NH supporters... what do you think will happen?

[chrismatthews]

I'm in this till the bitter or incredible end. This is a 50 state race. Today we get to see how the incredible efforts of our New Hampshire brothers pays off.

1st or 5th place we need to fight it out.

 

[stevedasbach]

I'm in this till the bitter or incredible end. This is a 50 state race. Today we get to see how the incredible efforts of our New Hampshire brothers pays off.

1st or 5th place we need to fight it out.

+1000

 

[derdy]

Really, then why did Fred Thompson who isn't even trying to be President beat Paul?

Can we now please wake up while it seems like we may still have a bit of time to salvage this sinking ship!

Fred Thompson spent a lot more time in IA than Dr. Paul. In fact, Thompson ONLY campaigned in IA, skipped NH, and only beat him by 3-points.

There is no sinking ship. This is a 50-state marathon and we haven't even had a primary.

 

[BeFranklin]

New Hampshire the most free? Sorry have you been to Alaska? Only reason freestaters dont move there is because its fing cold.

Anyway...

We will come in the top four for sure.

It is never too late to fight for Freedom. I expect Ron Paul to campaign till the end. That is why I donated.

Thats true. This talk about NH is ridiculous. Its small, its first, its normally important because candidates loose support and money at this point, and need to refuel. Ron Paul already has support in all 50 states, and lots of money, so it isn't a point.

For some of the other candidates who don't have the money or support that Ron Paul has, NH *is* important. Some of the have very little money, or no real people support - just media and talking heads.

And Alaska is more libertarian.

 

[BreakYourChains]

When a message like Ron Paul's cannot be sold easily, and the substance is overlooked for style, it is shocking - and in the end you have to blame the american people. Being a Canadian, believe me I'm not saying we're any different - style over substance, apathy and ignorance now seems to be the norm. A high powered professional campaign could have helped perhaps - get the thinkers with the substance, pull in the rest with the style I suppose. It's not like they didn't have anything to work with - there was a grassroots uprising like never before for Ron Paul, hundreds of people made great youtube vids, logo's were invented (I always liked the revolutionary throwing flowers), and then there's the unparalelled chant "Ron Paul revolution - legalize the constitution", the blimp, the massive turnouts for talk shows.

It's NOT too late if all this starts in ernest, but I haven't read about Ron Paul pulling in any big campaign guru.

But if someone as stale, old, and tired - and ornery (he almost got boo-d last night) as John McCain can win, then what hope is there really? Not that the rest are any better, but if I was a style over substance type from last night I'd have said Rudy was the only way to go - and sadly, his constant interrupting and comandeering the mike probably helped him. But if John McCain wins I think we can all conclude we might as well be trying to teach math to monkeys.

The fact remains Ron Paul is the only one with the right message, he did speak it last night, and if that's not enough it is a sad state of affairs.

Thanks for your observations. Personally, I don't think he can even find a good campaign guru that he could trust. They are like sharks circling the waters for the next kill, and they will sell their mother for a dollar I think. What will be will be. I think this is why Ron Paul has been blacklisted by all of the media. We have them running scared. If you watch the other candidates, on both sides of the aisle, all of them are changing their speeches to parrot Ron Paul. Unfortunately, most of the Americans are so dumbdowned and media brainwashed, we have a hard time breaking through the shell surrounding our fellow citizens.

 

[RickyJ]

Fred Thompson spent a lot more time in IA than Dr. Paul. In fact, Thompson ONLY campaigned in IA, skipped NH, and only beat him by 3-points.

There is no sinking ship. This is a 50-state marathon and we haven't even had a primary.

You can't sink until you get out in the water first. Right now we are still on shore. That will change after today. Ron Paul should get at least third place and then it will be very hard for the MSM to keep ignoring him. Unfortunately that doesn't mean they will give him more air time, it means they will start smearing him again with anything they think might work. They will make something up if there is nothing real out there. They hate Ron Paul that much becasue their jobs depend on keeping Ron Paul down.

 

[FreedomPlz]

Honestly I don't know anymore, unless he comes first, maybe second then it's all over already. I am absoulutely shocked that the American people were offered freedom and an end to sons being killed in bullshit wars and it looks like that is being rejected. But more over I am really pissed at the campaign staff with thier lame ads, totally bullshit LAAAAAME campaign. I am still shaking my head in disbelief how this winning message was not sold easily.

The way I see it, if Ron Paul finishes first or second than its all over, wrap it up for Ron Paul. With a first or second place finish Ron Paul could not be ignored. Many future voters would realize he actually does have a chance, and actually vote for him instead of thinking "this is a wasted vote"... The media could not ignore him anymore and he would get the air time he deserves... And what kind of message is Ron Paul delivering? A winning message that can be easily sold. His grassroots support and donations would go through the roof as well. With a 1st or 2nd finish, Ron Paul would be a HUGE favorite to win it all.

 

[noztnac]

Yeah exactly and that is probably why the campaign seemed so lame, they had to come accross so politically correct and make sure noone was ever offened that they seemed so soft and fairy like that people got scared that the islamofascists were just gonna take iover as soon as fairy president won, that also goes toward the forums with thier, oooh don't say that people will think we are nuts or extreme, WTF is wrong with being extreme about wanting the constitution as the law of the land? Political correctedness killed Ron Paul's campaign! They made it seem we were extreme that we wanted the constitution as the law.

This is far far from over. We are just beginning.

 

[BreakYourChains]

Finally the light is starting to shine. the money bomb records never were meant to give paul the Presidency automatically, the delusional thought it would, the smart ones done it for publicity due to the fact that the MSM were not giving him any publicity, the tactic worked well until some thought that it was automatic presidency. The fact is that money bombs were only a tactic, but the upside is that paul has stacks of cash and he can now claim matching funds, which is another 20 million. With another 20 million dollars Paul should be able to blow all those other goof balls that want lots of war away forever with the direct straight to the point advertising, he can now do it.

Here is a deal to the campaign, no more LAME ads, take matching funds and annihalate the opposition! Easily done, Paul has an unbeatable message, no one has ever been able to criticise him on that, all they are left with is to criticise the supporters because his message is FREEDOM!

We can win this!

Yes, we can. But, I do not think Ron Paul will ever take matching funds, as he would view that as stealing the money from the people. My honest opinion.

 

[tttar]

Paul needs 1st or 2nd or it is pretty much over. He has single digit support in MI, NV & SC. Coming in third or worse won't help that.

Yeah, if that doesn't happen we'd better sell out, like good libertarians have done time and time again.

It's all about supporting the least evil candidate they throw at us, and pretending we really do have principles, isn't it?

You guys deserted Ron Paul when he ran 20 years ago, and you're just itching to do it again.

 

[mavtek]

The good news is that no one from New Hampshire replied to this topic, and I know we have people from New Hampshire who visit this forum frequently. So that tells me they are out working their ass off right now. Which is what all of us should be doing close to our primary days.

 

[Thomas Paine]

In the immortal words of Commodore John Paul Jones: "Sir, we have not yet even begun to fight!"

 

[CJP]

Paul needs 1st or 2nd or it is pretty much over. He has single digit support in MI, NV & SC. Coming in third or worse won't help that.

Yeah, if that doesn't happen we'd better sell out, like good libertarians have done time and time again.

Read the post. Tfelice was assesing where we are in this election, not suggesting we "sell out".

We have to be realistic in evaluating our successes and failures if we are to ever learn from our mistakes -- and we must if we are ever going to win. This election is just the beginning.

 

[Channing]

We have had all the advantages in NH (listed in previous posts)!

If Ron Paul doesn't do well there, then there is something seriously wrong with the system, and we need to figure out what that is. And we need to have an open mind to what that problem could be.

Because if we don't figure out that problem, we won't overcome it in subsequent primaries and elections either.

Doing the same gets you the same results.

This shouldn't be limited to a 5-state campaign, nor a 50-state campaign, nor even limited to Ron Paul. We should be in it for the *really* long haul, ie. the rest of our lives, until it's overcome.

 

[tttar]

Read the post. Tfelice was assesing where we are in this election, not suggesting we "sell out".

We have to be realistic in evaluating our successes and failures if we are to ever learn from our mistakes -- and we must if we are ever going to win. This election is just the beginning.

It's "over" when there's no candidate running who supports freedom.

I don't know what he meant, but too many mean exactly what I thought.

We don't need to even be thinking about anything other than supporting the best person out there, no matter what the chances.

We should have been building our base a few percent each time, over the last generation, instead of always abandoning it because we knew we weren't going to win the current crapshoot. No wonder everybody laughs at the libertarians.

If we don't make it this time, every single person should support the Libertarians and say, "oh well, I guess the Republicans must love Hillary, because that's who they're going to get, if they don't join us."

I'd love to be proven wrong, but I don't think most have the balls.

 

[LFOD]

Paul needs 1st or 2nd or it is pretty much over. He has single digit support in MI, NV & SC. Coming in third or worse won't help that.

no no stop thinking that way. We need to show that we're building, and keep building in the next primaries until we get a breakthrough. Solid double digits and beating Guiliani AND Thompson would be a positive.

 

[Channing]

We don't need to even be thinking about anything other than supporting the best person out there, no matter what the chances.

Ron Paul has said many times that the movement is not about him, it's about his ideas.
So are you going to give up when Ron Paul isn't there anymore?

 

[Berri]

Yes, we can. But, I do not think Ron Paul will ever take matching funds, as he would view that as stealing the money from the people. My honest opinion.

Well someone better let him and his campaign know that they are not stealing because it is our money and we want him to use it to liberate this country from the neocon slime and war mongering military complex that have overtaken it. I certainly do not look at it as stealing, I see it as the best 20 mil spent in the last 8 years in educating the public.

 

[tttar]

Ron Paul has said many times that the movement is not about him, it's about his ideas.
So are you going to give up when Ron Paul isn't there anymore?

I'm not sure why you're asking me this. Was I not emphatic enough?

So I'll instead ask you: will you have the balls to support whoever is the Libertarian candidate, or will you be running to Huckabee, or whoever?

 

[CJP]

We don't need to even be thinking about anything other than supporting the best person out there, no matter what the chances.

We should have been building our base a few percent each time, over the last generation, instead of always abandoning it because we knew we weren't going to win the current crapshoot. No wonder everybody laughs at the libertarians.

I'm with you there. We just need to be: (1) in it to win, but (2) realistic, (3) politically smart, which includes being (4) charming and polite (not shrill and obnoxious) & (5) in it for the long haul, building year after year, as you suggest.

Folks should stop accusing others of not being (1)&(5) just because they are saying things that are (2).