Ron Paul IS Electable, But The Media Would Have You Think Otherwise

15 09 2011

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, has a good chance of winning his party’s nomination and the presidency next year, yet few in the media (mainstream or otherwise) seem to notice.

Ensuring that voters understand this is essential to having an informed discussion about the direction the country should take in the coming years.This is especially true because of the frequency in which people write off the congressman since they consider him unelectable.

Before we begin, I should note that I write this as someone who does not agree with Paul on everything, does not belong to any group advocating his election and does not plan to join any group advocating such.

I also write this, however, as someone who shares his passion for promoting personal and economic freedom and as someone who believes he is probably the only presidential candidate from any party that has a chance of doing net good while in office.

With that said, let’s look at some of the major indicators of electability in order to determine just how good a shot Paul has.

For many, the most important question regarding electability is a candidate’s performance in head-to-head matchups against the president. By this metric, Paul does very well, averaging 41.5 percent to President Barack Obama’s 43 percent in polls conducted in the last month.

Only one candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, does better by this standard, and his average margin of victory against the president is just 0.6 percent. Additionally, only one other candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, comes close to either Romney or Paul, losing to the president by an average of 2.5 percent.

This means voters looking for a candidate that can beat Obama but that has a more consistent record of promoting limited government than Romney or Perry should give the congressman another look.

After considering his chances against the president, most people are curious about Paul’s performance in national polling relative to his fellow Republican contenders. Despite the cable news channels’ fervent efforts to elevate statist, warmongering candidates such as Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Paul has consistently placed third among announced candidates for about two weeks.

His average standing in the national polls among declared GOP candidates since Aug. 27, according to RealClearPolitics.com, is third place (9.2 percent), behind Perry (31.8 percent) and Romney (19.8 percent). This still leaves him a distant third, but he has gone from trailing Bachmann by seven percent on July 20 to leading by three points as of Tuesday.

Those who think Paul is too far behind to make a surge should recall that, at this point in the 2008 cycle, Arizona Sen. John McCain, the eventual GOP nominee, was in a distant third place (15.3 percent), trailing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (28.6 percent) and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson (23.4 percent).

In addition, polls conducted in states that hold the first primaries and caucuses can be very important.

There has only been one general poll conducted in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire in the last month, but Paul placed a solid third in it, earning 14 percent, much less than Romney’s 36 percent but quite close to Perry’s 18 percent. RealClearPolitics.com lists three polls conducted in the leading caucus state of Iowa in the last month, and Paul averages a respectable fourth in those.

The fact that he came within one percentage point of winning the Ames Straw Poll in August, however, is a strong indication of a passionate, well-organized following, something that will be especially beneficial in small-scale contests such as caucuses and small-state primaries.This recent success in polls of Republicans in these consequential states means Paul has the potential to catch a major break if he can win or place second in one or both.

Finally, one metric that can influence and be influenced by polling numbers is fundraising success.

In the second quarter of this year (the most recent complete quarter) Paul was second only to Romney in fundraising, and his margin over the third-place fundraiser (former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has since dropped out) was a comfortable $4.5 million to $4.2 million.

This is an indication that he will be able to compete with the president’s fundraising machine in the general election.

The above figures do not prove Ron Paul is destined to be the GOP nominee and our 45th president, but the news media should acknowledge that they at least prove his viability as a contender.


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Categories : Constitution, Economics/Monetary Policy, Personal Liberty, Politics, Ron Paul 2012, States Rights

CNN’s Jack Cafferty Slams GOP Frontrunners: Why Are Americans ‘Allergic To Brains?’ by Kstreet607

29 08 2011

Kstreet607

When I lived in New York for the first 50 years of my life, in the 70′s and 80′s I used to watch Jack Cafferty on our local ABC affiliate.  I can remember him being opinionated way back then.  Since he’s been on CNN, I think they’ve  given him an even longer rein to “express” himself…

Mediaite

Cranky CNN commentator Jack Cafferty lit into Republican superstars Sarah Palin (R-FNC), Gov.Rick Perry (R-TX), and Rep. Michele Bachmann(R-MN) on Wednesday’s The Situation Room, comparing them to The Three Stooges (sansShemp), calling Perry’s instant burial of Mitt Romney in the polls “a little scary,” and asking, “When it comes to presidential politics, why does America seem to be allergic to brains?”

Tell us how you really feel, Jack.

Since becoming a national media figure, Jack Cafferty has become known for this kind of Howard Beale-meets-Abe Simpson venting, and last night’s rant was vintage Cafferty. He blasted Bachmann’s promise of $2 gasoline, called Perry and Bachmann “whackjobs,” and derided “former half-term dropout governor of Alaska” Sarah Palin by sarcastically calling her a “Mensa member.”

Cafferty went on to praise candidates like Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, and Jon Huntsman as examples of “the other end of the intellectual spectrum.”

Part of Cafferty’s critique had to do with the amount of attention being given to “Larry, Curly, and Moe” (as he calls Perry, Bachmann, and Palin), but people like Jon Huntsman have been getting tons of air (especially compared with his poll numbers) for trying to inject some sanity into the proceedings, to little effect. Cafferty can’t hang this on the media, but he’s dead-on when he asks why Americans are “allergic to brains.”

It’s tempting to see this as a strictly conservative problem (their contempt for academia and journalism certainly enabled it), but the media and the Democratic establishment have long played along with the modern American idea that intellect is a political liability. Many would trace the phenomenon to the Al Gore-George W. Bush race, but this “who would you rather drink a beer with?” garbage has been around for as long as I can remember.

The silver lining to Cafferty’s critique is that the American allergy to brains will become a significant asset when the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse arrives.


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Why Does Our Media Ignore Ron Paul?

20 08 2011

Why is the American media so intent on ignoring congressman Ron Paul and his prickly libertarian views?
Paul is running for president in the Republican primaries, and it’s plain that the handmaidens of the political establishment — Democrats as well as Republicans — are freezing him out. He came within a few votes of winning last week’sIowa straw poll, just 152 votes short among almost 17,000 cast. But rather than shower this intriguing candidate and his views with attention, the news media willfully forgot about him. The question is, why?Perhaps the answer could be found during the recentFox News debate in Iowa, in which Paul trashed Republican saber-rattling toward a potentially nuclearIran. ”They’re building up this case like, just like we did in Iraq — build up the war propaganda,” Paul said. “It’s time we quit this. It’s time — it’s trillions of dollars we’re spending on these wars.” After that, he couldn’t get himself into a news story for days. But this media freeze-out started long before. The Project for Excellence in Journalism studied media coverage of Paul from January through Aug. 14, and demonstrated that he received much less coverage than non-candidates such as Donald Trump and Sarah Palin. After reading that, I got a little paranoid and did what any reasonable guy would do. I fashioned a cone-shaped hat from aluminum foil and put it on as I typed this column. The last thing I needed was to have my mind channeled by either Democratic Merlin David Axelrod or Republican Rasputin Karl Rove. Even liberal comedian Jon Stewart, not my typical go-to source, seemed ashamed of the media’s treatment of Paul. On his show last week, Stewart ran clips of broadcast news coverage that slapped Paul around. News anchors gushed over the “top tier” Republicans in Iowa, and even though Paul came in second behind U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, he wasn’t considered “top tier” enough to be mentioned. ”Really?” asked Stewart, as Paul’s photo flashed on the screen. “You’re not forgetting … say, an ideologically consistent 12-term congressman who came within less than 200 votes of winning the straw poll? Isn’t anyone going to give that gentleman any love?” Love may indeed be the reason the media ignores Ron Paul. Under this theory, the media is merely trying to provide us with loving protection from Paul and those challenging libertarian ideals: Such as the view we shouldn’t be eager to be groped in airports or to fund another war in the Middle East, or that we should legalize drugs rather than fight the drug wars, or the wild idea that a coffee shop waitress should not be expected to pay taxes on her tips. These are extreme notions, though the principles behind them were once held dear by a few old guys in powdered wigs who founded this country. The TV people are happy to do the work for you, and tell you what notions are fit for public debate. Thinking for yourself is really, really hard, and it’s just easier to watch TV and listen to discussions about Bachmann’s hair. Another possible reason why the media is ignoring Paul could be fear rather than love. Perhaps Democrats and Republicans are afraid of him. Paul is anti-war, and there are many independent Democrats who’ve been anti-war, including those who elected President Barack Obama in 2008 and have since turned on him because, well, he recently help start a war in Libya, turning America’s two wars into three. Paul also doesn’t campaign on social issues, like outlawing abortion, or involving the government in the bedroom. He’s not a political evangelical, so Paul’s stance would be attractive to many Democrats. And that is why I put on my tinfoil hat, lest magic-man Axelrod zap me with one of his mind-control spells before I could finish typing. Yet it’s obvious that tin-foil brain prophylactics are also needed against the powers of Axelrod’s doppelganger, Rove. For years now, Rove has sputtered angrily about the libertarians, and it’s obvious Republicans see Paul as a threat. Perhaps it’s the fact that Paul ridicules the GOP military drumbeat against Iran. It may be that he appeals to tea party fiscal conservatives, and if these voters begin to lean toward Paul, the establishment GOP will be left with defense contractors, neocons and evangelicals, not enough to win a national election. Paul loathes government even more than I do, but his throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater philosophy of reform gives me pause. Still, he’s intriguing. So even a blind goose can see that by freezing Paul out, the media serves the political establishment, but that’s about it. ”It is hard for them to accept,” Paul told Politico’s liberal Roger Simon in a recent interview about the candidate’s media treatment after the Iowa vote. “They (the media) believe this guy is dangerous to the status quo, but that is a reason to be more energized.” Paul is dangerous to the status quo. And that’s a reason not to ignore him.


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Ron Paul only grown-up running for president in GOP? FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

17 08 2011

J. Cafferty

As the race for the Republican nomination heats up, there’s one candidate who’s been largely ignored by the mainstream media.

But Ron Paul is talking sense and more people ought to listen to him.

The Texas congressman has visionary ideas about where the country ought to be going and what sea changes are necessary in order to continue being a superpower.

When Paul ran for the Republican nomination in 2008 – he talked about the economy imploding, the untenable nature of the national debt, the eventual destruction of our currency and a limited role for government.

He showed tremendous fund-raising ability and had an absolutely rabid base of support. The problem was – it was too small.

In the four years since then, many of the things Paul warned us about have happened: We’re deeper in debt. The dollar is worth less. The federal government is increasingly dysfunctional, and the country is more divided than at any time maybe since the Civil War.

Yes, Ron Paul is a conservative. But he’s not one of those who hits you over the head with his bible. And looking at the current batch of republican wanna-bees, he stands out as maybe the only adult in the room.

In politics as in life, it’s often the timing that makes the difference. In the case of Ron Paul, it seems events over the last four years have finally caught up with the candidate.

Paul’s message hasn’t changed – but the urgency of what he’s saying has increased. And it seems like this time, more people may be listening.

He came within an eyelash of finishing first in the Iowa straw poll. Less than 200 votes behind Michele Bachmann out of nearly 17,000 cast.

Michele Bachmann has no chance of being the next president of the United States. Maybe Ron Paul should be.

Tx Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul


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Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Presidential Campaign Strategy: BE RON PAUL

17 08 2011

Texas Governor Rick Perry has shown his hand immediately. His presidential campaign strategy consists of attempting to steal away Ron Paul supporters while the mainstream media aids him by refusing to even acknowledge Paul exists. Perry entered the presidential race on Friday and was instantly hailed by the corporate controlled media as a “top tier” candidate. Meanwhile, Ron Paul was busy romping home to a historic vote total in the Iowa straw poll, coming second only to a phony tea party wannabe in Michelle Bachmann, who could only beat Paul by buying 4000 votes.

J. Stewart

As Jon Stewart painstakingly points out, the establishment media is manifestly engaged in a concerted effort to completely ignore Paul. Indeed, establishment media talking heads admitted what we’ve been highlighting from the very start – that there is a deliberate policy to sideline and discredit Paul’s campaign. Perry, on the other hand, is certainly not ignoring Paul, if his recent “attack” on Ben Bernanke is anything to go by. Speaking in Iowa yesterday, Perry said, “I’ll take a pass on the Federal Reserve at the moment, to be honest with you. I know that there’s a lot of talk about ‘em and if this guy prints more money between now and the election, I dunno what y’all would do to him in Iowa but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.” Perry said. “Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous, or treasonous, in my opinion,” he added. Though he puts it into words much like an 18th century blacksmith would smash at metal with a hammer, Perry is correct about the Federal Reserve and the current administration’s monetary policy. However, the Texas governor is wholly unqualified to make such damning statements. Under Perry’s governorship, Texas soaked up $22 billion in stimulus money from the federal government’s bailout package. During Perry’s 11 year tenure, Texas has run up a $13.4 billion deficit, which is 31.5% of the 2011 budget. The Lone Star state has the 3rd highest deficit in the entire country behind only California and Illinois.

Dr. Paul

Unlike Congressman Ron Paul, Perry cannot possibly paint himself up as a fiscally responsible candidate. Indeed, recently uncovered records indicate that Perry only managed a D in basic economics in college. Perry’s words once again do not dovetail with his record. Ron Paul, on the other hand sits on the Joint Economic Committee, the House Committee on Financial Services, and is Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy. Paul has held a steadfast position on fiscal responsibility for over thirty years and has a voting record to match. 20 plus years ago, back when Perry was expending all his energy promoting Democratic candidate Al Gore, Ron Paul was warning the country of the Federal Reserve takeover and the inevitable economic crises that would result. Anyone with half a brain can clearly see that Perry, the template of a career politician, a man who has flip flopped not only between issues, but even between the two parties, is not going to bring economic prosperity back to the country. The only candidate who has the will to do so and the record to back it up is Ron Paul. As we continue to point out, there is an ongoing push to drill it into the minds of Republican supporters and voting Americans in general that Ron Paul cannot win. Zeke Miller of Business Insider today perpetuates this fallacy, noting: “Other candidates — particularly U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who won the straw poll, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry — see an opportunity to reach out to Paul supporters as an “electable” candidate with appeal to a broader array of constituencies.” “In Perry’s case, he has adopted Paul’s ardent criticism of the Fed and its chairman Ben Bernanke…” “While it’s unlikely these overtures will attract Paul supporters while the libertarian is still in the race, they will help in the event Perry is still in the running after the early states.”

For the last time, Ron Paul IS an “electable candidate”. The fact that every single one of his opponents is riding his coat tails and stealing his campaign strategy should make this fact blindingly obvious.


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Ron Paul: Clear Winner of GOP Iowa 2012 Debate

12 08 2011

Ron Paul emerged the clear winner of last night’s FOX News GOP debate according to a poll of Fox viewers and even according to analysis in the Washington Post, as the congressman cemented the fact that he is the only hope America has of ending its involvement in multiple costly and damaging wars across the globe. Paul was in his element at the Iowa debate and delivered the most comprehensible and impassioned performance seen at any of the debates thus far. Every other candidate in attendance attempted to scramble over their rivals to lead the charge for the military industrial complex, while Paul stuck firmly to his anti-war principles, demanding that US troops be brought home with immediate effect. During a heated back and forth with Rick Santorum regarding a potential conflict with Iran, Paul showed true statesman qualities, arguing that merely slapping sanctions on the country and refusing to even entertain the idea of negotiating with the Iranian leadership would lead directly to conflict further down the line. “They have no evidence that they are working on a weapon,” Paul said. “At least our leaders and Reagan talked to the Soviets. What is so terribly bad about this? Countries you put sanctions on, you are more likely to fight them. I say a policy of peace is free trade, stay out of their internal business. Do not get involved in these wars and bring our troops home.” The Congressman added.

R. Santorum

When Santorum insisted that Iran had “killed more American men and women in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan than the Iraqis and Afghans have,” Paul urged the American people to see through such examples of war propaganda. When Santorum added that Iran had been “at war with us since 1979″, Paul countered that it was the meddling of the CIA in Iranin the 1950s that had directly caused such “blowback”. “The senator is wrong on his history,” Paul urged.

M. Bachman

“We’ve been at war in Iran for a lot longer than ’79. We started it in 1953 when we sent in a coup, installed the Shah. The reaction, the blow-back came in 1979, it’s been going on and on because we just plain don’t mind our own business. That’s our problem!” The Congressman asserted as the crowd in attendance erupted into riotous applause and cheering.“Iran is a threat because they have some militants there, but believe me they are all around the world, and they are not a whole lot different than others.” The Congressman added. “Iran does not have an air force that can come here, they can’t even make enough gasoline for themselves.” Paul said as he fended off constant attempts by Santorum to interrupt him with authority. “They are building up this case just like we did in Iraq, build up the war propaganda. There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq, and ‘they had nuclear weapons and we had to go in’, I’m sure you supported that war as well,” said Paul, directing his words toward the former Senator. In the stand out moment of the entire evening,  a clearly emotional Ron Paul almost burst out of the screen as he boomed into the microphone “It’s time we quit this. IT’S TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS WE’RE SPENDING ON THESE WARS!” In other particular highlight, Paul schooled phony tea party wannabe candidate Michele Bachmann on the rule of law after Bachmann defended the gulags at Guantanamo Bay and insisted that accused “terrorists” have no rights whatsoever under the American justice system. “I thought our courts recognized that you have to be tried,” Paul responded. “This administration has already accepted the position that when you assume someone is a terrorist, they can be targeted for assassination – even American citizens, that affects all of us eventually, you don’t want to translate our rule of law into mob rule.” Paul hit back.


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Categories : Personal Liberty, Politics, Ron Paul 2012


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