An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

John C. Randolph — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:40:10 GMT

I didn't think that the Berlin Wall could come down in my lifetime. When Ron Paul announced his candidacy, I didn't think that he'd raise a million dollars in funding, either.

The status quo is never a reason to abandon efforts to change it. If you don't want to help, you don't have to, but your smug uselessness is no reason for anyone else to throw in the towel.

-jcr

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Stephen.Cramer — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:37:44 GMT

I understand your reasoning, but at some point, the sleeper, once awakened, must at least attempt to correct the problems now clearly seen. The types of fundamental change needed are difficult for the average work-a-day then watch the plug-in-drug till bed time person to grasp. What I expect from Ron Paul's campaign is involvement in local politics and the beginning of dialog leading to an awakening. Perhaps in 8 - 12 years something will happen as a result of what was begun in the 2008 Presidential campaign.

Ron Paul's campaign: what a waste!

Radical Idealism — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:09:57 GMT

$30 million dollars and countless volunteer hours later, and what has it achieved? Ron Paul is done with

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

CrazyCoot — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:29:19 GMT

The GOP primary race is still wide open. Paul might not win, but I see him lasting longer than some of the front-runners.

Ron Paul Impeach

Ron Paul Impeach — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:17:19 GMT

Pingback from Ron Paul Impeach

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

GKells — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:32:07 GMT

By the way, I agree with you in regards to supporting educational organizations. there's no reason you can't do that and support and vote for the person or party that best represents your ideology.

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

GKells — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:27:11 GMT

I guess if you put it that way, I'll just vote for whoever has the best chance of winning and then adapt my ideology to fit theirs. We have a responsibility to vote as we believe. For years I've voted Libertarian and have seen a steady increase in Libertarian candidates winning local elections as a result of myself and countless others voting according to our ideals. It may be a long road, but someday we will be represented as long as we make our voice heard. Voting for a candidate that you are opposed to just because you don't feel your candidate can win, perpetuates a two party system that will never represent the majority of our people accurately. That's exactly what the established two parties would want, thanks for putting an intellectual spin to a pro-establishment idea. If Ron Paul gets the nomination I will vote for a mainstream candidate for the first time proudly. The fact that he's there and has drawn as much support as he has shows me that none of my past votes have been wasted.

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Mike — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 04:03:23 GMT

Ron Paul my not be perfect, but he is the candidate who best represents my views. Who else would I vote for?

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Steve1776 — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:21:07 GMT

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” - John Quincy Adams

A vote for the lesser of two evils is a vote for evil. - Steve1776.

When I stand before God I don't want to explain why I voted for evil.

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Ron — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:54:20 GMT

Yes, we libertarians are in a tough spot when it comes time for elections. We always have to make a choice between several less-than-optimal options: 1) Vote your conscience, probably for a candidate who has very little chance of winning, 2) vote for the least evil candidate who actually has a chance of winning, effectively only voting <b>against</b> the worst candidate, or 3) refrain from voting at all because it's basically a waste of time and only buys into what is already a broken process.

Personally, I've chosen the first option. To me, Ron Paul is more than just the underdog in the presidential race. He presents an opportunity for me to point to someone well-known and say, "See? I'm not the only one who understands and believes in these principles."

I don't agree with all his policy viewpoints, so no, he isn't the ideal candidate for me, but I deeply respect the man's convictions, his consistency, and his love for true liberty. He has my vote, and though it would be a great step forward in advancing the ideals of liberty if he were to win even a single primary, to me that's not the point. With Ron Paul, the message is out there, and it's got a lot of people thinking. I consider that a victory in and of itself.

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

IrishOutlaw — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:12:46 GMT

LOL, I am going to start telling budding webmasters that the best way to generate traffic to their site would be to post something even remotely anti-Ron Paul.

But as too your blog, could you imagine what libertarians could do with $18 million dollars?

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Brainpolice — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:59:04 GMT

Sigh.

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Scriven — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:34:24 GMT

Oooh! You are totally right.... what the HELL was I thinking to support Ron Paul. Mike Huckabee is probably gonna win the nomination so I would be a fool not to vote for him!

What do I get for winning?

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Haigh — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:27:13 GMT

No one individual or organization has done more to educate the current American public, particularly the young about free markets, banking, foreign policy, and the constitution than Ron Paul.

Regardless of polls, votes, or election outcomes his impact will be long lasting. In twenty years many will point to the candidacy of Ron Paul as a turning point in their political outlook.

The political process in the hands of an able communicator is an effective means for educating the many about liberty. Americans are energized by a contest. Passion and energy drive learning.

re: An open letter to Ron Paul fans on the limitations of radical political candidates

Daniel Pye — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:12:09 GMT

I think the reason you're seeing so much vitriol from Ron Paul supporters is that many of them are seldom active in politics, and many hail from the half of the populace that doesn't vote in presidential elections.

When you only find a candidate you can back once in a generation, you tend to go at it with a bit more piss and vinegar. To tell the truth, I've seen more bile spilt from the anti-Paul brigades than anywhere else.

In any case, you've correctly assessed that nobody knows what the hell Ron Paul has tapped into, nor how large its gonna get. So there's a lot more interesting questions right now than 'what are you gonna do when the wheels come off'?