's answer to your question at the CNN debate. Your question stumped me, too, but I'm not running for President.
In closing, many of my readers are fervent Ron Paul supporters and would love to know if you would consider a third party run for president, or if you would ever run at the bottom of a Democratic ticket?
If the Republicans run a pro-war candidate, which all but you are, will you endorse him?
Links to My Ron Paul Articles:
Ron Paul For President...of What?
Don't Dismiss Ron Paul or John Edwards
Ron Paul Annihilates Fred Thompson
Shh! Ron Paul Places 2nd in Nevada
GOP Debate: The Ron Paul Show
Videos of the Week - Updated For Paulites
Ron Paul Report: Rudy Cries 'Uncle'
The National Ledger's Jeff Freeland makes an interesting point on the choice presented to indepenent voters:
He (Ron Paul) shares McCain's hatred for government spending and earmarks, but they are polar opposites when it comes to the war in Iraq.Let's take a quick look around the political Paulscape, after a repeat viewing of a youtube clip that brings this choice into stark relief.
...many believed that Paul showed up McCain in the Florida debates by tripping him up with an economic question that McCain was clueless to answer.
Update: Still waiting...see end of story
The political mood in this country now is one of discontent, with voters across the ideological spectrum craving a change from politics as usual. Republican voters latched on to John McCain after his victory in New Hampshire, but his reputation as a straight-talking maverick has been diminished by shifts in his rhetoric early in the campaign. His positions on the key issues of the economy, Iraq, and immigration are vulnerable, and the debates have exposed those weaknesses.
Ron Paul, on the other hand, consistently wins the debates, and appeals to independent voters while maintaining core conservative values. Even Republican voters who support the war have got to see that McCain will be extremely vulnerable on that issue in a general election.
The real battle for Paul, if he should win Maine, will take place on the TV screen. Although the press has continually ignored successes like his 2nd place finish in Nevada, a win in Maine will be tough to overlook. The need to feed the 24 hour news cycle could work to Paul's advantage, with his name on every cable pundit's lips going into Super Tuesday. Expectations are low for Paul on the big primary date, so even if he wins no other states, but performs well in several, it could build some buzz for him going into the rest of the primary calendar.
McCain would do well not to ignore Dr. Paul's warning shot at the debate. Even if none of this happens, Ron Paul is very well-funded, and he will be around for a long time to come, exposing McCain's weaknesses and drawing at least some of McCain's indie vote. The Senator might want to crack open some of George W. Bush's pristine "Econ 101" textbooks before he tangles with Paul again.
Ron Paul Notes: There's a very in-depth piece from The Cornell Daily Sun that may be of interest to acolytes and neophytes alike, based on a conference call with Dr. Paul.
Call to Action: As many of you know, although I am not a Ron Paul supporter, I do think that he has been treated unfairly by the press, a situation that I have tried, in my own small way, to remedy. At the end of this article, I will post links to some of my other Ron Paul articles. First, though, I want to let you know that I am trying to set up an interview with Dr. Paul this weekend. Right now, his campaign would like to answer my questions via email, but I've asked for a phone interview instead, for a number of reasons, primarily because it will get much more exposure that way.
If you want Ron Paul to speak with me, send his campaign an email, (use this contact form) let them know that I will treat him fairly. I have already sent him my questions via email, so there won't be any surprises. I may not agree with Ron Paul, but he deserves to be heard. If you'd like to suggest interview questions, post them in comments or email me at TommyChristopher@comcast.net
Tommy Links:
Tommy's Facebook | Tommy's Mom, The Lady of Light | The Specious Report | Tommy's Youtube
Update: I am still waiting to hear the Paul campaign's decision. I realize that this is a busy time, but it would be 10 minutes well-spent. They've indicated to me that, at the very least, Dr. Paul will respond to my questions via email, but an interview would be so much better.
These are the questions I submitted to the Paul campaign. If you have any suggestions. let me know.
Your candidacy first entered the spotlight with your position against the Iraq war, particularly in an exchange with Rudy Giuliani at an early debate. How do you feel now that he has dropped out and you are still going strong?
Another hallmark of your campaign is the enormous amount of money you've raised. Why do you think that has not translated into victories in the primaries and caucuses?
Do you see yourself as having any strong geographic support, and where is it?
Do you feel as though your candidacy has been ignored by the mainstream media, and if so, why do you think that is?
There's a video on youtube of Fox News completely ignoring your 2nd place finish in Nevada, and they excluded you from their debate. Do you think their support for Giuliani played into that?
Your position on choice is one that I respect from a personal standpoint. Having said that, how do you reconcile that with the apparent contradiction to your other libertarian views?
As a followup, you are a doctor, don't you think that sort of decision should be between a patient and her doctor?
What is your position on gay marriage?
I have heard your explanation of the contents of your old newsletters, and I wanted to touch on that. What level of responsibility do you take for that?
I studied your platform in some detail, and I found that many of your rationales work perfectly in the abstract, but they assume a level playing field, which we do not have. For example, Affirmative Action. If companies act against their best interests and market forces due to the bigotry of its employees, what corrective is there in Ron Paul's America?
Finally, I'd like to ask you to describe your reaction to John McCain's answer to your question at the CNN debate. Your question stumped me, too, but I'm not running for President.
In closing, many of my readers are fervent Ron Paul supporters and would love to know if you would consider a third party run for president, or if you would ever run at the bottom of a Democratic ticket?
If the Republicans run a pro-war candidate, which all but you are, will you endorse him?
Links to My Ron Paul Articles:
Ron Paul For President...of What?
Don't Dismiss Ron Paul or John Edwards
Ron Paul Annihilates Fred Thompson
Shh! Ron Paul Places 2nd in Nevada
GOP Debate: The Ron Paul Show
Videos of the Week - Updated For Paulites
Ron Paul Report: Rudy Cries 'Uncle'