Republicans Give Ron Paul the Ultimate Snub
The Republicans have released the line up of speakers for their convention next week and it is more notable for who is not going to speak than it is for who is.
All of the primary candidates will be speaking, all but one -Ron Paul. Now, he probably does not care about that anymore because he is going to be holding his own convention at the same time. But it could make a difference to the Republicans in November.
The talk up to now has been mostly about whether or not Hillary Clinton’s supporters will fall in line behind Barack Obama. The Republicans are so concerned about it, they are running adds trying to lure them away. Meanwhile at least 15% of the Republican voters still support Ron Paul and the chance of them falling in line behind John McCain is about the same as John Edwards becoming Secretary of State.
So far, the Democratic Convention has gone pretty smooth. They have come under criticism for not attacking John McCain right from the get go, but that is not the plan. The first thing on the agenda is to unify as much of the party behind Barack Obama as possible. The story will be different when the nominees take the podium themselves. Then the gloves will come off and stay off.
So far, the polls are mixed regarding the effect of having Joe Biden as a running mate will have. The same goes for the way the Clinton delegates will go. That is to be expected. It will take some of them a while to make up their minds. And now it is up to Obama to win them over, not up to Clinton to deliver. The Biden effect will be more evident when McCain makes his choice.
With the Republicans, it will be interesting to see how much coverage Ron Paul and his convention gets. The Ron Paul supporters are the most conservative of the Republican party and they will not vote for Obama. But they could vote for Bob Barr. And that many Republicans not voting for John McCain could very well be more than he would get from dissatisfied Clinton supporters, most of whom are saying if they do not vote for Obama, they will just stay home.
As a matter of fact, Ron Paul could very well pull more votes away from McCain. He is not considered to be conservative. Most people think of him as a moderate. The more moderate he appears, the more conservatives he will loose. The American voter is becoming more likely to listen to their own conscience than every before. The American voter would rather vote for someone they believe in who has no chance of winning than for a candidate of a major party just because they belong to that party. The face of American politics is different this time. Whether it stays this way, who knows.
Comment by BD on 28 August 2008:
Actually, this is one Paul donor that will be voting Obama this fall.
Dr. Paul and eye don’t see eye to eye on everything, but what’s important to me this year is a return to Constitutional values in our government, and Obama represents the highest likelihood of that happening.
I, too, will be interested to see what develops from Paul’s Campaign for Liberty. It’s about time that true conservatives started standing up for conservative values, and not just falling in line behind the evangelicals and neo-cons.
Comment by Ben on 28 August 2008:
What evidence do you have that ‘The American voter would rather vote for someone they believe in who has no chance of winning than for a candidate of a major party just because they belong to that party’?
Comment by Chad on 28 August 2008:
Ron Paul way over America’s head. You actually have to think about what he says. Americans are used to things like The Real World and American Idol and Deal or No Deal. Even many “smart” businessmen limit their knowledge to a few soundbites, and rely on their Party to make decisions for them. And “independent” voters make their decision from a commercial or two or the persuasion of illinformed friends and co-workers.
Comment by TCO on 28 August 2008:
I will vote for Barr. I’m not a hair splitting Randian. Or a truther. Or a dope smoker. But I know that both Barr and Paul are conservative Republicans and are more my 80% friend than McCain. Or Bush (who screwed the whole party over).
Comment by ephil on 28 August 2008:
I am a Ron Paul Republican that will 100% NEVER vote for McCain. There may well be enough clueless republicans that vote party line but Ron Paul supporters read. They know stuff and I don’t believe they will shut up and fall into line. McCain needed to suck up big time to try and woo some Ron Paul people to his side maybr sit down with RP and ask for some economic policy advice, but instead, he has relentlessly ridiculed and belittled RP and his supporters. Now it is too late to try and recover. I would vote Obama before McCain but I don’t plan on voting for either. I would like to see McCain lose by the biggest margin in history! What a Legacy! ROTFLMAO!! I am very interested to see the coverage Ron Paul gets at his convention.
Comment by PJ Mcflurr on 28 August 2008:
Id rather eat a bowl of feces than vote for either one. Id rather see the GOP go down in flames so that REAL CONSERVATIVES can rebuild the party. If the GOP wants my vote, they better nominate a real fkn republican.
Comment by Gmartine on 28 August 2008:
I am a Ron Paul republican and Clark County delegate in Nevada.
I will most likely be voting for Chuck Baldwin unless Ron Paul endorses someone else.
Comment by Andrew on 28 August 2008:
This article is dead-on correct. The fact that Ron Paul was not even invited to speak at the convention like the others were, in addition to him being marginalized for the past year by the media and the Republican party, there is no way John McCain will ever get my vote. I don’t care what he says, what he does, if he tried to completely reinvent himself – the Republican party has been hijacked by neo-conservative war mongers who, like thugs, have destroyed the party and everything it used to stand for.
McCain is a joke – his alleged “nomination” is completely bogus. He is the neo-con puppet to fulfill Bush’s third term. I can’t understand why anyone would vote for McCain but, as far as I understand, few will do so anyway. I hope he crashes and burns so hard that the Republican party implodes. As much as I can’t stand Obama and Hillary, I can honestly say I am more enraged at McCain. I look forward to watching him lose.
Comment by Blonduxo on 28 August 2008:
Apparently the folks here elected to not post my original response…we all know what that is called. The gist of it was that I unequivocally support Dr. Paul. I will vote my conscious. To forfeit my vote would be to violate my convictions and serve only to reinforce the stranglehold on the nation of two morally bankrupt parties and the loss of our republic to fascism. The assumed nominees merely give a little tongue to the Constitution while the corporatists bitch slap it. Time to wake up America from the long kiss goodbye and start making love to your country by embracing the Constitution. I for one will not be still but be actively involved in this relationship.
Comment by Alexander Nobles on 28 August 2008:
Blonduxo,
We do not “silence” Comments, nor do we manually approve them… They go through “spam bam”, in fact we state that right below the comment box.
It could have been picked up by spam bam, or you maybe you just did not submit it correctly. I checked our “spam” folder, and I did not find the comment you were talking about. Might have been a server problem, who knows.
Anyway… Just wanted to let you know that we encourage free comments, except for spam.
Comment by Darryl Schmitz on 28 August 2008:
I am ashamed of the way our two major political parties take the oath to uphold the Constitution, then proceed to violate it repeatedly by insane and unconstitutional spending that is driving us at warp speed toward the second Great Depression.
I would not vote Democratic before, and will never vote Republican again. The Libertarian and Constitution parties are the only place for conscientious fiscal conservatives and civil libertarians to go. And the Libertarian Party is on the ballot in almost all of the states.
Comment by publius on 28 August 2008:
Screw the GOP. It screwed me. It does not surprise me in the least that the GOP leadership did not want Dr. Paul to speak. Because Ron Paul makes McCain and the rest of the goons look stupid. He shines a spot light on their hypocrisy.
I will most likely be voting third party.
Comment by dwayne on 28 August 2008:
Screw the Republicans, they screwed me. Sorry to repeat, but it was a great line. Thats all I have to say.
Go Ron Go
Comment by GOPIsToast on 28 August 2008:
The GOP is toast. Ron Paul doesn’t need that fake conservative snakepit of corruption anyway. People are catching on to the two party system scam and they don’t like it one bit.
What’s the GOP got? A doddering, senile old fart that just mutters Neocon talking points and couldn’t find his ass let alone Iran on a map.
They trying to sell the line that McCain has more experience as a leader than Obama. What experience as a leader? Being captured by the Vietcong and spending five years as POW Songbird isn’t leadership! Spending decades in the senate is not leadership!
But hey, you never know, there are enough clueless Americans out there, especially the geriatric set that think there’s a terrorist with WMDs hiding behind every shrub in their backyard that they’ll probably vote for this old clown.
Yeah, a senile, out of touch warmonger with access to the greatest nuclear arsenal in the world is really what we need right now!
Comment by Freedom on 28 August 2008:
There is no difference between McInsane and Ossama. They are both the same big government pundits!
Comment by Mark on 28 August 2008:
As Lew Rockwell sez, the Republican and Democrat parties are merely different wings of the same bird of prey. Both of parties violate the constitution, take our liberties and squander tax dollars. A pox of both their houses.
The indignity of the party not letting Ron speak at the convention is the final insult. He earned the right. Unfortunately, the GOP is deathly afraid of what he’ll say. He points out the hypocrisy of the Neo-Con leadership and they know it!
Listen to Lew Rockwell’s podcast about “Neo-conservatism” and you’ll understand why the GOP won’t let RP speak. http://www.LewRockwell.com
Comment by Tim on 28 August 2008:
I was with Ron Paul since the first debate and worked with the campaign for many months in Iowa. I’m voting for Obama because I’d like to see America have a better name in the world instead of McCain (who I honestly think would be worse than W) kick-starting World War III.
Comment by Harrybrownelives on 28 August 2008:
How far we have come … Joe Lieberman can speak? Gooliani and Fred Thompson who got NO delegates can speak … but no invite for Ron Paul. Ron Paul who raised more money on a single day than any Republican candidate in history without his own campaign raising it. Ron Paul who has been the one and only Republican candidate who has electrified college campuses and potential, young, GOP voters. I find it mind-boggling that the GOP establishment will blindly follow the NeoCons off the electoral cliff. If we followed their logic after Pearl Harbor as we did with Iraq after 9/11 we would have invaded New Zealand instead of Japan. I won’t vote for McFly, no way in H$%^.
Comment by Mike Vine on 28 August 2008:
Paulites, do not vote Obama! (Do not vote McCain either.)
Obama seems inspirational and peaceful when he speaks, but he will be as dangerous as McCain when put in power. One of these criminals will probably be elected, but those who supported Dr. Paul demonstrated themselves to the saviors of our generation. Don’t implicate yourself in the coming tragedies of depression and global war by using your one feeble political privilege to endorse your future tyrant.
Bob Barr seems shifty, I agree, but at least write in Dr. Paul, or yourself – anyone but a national socialist like Obama or McCain.
Comment by George Whitfield on 28 August 2008:
I was a supporter of Ron Paul and organized a meetup group for him. But the Republican Party leadership has rejected him. I will be voting for Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for President and have donated the legal maximum amount to his campaign. Go Bob Barr!
Comment by AF on 28 August 2008:
Once the Republican get done tearing up the Constitution of the United States, they can get some scotch tape and put it back together. Then i’ll get back to voting GOP. Until then, my vote goes to Ron Paul.
Comment by Courtney on 28 August 2008:
Chad – I think your perception is way off and it is quite cynical about Americans. Granted, many people get their information from MSM, family, friends and coworkers but that doesn’t mean that it is ill-informed or “over their heads”. This is the kind of attitude that does not promote change but rather hinders it. By discounting your fellow neighbor, it stops you from recognizing other (OFTEN) valid ideas/core beliefs, thus hindering the evolution of your own thought process *and* your neighbors’. It’s only through mutual understanding that any movement of liberty can succeed.
Comment by Carol on 29 August 2008:
The Republicans presently have zero capacity for introspection — and it will thus take a huge loss for them to have to come to terms with their own vices. But Obama doesn’t get my vote because I can hardly give my consent to his program either, can I…? I’ll be voting for Bob Barr.
Comment by Falang on 29 August 2008:
I consider myself a fanatical Paul fan, but I will vote for Obama. McCain will start more wars and bring back the draft. One might say, quite honestly, that the guy is nuts. Obama isn’t, so it is the lesser of two evils for me.
Comment by Andy White on 29 August 2008:
I don’t think either Obama nor McCain are the lesser of two evils. Voting for either of the two is both legitimizing them and giving them your consent to be governed in which ever way they see fit. Obama is most likely going to win anyways, he doesn’t need the help of some Ron Paul supporters.
Comment by Robina on 29 August 2008:
In response to te question about choosing a candidate you believe in versus one that can win….I have been asking this question for years, but I’ve been asking it louder in the past year. I sat at a county fair in July of 2007 and talked to people who were working the Republican booth with me. Some had a firm idea on who they were supporting but more often than not I got a response like,”Well, I like Tom Tancredo’s ideas, but I’m suppporting Mitt Romney because he can win.”
It puzzles me that people would want to limit their choices even at that early stage. There were 11 people running for the nomination at that point so why not pick the person you believe in most rather than (in some cases now) hold your nose and vote?
People say voting for Ron Paul and others who have run in the past is wasting your vote. To me, a vote for someone you disagree with least is a wasted vote and opportunity to have your voice heard.
I admit sometimes people can really believe in the person who is most likely to win, but I don’t think anything in this process of electing our leaders should be a “mere formality”. People don’t deserve to be our leaders because it’s their turn, but because they are the best people for the job.
I will be at the rally on Tuesday and look forward to being an active part of history.
Comment by bill on 29 August 2008:
keep the revolution alive, vote paul by writing him in,we need to stick together and grow so the next election can restore the constitution. never underestimate the power of a few motivated individuals
Comment by J. Aaron on 29 August 2008:
I am a Ron Paul Republican and nearly made the maximum donation possible to his campaign. I continue to support Ron Paul and the Campaign for Liberty and it will be a cold day in hell before I vote for either McCain or Obama. IMO, things would “marginally” be better with Obama as president, but I say that with the emphasis on “marginally”. But the lesser of two evils is still evil.
No, I intend to write-in Ron Paul on the ballot, as a protest vote; or perhaps vote for Barr. It would be so sweet if John McCain lost by a huge margin. Am I bitter, as a RP supporter, at the treatment he received from both the media and fellow candidates like McCain? Hell yeah! Does this influence my hope that McCain and the Republican Party go down in flames? You bet! Does it have any influence on my decision to do a write-in vote? Not at all. John McCain was a dumbass douchebag from the get-go, and the Party is full of a bunch of f%$ktards who voted for his smarmy ass in the first place. Hopefully a big devastating loss will be a catalyst to the GOP getting their act back together. Paleo conservatism!
Comment by nate on 29 August 2008:
As a staunch ron paul supporter, i’ve found myself to be wavering a bit for this election. I’m not particularly interested in barr, he is simply not exciting me the way ron did.
What I’m getting worried about now is obama. THis guy is scaring the everliving crap out of me. He isn’t even disguising the communism; and the kool-aid drinkers who support this creep with a messianic complex are even more frightening.
I will choose to vote for mccain if i like the vp nomination. Lets face it, the guy is practically older than moses. His VP is much more important than obama’s.
I also despise nancy pelosi way more than john mccain. just sayin’
Comment by jw on 29 August 2008:
By the comments here and over the web, I’m afraid too many of you are still caught up in a game that FIXED. It does not matter who is in office, the same agenda gets pushed, yet ya’ll have convinced yourselves that this is somehow still a reality show; ignorance alone is steering to everyone’s slaughter. I’m here to tell you to get real and get serious. Marginalizing in the media, vote fraud, and the pure DISRESPECT show by the establishment whores, are methods of tyranny. If give a fair playing field, RP would own this election. This is serious business; life and death. If the American people do not reach a certain level of enlightenment soon, I’m afraid America’s destiny is SERFDOM just Hayek describes in the Road To Serfdom. Those are the choices people…unfortunately freedom requires intelligent, independent thinkers.
Comment by jw on 29 August 2008:
I too made a post, saw it in the comments section, and the next day, it was gone. Hmm…luckily I copied the text before submitting.
Comment by David on 29 August 2008:
Principals before party, I will be voting for Ron Paul even if i have to write him in.
Comment by nader paul kucinich gravel on 29 August 2008:
PAUL IN ST PAUL
fear neocons fear
nader paul kucinich gravel
mckinney ventura too
perot charts
RATM
Comment by eman on 30 August 2008:
Go Mr. Paul! Go Ron Paul!!!
Reclaim the Republican party away from these people who have destroyed it. Bring back the good old values and principles we have held which Bush, Cheney, McCain and others have destroyed.
Comment by Don on 30 August 2008:
Ben wrote: “What evidence do you have that ‘The American voter would rather vote for someone they believe in who has no chance of winning than for a candidate of a major party just because they belong to that party’?”
He’s got people like me. That echos my feelings exactly!
Comment by soapninja on 3 September 2008:
The Repubs won’t let Ron Paul speak at their convention because he does not agree with McCain. In fact, he has said that Obama and McCain are the same. I wouldn’t want someone who had nothing good to say about me speaking at an event where I was going to be nominated as the Republican candidate for President.
On that note, I will be writing in “RON PAUL” in November 4th.
Comment by Kurtis on 4 September 2008:
anyone who would vote for Obama after donating to Dr. Paul, really didn’t know what we were all about…..we despise collectivism, welfarism, communism, and socialism….all are true enemies of liberty!
A vote for Obama is a vote for all of those and more!
And as far as Obama returning to the Constitution…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA LOL
Thats probably the funniest thing I have heard ever!
The remnant has not died….we will be a force to be reckoned with from here on out!