Why Ron Paul should run for president for the Libertarian Party

[MN Patriot]

If Ron wanted to spread the idea of libertarianism, then he should really run for president under the Libertarian Party. I think that is our only hope, to create a third party to make the Republican Party irrelevant. If Ron ran as a LP candidate, and encouraged the LP to have a libertarian candidate for every Congressional race and as many state legislative races as possible, the libertarian message would get broad publicity. Libertarianism gets misconstrued as some sort of radical conservative ideology when a Republican is also a libertarian. Libertarianism and conservatism are distinct ideologies, with some similarities regarding economics and gun rights. Beyond that, they are incompatible with one another.

(this was a response I gave in another thread, but thought it would be good enough to start a new thread)

We need THOUSANDS of Ron Pauls running for every office possible. Expecting one 76 year old man to fix things is completely unrealistic. The Republican Party DOES not want libertarians in their ranks. They want "conservatives" in the Republican Party. Ron Paul is the only person who could lead enough libertarians out of the Republican Party and into the Libertarian Party so that it would truly be a force to be reckoned with.

 

[Vessol]

Haven't we gone over this a thousand times before? Why do we need another thread about this?

 

[Michael Landon]

If he does not get the nomination then I really wish he would run 3rd party. I think he would gather enough votes from both sides to make it a good 3 way race with him probably coming out on top. I actually have more liberals I work with that agree with him than I do neo-cons.

- ML

 

[rp08orbust]

Review your assumptions after Ron Paul wins the Ames straw poll.

 

[MN Patriot]

Haven't we gone over this a thousand times before? Why do we need another thread about this?

Because maybe there are people who agree with me and want to get the revolution rolling to the next level. If you want to get bogged down in the Establishment controlled Republican Party, expecting one man to save us all, then good luck with that.

 

[MN Patriot]

If he does not get the nomination then I really wish he would run 3rd party. I think he would gather enough votes from both sides to make it a good 3 way race with him probably coming out on top. I actually have more liberals I work with that agree with him than I do neo-cons.

- ML

Yes, as a Republican, many people instantly dismiss him as just another Republican, but a lone kook Republican. If Ron were to run as a Libertarian, with thousands of fellow Libertarians on the ballots all over the nation, that would give libertarianism much more credibility.

 

[Aldanga]

Yes, as a Republican, many people instantly dismiss him as just another Republican, but a lone kook Republican. If Ron were to run as a Libertarian, with thousands of fellow Libertarians on the ballots all over the nation getting very few votes, that would not give libertarianism much more credibility.

FTFY.

(In case you want to flame me, I am a registered member of the Libertarian Party—at least until the primaries.)

Sore loser laws + intentional limiting of third parties = fail idea. It's been covered ad nauseum. I wish people would realize it's a dumb idea that won't go anywhere.

 

[Matt Collins]

third parties are not viable now.

 

[nate895]

This is the second time I felt like I needed to post this today:

 

[TheTyke]

This is the second time I felt like I needed to post this today:

Agreed...

Is 40 years of not winning federal elections not enough? Those pushing RP to run LP remind me of the folks who think government is still the solution even after failing all this time...

 

[kah13176]

LP = NO media coverage. No televised debates or airtime to spread the message.

Plus, LP is a eunuch as far as political leverage and strength goes.

 

[mport1]

Parties are stupid and meaningless. Why run for the LP and get absolutely no media coverage? Running for a major party is the best way to get the message out through politics.

 

[MN Patriot]

FTFY.

(In case you want to flame me, I am a registered member of the Libertarian Party—at least until the primaries.)

Sore loser laws + intentional limiting of third parties = fail idea. It's been covered ad nauseum. I wish people would realize it's a dumb idea that won't go anywhere.

So why are you a registered member of the LP, if you think third parties are a dumb idea?
Yes, it has been covered ad nauseum, because people have been conditioned to think third parties will always fail. I am trying to challenge that mindset. As soon as they see something about third parties, they reflectively say what has been brainwashed into them by the Establishment that does not want third parties.

If enough people decide to dedicate themselves to a third party, it can succeed.

At this stage of the game, sore loser laws are irrelevant. Ron could easily get the Libertarian endorsement in 2012, get enough LP candidates on all the ballots. Run as a Republican until the fall, then switch parties. The only problem is whether or not the LP is capable of rising to the challenge.

 

[MN Patriot]

Agreed...

Is 40 years of not winning federal elections not enough? Those pushing RP to run LP remind me of the folks who think government is still the solution even after failing all this time...

And in those 40 years, when did the LP ever have a presidential candidate with the recognition and broad support of Ron Paul? The LP has never had a full slate of Congressional candidates.

Going on past performance is no guarantee of future results. (Ever see that before?)

 

[torchbearer]

So why are you a registered member of the LP, if you think third parties are a dumb idea?
Yes, it has been covered ad nauseum, because people have been conditioned to think third parties will always fail. I am trying to challenge that mindset. As soon as they see something about third parties, they reflectively say what has been brainwashed into them by the Establishment that does not want third parties.

If enough people decide to dedicate themselves to a third party, it can succeed.

At this stage of the game, sore loser laws are irrelevant. Ron could easily get the Libertarian endorsement in 2012, get enough LP candidates on all the ballots. Run as a Republican until the fall, then switch parties. The only problem is whether or not the LP is capable of rising to the challenge.

couldn't the LP nominate its slate of electors to ron paul either way? if they really want him, the could assign their electors to him. he does not need to give you permission to have electors vote for him.
that is all a presidential ballot is- a slate of electors who promise to vote(but aren't bound) for a certain candidate.

 

[low preference guy]

good thing I put MN Patriot on my ignore list earlier in the afternoon, because all of his posts i read are about pimping the LP

 

[MN Patriot]

Parties are stupid and meaningless. Why run for the LP and get absolutely no media coverage? Running for a major party is the best way to get the message out through politics.

Running as a lone libertarian for the Republican Party is the best way to be marginalized. Ron Paul proved that in 2008.

 

[nate895]

Running as a lone libertarian for the Republican Party is the best way to be marginalized. Ron Paul proved that in 2008.

Have you been following the events since 2008? Ron Paul was a no-name Texas Congressman in 2007. This year he is the leader of a grassroots movement.

 

[torchbearer]

Running as a lone libertarian for the Republican Party is the best way to be marginalized. Ron Paul proved that in 2008.

I held the office of vice-chair of the lalp once upon a time. a member of their central committee for a decade.
ron paul did more for the liberty movement in his two years running as a gop presidential candidate, than we did in the lp over our lifetime.
he was in the debates. we weren't.
if you don't see that he is right in his path, no reason/logic will reach you.

 

[MN Patriot]

good thing I put MN Patriot on my ignore list earlier in the afternoon, because all of his posts i read are about pimping the LP

Whatever. Visionaries are the ones getting flamed until enough people wake up and realize they have been right all along.