Where Were You Before Ron Paul?

[tbone717]

It's been a while since I have seen this type of poll run here (if there was a recent one, please let me know and we can bump that one). But here is the question. Whether you came on board in 08 or this year, what was your party allegiance before becoming part of the libertarian movement in the GOP?

I'll define the answers here for clarity:

1) GOP (Part of the Libertarian Wing) - this means that you were active in this movement before Paul came on the national scene in 08.
2) GOP (Mainstream) - this means you were a Republican, but toted the party line (for lack of a better term)
3) Democrat - Self explanatory
4) Libertarian Party - Again, self explanatory
5) Constitution Party - Yet again, self explanatory
6) Green Party - Self explanatory
7) Independent - You were registered to vote, but no party affiliation
8) Minor Party - Any one of the myriad of minor parties that are out there (America First, Peace & Freedom, Socialist Workers, etc)
9) Not Registered (Under 18) - this means you were under the age of 18 when this whole thing got started and you registered GOP right from the start
10) Not Registered (Apathy) - you weren't registered and you didn't care.

I think I covered all possible scenarios. So please vote, comment and bump.

Thanks

 

[sailingaway]

None of the above. I was GOP but never voted in primaries, it was more apathy plus general conservatism. I wouldn't know if that was 'mainstream'.

 

[ohgodno]

Registered Republican when I was 18 as mainstream for a loooong while.

Questioned all the wars and spending under Bush - then became interested in libertarianism… switched affiliation to Libertarian - then back to Republican to vote for Paul in the primary in 08.

so: 2, 4, 1.

 

[tbone717]

None of the above. I was GOP but never voted in primaries, it was more apathy plus general conservatism. I wouldn't know if that was 'mainstream'.

10 choices and you are the first trouble maker LOL.

 

[seyferjm]

Mainstream GOP but not heavily into it.

 

[LisaNY]

I chose 10- this will be my 1st vote since the general in 2000. I voted for Bush as a republican, but had to re-register since it's been so long.

 

[tbone717]

Registered Republican when I was 18 as mainstream for a loooong while.

Questioned all the wars and spending under Bush - then became interested in libertarianism… switched affiliation to Libertarian - then back to Republican to vote for Paul in the primary in 08.

so: 2, 4, 1.

I think a lot of us flirted with a third party at one time or another. Even though I have been GOP since age 18 and always part of the Libertarian side thanks to my family upbringing, I did have a brief stint with the CP to work on a Senate race in PA.

 

[BuddyRey]

I was registered Independent because I didn't think the Democratic Party was liberal enough.

Crazy, huh? Trust me, I'm not sure what I was thinking at the time either.

 

[cdc482]

I wasn't old enough to vote, but I considered myself a democrat. Who could be a republican under Bush?
Besides Ron Paul, I am apathetic to politics in general. User to like it, now I hate it and try to stay away from it.
I've always had a libertarian mindset though I never knew there was a term for it.

 

[tbone717]

BTW there is a prize for anyone who was a registered member of The United State Pirate Party and can prove it

 

[cachemaster]

9) Not Registered (Under 18) - this means you were under the age of 18 when this whole thing got started and you registered GOP right from the start

I was 14 in 07/08 lol.

 

[kahless]

Missing the GOP Paleo-Conservative option - Buchanan supporters. He was hated by the establishment GOP and MSM like Ron Paul.

No mention of Reform party which with Perot got 19% of the vote in the 1992 election. His support was double that in the summer when he was the front-runner and dropped out only to re-enter in October. He popularity and support was cut in half because of that.

People always forget that when discussing Ron as a 3rd party candidate. Perot may have won if he did not sabotage his campaign by dropping out and re-entering.

 

[NoOneButPaul]

I had lost the will to care, and the motivation I had out of high school to try for a career in politics was dead.

I was quite certain it would never come back...But now i'm in the process of giving up the life I have worked for so I can re-invest myself in trying to win office. It's all because of everything Ron has done...

I owe everything to Ron, he woke a good lot of us up and proved without question that no matter how hard the world is stacked against you one man absolutely can make a difference no matter how quickly or how often he is dismissed.

Everything about Ron Paul has the makings for a real legendary story.

I'd like to see it end with the 20-somethings he woke up spending their lives taking back the GOP and restoring freedom to the country....

When I see the negativity and apathy setting in right now I laugh... if Ron Paul has shown us anything it's that you should never give up (although it is time to focus in on the senate and house races for liberty).

A KEY difference between Ron Paul and the rest of the field is that Ron Paul never came to us, we finally came around to Ron Paul.

 

[Godmode7]

Can you add sucking at life in the military? lol

 

[Karsten]

I'm shocked I'm the only Libertarian Party member so far. As the grassroots Ron Paul events around my area in early 2007 it was almost all LP.

 

[Lishy]

I was a commie supporting Obama. That is the truth. I actually have a copy of the Communist Manifesto in my room.

However, as I learned more about Ron Paul, I realized Libertarianism achieves the same social justice that Communism strives for, but without need of violating our freedoms or government intervention.

Essentially, by eliminating unnecessary government, there is no need to tax large businesses because it makes the business environment fair for everyone due to the nature of competition.

I was never registered however. I am Canadian.

 

[1stAmendguy]

You left out the hijacked neocon tea party. I know some people that are now Paul supporters that considered themselves tea partiers but never heard/wasn't informed about Ron Paul. They were also Palin supporters. Luckily I won a couple over and informed them about the intellectual Godfather of the Tea Party movement.

 

[tbone717]

Missing the GOP Paleo-Conservative option - Buchanan supporters. He was hated by the establishment GOP and MSM like Ron Paul.

No mention of Reform party which with Perot got 19% of the vote in the 1992 election. His support was double that in the summer when he was the front-runner and dropped out only to re-enter in October. He popularity and support was cut in half because of that.

People always forget that when discussing Ron as a 3rd party candidate. Perot may have won if he did not sabotage his campaign by dropping out and re-entering.

I would group the paleo-cons with the libertarian movement of the GOP since we cross paths on so much really. I consider myself more of a paleo-con than anything else, and worked hard for Buchanan in the early 90's.

The Reform Party is by all definitions a minor party, in the mid 90's they did have the registration numbers to make them a 3rd party, but that dwindled quickly and by 07 when Paul came on the scene they were a minor party.

 

[tbone717]

You left out the hijacked neocon tea party. I know some people that are now Paul supporters that considered themselves tea partiers but never heard/wasn't informed about Ron Paul. They were also Palin supporters. Luckily I won a couple over and informed them about the intellectual Godfather of the Tea Party movement.

Technically, I would throw the Tea Party folks in with the libertarian wing, simply because in its infancy that is what was driving it. But yea, it could have been an option I imagine.

 

[mport1]

Libertarian Party. I'm done with those clowns now though. However, I will never join the GOP.

If I vote in the future, I will just vote for candidates who I think are very principled libertarians no matter what party they are in. I don't see myself affiliating with a party though unless the LP gets its act together at some point.