now Socialists for Ron Paul

[colecrowe]

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/11/30/002906.php
Ron Paul's Fair Weather Friends
Written by Dave Nalle, Published November 30, 2007

Stories are circulating on GOP email lists of interested Republicans attending Ron Paul meetups around the country and being confronted by openly hostile leftist/progressive/socialists who seem to be supporting Paul, but have no love for regular Republicans who also support the candidate. There are accounts that confrontations have become heated at some of these meetups, particularly the one held in Las Vegas earlier this month. Suspicion particularly focuses on attendees who are believed to be MoveOn.org operatives and why they are so interested in Ron Paul. Is their interest genuine, or is it only part of a campaign to disrupt the Republican primary?

The involvement of MoveOn.org in the Paul campaign can be confirmed on their page at meetup.com where they are shown as co-sponsoring a number of the regional Ron Paul meetups and they have also released a video ad in support of Paul. Paul's campaign has also received positive public response from a variety of prominent leftists, including Cindy Sheehan. One socialist in the Netherlands of all places, makes a compelling argument for why US socialists should support Ron Paul.

 

[ksu_s13]

Huh.

 

[Matt]

When the hell did Cindy Sheehan endorse us?

 

[SovereignMN]

It's wierd but somewhat true. I had a conversation with the 2006 Green Party candidate for the US Senate seat in Minnesota and he said he was planning on showing up at the caucus (they are open to everyone here) and voting for Paul. He was planning on voting for the Green candidate (who he presumed would be Cynthia McKinney) in the general election.

It was the war and anti-establishment theme of Paul that attract some socialists.

 

[Badger Paul]

Think of the RP campaign like the Who song "Come on and join together with the Band." It's like a parade, anyone who wants to get involved can. You don't need to drop your ideological baggage to be a part of the Ron Paul campaign.

 

[USCisCarolina]

The true anti-war message will attract attention from everywhere. That is why I believe Ron Paul has a great shot to be president even if he runs on a 3rd party ticket.

I, myself have always voted democrat but I would hardly call myself a hardcore liberal or a socialist. More of a case of the lesser of two evils.


As long as RP is in the running he has my full support.

 

[PhilOld]

It's funny how I'm fighting socialists in my country and have to ally with them on the American side to make sure Ron Paul gets elected. I think Ron Paul and socialism have nothing in common. I think that they do this to make sure there are only 2 anti-war candidates.

 

[Fyretrohl]

Yeah, we need to do two things. One, we need to talk with those who the MSM calls fringe or negative and help them understand that we accept their support of Ron Paul, but, that they need to do the same of others who wish to support him, if they wish him to win.

 

[Doriath]

This meme -- Paul is a tool of the dirty effing hippies -- has been floating around the net trying to gain traction for at least a few weeks. I remember seeing some blog post after Nov 5th about how a ZIP code analysis of donors revealed a lot of money coming from San Francisco -- supposed proof that we're all a bunch of closet liberals out to wreck the GOP or something.

 

[Indy Vidual]

Think of the RP campaign like the Who song "Come on and join together with the Band." It's like a parade, anyone who wants to get involved can. You don't need to drop your ideological baggage to be a part of the Ron Paul campaign.

The true anti-war message will attract attention from everywhere. That is why I believe Ron Paul has a great shot to be president even if he runs on a 3rd party ticket.

I, myself have always voted democrat but I would hardly call myself a hardcore liberal or a socialist. More of a case of the lesser of two evils.


As long as RP is in the running he has my full support.

It would be nice if more states had open primaries.

 

[hayeksrevenge]

These socialists for Ron Paul, well, they would get a better welcome in the Republican Party which is full of Neo-Cons. Socialists who are for Ron Paul, well, they are a bit confused, it seems.

 

[Doriath]

These socialists for Ron Paul, well, they would get a better welcome in the Republican Party which is full of Neo-Cons. Socialists who are for Ron Paul, well, they are a bit confused, it seems.

My bet is that they are largely mythological. But I did see an interesting survey reported on yahoo the other day:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071128...n_policy_dc;_ylt=AuOPWZ3k6kx60T4njwgnJhxh24cA

The poll showed voters had negative feelings for terms such as "going it alone" and "isolationism," and 86 percent of voters said working with major allies and through international organizations was a wiser strategy for achieving U.S. goals.

Within that framework, however, the poll showed what McInturff said was a surprising new category of "New Isolationists" -- moderate, liberal, younger people who voted Democratic at the last election, and who were turned off by the Iraq war as well as issues such as trade deals.

Around 14 percent of those polled fell into that category, while another 12 percent the pollsters dubbed "International Environmentalists." Both categories were largely Democrat.

 

[Alan84]

How do you comprehend it? We're the complete opposite of socialism...

 

[user]

Most "socialists" would be full Ron Paul supporters if they understood economics. Don't forget the war and civil liberties.

I'm not surprised at all that a lot of RP donors are from San Francisco. The perception most of the country has about SF is not really accurate.

 

[angelatc]

It's quite possible the socialists could support Ron Paul because it would give them greater ability to control their own state government. Vermont has a high population of socialists, much like New Hampshire is getting a high population of Free Staters.

This would allow populations the freedom to "vote with their feet," that is, pack up and move to a place where the popular political philosophy more closely matches yours.

 

[angelatc]

When the hell did Cindy Sheehan endorse us?

She didn't. http://ronpaul.meetup.com/36/boards/view/viewthread?thread=3784398

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkUlz_QcjT8

 

[LeahNew]

Sheehan Endorsement

When the hell did Cindy Sheehan endorse us?

DUH! Because of our/Dr Paul's position on the war in Iraq!!! Same reason for Moveon.org ... I, personally, don't see this as a negative! It just shows that there is tremendous appeal from all spectrums of viewpoints!

Leah