If Ron Paul wins Maine...

[Keith and stuff]

Oh I agree it is important to win. Just don'e expect fireworks to go off if he does. This won't get the coverage that the other contests have gotten. It just isn't made for TV like IA, NH and SC is.

I agree that in general, ME isn't considered that important to the media when it comes to primaries/caucuses. Sure, NH is the most important. Sure, the ME results were partly ignored last time around. Sure, ME has the most disorganized and confusing caucus system. Sure, the results may change after they are announced on Saturday because the voting will not finish on Saturday.

However, both Romney and Ron Paul are trying hard to win in ME. It is very important to both of those campaigns. Media figures are saying it is very crucial to both of those campaign. A 3rd place finish by either campaign in ME would be devastating. A 2nd place finish by either campaign (unless it was a very close match-up) would also hurt both campaigns in the eyes of the media. Also, think about donations, if Paul wins this his supporters are encouraged and his donations go up. If Paul loses, watch for lots of people on this forum to go crazy.

 

[tbone717]

anyone who doesn't think it's a big deal, wait till paul gets 2nd and then you'll find out how big a deal it was.

Oh if Romney wins it will get coverage because it will be seen as a comeback. It's more of a news story that way. If Paul wins it won't get the coverage. Part of it is a media blackout and part of it is the fact that Paul is not part of the narrative. I'd venture to guess that if Newt were to win, it wouldn't get the coverage either because he really isn't as much of a part of the story as he was two weeks ago. If Paul would have won NV, MN and/or CO, Maine would be a bigger story for Paul. Bias aside, the MSM loves ratings and if it's a good story they run with it.

 

[tbone717]

I agree that in general, ME isn't considered that important to the media when it comes to primaries/caucuses. Sure, NH is the most important. Sure, the ME results were partly ignored last time around. Sure, ME has the most disorganized and confusing caucus system. Sure, the results may change after they are announced on Saturday because the voting will not finish on Saturday.

However, both Romney and Ron Paul are trying hard to win in ME. It is very important to both of those campaigns. Media figures are saying it is very crucial to both of those campaign. A 3rd place finish by either campaign in ME would be devastating. A 2nd place finish by either campaign (unless it was a very close match-up) would also hurt both campaigns in the eyes of the media. Also, think about donations, if Paul wins this his supporters are encouraged and his donations go up. If Paul loses, watch for lots of people on this forum to go crazy.

Right but I'd wager dollars to donuts that most people in this country have no clue that Maine is caucusing right now nor do they care. The only people that care about this race are those of us who will sit there tomorrow night refreshing the Google elections result page cheering on the votes as Aroostook County reports

 

[mczerone]

It's the Free State Project. NH isn't a liberty haven yet, it was just selected because it was the most likely to be receptive to CHANGE. If you don't like how it's going - and it's going well from what I see - come up with something better for us to work on.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

 

[Sarge]

Ron can do his own media coverage to the Nation, on Face the Nation Sunday, if he wins Maine. We need this win.

 

[Johncjackson]

Crunch the numbers all you want, but they chose John McCain and Mitt Romney over Ron Paul in consecutive primaries. There's good, informed people everywhere, but there is nothing special about New Hampshire and the whole idea of them being anymore of a 'Free State' than anywhere else is BS.

A significant % of free people don't vote and/or generally disregard the government and political process. There are multiple routes and beliefs as far as freedom goes. You are criticizing a group of people based on the actions of STATIST establishment Republicans in their midst? The Republican nor Democrat parties are significantly "free" in any locale that participates in their statist activities. Duh.

 

[Keith and stuff]

A significant % of free people don't vote and/or generally disregard the government and political process. There are multiple routes and beliefs as far as freedom goes. You are criticizing a group of people based on the actions of STATIST establishment Republicans in their midst? The Republican nor Democrat parties are significantly "free" in any locale that participates in their statist activities. Duh.

You make very good points. However, a much larger share of the population does vote for freedom in NH than in other states. For example, there are around 90 libertarian state reps in NH, perhaps as many as all other states combined.

Let's look at the Ron Paul numbers. A much higher percentage of the population voted for Ron Paul in NH than anywhere else, and that doesn't even include the 1000s of people that voted for Ron Paul in the NH Democratic Primary. Ron Paul received the next highest percentage of the population voting for him in SC. However, Paul received a 70% boost in the polls in SC because of his success in NH. If it wasn't for the great success in NH, Paul might not have even broken the 1% amount in SC (or any other state for that matter.)
Highest percentage of total population voting for RP, by state:
1. NH: 4.3%
2. SC: 1.7%
3. Iowa: 0.9%
4. FL: 0.6%
5. MO: 0.5%
6. MN: 0.3%
7. NV: 0.2%
8. CO: 0.2%

 

[Keith and stuff]

Oh if Romney wins it will get coverage because it will be seen as a comeback. It's more of a news story that way. If Paul wins it won't get the coverage. Part of it is a media blackout and part of it is the fact that Paul is not part of the narrative. I'd venture to guess that if Newt were to win, it wouldn't get the coverage either because he really isn't as much of a part of the story as he was two weeks ago. If Paul would have won NV, MN and/or CO, Maine would be a bigger story for Paul. Bias aside, the MSM loves ratings and if it's a good story they run with it.

Fox News is reporting on ME

Romney could face fourth straight loss
zzz.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/10/romney-could-face-fourth-straight-loss/
By Chris Stirewalt
Published February 10, 2012

Remember, There's Maine

"I think I have a natural connection with the people of Maine. Mainers tend to be fiscally conservative, and as governor of a state next door, Massachusetts, they know that I was the guy that balanced the budget all four years and lowered taxes 19 times. So I think I've got a good chance of getting support from our friends in Maine."

-- Mitt Romney in an interview with WCSH of Portland, Maine.

This weekend, Romney will box with Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the only other candidate to seriously contest Maine's straw poll.

Paul, who is passing up the Conservative Political Action Convention in Washington today to head directly to Maine, is on very favorable turf for the same reason Romney finds himself at a disadvantage. You've got to be a passionate supporter to make your voice heard in a non-binding straw poll held in a stranger's house on a February night in Maine. Does that sound more like a Paulista or a Romneyite?

But Romney is refusing to let Maine go without a fight and has started airing commercials there and will head to the Black Bear State immediately after his speech at CPAC today.

 

[Sovereign Curtis]

Is the Free State Project in NH then a joke?

Idk. Maybe you should ask some people with the Maine campaign if they felt the help provided by NH activists wasn't necessary/needed/influential.

 

[bluesc]

"If Ron Paul wins ****.."

Every. Damn. Time.

No, it isn't over. It's still an awesome project.

 

[Keith and stuff]

Idk. Maybe you should ask some people with the Maine campaign if they felt the help provided by NH activists wasn't necessary/needed/influential.

I know some NH supporters are going back to ME on Saturday to help out. It seems like that's the story every weekend. Remember this, lol. Thank you Curtis for helping in ME!
NH Ron Paul Supporters Occupy Maine

While Paul supporters concentrate on their considerable ground game, Romney breaks out the big guns.
By Ryan O'Connor
February 7, 2012
http://windham.patch.com/articles/ron-paul-occupy-maine-caucuses

On Jan. 11, the day after New Hampshire's First-in-the-Nation Primary, hundreds of Ron Paul supporters scoured Granite State roadways for campaign signs, which they collected and distributed to Vermont, South Carolina, Massachusetts and Maine.

That, specifically, is why Kathy Peterson of Nashua jumped on an old white school bus with 21 other young Ron Paul supporters and made the two-hour trek to Paul's Maine campaign headquarters in Falmouth (just north of Portland) to stump for their candidate.

 

[Paul4Prez]

Is the Free State Project in NH then a joke?

The FSP isn't in New Hampshire yet -- just 1,000 of the 20,000 planned, 11 years ago. Too bad it didn't work out by 2006 as originally planned -- Ron Paul would have done much better with 20 times as many activists there.

 

[Paul4Prez]

Highest percentage of total population voting for RP, by state:
1. NH: 4.3%
2. SC: 1.7%
3. Iowa: 0.9%
4. FL: 0.6%
5. MO: 0.5%
6. MN: 0.3%
7. NV: 0.2%
8. CO: 0.2%

THose numbers are pretty sad. Assuming Ron Paul has hardcore support among 5-8% of the population, we could be winning most states if everyone who liked him would just vote.

 

[daviddee]

...

 

[daviddee]

...

 

[Firehouse26]

NH-

NO SALES TAX

NO INCOME TAX

WHAT THE F*CK ARE WE ARGUING?

Too bad the property taxes are through the roof...

 

[daviddee]

...

 

[ssjevot]

If we seriously want a free state we need to take over a low population state no one will miss. Like Montana or Wyoming. We're not going to take over New Hampshire.

 

[daviddee]

///

 

[cornell]

Sounds better than a state with a high income tax, high sales tax, and high property tax...