If Rand re-enters the race, he is selling his soul to the establishment

[willwash]

Rand will not win the presidency. Mitt Romney went on record yesterday saying the establishment strategy is to prevent Trump from reaching 1,237 delegates and stealing the election in a brokered convention. If Rand jumps back into the race after that diatribe came out of Romney's mouth, it means he's been promised some scrap from the establishment table and he's playing inside baseball with the neocons. He'll win like 8 delegates and immediately disappear. Maybe it's enough to stop Trump...maybe not. Either way it'll be pretty clear what he's doing.

Whether you support Donald Trump or vehemently oppose him, you should not support Rand re-entering the race. Not anymore, given what Romney just said.

Seriously. If you support Rand re-entering the race, you are not only supporting the neocons, you are supporting Rand selling out to the neocons. There is no way that is a good move for liberty long-term. Collins probably thinks it's a good idea, but as for everyone else, don't fall for it.

 

[orafi]

Rand will not win the presidency. Mitt Romney went on record yesterday saying the establishment strategy is to prevent Trump from reaching 1,237 delegates and stealing the election in a brokered convention. If Rand jumps back into the race after that diatribe came out of Romney's mouth, it means he's been promised some scrap from the establishment table and he's playing inside baseball with the neocons. He'll win like 8 delegates and immediately disappear. Maybe it's enough to stop Trump...maybe not. Either way it'll be pretty clear what he's doing.

Whether you support Donald Trump or vehemently oppose him, you should not support Rand re-entering the race. Not anymore, given what Romney just said.

Seriously. If you support Rand re-entering the race, you are not only supporting the neocons, you are supporting Rand selling out to the neocons. There is no way that is a good move for liberty long-term. Collins probably thinks it's a good idea, but as for everyone else, don't fall for it.

Rand would probably punish Cruz more than Trump and that would be good for Trump.

 

[WTLaw]

Sounds like you are thinking of someone entering the GOP nomination race. That ship has indeed sailed. Nobody entering now would win outright, and so you are looking at a contested convention, and that is undoable for any libertarian. They would prefer Mitt if they got into their vulgar power mode.


Here is what needs to happen; this is the greatest opportunity in my lifetime to see a libertarian candidate prosper. Any other election might have been a waste of time, but this time it is imperative. Ballot access defines the rules of this race at this point. Whomever the 3rd party candidate will be, he has to run as a libertarian (thus foreclosing the bloomberg type run)....

Currently, we have Gary Johnson, Austen Petersen, McAffee. I really am not excited about those options because they lack that crossover appeal. Gary just has a whiny voice, and seems to think summitting everest makes him sound presidential. Peterson is too young, especially cause his resume is media related. McAffee seems antisocial or weird or something.* (If thats all we get, I will prefer any of them but in order to win, the LP needs to do better)

We need a pragmatic, likable, reasonable sounding libertarian candidate now. We have to draft one, either Amash, Massie.. I dont know about Mike Lee, seems more conservative with a little liberty streak, but we cant be overwhelmingly picky like libertarians usually are. It has to be someone who can tempt both potential Hillary and Trump voters, the idea is the libertarian is going to have to run right down the middle, and yet between two authoritarians....

People are going to get desperate this summer. So, we just need a plausible voice. One who even defers on some questions. This isnt so much a policy election for everyone else. But it is so important. Someone, draft Amash or Massie now!

 

[WTLaw]

PS, Rand would have been a good choice, but at this point, we need him as a Senator to withstand the winds that look like they will blow across washington. Also, he pledged not to run 3rd party, and probably needs to honor that. I even thought about the elder gentleman from Texas running one last time, if he ran as a libertarian, it would certainly turn heads, although I know the Paul family has probably had enough to worry about....

 

[Dianne]

PS, Rand would have been a good choice, but at this point, we need him as a Senator to withstand the winds that look like they will blow across washington. Also, he pledged not to run 3rd party, and probably needs to honor that. I even thought about the elder gentleman from Texas running one last time, if he ran as a libertarian, it would certainly turn heads, although I know the Paul family has probably had enough to worry about....

I agree we need him as a Senator. He needs to stay out of this dog fight.

 

[cajuncocoa]

It's a moot point anyway. He won't re-enter the race, so there's no point in playing this game.

 

[specsaregood]

It's a moot point anyway. He won't re-enter the race, so there's no point in playing this game.

are you kidding? if Randal woke up this morning and his hair was mussed to the left, it means he sold his soul during the night and now will get in the race just to stop one evil douchebag from winning over another evil douchebag.

 

[timosman]

Rand will not win the presidency. Mitt Romney went on record yesterday saying the establishment strategy is to prevent Trump from reaching 1,237 delegates and stealing the election in a brokered convention. If Rand jumps back into the race after that diatribe came out of Romney's mouth, it means he's been promised some scrap from the establishment table and he's playing inside baseball with the neocons. He'll win like 8 delegates and immediately disappear. Maybe it's enough to stop Trump...maybe not. Either way it'll be pretty clear what he's doing.

Whether you support Donald Trump or vehemently oppose him, you should not support Rand re-entering the race. Not anymore, given what Romney just said.

Seriously. If you support Rand re-entering the race, you are not only supporting the neocons, you are supporting Rand selling out to the neocons. There is no way that is a good move for liberty long-term. Collins probably thinks it's a good idea, but as for everyone else, don't fall for it.

Are you paranoid? Did you have a bad dream? -rep

 

[CPUd]

Is this a real thread?

 

[erowe1]

What in the world is behind the OP?

 

[Thor]

What in the world is behind the OP?

I thought the same thing.... then saw this:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...-un-suspend-campaign-if-NH-paper-endorses-him

and this:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...usses-2016-presidential-race-Fox-Business-3-2

and this:

There are 'Return of Rand" t-shirts on his website.

https://store.randpaul.com/index.php/return-of-the-rand.html

However, the whole thing has been a circus... so I could see the main attraction showing up later... I would have no problem with him re-entering, even if he did "sell his soul" as it is just playing the game...

 

[erowe1]

I thought the same thing.... then saw this:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...-un-suspend-campaign-if-NH-paper-endorses-him

and this:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...usses-2016-presidential-race-Fox-Business-3-2

and this:






However, the whole thing has been a circus... so I could see the main attraction showing up later... I would have no problem with him re-entering, even if he did "sell his soul" as it is just playing the game...

That NH paper thing was obviously a joke.

If Rand wanted to accrue delegates as a losing candidate to trade for something at a brokered convention, he would have never dropped out. He's not going to re-enter. And if he did, there would be nothing for "the establishment" to gain from his doing it.

 

[Thor]

That NH paper thing was obviously a joke.

If Rand wanted to accrue delegates as a losing candidate to trade for something at a brokered convention, he would have never dropped out. He's not going to re-enter. And if he did, there would be nothing for "the establishment" to gain from his doing it.

Agreed and agreed... but if he somehow came back, I would support it...

 

[willwash]

And if he did, there would be nothing for "the establishment" to gain from his doing it.

Not according to Romney. By his own admission, any delegate won by any candidate other than Trump is what he and the establishment wants.

As to the whole "Rand would have stayed in if that were the strategy" thing...this didn't become the establishment strategy until yesterday.

 

[erowe1]

Not according to Romney. By his own admission, any delegate won by any candidate other than Trump is what he and the establishment wants.

As to the whole "Rand would have stayed in if that were the strategy" thing...this didn't become the establishment strategy until yesterday.

It's what everybody other than Trump wants. But when the establishment talks about "any candidate other than Trump," they're not including Rand Paul.

 

[Thor]

Liberty News Now: GOP Elites Mounting Third Party Takeover To Stop Trump

http://www.libertynewsnow.com/gop-elites-mounting-third-party-takeover-to-stop-trump/article3662

A la Rand?

 

[Jordan Liberty]

Dunno where the OP got the idea from that Rand will re-enter, but I agree with most of us here that Rand needs to focus on the Senate. If the liberty movement want to truly make a splash at a possible brokered convention, we need to use that stealth delegate strategy that was discussed 4 years ago. Having said that, it would take a lot of coordinating to pull off. I don't think that strategy is at all possible, but damn do I love dreaming of the possibility.

Our best bet would be the elder Paul running on the Libertarian ticket. He has the appeal to draw voters away from the GOP and Democrats. He will attract independents and some Bernie supporters. However, this scenario is also unlikely as WTLaw pointed out. Out of the three frontrunning Libertarian candidates, I like McAfee the most. He has a personality that draws attention. He has a great speaking voice that is firm and to the point. As much as I want to vote for Rand in the primary here in California, I recently registered as a Libertarian so that I can vote for McAfee to be the LP nominee.

 

[Chieppa1]

But the t-shirt...

 

[dannno]

It's what everybody other than Trump wants. But when the establishment talks about "any candidate other than Trump," they're not including Rand Paul.

That's the whole point.. they will never let Rand win, but they would rather he get 20 delegates or so and push Trump out of the nomination than give Rand the small handful (or 1?) he has currently.

 

[erowe1]

That's the whole point.. they will never let Rand win, but they would rather he get 20 delegates or so and push Trump out of the nomination than give Rand the small handful (or 1?) he has currently.

What would Rand do with those delegates, and what would he get out of it? Nothing that Max Boot et al would like.

His delegates could just as much end up supporting Trump in the final roll call as they could a neoconservative, or maybe would never go for either.

If Rand had some negotiating leverage like that, it would be a good thing as far as I'm concerned. But I don't think the RNC would see it that way.