The campaign is over (split)

[PaleoPaul]

Rand is only 52 going on 53 years old. That's relatively young in Presidential years. Most candidates become President in their late 50s or early 60s.

 

[derek4ever]

Just not his year. Trump had 2 effects in the race- knocking out the true establishment candidates (Bush, Christie, Santorum, Graham) and taking the place of the anti-establishment candidates (Paul, Carson). Now we just have these middleground people, Cruz and Rubio.

Rand should be ready in 2020 after either a failed Clinton or Trump presidency.

We don't even know what will happen now! I remember reading about the contested convention of 1920. They chose Harding, who was among the lower tier. I think he only won the primary in Ohio until the convention. And then, after multiple rounds, he was chosen! I can't predict if Rand will be the nod or not this time around but I think we'll all make it possible for him to at least fight until the very end, no matter the odds!

 

[69360]

I kind of agree. Once you are sent to the kiddy table there is really little chance of recovering enough to win.

 

[squirl22]

Such negative people here. Making a statement is a hint Rand is quitting? Wow, that's pretty negative. Maybe he is going to expose CNN and media for the biased manipulative arrogant people they are. It just seems that so many people here want Rand out of the race so they can piss and moan about something else. Very discouraging to hear this type of pissingon what is supposed to be a Rand Paul supporters site...that's what I find discouraging.

 

[brandon]

Rand did not position himself correctly heading into primary season and it's been all down hill since. He abandoned his base to campaign on general election issues before the primary debates even started. Last year, when he was polling in the mid to high teens, he had a broad coalition of libertarians and tea party republicans behind him. He's done absolutely nothing to excite or engage either of those bases in a very long time.

The campaign has been dead for quite a while. Since at least August. It's just a formality now. There may be some more to gain in the way of publicity, name recognition, and donations by staying in for another month, but not much more than that. I'm sure that's what he's evaluating now. "Where is the point of diminishing returns?" Dropping out is all but assured at this point. To think otherwise is just delusional.

 

[carlton]

Rand did not position himself correctly heading into primary season and it's been all down hill since. He abandoned his base to campaign on general election issues before the primary debates even started. Last year when he was polling in the mid to high teens he had a broad coalition of libertarians and tea party republicans behind him. He's done absolutely nothing to excite or engage either of those bases in a very long time.

The campaign has been dead for quite a while. Since at least August. It's just a formality now. There may be some more to gain in the way of publicity, name recognition, and donations by staying in for another month, but not much more than that. I'm sure that's what he's evaluating now. "Where is the point of diminishing returns?" Dropping out is all but assured at this point. To think otherwise is just delusional.

Here's to hoping you're wrong. Either way, I'm in until the ship is sunk!

 

[wizardwatson]

Rand did not position himself correctly heading into primary season and it's been all down hill since. He abandoned his base to campaign on general election issues before the primary debates even started. Last year when he was polling in the mid to high teens he had a broad coalition of libertarians and tea party republicans behind him. He's done absolutely nothing to excite or engage either of those bases in a very long time.

The campaign has been dead for quite a while. Since at least August. It's just a formality now. There may be some more to gain in the way of publicity, name recognition, and donations by staying in for another month, but not much more than that. I'm sure that's what he's evaluating now. "Where is the point of diminishing returns?" Dropping out is all but assured at this point. To think otherwise is just delusional.

He actually lost me with the NSA filibuster. Which to many here, was a major point where many said he was appealing to the base. Anyone on here at that time can attest to the party atmosphere around here.

Now, I criticized him for a few of his words and actions back when I cared to address them, but I always maintained that he was above any other candidate in my mind. I understood/understand his broad coalition strategy, pandering, etc.

But when he filibustered the NSA program and put himself in the spotlight for that (when ISIS rhetoric was already everywhere and heating up), indeed that appealed to the base, but at the same time, to me, he was poking a huge hole in the entire "trojan horse" strategy that we all assumed he was implementing.

So at that point I felt like his strategy wasn't really committed to either side. I felt like he was floundering and perhaps he even felt like realistically the Presidency was out of reach and that was his Alamo. I don't know. But I felt like that was the end.

 

[brandon]

So tired of people blaming the campaign. The campaign did everything it should have but having 2,000 other candidates to muddie the waters plus celebrity Trump and idiot Carson flummoxed things in a way no one could have predicted.

It could have been predicted. The people are yearning for an honest, confident candidate. If Ron Paul was a few years younger and running this cycle it could have all been his.

 

[thoughtomator]

The campaign was over when 96%+ of the GOP electorate insisted they would only consider Fascist candidates.

 

[TheNewYorker]

See last line of my signature

 

[derek4ever]

Sorry to sound like Justin Bieber but here it goes:

I will never say never! (I will fight)
I will fight till forever! (make it right)
Whenever you knock me down
I will not stay on the ground
Pick it up
Pick it up
Pick it up
Pick it up up up
And never say never


​

 

[Matt Collins]

There are both internal and external factors to this... some are recent, some have spanned a few years ago. Unlike some around here I am not going to openly critisize or armchair QB, but regardless, the current situation is not good.

 

[brandon]

5:15 in that video he says "the budgets on their side raise taxes by a trillion dollars, the budgets on our side don't raise taxes."

Honestly wtf is he talking about?

 

[CPUd]

tHREdd TitLE NEeDS MOaR CAPS.

 

[hells_unicorn]

I was going to come on here to give Brandon a nice long lecture about the benefits of eating crow, but apparently he stepped a little too far out of line. Whether the ban proves to only be temporary or if he ends up leaving, he deserves it. The most destructive thing to the liberty movement is when members of the movement itself make themselves part of the problem.

 

[CPUd]

There are both internal and external factors to this... some are recent, some have spanned a few years ago. Unlike some around here I am not going to openly critisize or armchair QB, but regardless, the current situation is not good.

So in other words, Chip and Doug Stafford LOL'd at you when you asked to be their roadie.

 

[Matt Collins]

So in other words, Chip and Doug Stafford LOL'd at you when you asked to be their roadie.

Uh no, I have not sought employment with the PCC or the SP. I've got other things going on.

 

[wizardwatson]

I was going to come on here to give Brandon a nice long lecture about the benefits of eating crow, but apparently he stepped a little too far out of line. Whether the ban proves to only be temporary or if he ends up leaving, he deserves it. The most destructive thing to the liberty movement is when members of the movement itself make themselves part of the problem.

It doesn't look like he made all that many posts over the last few days. And the ones he did seem to be about Rand. Unless it was some PM'ing or repping issue I'm assuming he was banned for anti-Rand comments. Not anti-liberty movement comments.

I am interested in what you think "the problem with the movement" is.

 

[r3volution 3.0]

I'm assuming he was banned for anti-Rand comments. Not anti-liberty movement comments.

Those are typically synonymous.

 

[Leaning Libertarian]

Nobody is going to out anti-establishment Trump. No room for anyone until he implodes or wins.

Agreed, Trump has been successful in being both crass and through fear mongering. Perhaps it is time to consider some of this tactic. When they say he doesn't belong on the stage, and they will, he should respond with something crass, like "we are playing a very dangerous game. It looks like the other candidates on this stage are all asking "mirror mirror on the wall, who is the most fascist of them all?" He should then go into fear mongering saying "the policies proposed by all of these candidates WILL result in war. With the way Obama has decimated our military, hopefully this pending war they are all blindly marching towards won't be fought on the streets of our neighborhoods, resulting from a foreign invasion."