Be the 5 Percent.

[Acala]

I am going to be listening to what Ron Paul says. And I will be watching what the delegates do after the convention, since I see them as the core of the movement at the moment. But my inclination at the moment is to write in Ron Paul.

 

[sailingaway]

My sentiments exactly. We've got a lot of energy. Lets not waste it.

We need to sail on, sailingaway. I love your enthusiasm. It is unmatched. But we need to direct this into something positive, not self defeating.

I think we will each direct our own vote in our own preferred direction. You are certainly welcome to do with yours as you wish.

I don't consider my writing in Ron Paul self defeating but the best representation of my views.

 

[Acala]

Justin isn't exactly perfect either. Perhaps outside of the aura of this Forum, neither is Ron Paul. I don't think we should just stop at voting for Gary, or just stop at infiltrating the GOP, we have the numbers to completely overwhelm, consume, and route the libertarian party and its platform outright. Why not?

I believe destiny is a divided GOP, eventually a split GOP, and many defectors. In the meantime, we have the numbers to overwhelm the LP.

We need a home for our ideas for when our ideas are not represented.

In some ways, members of the GOP will always be complete opposites to us. How does a party survive that can't agree on a direction or a purpose of government? How do we completely turn a war-loving party into a non-interventionist one? How do we turn a corporatist statist message into a fairness and liberty one? Let us by all means continue to try. But there's nothing stopping us from doing BOTH.

I'll continue to vote LP. But I'm going to take advantage of these Michigan rules and turn delegate for the GOP in a couple years. Nothing is stopping me.

Perhaps Gary is no Ron Paul, we are all aware, He at least occupies the same planet. Perhaps the LP is full of bad apples. Displace them too.

The Libertarian party has a long history of losing. I know because I ran for Congress on the L ticket. And lost. That was a long time ago and they have been losing ever since. Essentially every race, every time. Not only that, but, ironically for the party of principle, they make some really questionable nominations.

Unfortunately, losing every election for thirty years tends to taint the brand. It will be much better, although much more difficult, to take over a winning brand.

 

[libertariantexas]

I am a libertarian but lately the bob Barr- Wayne Allan root - Reason types do not appeal to me and come across as arrogant or uncharasmatic in a pastey white guy way to the mainstream.

So you don't like Libertarians because they are boring, pastey white guys?

I guess when you compare those Libertarians to the abundant charisma, savage tan, and rugged good looks of Ron Paul, that makes sense?

Ron Paul is a boring, pastey white guy who is a libertarian/Libertarian with great ideas- you know, like those Libertarians you mock (including many of us on these forums).

 

[lakefx]

Unfortunately, losing every election for thirty years tends to taint the brand. It will be much better, although much more difficult, to take over a winning brand.

They lose to the system carefully designed to keep them out until extraordinary circumstances fall into their lap. And blame them?

 

[KEEF]

I am just as pissed at the GOP as everyone else, and my heart tells me to write in Ron Paul. At the same time though if I vote for Johnson (who stands with me far more than the Obamabidenromneyryan monstrousity) I help make ballot accessibility more accessable to other third parties which is good since the two party system is one in the same.

I guess I have from now and November to think about it.

 

[sailingaway]

They lose to the system carefully designed to keep them out until extraordinary circumstances fall into their lap. And blame them?

I don't. When they start running candidates like Browne again, let me know.

I blame them for becoming GOP - lite. Not necessarily at the lower levels, where I take each candidate separately, however.

 

[rich34]

Didn't you already say that in the thread you started today on this same subject? I'm going to have to start moving these to opposing candidates again, in lack of anywhere else to put them, if they keep being this frequent in Ron's forum. Raising a topic is one thing, spamming people not here for that is something else.

You're busted!

 

[shane77m]

I have been thinking about what to do now. Continue with voting republican and supporting liberty candidates or going third party. The choices here in Bama are few and far in between for liberty candidates.

Running for local office is a noble thing but the problem is the masses don't want liberty. They want a democrat or republican to swaddle them and tell them everything will be alright. They are terrified by terrorists under every bed that want to bomb half the world. They talk about liberty but in the end all they are all statist's that want to control your life and legislate your morality. Changing the hearts and minds of the masses is what needs to take place.

Watching the events at this convention it seems like trying to change the republican party might be a futile objective. Liberty lovers get delegates and they get stripped by the powers that be. The rules are instantly changed and made up as they go. Seems hard to fight that.

I have been planning on writing in RP if he is not the nominee but the more I think about it though I think I will go GJ.

 

[francisco]

BTW, before you dismiss Libertarians out of hand, you might want to consider that a large part of Ron's support comes from Libertarians- those of us who crossed over to the GOP to support him, and others who stayed in the LP, but still vigorously supported Dr. Paul in the primaries.

QFT.

For my part, I intend to work within the Republican party after the election to change it from within to be a mainstream Liberty party. The possibility of that happening should not be easily dismissed. Parties evolve. The Christian right, social conservatives, and neocons have all in turn gone from dissed and dismissed small factions to major wings that cannot be ignored. Now it can be the turn for the Liberty wing to achieve true power, but only if we work for it.

I need to emphasize after the election. After the Romney power grab at the convention, there is no way I can work for the national ticket of the Republicans. Romney must pay for his perfidy. The best, most visible way we can do that as a movement is to concentrate our power and vote for GJ. He is not perfect (and we should not delude ourselves, will not win) but he is the closest to our views and most importantly bears the Libertarian label.

 

[lakefx]

I have been thinking about what to do now. Continue with voting republican and supporting liberty candidates or going third party. The choices here in Bama are few and far in between for liberty candidates.

As per my argument, the two choices are not mutually exclusive. If you don't have a Liberty Replubican to vote for, vote for a Libertarian, or Constitution party. Nominate yourself, whatever you have to do.

I forget who said it best, recently. If you don't have a liberty person to vote for, become one.

 

[rich34]

So you don't like Libertarians because they are boring, pastey white guys?

I guess when you compare those Libertarians to the abundant charisma, savage tan, and rugged good looks of Ron Paul, that makes sense?

Ron Paul is a boring, pastey white guy who is a libertarian/Libertarian with great ideas- you know, like those Libertarians you mock (including many of us on these forums).

I think you missed his point and going in the complete opposite direction of the intent he/she was trying to put across. Is this my wife?

 

[krazy kaju]

Check out this thread: The Johnson Deception

 

[unknown]

Gary Johnson's not a bad guy but hes no Ron Paul, no one is.

Ron Paul gets my vote.

 

[truthspeaker]

All this argumentation about who to vote for is nauseating. You're more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to change the course of the national election (no, this isn't hyperbole but an actual statistic). Real change doesn't occur in the general election. It occurs by staying active before and after the general election in any and every capacity possible.

LET'S BE THE FIVE PERCENT THAT REMAINS ACTIVE AFTER THE ELECTION AND TAKES OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BY BOOTING OUT THE PARTY INSIDERS IN OUR RESPECTIVE STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES​

I second Kaju.


On another note--am I missing something? What is the big deal with 5% Why 5?

 

[DrHendricks]

I totally agree with this thread. I love RP and he's the sole reason for bringing me into the liberty movement, but I just can't believe he would want us to use our votes to write him in when in many states it doesn't even count. I believe he would want us to vote tactfully to do as much harm to the Establishment GOP. There's no better way to do that then voting 3rd party. Barring any unforseen circumstances, I will be placing my vote for Johnson in November and I urge all of you to do the same.

 

[1stAmendguy]

It's worth it for a protest vote above all, but I still haven't made up my mind.

 

[lakefx]

On another note--am I missing something? What is the big deal with 5% Why 5?

It's and important first step to going mainstream.

http://www.sparknotes.com/us-govern...n-government/political-parties/section3.rhtml

 

[WesSeid]

We are more than 5%, and I for one am not drawn to Johnson in the slightest.

He says he wants to end The Fed, end the IRS, end Afghanistan, end nation building, end the police state, end the spending, end the Patriot Act, end the NDAA, and you're not drawn to him in the slightest?

What's a guy got to do to get a vote around here?

Hell, if Obama or Romney said they would end even ONE of those things, (and if I believed them), I might have a real hard time not voting for them.

They lose to the system carefully designed to keep them out until extraordinary circumstances fall into their lap. And blame them?

If everyone votes for Gary Johnson just this once, and it puts the Libertarian Party on the map, if that Ron Paul guy who ran as a Libertarian in 1988 was running in 2016, he might just have a chance to win.

Before someone says how Ron won't run as a Libertarian in 2016, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if "a Gary Johnson" back in 1984 had the kind of support he could have now, that 1988 Ron Paul guy might have had a chance to win.

Gary Johnson's Paul Fest speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLN5NBZ5KU

Be Libertarian for one election. One election.

 

[mport1]

GJ, unlike Ron Paul, is not a libertarian. I can't in good conscious support his campaign. Is he much better than Romney and Obama? Absolutely. But the Libertarian Party is about spreading the message of liberty, not winning elections. He is not the right person to do that.