Some of us here know him personally and have talked with him over the years he has been here. So why don't you trust your fellow RPFers, who by the way are a lot of the 07ers and old timers, defending him. This is one of the first times he has been interviewed on TV and I don't think you should be using it against him.
Argh. I suppose he's a solid improvement over current politicians, based on the secondhand accounts that he's a forum member, from people who know him. I don't know him. I wish him well, and I would probably vote for him...but I'm not going to trip all over myself to wholeheartedly support and donate to a guy without the spine to openly support Ron Paul. In contrast, Tom Davis had the courage to put his neck out, and he's not even an RPF's member. Those are the kind of guys we really need, and those are the kind of guys we should focus our efforts on supporting.
Massie sounds like a good guy, but I can't get excited about sheepishness. Rand plays politics, but he led a one-man filibuster when he needed to, and he's still out campaigning his ass off for Ron. People have valid reasons to criticize him, but I can appreciate his approach. Ron's plan is self-described as modest (and it is, compared to where we SHOULD be), but it's still totally radical compared to the status quo. Massie suggests moving in the right direction, but calling his pace modest seems to be an understatement; I'd call it more like "glacial." This country may very well be over by the time a 1%/year plan has made a real dent. Besides, are we to reduce the number of innocent people we bomb by 1% every year too?
Moreover, think about the way compromise works: One side offers a proposal, the other side counters, and the final agreement will be somewhere between the two positions. Massie's timid "baby step" proposals are basically coming from a position of weakness. We're finally beginning to win the battle for hearts and minds, and we're to the point now where the public's openness to our message rests on "social proof." In other words, the more that people see others who take Ron Paul seriously, the more they'll begin to recognize it's socially acceptable and give his platform a fair hearing themselves. Outside the national media, we're already past the "political leper" stage; now is NOT the time to backpedal.
It goes without saying that Massie is doing more for liberty than I am, so I'm in no position to crap on him. That said, I get excited about Ron because of his passion, his principles, and his unrivaled courage. I can also get behind Rand, because he's close enough to make a real difference...but if you're asking me to spend real money on Thomas Massie when I can give it to Ron Paul or Glen Bradley...no way. I believe that an exceptional amount of courage and self-confidence is necessary to survive in politics without becoming assimilated by the corrupt establishment...and I'm not seeing that in Massie right now. I hope he changes my mind someday, and I hope I can get into a position where I can do better someday instead of just criticizing from my armchair.
