What do you think Ron should try to work in at the debate in Tampa Monday?

[sailingaway]

I'll start:

It is Florida and Social Security and Medicare insecurity are a big deal there with people who are or will soon be relying on them. I think with the 'Ponzi' language Perry used and with Bachmann just coming out lauding the 'safety net for our seniors' in response, Ron should take the opportunity to make sure people understand his position. Not the theoretical position of Constitutionality so much at all, but the 'I would fund them by cutting costs overseas and ending agencies we didn't have before the 1970s in any event, and which are not specified anywhere in the Constitution, then I would let kids opt out so we don't perpetuate the problem for the echo boom.'

People are focused on that and it is HUGE with the over 50 demographic that is not listening to him, imho.

What do you think he should try to bring up?

 

[anaconda]

Tell the seniors that their social security we be zilch if anyone else is elected. And that the Tea Party started on Dec. 16th, 2007.

 

[Birdlady]

He needs to be very careful when he talks about welfare and social security. None of this abstract stuff he usually goes into. He just needs to be straight to the point and hit the seniors where they can relate.

"The seniors who depend on Social Security are having more and more trouble paying their bills and living a good quality of life. I am the only candidate who is willing to make the changes necessary to restore the quality of lives we as Americans have become accustomed to living." No senior could object to this statement. They are suffering from the cost of living and this sounds exciting to them. If he wanted to throw something in about the federal reserve, that is ok.

If RP goes into "we can't expect government to take care of us" and "I want to phase out social security", he will lose a lot of people in Florida and Pennsylvania. Those two states share a lot of the same senior population. Seniors don't want to be lectured and when RP says those things, that's what people feel and they think, "who is this guy to take everything away from me?!" They immediately go on the defense. It's about packaging the information right.

The 50+ crowd do not take kindly to someone saying their benefits are going to be lost, even if Ron Paul is right, the truth of it is too much to bear. My grandfather voted for any candidate who would give him more checks. This is a huge issue for seniors... In the long run, yes the role of government needs to be questioned, but let's get RP the nomination and then worry about that.

 

[james1906]

Inflation hurts those on fixed incomes the most. He needs to drive that point home.

Here's something I wish Sharron Angle emphasized, but it would work in Florida too. With TSA regulations, many Americans, especially those with small children, are opting not to fly. This effects states that heavily depend on tourism.

 

[ronpaulfollower999]

I think Ron should go down the "cut foreign spending to help out the people here" road.

Unfortunately I don't know how many people in Florida will watch this debate since the Miami Dolphins play their season opener in Miami against the Patriots on ESPN Monday Night Football.

 

[Brett85]

I don't believe that Ron's position on Social Security and Medicare is what hurts him among older voters. Rick Perry has said that both of those programs are unconstitutional and never should've been created, and he polls very well among older people. The last thing that Ron should do is go to Perry's left on this issue. The main reason why older people don't support Ron is because of his foreign policy views, as many older people tend to be very hawkish on foreign policy issues. The drug issue also hurts Ron a lot among older people, as polls show that almost all of the older people are opposed to legalizing drugs. Ron shouldn't change his positions on these issues, but he has to frame these issues in a way that appeals to GOP primary voters.

 

[ItsTime]

"If you dont mind, I would like to answer the question you asked everyone else....."

 

[james1906]

Ron needs ads with Barry Goldwater Jr saying something to the effect of "Only one candidate carries the principles my father had." Air this in Florida, as well as during Wheel of Fortune

 

[R3volutionJedi]

On social security he should give the choice to opt-out.

 

[LisaNY]

Don't the old folks like Eisenhower? When he talks about foreign policy he should definitely bring up Ike's comment on the mic, and Reagan's comment on staying out of middle east politics. I'd also love it if Ron would mention Jimmy Carter and how he dragged us into Middle East politics while the country was falling apart, and that's exactly want his neocon opponents want to keep doing. Necons = Jimmy Carter, Ron Paul = Not Jimmy Carter.

 

[sailingaway]

I think Ron should go down the "cut foreign spending to help out the people here" road.

Unfortunately I don't know how many people in Florida will watch this debate since the Miami Dolphins play their season opener in Miami against the Patriots on ESPN Monday Night Football.

Well, that was fairly stupid planning....

 

[PastaRocket848]

He should work in getting me some tickets do I can cheer him on .

 

[Carson]

How the reason we don't control our government, our war department, or our borders all leads back to the root of most all of our problems. Fiat Money.

No matter how much honest money you and your friends can gather up to build your countries the way you want others can fire up the fake money presses and get their way. Not just can our own government use the presses like we use our credit cards, others out side of our country have a back door to the vault.

Ron Paul holds the key to restoring liberty.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Hammer down the "return to the gold standard" and end the war. Maybe even open up the Vietnam war for discussion by hammering the foreign policy that dragged in that abysmal war. People are still touchy about Vietnam...i think that wound needs to be opened,exposed and the foreign policy failure of Vietnam needs to be destroyed.I am sick and tired of neo-con 50 to 60 year olds saying that Vietnam was necessary.

 

[Dr.3D]

Doubt he will have much choice in what to bring up. They will (as usual) probably ask him a question that makes him look bad when he answers it in the allotted time frame. Every position Ron has is too complex to fit into the space required for a simple answer.

 

[sailingaway]

Doubt he will have much choice in what to bring up. They will (as usual) probably ask him a question that makes him look bad when he answers it in the allotted time frame. Every position Ron has is too complex to fit into the space required for a simple answer.

Yeah, but I bet he'll be asked something where he could speak about social security. If he's asked about ending an agency, he can say 'yes, we need the money as part of our cuts to fund social security and medicare for those who have paid in all their lives so we can let the kids opt out and not perpetuate this problem going forward.' Or whatever.

 

[Dr.3D]

Yeah, but I bet he'll be asked something where he could speak about social security. If he's asked about ending an agency, he can say 'yes, we need the money as part of our cuts to fund social security and medicare for those who have paid in all their lives so we can let the kids opt out and not perpetuate this problem going forward.' Or whatever.

Yes, it would be good if he is able to do that. I noticed in the last "debate" he was asked a simple yes or no question and then after answering it, he was able to talk about something more important.

 

[KhunJean]

I would use 'Opt-in', sounds more friendly and strengthens the idea that people will be free to chose for it and don't have to do anything when they don't want to participate. 'Opt-out' often have restrictions that can hinder people to opt out. Opt-in would probably have requirements. Almost the same but i think it sounds so much better.

 

[FSP-Rebel]

Inflation hurts those on fixed incomes the most. He needs to drive that point home.

Here's something I wish Sharron Angle emphasized, but it would work in Florida too. With TSA regulations, many Americans, especially those with small children, are opting not to fly. This effects states that heavily depend on tourism.

All of this^^ and also remark on his bonafides regarding the Fed and its push for zero interest rates which kills most retirement savings plans (dollar holdings and cds). Heck, making a commercial about inflation tearing into fixed incomes and the Fed's zero interest rate game would be a nice boost to our desperate #s in FL. That's the way to bypass the mainstream trash that most southern retirees are fed on a nightly basis and get them to realize that Paul is good for their bottom line and that of what they would like to pass down to their offspring.

 

[Tarzan]

Social Security
If asked about social security I hope he will answer with something similar to what he has said in the past:
We need to safeguard our Seniors by fully funding their Social Security checks
No talk about "opt-in"... privatizing or calling it a Ponzi scheme (like Dick Parrot). Social Security is unconstitutional and needs to go. Unfortunately, we have a lot of seniors relying on those checks... and they will vote to protect their interests. So, keep it general and worded in such a way as to inspire their confidence. The devil is in the details and he should not be detailed in any answer about SS. He should emphasize that the deficit spending and borrowing from foreign countries continue to weaken the dollar... both by deflating the value of the dollar... and causing inflation. And that weakness directly affects everyone... especially seniors living on fixed incomes. By restoring the strength of the American economy it will safeguard the purchasing value of savings and social security checks.


Social Security needs to be phased out. The notion that we could just cut it off and go 'cold turkey' is not realistic and will lose us the election. But, whatever the details he needs to stick to a talking point. If anything, note that it is a complicated issue and will require coordination with congress to work out the details to save and rework the system (and by rework, I mean eliminate).