Thread: Ron Paul on the Issues

Ron Paul Interview w/Neil Cavuto - Fox Business Thursday, April 26, 2012

How Good It Feels – The Last Five Days Have Been Amazing for Ron Paul’s Campaign

Submitted by Allan Stevo on Thu, 04/26/2012 - 06:58

I must offer my congratulations to the activists in the liberty movement and in Ron Paul’s campaign, because many months, and arguably years of work are starting to bear fruit in the presidential selection process. These last five days have been outstanding.

In Mitt Romney’s backyard Tuesday night, we kicked butt against a man who has long been the presumed nominee and has a budget that at least doubles our own. Five states had their primaries – Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Here are a few aspects of Tuesday that put a smile on my face:

We Beat 2008 Results

• In Rhode Island 7% in 2008 v. 24% in 2012,
• Delaware 4% in 2008 v. 11% in 2012,
• New York 6% in 2008 v. 15% in 2012, and
• Connecticut 4% in 2008 v. 13% in 2012.

We Beat the Expectations

• Pennsylvania Real Clear Politics from April has us in single digits, we nearly doubled with 13%.
• New York in early April we were expected 11%. We got 15%.

As a political analyst recently pointed out to me: “[Paul's campaign] always beat the polls, and almost always doubles, triples, or quadruples results from 2008. Those are the trends from [his] campaign that do not change.”

The Delegate Race Matters, Not the Popular Vote

There are two contests that take place in an election – the narrative of electability and the delegate count. While it’s nice to pat ourselves on the back for increasing in popular vote totals, that delegate count (wisely) is the focus of Ron Paul’s campaign. It is the delegates who choose the next Republican nominee.

Ron Paul picked up a quarter of the delegates available in Rhode Island on Tuesday and also received an estimated 25% of the pledged delegates from the Pennsylvania primary.

Professor Josh Putnam of Davidson College shared what he calls a “rough, rough delegate count” from Pennsylvania as primary results were being calculated. He lists 16 or 17 delegates as “uncommitted/unconfirmed,” and divvies up the other 19 or 20 delegates among the campaigns as follows: Romney 7 (35%), Paul 5 (25%), Gingrich 4 (20%) and Santorum 3 or 4 (20%)…
In what is a multistep process, that started with Tuesday’s loophole primary, Pennsylvania will send a total of 72 delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida in late August. Tuesday, a total of 59 delegates were chosen in Pennsylvania, but the allegiance of many of those delegates is difficult to identify.

We essentially did better that we were predicted to have done in the Northeastern U.S. Tuesday and continued to rack up delegates with our strategy of showing up to the RNC rich in delegates and as the viable conservative alternative.

How The Independent Vote is Important

Some of the best news from this weekend for me is further verification that we are the only campaign that can beat Obama. We are the only campaign to inspire independents.

We see that motivated independents will vote for Ron Paul – they will support him over Mitt Romney from now until August and they will support Ron Paul over Barack Obama from now until November. For many years it is that independent swing vote that has determined elections. We decisively win that swing vote.

Additionally, while the Democratic Party advertises that because of the young vote, Barack Obama will beat Mitt Romney hands down, we know that it is exactly the young voters disenfranchised by Obama’s first term policies that will make it Ron Paul who beats Barack Obama hands down. Ron Paul divides the political dichotomy in a new way and offers the marginalized civil libertarians and anti-war movement a candidate that shares their views.

This Weekend Was Even Better

Other big news become clear this weekend, as we were shown that Ron Paul will influence Iowa for at least a generation. Additionally, Ron Paul supporters have proven themselves very influential in Iowa – relatively youthful, dedicated, Republicans have taken the Iowa Republican Party by storm, making it likely that Ron Paul will not just be a force in Iowa’s 2012 national delegation, but will be a force in Iowa for at least a generation. Through persistent hard work, the perennial first state in the nation to vote has become strongly influenced by Ron Paul.

Other big news came this weekend – Ron Paul dominated Minnesota. In Minnesota this Saturday, the Congressional District Conventions were completed. They had been held over the last few weekends. Ron Paul finished those conventions with 83% of the available delegates. This has been a grossly overlooked story. Ron Paul won Minnesota this weekend. There are still more state level delegates to be chosen in Minnesota, but due to his success in the Congressional District Conventions, Ron Paul has guaranteed himself 50% of the 40 delegates who will come from Minnesota.

Victories Ahead

As long as we can continue these results, these results are good enough results to get our delegations on the floor of the RNC and to have us standing as a strong alternative to Mitt Romney, a candidate that has been widely rejected by Republicans. Even among those who have now cast ballots for him, Mitt Romney has been viewed as something of a bland overboiled vegetable that must be consumed before leaving the dinner table to go on to other business. We can do better than that. We offer an alternative. In a world where we make ourselves the media, we can reach out and do a better job.

If you are eager to volunteer in other states, be sure to look ahead in the process by reading fact-filled websites like The Green Papers or FHQ, because the vast potential of grassroots members of our campaign can be focused on those endeavors to make them more successful.

Keep an eye on any contest in the South, where many voters have yet to decide how Santorum/Gingrich leaving the race affects them. Keep an eye out for calls for help like this one and even if your primary or caucus has passed and the process is completed, get involved locally to take over your party, if you feel interested enough to make a commitment. The GOP is usually so shorthanded in many states that they take any volunteer that comes along.

Our candidate is fantastic, our message of freedom is fantastic, and no matter how loudly the media shouts, we, through contact with our social precincts, those people we know, can overcome the media. We can become the media. We can make 2012 a year that will long be remembered – the kind of year in politics that men will find themselves accursed for having missed, the kind of year that stories will long be told about. Welcome to 2012, the year that we made ourselves the media, the year that we made ourselves the Republican Party. The year that we pushed to see our esteemed champion of the Constitution elected President, the year that we inspired the Great Debate in America, the year that we began to see how good it feels to win in our battle to retake our country.

Allan Stevo is author of How to Win America for Ron Paul and the Cause of Freedom in 2012.

How Good It Feels

The Revolution has come to Pittsburgh

Published on April 26, 2012 by John O. in Ron Paul

How can a 76-year-old country doctor send a crowd of usually politically apathetic individuals into frenzy simply by walking on stage? He doesn’t fit the traditional mold of today’s political crusaders. Politicians today are two sides of the same coin. For a large majority, the bidding of special interest groups trumps the oath they took when they swore to protect the US Constitution. Most of these animals could care less about the prosperity of their own constituents. One man has remained incorruptible while serving in the capital of moral depravity. Lobbyists do not even visit him in Washington. There has not been one time that he has voted in opposition to the Constitution. It has been a dream of mine to see this man in person. Not to witness the power that he wields, but in contrast the power that he fights to cede back to the great people of the United States of America.

Over the past five years I’ve watched more Ron Paul speeches on YouTube than I can remember. In the same time frame I have read many of Dr. Paul’s books, A Foreign Policy of Freedom, The Revolution: A Manifesto, End the Fed, and Liberty Defined.

Similar to sports or concerts, some events are better experienced live. It has been a goal of mine to attend a Ron Paul Rally and experience first hand the hype that surrounds his campaign. Last Friday, April 20^th I was lucky enough to attend the Ron Paul Rally at Soldiers and Sailors Hall at the University of Pittsburgh.

As Ron alluded to at the beginning of his speech, he was up against some stiff competition for the 7:00 PM time slot in the city of Pittsburgh. The Penguins were playing a playoff game against the rival Flyers and the Pirates were back in town taking on the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. This did not stop the more than 2,500 people who came out to cheer the greatest champion of liberty in our lifetime. Many people do not know that Ron Paul was a standout athlete in his youth and still holds the record as the only congressman to hit an over the fence home run during the annual congressional baseball game. He did this in 1976, during his first stint in congress. At the beginning of his speech he correctly asserted that ball games will be forgotten, but the liberty movement will have a lasting impact.

Dr. Paul also overcame another obstacle in his quest to assemble a large crowd on the campus at the University of Pittsburgh. Most people outside of western Pennsylvania probably are not familiar with the recent epidemic of bomb threats that have vaulted the campus into chaos. Buildings and dorms were forced to be evacuated numerous times, as a result of the bomb threats that began 2 months ago. This week, a group has finally taken responsibility for the threats and has claimed that they are now finished sending bomb threats. Last Friday, at the time of Dr. Paul’s rally speech, there remained a serious fear for public safety on campus. This did not deter freedom lovers from coming out to support Dr. Paul on his historic campaign tour that will go down as one of the greatest contributions to the advancement of liberty in our lifetime.

As I sat with my friend, waiting for the rally to begin, he remarked how ironic it was that we were going to witness Dr. Paul’s speak in front of a back drop that paid homage to Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, which was scribed on the wall behind the podium in enormous letters. A staunch defender of individual rights, peace, free markets, and the Constitution giving a speech in front of a memorial to the most tyrannical, bloodthirsty, statist President in our young nation’s history. This was quite a contrast indeed. In hindsight, it was a perfect backdrop considering the majority of the crowd consisted of college students who quite recently had been indoctrinated with the fabricated revisionist history taught in our public schools. It was a great venue for Ron Paul to outline a path towards liberty in our future, while standing in front of a symbol that reminds us of the idiocy that guided our destructive past.

We arrived to the rally about an hour early and watched as families with young children in tow, senior citizens with faces of youthful exuberance, and groups of excited college students filed into the auditorium to witness history in the making. The crowd was diverse in both race and age. Offering a path to a free society and presenting an agenda to restore the republic energizes people of all demographics. It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 81; the opportunity to break free from the shackles of the state resonates with people of all ages, colors, and faiths.

When Dr. Paul walked out on stage the crowd went absolutely wild. Many in attendance were waving homemade signs affirming their agreement with Paul on a host of issues including, ending the Fed, privatizing airport security, repealing the Patriot Act, and of course bringing our troops home and ending our global empire. These were REAL homemade signs, not the kind that the Romney campaign passes out and then promptly collects at the end of campaign events.

Dr. Paul was cool, calm, and collected throughout his talk. As always, he did an incredible job of simplifying complex ideas and relating them to the crowd in understandable terms. This is one man’s opinion, but Ron comes across better in person, than on a television or computer screen. That’s not a knock against his television presence, but a compliment to his ability to engage a room. Every set eyes in the room was locked in on Ron, listening intently and digesting every word. Even the young children with a family seated in my row were well-behaved and were interested in the message. I cannot imagine being as attentive as these kids if my parents had taken me to a political rally when I was young. These kids understood they were a part of something special.

Although this was my first experience attending a political rally, it would be safe to assume that other candidates’ political rallies differ greatly in numbers and do not create anywhere close to the same amount of energy. Dr. Paul received thunderous applause in response to his call for the troops to come home. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, or Mitt Romney probably have not and will not see spontaneous, dynamic applause like that in their lifetimes.

It is true that Dr. Paul’s enthusiastic, passionate following has not translated into wins in states that utilize the primary system, he is not being shut out of delegates in primaries. The Paul campaign picked up at least 5 delegates in the PA primary, which was more than both Santorum and Gingrich. In 2008 Paul received zero delegates from the state of Pennsylvania. It has not been a secret that the Paul campaign has focused almost all of its energy on the caucus states. The success of this plan has gone largely unreported in the media, but in recent weeks the Paul campaign has secured a plurality of delegates in Minnesota, Iowa, and Washington State. There are several other states that will most likely result in Dr. Paul gaining the majority of the delegates, thus securing him at least 5 states with a plurality and will place him on the first ballot at the convention in Tampa. A lot can happen between now and the convention, so stay tuned. Contrary to the corporate/government media’s reporting, Mitt Romney does not have the nomination secured.

The Revolution came to Pittsburgh and will be coming to a city near you. The Ron Paul campaign and the liberty movement as a whole are just getting started. Freedom loving patriots across the country are getting off the couch and getting involved in local, state, and federal politics. More importantly, the liberty movement is winning the battle for the hearts and minds of America’s youth. It is the youth who understand that we will reap what has been sown by our government over the last 100 years. Radical change is necessary in order to offset the debilitating mistakes of previous generations.


Lions of Liberty - The Revolution Has Come To Pittsburgh

Ron Paul Packs the House in El Paso

Here’s the scene from Ron Paul’s town hall meeting in El Paso, Texas tonight. 1,200 plus. Tomorrow, University of Texas Austin.




Ron Paul Packs the House in El Paso*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign CommitteeRon Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee

Ron Paul Statement on Labor Department Regulations Affecting Family Farms

“I wonder when the Department of Labor will forbid parents from requiring children to make their beds, clean their rooms, or set the table for dinner.” – Ron Paul

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Congressman and 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul issued the following statement regarding the Department of Labor’s new regulations applying child labor laws to family farms.

Below find comments from Congressman Paul:

“The Department of Labor’s plan to issue new regulations applying child labor laws to family farms is an outrageous assault on America’s farmers. My parents were dairy farmers who required me and my brothers to help out on the farm. I certainly benefited from this experience, and, as a Representative of a congressional district containing a large number of farmers, I have had the opportunity to meet many farmers who learned about their profession by doing chores on their parents’ farms. Working on a family farm also provides a tremendous opportunity to form a strong work ethic that these children will carry through the rest of their lives.

“Thanks to the Obama Administration, future generations of children will be deprived of these experiences.

“Now that the federal government is planning to, for all intents and purposes, outlaw chores on the farm, I wonder when the Department of Labor will forbid parents from requiring children to make their beds, clean their rooms, or set the table for dinner. The founding fathers would be outraged to see the federal government attempting to prevent children from helping their parents on their farms. If the American people select me as their next President, I will put an end to these regulations on my first day in office.

“Under my ‘Plan to Restore America,’ I will use my constitutional authority as President to impose a moratorium on any new federal regulations. My Plan also reduces spending by $1 trillion in the first year of my presidency and balances the budget by my third year, while providing much-needed tax relief to the American people. This will put more money back in the pockets of hard-working Americans, like those who provide vital goods by running family farms.

“Out of all the candidates seeking the presidential nomination of a major party, I am the only one with a record of consistently opposing all unconstitutional, job-destroying regulations. I urge all Americans who wish to free their businesses and their families from the grip of the regulatory state to join my campaign to Restore America Now.”

Ron Paul Statement on Labor Department Regulations Affecting Family Farms*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign CommitteeRon Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee

“They Were Following a Candidate – We Are Following a Movement”

Elizabeth Dwoskin has a good piece at Bloomberg Businessweek “Ron Paul’s Torchbearers.” My only criticism is that there are a number of candidates inspired by Ron Paul running this year who aren’t discussed that have a decent shot at winning their primaries and general elections. Still, Dowskin outlines how Paul’s movement is about more than just one man:

Paul leaves behind a small army of brawlers itching to take up the battle in his name. This election year, at least 65 of his supporters are campaigning for local, state, or national office in 23 states. They join more than a dozen Paul acolytes who won elections in 2010, including GOP Representative Justin Amash of Michigan, who is seeking a second term—not to mention Paul’s son Rand, who was elected to the Senate as a Republican in Kentucky.

Other Paul followers and former aides have maneuvered their way into Republican Party leadership positions in Nevada, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and Maine, where they are attempting to rewrite party platforms and keep establishment Republicans from giving Paul’s 70-plus primary delegates to Mitt Romney. Usually, “when a candidate drops out, the followers go too,” says Aaron Libby, a 29-year-old Maine blueberry farmer and Paul die-hard who was elected to the state legislature in 2010. “They were following a candidate; we are following a movement.”

“They Were Following a Candidate - We Are Following a Movement�*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign CommitteeRon Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee

Ron Paul Winning: MSM Decides its Safe to Announce Delegate Wins



Apr 24, 2012 by TheAlexJonesChannel
Now three people have won Iowa during this primary season. Last night, Ron Paul's delegate finagling strategy paid off as he guaranteed himself at least half of the delegates in Iowa and Minnesota.

Remember, back in January, Mitt Romney was declared the winner of the Iowa caucuses by eight votes. This official declaration was made by the state Republican Party chairman, Matt Strawn, despite ongoing discrepancies in the way that county commissioners and the state commissioners were reporting vote totals. Rachel Maddow has some of the footage of the news stations that night re-learning how to cover the complicated Iowa voting system (the video seems to be going viral, btw, as at 9 a.m. the video only had 300+ views, but as of 10 a.m. was pushing 9,000).

» Ron Paul Won Iowa and Minnesota, In Fact Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

by Jordan Wolf

Ron Paul Draws 6,000 in Austin at UT


Submitted by Mauibrad on Thu, 04/26/2012 - 22:58
Events
Texas



Thousands of chanting, cheering supporters flooded the University of Texas campus to show Ron Paul some love Thursday night, undaunted by the prospect that the Texas congressman is a long shot for the GOP presidential nomination.

There is more to winning than victory at the polls, Paul told the crowd, which broke into occasional chants of "President Paul."

"I'm convinced a revolution is going on. It is an intellectual revolution," Paul said.

"It is going to be difficult, but it is always glorious to have success. And we will have success," he said. "Regardless of what happens next week, next month, November — the spirit of this revolution is not going away."

Article: Ron Paul draws thousands at UT speech


Ron Paul Draws 6,000 in Austin at UT | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Important! From the poll numbers, Romney vs. Paul... if undecided, Santorum and Gingrich voters vote for Ron

Submitted by defe07Ω™ on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 01:36
Ron Paul 2012

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to inform you that, thanks to the website www.uselectionatlas.org, I was able to find past poll results in the remaining primary states. This website uses an average and they see which state is leaning to which candidate.

Anywho, the point of my thread is to inject some hope.

The polls show that if the remaining states had a Romney vs. Paul matchup, Paul, thanks to Santorum, Gingrich and undecided voters, as well as the Paul voters, would WIN the remaining states. R is Romney while P+ is Paul plus all the anti-Romney voters

Indiana:
R: 27%
P+: 73%

North Carolina:
R: 32%
P+: 68%

West Virginia:
R: 13%
P+: 87%

South Dakota:
R: 20%
P+: 80%

Nebraska:
R: 18%
P+: 82%

Montana:
R: 17%
P+: 83%

Utah:
R: 67%
P+: 33%

New Mexico:
R: 16%
P+: 84%

Oregon:
R: 33%
P+: 67%

Texas:
R: 35%
P+: 65%

New Jersey:
R: 42%
P+: 58%

California:
R: 43%
P+: 57%

Why did I decide to put this up? If we can make flyers of these poll numbers, showing that Ron can win these states with the help of Santorum, Gingrich and undecided voters, we can actually sway them.

We can tell them that if they vote for Ron, they'll actually stop Romney from getting the nomination and they'd allow for Ron to win enough states and delegates to actually have an open convention. We need to try this at least! Polls don't lie.

While it may seem too much to assume all Gingrich, Santorum and undecided voters will all vote for Ron, I don't think it's far-fetched to tell them that we need their votes and only voting for Ron will allow for an open convention.

Time to print flyers up, baby!

Important! From the poll numbers, Romney vs. Paul... if undecided, Santorum and Gingrich voters vote for Ron | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Jon Stewart to Ron Paul: "You're our only hope."



(A higher rez video may be coming)