The ONLY thing Ron Paul needs to focus on in tonights debate!

[Paulitics 2011]

I'm going to hope for the best but expect the worst. I've heard over and over that we need an amazing debate to win, and today is the day, and we've occasionally got good debate performances, but nothing spectacular.

Basically, don't rely on it.

 

[CaptUSA]

He needs to have a Call to Action statement.

He's done all the education. He's laid out the problems with the other candidates. He needs to close the sale. Most people will not buy a product until they are asked to do so.

Something like, "Citizens of America, we all know the federal government has gotten out of control. Our country is crumbling under its weight. Don't let the politicians or the media tell you that you have to settle for a different version of big government. You have the power to restore America to its Constitutional roots! To American greatness! It's time to tell Washington that you've had enough! This power is yours! Use it! When you go into your caucuses and voting booths, vote for liberty - accept nothing less!"

(Maybe a little over-dramatic, but it inspires people to take action.)

 

[speciallyblend]

If he doesn't expose the gop corruption talking obama all day is not gonna help a damn thing. obama is not the problem. The gop is! The problem is gop status quo not obama!

 

[tbone717]

If he doesn't expose the gop corruption talking obama all day is not gonna help a damn thing. obama is not the problem. The gop is! The problem is gop status quo not obama!

True, but what is the problem as the average GOP voter sees it? Their answer is Obama. If Paul is unable to give the average voter a reason to vote for him, then he will likely flounder away in 3rd and 4th place in the upcoming contests. His job tonight is not to fire up the hardcore Paul supporters, his job tonight is to get undecided voters and fence sitters to move to his side.

 

[pacelli]

True, but what is the problem as the average GOP voter sees it? Their answer is Obama. If Paul is unable to give the average voter a reason to vote for him, then he will likely flounder away in 3rd and 4th place in the upcoming contests. His job tonight is not to fire up the hardcore Paul supporters, his job tonight is to get undecided voters and fence sitters to move to his side.

I've got at least 18 (possibly 20) people coming over tonight for a debate watching party, and I'm the only Ron Paul supporter. I've been talking RP up, there are a few post-surge santorum supporters coming, but everyone else is undecided. Most are above age 40, and registered as republicans and independents. I really hope Ron wins the 18-20 votes in my living room tonight. I've worked very hard to get things together for tonight.

 

[Darthbrooklyn]

The only reason people are lining up behing Santorum/Romney is because they somehow beleive they can beat Obama... So I agree, all Ron should talk abotu tonight is that he is the only one to beat Obama and why the others cant

 

[Paul Or Nothing II]

It seems to me like the neocon annointed ones like Rush and Levin have been saying "anyone but Obama" and then a couple sentences later adding "except Ron Paul of course".
Every single talking head with any audience is doing this, whether they're "conservative" or not. They're deflecting attention away from spending, away from the depression, away from any kind of paleoconservative or libertarian discussion. Yes, they're all going to go out of business eventually and for exactly this reason, but not soon enough.

Yes, but Obama ranks much higher on their hate-list & believe it or not, fair number of GOP voters are receptive to his fiscal-conservatism but they buy too much into "he's unelectable" meme that media pimps but if he can present himself as the answer to Obama then I'm sure enough Repubs will rally behind him to carry him over the line, I think you far UNDER-estimating GOP voters' hate for Obama, whereas they don't necessarily "hate" Paul but they think he's crazy on FP & "unelectable" but that'll change if he's the only one who can beat Obama

He needs to have a Call to Action statement.

He's done all the education. He's laid out the problems with the other candidates. He needs to close the sale. Most people will not buy a product until they are asked to do so.

Something like, "Citizens of America, we all know the federal government has gotten out of control. Our country is crumbling under its weight. Don't let the politicians or the media tell you that you have to settle for a different version of big government. You have the power to restore America to its Constitutional roots! To American greatness! It's time to tell Washington that you've had enough! This power is yours! Use it! When you go into your caucuses and voting booths, vote for liberty - accept nothing less!"

(Maybe a little over-dramatic, but it inspires people to take action.)

Sorry to say but none of that will help in my opinion, most ALREADY know Paul is small-government Constitutionalist fiscal-conservative so that's not the issue at all, issue is FP & "electability", being "electable" against Obama matters much more to them, they don't want another 4 years of Obama

If he doesn't expose the gop corruption talking obama all day is not gonna help a damn thing. obama is not the problem. The gop is! The problem is gop status quo not obama!

You don't get GOP to vote for you by blaming GOP, believe it or not, most of the voters can't differentiate between "criticism of the GOP-party & criticism of GOP-voters", they take a lot of it personally, he needs to convince them that he's on "their side" & he's the only Republican that can dethrone the "sitting Democrat"

True, but what is the problem as the average GOP voter sees it? Their answer is Obama. If Paul is unable to give the average voter a reason to vote for him, then he will likely flounder away in 3rd and 4th place in the upcoming contests. His job tonight is not to fire up the hardcore Paul supporters, his job tonight is to get undecided voters and fence sitters to move to his side.

+1

 

[Cabal]

Ron Paul only needs to do one thing: be Ron Paul.

 

[speciallyblend]

True, but what is the problem as the average GOP voter sees it? Their answer is Obama. If Paul is unable to give the average voter a reason to vote for him, then he will likely flounder away in 3rd and 4th place in the upcoming contests. His job tonight is not to fire up the hardcore Paul supporters, his job tonight is to get undecided voters and fence sitters to move to his side.

i hear ya but if they want to attack obama. Then ron paul needs to attack romney,santorum and newt(obama republicans) It is best i do not watch this debate tonight. I want to stay positive but the gop is corrupt and i do not trust the gop.

 

[tbone717]

The only reason people are lining up behing Santorum/Romney is because they somehow beleive they can beat Obama... So I agree, all Ron should talk abotu tonight is that he is the only one to beat Obama and why the others cant

Agreed. If you listen to Santorum on the stump or in interviews he follows a pattern. Regardless of the issue, he first attacks Obama and the left, he will name drop while doing this (Pelosi, Reid, etc). He then states how what he will do is different than Obama, followed by painting Romney and/or Newt as being similar to Obama in their beliefs.

This is red meat for GOP voters and they are eating it up. There is no reason that Paul cannot do something similar in his approach. If however, Paul continues to attack history, the status quo, our policies for the last 40 years, etc the average voter's mind will drift off to other thoughts and he will quickly lose their attention.

 

[ILUVRP]

i live in scottsdale , az about 7 miles from the debate in mesa , az

mesa has a very strong mormon population , the biggest in az. there will a lot on mitt supporters there.

RP has a lot of support in az and he will do very well by just being himself . i hope he talks about the high price of energy , the avg person in phoenix area drives about 25-30 miles back and forth to work .

 

[Paul Or Nothing II]

Agreed. If you listen to Santorum on the stump or in interviews he follows a pattern. Regardless of the issue, he first attacks Obama and the left, he will name drop while doing this (Pelosi, Reid, etc). He then states how what he will do is different than Obama, followed by painting Romney and/or Newt as being similar to Obama in their beliefs.

This is red meat for GOP voters and they are eating it up. There is no reason that Paul cannot do something similar in his approach. If however, Paul continues to attack history, the status quo, our policies for the last 40 years, etc the average voter's mind will drift off to other thoughts and he will quickly lose their attention.

+1



/you must spread some reputation around before giving it to tbone717 again/

 

[aloneinthewilderness]

CNN is very well aware of how important this debate is, and they will work very hard to make sure it goes the way they want it to go. Ron can overcome it, but it's not going to be easy. They're not going to be lobbing softballs at him, so I hope he's rehearsing his lines really diligently today.

 

[rpwi]

Paul has to make himself distinct from the other candidates...best bet is to concentrate on the national debt. Ask the viewers to 'do the math' to see if the opponents tax cuts plus lack of spending cuts will close the budget gap (it wont'). He needs explain why his is the only budget that will. He has to explain that he is the only candidate against bailouts and hammer Santorum for bailing out the airline industry in 2001 and the steel industry (including a steel company owned by Romney) in 1999. Ron has to paint a picture of financial armageddon that will occur if he is not elected president...only fear really motivates conservative voters and this is his best weapon.

Ron also has to be very efficient and brief when needed...he can't tail off into stump speeches or unrelated topics to often and that will upset the crowd (I know, I know he doesn't get the speaking time...but cheating the debate rules just upsets the crowd).

 

[rpwi]

CNN is very well aware of how important this debate is, and they will work very hard to make sure it goes the way they want it to go. Ron can overcome it, but it's not going to be easy. They're not going to be lobbing softballs at him, so I hope he's rehearsing his lines really diligently today.

Yep...expect completely idiotic questions like what do you think of your poll position...will you drop out of the race...why haven't you dropped out of the race...say something nice about your opponent...are you running for a third party...10 zillionth question about immigration....10 zillionth question about abortion...then CNN calls it wraps after Romney and Santorum eat up all the debate time

 

[tuggy24g]

I think tonight is the last chance were Ron Paul needs to put it all out there. Stop trying to be the funny guy or trying to be nice and letting people argue. Get into there faces and speak your mind. Do not let them get away with anything at all. Go after them for everything and tell them like it is. The the troops had a rally for me in DC to show the American people they overwhelmingly support me over everyone else. I am sick of the media ignoring me and so on. If Ron Paul can do that he should be cool from here on out.

 

[DonovanJames]

1. <Insert the most American rock song ever>
2. Ron enters the stage on a Harley and lays it out while somersaulting towards his podium of choice.
3. Behind the podium is a circa 1980's Louisville slugger and three Diamond issue baseballs. He proceeds to soft toss and bomb these out into the stratosphere one by one.
4. Someone planted in the audience has a James Bond'esc projection pen that throws 100'x100' images of Ron Paul vs Obama poll numbers on the back drop of the stage.
5. When confronted by the moderator for his lavish entrance, Ron discredits the guy for stifling a Presidential debate with his drama causing insinuations. Crowd cheers deafeningly.
6. CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, NBC all the sudden start promoting Ron Paul's candidacy and we handedly win without much effort at all.

One of these will likely never happen.

 

[Forty Twice]

Ron has spent a lot of debate effort tying Santorum, Gingrich, and Romney to Obama. It's not hard to do. The others do it to each other too.

Now he needs to paint the picture of a general election with Obama against Santorum, Gingrich, or Romney. It will be the dirtiest, mud-slingingest campaign filled with non-stop character assassination. They cannot debate on the important issues regarding jobs, the economy, healthcare, civil rights, and foreign policy because they agree on all these. Goldman Sachs won't mind because we'll be choosing between one of their two previously-approved candidates.

Ron is the only one with a plan to simultaneously defend the US, prevent inflation, and preserve social security benefits. Ron is the only one who would protect your rights to due process in civilian courts. Ron is the only one who would dismantle the TSA. Ron is the only one who would quit wasting money on a drug war gone horribly wrong. Ron is the only one who would protect your right to free speech on the internet. Ron is the only one who would re-establish a meaningful relationship between you and your doctor. Ron is the only one who would force the Wall St. banks and investment firms to eat their speculative losses and only bail out innocent civilian victims as necessary. Ron is the only one who would allow free competition in energy options. (Compressed Natural Gas as an auto fuel is economically attractive except for the high cost of getting an "EPA Certified" conversion. You pay 1/4 the cost of gasoline per mile traveled when you switch to natural gas. It only costs $750 to convert in Peru. It costs $10,000 here because of overbearing regulations. The US has a tremendous glut of natural gas. Real prices are at all-time lows. This was Huntsman's push and somebody ought to pick up his good policy position.) Ron's the only one who would actually succeed at controlling our borders with returning US military. Ron is the first to recommend eliminating Department of Education and the only one who really intends to do it. He voted against it's creation and Gingrich voted for it. He voted against No Child Left Behind and Santorum was for it. Our education system is terrible and expensive because of the US Department of Education.

These are all popular positions with the general electorate. Republican primary voters (being so historically stupid) disagree with many of these positions but have to agree with most. There are buzzwords they are smart enough to hate or like:

Goldman Sachs
TSA / Patdowns and Full Nudity Scanners
Department of Education / School Choice
Protect Social Security
Bail-outs
Spying on US citizens
Detaining US citizens
Free speech
Getting government out from between you and your doctor
Crony Corporatism


When Gingrich brags about how well he would debate Obama, Ron needs to get in there and ask the crowd, "How do you think Obama would fare with me in a debate? We'd have some real issues to talk about. Maybe I don't satisfy every preference of every far-right Republican voter, but my positions are all more popular with the US public's than Obama's are."

 

[Paul Or Nothing II]

Paul has to make himself distinct from the other candidates...best bet is to concentrate on the national debt. Ask the viewers to 'do the math' to see if the opponents tax cuts plus lack of spending cuts will close the budget gap (it wont'). He needs explain why his is the only budget that will. He has to explain that he is the only candidate against bailouts and hammer Santorum for bailing out the airline industry in 2001 and the steel industry (including a steel company owned by Romney) in 1999. Ron has to paint a picture of financial armageddon that will occur if he is not elected president...only fear really motivates conservative voters and this is his best weapon.

Ron also has to be very efficient and brief when needed...he can't tail off into stump speeches or unrelated topics to often and that will upset the crowd (I know, I know he doesn't get the speaking time...but cheating the debate rules just upsets the crowd).

He's been talking about these things for AGES, economy, debt, wars, etc etc & it isn't getting him anywhere because people are least bothered, people want someone who'll beat Obama, if you aren't that guy then nothing else you say matters so he needs to tell people that he's the ONLY Republican that can garner enough Indies & Dems to beat Obama, he's leading the pack amongst Indies, Dems, non-whites, all of which are very important voting-blocks in the General Election & he needs to emphasize he's only one can challenge Obama on economy (he predicted the bubble), wars (Obama was "peace-candidate" ), Obamacare (he's a Dr ), civil liberties (voted against Patriot Act, NDAA, SOPA) & so on

And I wish he'd pull the following paper out of his pocket & show it to the people, how terrible the country's economic situation is :

If you want to simplify the debt problem, you could use calculation like this and integrate the cuts which RP proposes:

 

[goldpants]

Fear and anger angle is appropriate at this point. Time is running out on this election cycle and frankly on the American people's opportunity to restore the foundation this country was built on. Challenge the audience to understand the national debt, the interest being accumulated on it this year alone. Then explain how Obama's plan is to grow spending by another trillion despite this ongoing disaster. Central planning such as Obama's and the three others on this stage got us into this and cannot be trusted to get us out. Real free market solutions exist but I am the only one offering them. It is time to reduce the intervention of the federal govt. in the supposed to be free markets. Ask the audience to Google who owns the federal reserve, and say here is a hint "it isn't you or me or our govt." So why do we allow these semi anonymous entities have so much power over our money and economic system?...

Sprinkle in some civil liberties discussion such as NDAA, SOPA like bills, so on. Explain the effects of the war in terms of cost to our economy, explain the cost in terms of fatherless and some times fatherless children and how more war will only cost our country so much more than can be gained by them. Slap in some hits on the media and why they insist on propping up other candidates because they are owned by the very special interest groups benefiting via the status quo.

Fear, anger, education, solution, truth, me and you against the destructive status quo machine. That is how we win over the lost independents, the disaffected repubs and dems and the never knew enough to care before crowd. I know I am dreaming but it is my right.