Difference between 2008 and 2012: Will democrats cross party lines to support Ron Paul?

[Gumba of Liberty]

In 2008 democrats had their own primary elections to worry about. They were not as interested in the Republican debates because they had their own battles to fight in their own party. In 2008 Mike Gravel's campaign was compared to Paul's and it made for an easy right-left fringe paradigm that permeated the campaign and made Ron look fringe in the eyes of democrats that have never heard his message.

The 2012 campaign is much different.

Democrats have no primary. They are stuck with Obama no matter how much they kick and scream. The only way that die hard progressive politicos can participate in primary elections is to take interest in the Republican debates. When you have a candidate like Ron Paul who states on national television that he wants to bring all the troops home, legalize drugs at the federal level, and restore civil liberties I can see a mass of liberals moving to the Republican Party just to vote for Paul in the primary. I was watching the debate with my liberal friends who said they were so impressed with Paul on social issue and foreign policy that they are moving over. We did not have this support in 2008 and this will make a much bigger impact than people think. Talk to your liberal friends and tell them to watch the debates. We can do this.

 

[JohnGalt1225]

It's possible. Partisan Democrats will likely stay put, or vote for the worst Republican they can think of to wreak havoc. But I think true, honest progressives of the Kuicinich/Nader persuasion might be convinced.

 

[Eric21ND]

We can't hold our collective breath on dems crossing party lines to vote for Ron Paul in any large numbers. It's unrealistic and a waste of resources.

 

[RileyE104]

In 2008 democrats had their own primary elections to worry about. They were not as interested in the Republican debates because they had their own battles to fight in their own party

This is grossly wrong... Democrats infiltrated Republican primaries in order to vote for John McCain.

Their intentions were to hurt the GOP.

However, if they infiltrated again in order to vote for Ron Paul, I'm all for it.

 

[Gumba of Liberty]

This is grossly wrong... Democrats infiltrated Republican primaries in order to vote for John McCain.

Their intentions were to hurt the GOP.

However, if they infiltrated again in order to vote for Ron Paul, I'm all for it.

Lets be real, big-government Neo-Conservative Democrats hijacked the GOP years ago. Lets not cry that their were a few partisan democrats in 2008 that thought they could "mess" with the GOP ticket, their "screw the GOP and the country" movement is not about to go viral, partisanship is waning and people are really looking for answers. I want Progressive Democrats (anti-war, pro-civil liberties) who truly care about this country to vote for Paul in the primaries. Primary elections can swing on a few thousand votes and we can use all the votes we can get. This is not an exercise in futility, it is an extremely effective way to bring more voters to Paul's side. All you have to do is tell your liberal friends to watch the debates. Ron can take it from there.

 

[sailingaway]

Maybe, also some independents might be more desperate and willing to do so, particularly now that they watched some of Ron's predictions come true.

 

[TNforPaul45]

no

 

[qh4dotcom]

We can't hold our collective breath on dems crossing party lines to vote for Ron Paul in any large numbers. It's unrealistic and a waste of resources.

Well I guess the problem is that they can't vote as registered Democrats in a closed Republican primary...they would have to get themselves registered as Republicans and go through the hassle of filling out a form and mail it, especially in the closed primary states....but it's worth the try anyway

 

[bb_dg]

It seems that winning the primary may be harder than winning the general election.

 

[Alawn]

It seems that winning the primary may be harder than winning the general election.

That has always been the case. Last time around it was definitely true.

 

[Badger Paul]

As with all things, if RP shows he can be a winner with a good result in the Iowa Straw Poll, then I think such Dems who want to send a message on the war or foreign policy can be encouraged to join our cause in the fall.

People who sympathize with his views but don't think he can win will support him if they think he has chance. That's the barrier we have to break.

 

[Southron]

I don't expect this will happen in large numbers. Abortion seems to always be a killer issue.

 

[qh4dotcom]

I don't expect this will happen in large numbers. Abortion seems to always be a killer issue.

They can cross party lines to vote for pro-choice Gary Johnson then

 

[AdamT]

They will more than likely vote for Sortoro again.

 

[AuH20]

They have too much invested with Soetero to simply let him wither away. This blind devotion brings a smile to my face. They're all chained to the deck of the Titanic.

 

[KurtBoyer25L]

I don't even know who Soetoro is. But YES! we sure need those democrats and independents.How many people on RPF were registered, primary-voting GOP in 2004?

Those that say it's a waste of time don't consider that we've campaigned to Republicans hardcore for five years and 36% of NH registered Republicans still plan to vote for Mitt flippin' Romney. Talk about head vs. wall.

 

[cindy25]

if they can, yes; but not all primaries are open, and some are only open to independents. and don't assume Obama will be unopposed.

 

[Golding]

My counterargument is that in 2008, people were generally looking at the Republican and Democrat fields to assess both who their "guy" would be, as well as their potential "enemy". With both sides in flux, it was a more open opportunity to get people to listen to what was being said. The fact that Ron Paul was the only anti-war Republican helped distinguish him from the rest. I'm certain many registered Democrats who had become ambivalent with politics up to that point (like myself, for example) made the switch in 2008 in order to support him. I'm not as certain that we'll see so much of that this time around.

This year, Democrats already have established who their "guy" is, and are looking for ways that their president can be defended, for better or for worse. I think this is more of a prime year to educate more neoconservative Republicans why their policies have made them and their candidates national pariahs, and why the real limited government practices that Ron Paul talks about is a more authentic description of "conservatism" than what we have seen from recent GOP presidencies.

 

[Matt Collins]

SOURCE:
​

http://ronpaultrainer.blogspot.com/2011/04/introduction-to-campaigning-for-ron.html

Campaigning for Ron Paul 2012


So, do you want to be involved to some degree in the upcoming Ron Paul campaign?
If so, here are the basics that you need to learn and don't skip the 6 Essential Rules
of campaigning at the bottom of this note.



1. This campaign will not be won on facebook, gasp!
You will need to get involved with your local Republican party, another gasp!
After all, you will be campaigning first for the Republican nomination. Hence,
you will need to convince actual blue haired old ladies, who only watch Fox News,
that they should vote for the Champion of the Constitution. Yes, it can be done.



2. Find or start your local Meetup group for Ron Paul.
Go explore here: http://www.meetup.com/
(Careful, there might be several groups--some defunct.)



Events

I won't bore you too much in this note, but there are 3 major events you need to plan for.
They involve traveling to Iowa and maybe even New Hampshire. While you probably won't
be able to vote for Dr. Paul at these events. The friends you will meet and the lessons you
will learn about campaigning will change your life. If you plan now, you can ask off work
and adjust your schedule. Don't worry about food and lodging--there will be so many
projects for funding all of that.



Make plans now to attend the Iowa Straw Poll this coming August 13th.

August 13, 2011 - Ames, IA
Ames Straw Poll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Straw_Poll



Later your help will be put into practice during the Iowa Caucus in January? of 2012 or
in New Hampshire. If you are serious about this, just plan now to spend Christmas in
Iowa or New Hampshire.



Okay, here's the important part. The key to being a good campaigner for a political
candidate involves cultivating a basic understanding of marketing and sales. By the way,
it is possible to keep your moral integrity through this process--but it is a tricky, no doubt.
You should never lie and misrepresent the truth--but this doesn't mean you bury your head
in the sand and not learn how TO SELL.



Canvassing is the process by which you interact with an individual, qualify that they are
a likely voter and persuade them to support the candidate you are representing.
The overarching principle to learn is to never show your cards before they show
you their cards. You need to know how to best approach each individual you speak with.



Here are 6 rules to guide you when selling your candidate:

1. Don't make your issue their issue.
2. Don't get into debates.
3. Don't go down rabbit holes.
4. Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know."
5. Don't trash-talk other candidates.
6. When you make a sale, stop selling.

I could write a couple paragraphs on each of these points, but I'll leave it at this for now...
And, wow, number 4 is profound! I'm considering adding a final step of "asking for a
commitment." If you've sold someone on your idea or candidate, you need to involve them
in an action that they can take to fulfill their verbal commitment.
This list was inspired by a video about campaigning for Ron Paul found here:

http://youtu.be/Ib1EEFzRqW4

That's all for tonight.

Aaron
Contact him here: [email protected]

 

[RM918]

Unlikely. They're in full 'RAH RAH BLUE TEAM!' mode, even the ones that know Obama stabbed them in the back are too well-trained to hate the other side to consider it.