<!---------------BALL DROPPED: Ron Paul on Slashdot---------------!>

[nullvalu]

yep i agree they definitely dropped the ball on those pathetically short answers.

 

[Greenskin]

I'm sure slashdot members ALREADY know where Ron Paul stands on all those issues.

The campaign can't write several essays for EVERY interview request they receive.

 

[bc2208]

What a bunch of whiners. A quick Google or Youtube search can tell you all you need to know. You say your readers read every line, but only if it's posted on that site? This is a bizarre thread.

 

[Soccrmastr]

Slashdot is just an amazingly popular part of tech culture

 

[Bison]

All RP would have to tell that crowd is that Linux was his religion every one of those geeks would vote for him.

 

[scooter]

Do not underestimate the importance of Slashdot. It was one of the first really big sites on the internet and has a massive audience. I will admit, however, that a huge portion of that audience is not from the USA and therefore wouldn't be a voter anyway.

Still, the campaign should not have taken the time to respond if they didn't have time to give decent answers. I can already tell in the comments that it is unimpressed Slashdot readers vs. Ron Paul supporters doing damage control.

 

[wstrucke]

Who cares? Slashdot isn't very political nor is it as important.

every bit of news coverage RP can get is important. period.

 

[stevenstremciuc]

I'm sure slashdot members ALREADY know where Ron Paul stands on all those issues.

The campaign can't write several essays for EVERY interview request they receive.

A lot of slashdot readers would recognize the name Ron Paul, but you're mistaken if you think they all know where he stands on all the issues. This is the first time a lot of these readers felt directly involved in a conversation with the man and were ready to listen. Slashdot is as much community as tech blog and when someone answers questions to a Slashdot interview members read the answers.

But my point is, Slashdot isn't "just another interview request". If Ron Paul can do a sit down interview with some no name (James Kotecki) in his college dorm room, he can certainly give good lengthy detailed answers to an interview with one of the most popular tech sites of all time.

 

[stevenstremciuc]

What a bunch of whiners. A quick Google or Youtube search can tell you all you need to know. You say your readers read every line, but only if it's posted on that site? This is a bizarre thread.

Actually we're being realistic. Why would someone go and want to read MORE about someone who just left a bad taste in their mouth. You have a pretty bad understanding of human nature if you think that after a piss poor interview, someone who doesn't know much about Ron Paul is going to go spend more time investigating him. The way the world works, and the way you want the world to work, are 2 different things. The sooner you accept and understand this, the better for everyone.

 

[BlutStein]

That could have been done much better. Slashdot is massive when it comes to the internet. The site has so many readers that whenever they link to a new or interesting site, they tend to crash the web servers do to all the traffic they send to the sites.

It has now become an accepted excuse for having your site go down because you were "slashdotted".

 

[jaybone]

The folks that hack diebold machines definitely read slashdot! ;-)
A powerful message in this interview could have won us a whistleblower.
just speculation of course.

 

[theswedishchef]

) Marijuana

I'm a college graduate with a decent job in a technical field. I pay my taxes, my debts are minimal. I get along well with others, and am close to my family. I like to think that I am a good citizen and contribute to society. Yet because I smoke marijuana instead of drinking beer when I come home from work, my government has declared war on me.

My question is this: Do you believe I belong in jail? If so, why? If not, what are you going to do to protect me from being arrested?

Ron Paul campaign:
I oppose federal laws outlawing marijuana and I oppose federal interference with state medical marijuana laws.

this must generate vots =)

 

[Malakai0]

Wow I expected far better questions from /.

I mean, wtf is that. That's all they asked? They asked the only candidate for years to give straight answers why he doesn't give straight answers?


*sigh*

 

[MidnightUT]

I'm severely disappointed with the interview responses. Slashdot is huge in the geek/tech crowd. It reaches millions of readers, and if the slashdot crowd really knew where Ron Paul stood on the issues they'd be his biggest supporters. They've been calling for a presidential candidate exactly like Ron Paul for years, but from reading slashdot comments on past political stories it seems that the MSM blackout and smear tactics are working because the majority of Slashdot readers don't realize Ron Paul is the champion of everything they've been asking for.

I agree that the questions themselves were pretty weak, Slashdot usually does better. However that is no excuse for the weak one sentence responses. For once we had an audience that appreciates well thought out long responses that delve into the details and what do we do? We give them short vague answers. This is a fairly intelligent reader base at large, they enjoy a good well thought out response even if they don't agree with it. The responses given though will probably hurt Ron Paul more than if he didn't respond at all. It either looks like he doesn't care and is blowing them off, or that he doesn't have well thought out stances on the issues. These people pride themselves on their intelligence, and they've all just been insulted.

I don't think Ron Paul even wrote these just by reading them, I'd guess it was someone else in the campaign not realizing the audience they were addressing or how important they were.

If anyone has any contacts with HQ please have them retract these lame responses and let Ron Paul work his magic with the written word.

 

[miketwalker]

If anyone has any contacts with HQ please have them retract these lame responses and let Ron Paul work his magic with the written word.

I agree. I just sent in a thing on the Ron Paul website's contact form. This is a huge problem, if I wasn't at work I'd give them a call. This could give us so many votes today and they let a huge opportunity slip through their hands. If Slashdot was willing to ask interview questions perhaps they'll allow a better response. This is such a massive thing for us that is slipping through our hands and it makes me sad something like this would occur.

 

[seeker1]

well, that's it then.

I dontk now anyone who goes to Slashdot.

must not be an important place even though

"Slashdot has more readers than all but a handful of major daily papers".

 

[seeker1]

I agree with you.

I don't think Ron Paul even wrote these just by reading them, I'd guess it was someone else in the campaign not realizing the audience they were addressing or how important they were.

I didn't sound like Ron Paul at all.

 

[stevenstremciuc]

If Slashdot was willing to ask interview questions perhaps they'll allow a better response.

I'm willing to bet that if the campaign apologized to the readers for the lame answers, and gave actual answers to the questions asked, not only would they post them but a lot of people would be impressed to see a campaign actually responding quickly to criticism and being honest. If anyone has contact information for the right person to contact please pass the message on. For now I am going to contact the campaign through the web site and hope you others will do the same. This is an important chance to get the message out to likely supporters.

 

[BeallCanbe]

The question are disappointing. I would expect more questions around Internet usage, intellectual properties, investment in technology and technical education, etc.

Marijuana use? A question about why not getting straight answers? Are these really the most important questions the technical people care about?

 

[jblosser]

The campaign is working on another take. No promises.