What Political Orientation Were You Before Discovering Ron Paul

[speciallyblend]

i was democrat, then heard Harry Browne ,was lp for 12 yrs. Then heard Ron Paul and joined the republican party!!

 

[speciallyblend]

I used to be of the neocon breed, and am pretty embarrassed about some of the things I used to say, especially about Paul. Watching some old youtube clips, some of the things that I agreed with, are now the things that make me squirm.

But I guess I'm not the only person who's made this transition. Hopefully we can help convert others in time for 2012.

this whole thread rocks and especially seeing folks who say they were neo-cons and now support Ron Paul. Makes me want to focus on neo-con republicans and stop wasting my time on non-republicans so we can get Ron Paul the 2012 gop nomination!!

 

[Mr.Magnanimous]

this whole thread rocks and especially seeing folks who say they were neo-cons and now support Ron Paul. Makes me want to focus on neo-con republicans and stop wasting my time on non-republicans so we can get Ron Paul the 2012 gop nomination!!

Thanks

One of the reasons I made this poll was to find out who our target audience should be. The other was just to get a little bit of history on some of the members here.

 

[charrob]

liberal who had not voted for the dems since Bill Clinton's first term (voted 3rd party since) mostly for Nader. Kucinich was the only dem who caught my eye, but the media never covered him so his campaigns did badly.

 

[speciallyblend]

Thanks

One of the reasons I made this poll was to find out who our target audience should be. The other was just to get a little bit of history on some of the members here.

i was very surprised to see the number of neo-cons that have converted!! gives me more of a drive to keep trying

 

[nayjevin]

liberal who had not voted for the dems since Bill Clinton's first term (voted 3rd party since) mostly for Nader. Kucinich was the only dem who caught my eye, but the media never covered him so his campaigns did badly.

I looked into Ralph Nader and Harry Browne too. Kucinich i didn't know about until Ron but we basically campaigned with his supporters in the northeast.

Outside political confusions of all sides it's the same liberty. All kinds of people supporting RP now that they've heard him speak too, it's been fun.

 

[Meatwasp]

Ronald Reagan republican. Before that didn't vote.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Funny enough Michael savage is what kind of changed me, he constantly bashed republicans like no other right wing host...

Not so funny or crazy. Savage "helped" me go further down the anti-war path...back when Clinton was the warmonger.

 

[Ricky201]

I was a Ann Coulter-reading, Bill O'Reilly loving, Mike Huckabee supporter until I saw this:

YouTube - Ron Paul @ Fox Debate Pt.7 1-10-08

Talk about a mind fuck. I felt like I had been hit by a train, and decided to start reading.

 

[Pauls' Revere]

A dropout from The Limbaugh Institute.

Love this place.

 

[Maximus]

This thread shows exactly why we can't go writing off Neo-Cons and others.

If some visit this forum with questions, don't flame them out of the site. Don't treat them as idiots and sheeple.

One night I happened on an epic youtube of Ron Paul, I spent the next two hours watching everything RP on youtube. This was after the primaries (I voted Romney). Once I got bit by the RP bug, it took me a while (and a lot of reading) to wholly embrace the philosophy and understand how it works in economics, foreign policy, domestic affairs, etc. It's complicated stuff.

Please, in the future, especially in this election cycle and the 2012 race, let us be hospitable and engaging, and not holier-or-smarter-than-thou. We might actually win this thing.

 

[BuddyRey]

This thread shows exactly why we can't go writing off Neo-Cons and others.

If some visit this forum with questions, don't flame them out of the site. Don't treat them as idiots and sheeple.

One night I happened on an epic youtube of Ron Paul, I spent the next two hours watching everything RP on youtube. This was after the primaries (I voted Romney). Once I got bit by the RP bug, it took me a while (and a lot of reading) to wholly embrace the philosophy and understand how it works in economics, foreign policy, domestic affairs, etc. It's complicated stuff.

Please, in the future, especially in this election cycle and the 2012 race, let us be hospitable and engaging, and not holier-or-smarter-than-thou. We might actually win this thing.

^ Ditto!!!

 

[TortoiseDream]

I was apathetic to moderate.

 

[Kregisen]

I was a typical neo-con too.....in the 2012 debates we WILL win over tens of thousands more, but like others above me said, let's help them and friendly debate them instead of calling them neo-cons and telling them to gtfo.

 

[Son of Detroit]

Neo-con, but didn't know any better. Just got influenced by my parents.

Saw Ron in the debates, these emotions followed in order:

:o

Still working on my parents... I've made significant progress, but still a long ways to go. I've gotten my dad to concede that we need to remove our troops from overseas, but he still feels we should back Israel in war because they're our ally. Any ideas on how to go about convincing him otherwise?

 

[akforme]

was a Joe Biden Supporter.. which is self explanatory lol.

I was and independent left who hated bush and liked Biden too. I was pissed at the democrats after the 06 election which opened the door I guess for me to hear Ron's message. It was him talking about the Federal Reserve that got me hooked. My dad always told me they ran the show, but I never understood what he meant, and he never explained.

 

[hugolp]

You're not kidding! For a while there, it almost felt like my head was spinning from all the new data I was taking in and all the old erroneous notions I found I had to throw out. It was thrilling, terrifying, exhilarating, heartbreaking, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Exactly what happened to me. My parents are social-democrats, and I was raised like one. I was all over the place for a while, watching videos, reading stuff, trying to make up my mind.

And I would not trade the experience neither. It has given me an incredible understanding of how the world moves. I am so grateful that a movement like libertarianism exists. Without the people behind it I would not have become a libertarian.

 

[YumYum]

Still working on my parents... I've made significant progress, but still a long ways to go. I've gotten my dad to concede that we need to remove our troops from overseas, but he still feels we should back Israel in war because they're our ally. Any ideas on how to go about convincing him otherwise?

You should start a new thread with that very question. Since many members on this forum want to help neocons change their views, how to tackle the "Israel is our best friend" issue should be addressed if we want to win neocons over to support Ron Paul.

 

[Old Ducker]

Thanks, Tonie (Nathan) for helping me find my true self. The year was 1980. It took a couple of years of study for it to sink in as I can be obstinate. I ran into her an an LP convention and I said, "Hi, remember me? You converted me.!" She replied, "No I didn't, you were born a libertarian and just didn't realize it." That was a few years before I'd ever heard of Ron Paul. Prior to that I was an antiwar Democrat, of the moderate variety. Over the past 30 years, I've modified my views many times over many things but the basics have stuck with me to this day.

 

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

It wasn't quite as radical a journey though, as yours, mine was from a pretty standard "lock 'em up and throw away the key, turn it all into a glass parking lot, it's all the liberal's fault" kind of neo-con but with a strong distrust of government streak.

Yea, I was similar. My distrust of government really began with the aftermath of Waco. It only intensified in college when I had all kinds of BS shoved down my throat. I can remember having decided Non-Interventionist leanings, though at the time I couched them in terms of us not getting involved ANYWHERE that wasn't a security or resource threat to us (Kosovo really hit home how fucked up many of my college peers and professors were at the time, which was why I switched from International Studies back to History).

Sadly, like a dumbass, I got caught up in the 'More Humble Foreign Policy' Bush and then just as caught up in the 'Flypaper Strategy' (kill them over there instead of here) but my distrust of government really re-asserted itself after Bush won re-election. Before I discovered Dr. Paul, I was a Barr supporter (never make that mistake again) and learned enough about the good doctor that I wrote him in as my vote in the '08 general election.