Thread: Ron Paul on the Issues

One of The Greatest Political Publicity Stunts In History

Submitted by zooamerica on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 18:56
Daily Paul Liberty Forum

We got all worked up on Monday and Tuesday. Good to see the rEVOLution back to business. Now that the possum pixie dust has settled, let us take a step back and ask ourselves what is the ultimate result of what's transpired over the past two days?

"There's no such thing as bad publicity."

Ron Paul just got a boatload of free media exposure. Jesse Benton dangled the carrot just enough, and the old media bit like champs. They took the bait and ran with the line, BUT...

Now FOX News is saying Ron Paul is still in the race, and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow is reporting the same thing with a giant, inquisitive cute smile on her face asking Dr. Paul to come on the show.
I think Ron Paul and his campaign staff just engineered one of the greatest publicity stunts in political history.

What was accomplished?

1. The rEVOLution is now all fired up, steaming hot! Thank you, Jesse Benton for stoking the fire inside all of us! Those who jumped ship over the fact that Ron Paul didn't win a single beauty contest are now back on board. There's something major brewing with the national delegates.

2. The MSM is now telling everyone that Ron Paul is still in the race. They're even talking about the "D," word - delegates, and they're even saying Ron Paul won states like Maine, Iowa, and Nevada!
3. Mitt Romney's head is spinning.

Tic, Tac, Toe.

One of The Greatest Political Publicity Stunts In History | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Doug Wead: Some things about the Ron Paul campaign can't be discussed right now

Submitted by Shawker on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 15:08in

Daily Paul Liberty Forum



http://www.dailypaul.com/234112/doug...ssed-right-now

*URGENT Breaking Live Stream Money Bomb News*

Submitted by fred584 on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 18:19
Ron Paul 2012
Arizona

Hello Everyone:

I have good news for all of you.

Ben Swann is going to pre record a special Delegate Update to Kick off the live stream for the money bomb Thursday night.

Here is the current Rundown as of now.

We are going to be simulcasting Superdaves Show on Ron Paul Radio Through the stream

Superdave and TMOT are going to be the hosts. The show will go on for two hours from 9.00pm Eastern to 11.00 Eastern

Ben Swann special Delegate Update will kick off the show

Marry Willison

Carey Elizabeth

Josh Tolley has been invited to co host also

Mat Larson Delegate Update

TMOT will rally the crowd about what is going on.

We have several other invites that will get you excited. We are waiting for confirms also.

Lets Pull that $650,000 in two hours people

Spread the Word People lets make this happen

*URGENT Breaking Live Stream Money Bomb News* | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Something Very Unforeseen - A defense of Jesse Benton

Submitted by rick.fisk on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 18:30
Ron Paul 2012
Texas

‎"Unfortunately, barring something very unforeseen, our delegate total will not be strong enough to win the nomination" - Ron Paul Campaign Chairman, Jesse Benton

Seventeen words was apparently all it took to make quite a few Ron Paul supporters crazy. More than one call for Benton's head was uttered on Facebook and elsewhere but very little analysis of what Benton actually said has been conducted. Here's to a bit of analysis and hopefully calming of nerves.

The timing of this statement was undoubtedly poor given Ron Paul's recent "suspension" of his beauty pageant operation - which would consist of spending millions to woo regular primary sheep who think that they are actually influential in party politics.

In point of fact however, the beauty pageants mean nothing as we've seen so far. In fact, Romney, the media's presumed GOP nominee has yet to win a single state delegation-selecting convention other than North Dakota and Ron Paul has won the rest. Oklahoma is still being contested but in all likelihood, will be Ron Paul's to claim since the convention was improperly adjourned and the die-hard participants, including fair-minded Romney supporters stayed to finish the convention correctly and by the rules. In. The. Parking. Lot.

So we know that Ron Paul did not suspend his campaign.

There were some eight hundred accompanying words to the seventeen that made everyone crazy in Benton's statement, but clearly nobody paid attention to those and instead focused on the sentence that made it seem as if the nomination was being conceded.

This isn't the case. In fact, I would suggest to you that Jesse's seventeen words were totally correct. Barring something very unforeseen, Ron Paul's delegate total will not be strong enough to win the nomination. Duh. My dad's not a phone.

But, if you were to look at what has been accomplished so far with an objective eye, wouldn't you say that what has happened so far is something "very unforeseen?" Certainly by Romney campaigners, GOP establishment types and the media it is.

Think about it. If we manage to pull in Oklahoma, we've dominated 13 state's primary delegate selection processes so far. Not all states have had their final conventions. But in the contests leading up to the state conventions and in some of the final conventions themselves, Ron Paul supporters have completely overturned the old guard and have taken control of the GOP at the highest levels including state party chairman positions in at least 3 of those states. And there are more to come. Without. Any. Media. Coverage.

Do you really think that this was foreseen? Do you also think that this is some small feat that will have no affect on the political landscape in those states? Let that sink in for a moment.

Those Ron Paul supporters who will jump ship over this "gaffe" weren't involved. I haven't seen a single winner of a delegate spot jump ship. Only those who view themselves as capable of running the national campaign better (than anyone apparently) are preaching gloom and doom and making proclamations of "off with his head."

They are more suited to running politics in the Wonderland than in real life however. It is ironic that the majority of political "experts" are not also delegates. Maybe the word coincidence is more apropos. At any rate, the delegate selection process isn't even half-way decided. Two of the biggest states to be decided are Texas and California. And in Texas, an open primary state, Democrats who are disgusted with a "peace" president who has renegged on every significant promise are eligible to cross party lines and support Ron Paul.

Between California and Texas, we're talking almost 400 delegates. If Ron Paul doesn't win the beauty contest, he could still help us win party control. This is what happened in 1980 by the way when Reagan devotees completely dominated the state parties and got their man the nomination and changed GOP politics for the next 2 decades.

And so, Ron Paul supporters, please stop reading more into seventeen words than is there to be read. This fight continues and the prize is the same. You've been challenged to create something "very unforeseen", not challenged to whine and give up the most historic political battle you've ever witnessed.

Either be a part of history or step aside but please stop trying to discourage everyone else because you've decided to put on a long face. Long faces are for horses.

Lastly, what Ron Paul did say was that his focus would be to aid his supporters by speaking at the state conventions. He's scheduled to speak at the Minnesota and Texas state conventions with more to be announced. In Nevada, where he spoke to what was in 2008 a very contentious and jealous establishment crowd, his presence calmed the convention attendees and he walked a way with a staggering eighty-plus percent of the delegates in a state where he lost the beauty contest.

Consider what might have happened had he been a speaker at the Oklahoma convention. If that doesn't give you a better perspective, then you may need to take a few more deep breaths. It will come to you. Certainly what won't happen is that the delegates in states still-to-hold conventions are going to cry in their pillows and stay home. This fight hasn't even begun to take shape though the media has already called it for Romney.

Let them call it. And then let us party in Tampa. And later in November.

Oh by the way.....has anyone seen any Tea Party people at the conventions?

Something Very Unforeseen - A defense of Jesse Benton | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Ron Paul Delegates Set to Mount First Ballot Upset at GOP National Convention

Submitted by Houckie377 on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:22
Ron Paul 2012

Reports of Ron Paul’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. While a Monday email sent to reporters regarding Ron Paul’s election strategy has been widely interpreted and spun as the Texas congressman’s withdrawal from the Republican primary– with The Drudge Report running the misleading headline “Paul Out,” and Fox News Channel’s Shep Smith misreporting that Ron Paul is now “out of the race” –the email simply formalized and publicized the Paul campaign’s “guerrilla” delegate strategy of focusing on acquiring delegates instead of making a bid for the popular preference vote in primary states.

If anything, the email signaled that the Paul campaign is more serious than ever about actually winning the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, especially as it comes on the heels of a month-long string of major delegate victories that have bolstered the Ron Paul campaign’s hopes of a brokered convention in Tampa and demonstrated the potential viability of its delegate-focused strategy. After seeing marked results from this strategy, an announcement that the campaign will be pursuing it even more single-mindedly can hardly be interpreted as a retreat.

read entire article here Ron Paul Delegates Set to Mount First Ballot Upset at GOP National Convention - Independent Voter Network

Conclusion:

The Monday email is no mystery then– if Ron Paul could win his party’s nomination simply by having enough of his energetic supporters become delegates from their state, why would he spend millions of dollars on radio and television ad purchases to win what amounts to an inconsequential straw poll?

Ron Paul Delegates Set to Mount First Ballot Upset at GOP National Convention | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Ron Paul Delegates Set to Mount First Ballot Upset at GOP National Convention

By W. E. Messamore on 05/16/2012 in Elections 2012, News, President with 5 Comments
Article should take about 6 - 9 minutes to read

Credit: Gage Skidmore


Reports of Ron Paul’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. While a Monday email sent to reporters regarding Ron Paul’s election strategy has been widely interpreted and spun as the Texas congressman’s withdrawal from the Republican primary– with The Drudge Report running the misleading headline “Paul Out,” and Fox News Channel’s Shep Smith misreporting that Ron Paul is now “out of the race” –the email simply formalized and publicized the Paul campaign’s “guerrilla” delegate strategy of focusing on acquiring delegates instead of making a bid for the popular preference vote in primary states.

If anything, the email signaled that the Paul campaign is more serious than ever about actually winning the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, especially as it comes on the heels of a month-long string of major delegate victories that have bolstered the Ron Paul campaign’s hopes of a brokered convention in Tampa and demonstrated the potential viability of its delegate-focused strategy. After seeing marked results from this strategy, an announcement that the campaign will be pursuing it even more single-mindedly can hardly be interpreted as a retreat.

Last month at IVN, I outlined this strategy:

If the trend continues, and a well-funded, highly-organized, and very energetic Ron Paul campaign continues to sweep up delegates (with a majority of the party’s delegates still up for grabs in large states like California) there is a real and growing possibility that Mitt Romney will not secure enough delegates to win his party’s nomination on the first ballot at the Republican Party convention in Tampa. If this happens, the convention will become a brokered convention and all bound delegates will be “unbound,” allowed to change votes for whichever candidate they choose.

Although it is impossible to determine the actual number without official counts, Paul’s campaign seems quietly self-assured that at this point, many of Mitt Romney’s bound delegates will vote for Ron Paul and hand him the nomination, not because Paul thinks he can charm and persuade them in Tampa, but because the Paul campaign has already stacked each state’s slate of delegates with his own supporters, who have been stealthily getting elected as delegates. There’s no telling how many of Mitt Romney’s currently bound delegates are actually covert Ron Paul supporters ready to turn on a dime after being unbound in a brokered convention and vote for Ron Paul.

Since then, Ron Paul supporters and a few good investigative journalists have been digging deeper into the RNC’s rules for its nominating process on the floor of the national convention in Tampa. What they’ve unearthed is the possibility that Ron Paul doesn’t even need a brokered convention to win the nomination. His covert supporters mentioned in the excerpt above– those who will attend the convention as bound Romney delegates, but who are actually Ron Paul supporters hoping to get past a first ballot– may not be bound to vote for Mitt Romney on the first ballot after all. It’s all in the RNC’s Rule 38, which says:

“No delegate or alternate delegate shall be bound by any attempt of any state or Congressional district to impose the unit rule.”

According to Fox19 Cincinnati’s Ben Swann, citing an article at FairVote.org, Rule 38 has already been interpreted by the RNC’s own legal council to mean that the national party rules do not recognize state laws or procedures that bind delegates to vote for a particular candidate, but that they are free to vote for their individual preference on the floor of the national convention. The issue came up in 2008 when a member of the Utah delegation wanted to vote for Mitt Romney instead of John McCain, to whom Utah’s delegates were bound. Several weeks before the 2008 Republican national convention, Jennifer Sheehan, Legal Council for the RNC, wrote a letter to Nancy Lord, Utah National Committee-Woman, asserting:

“The RNC does not recognize a state’s binding of national delegates, but considers each delegate a free agent who can vote for whoever they choose, and the national convention allows delegates to vote for the individual of their choice, regardless of whether the person’s name is officially placed into nomination or not.”

If this is the case, and again, this is the RNC’s own interpretation of its own rule, with an established and recent precedent (that ironically happened to benefit Mitt Romney in 200, then Ron Paul may not need to last until the second ballot of a long-shot brokered convention to let loose his stealth delegates. Though their states may have bound them to Romney, once they’re on the convention floor in Tampa, it will be the RNC’s rules that matter and if Paul’s hand is strong enough he could just win his party’s nomination on the first ballot.

Another RNC rule that seems to indicate the primacy of the individual delegate’s preference at the nominating convention is Rule 37, Section (b), which states:

“In the balloting, the vote of each state shall be announced by the chairman of such state’s delegation, or his or her designee; and in case the vote of any state shall be divided, the chairman shall announce the number of votes for each candidate, or for or against any proposition; but if exception is taken by any delegate from that state to the correctness of such announcement by the chairman of that delegation, the chairman of the convention shall direct the roll of members of such delegation to be called, and the result shall be recorded in accordance with the vote of the several delegates in such delegation.”

The final say here seems to be with the will of the individual delegate on the floor, not with the delegate’s state, nor even with the chairman of the state’s delegation to the convention.

If Ron Paul’s supporters outnumber the other delegates in Tampa, he seems to have the parliamentary grounds for a first ballot upset and a primary victory– no brokered convention necessary. If it comes to this, the Romney camp will, no doubt, challenge the convention result. It’s a fight that could end up in the courts. Legally, which would take precedent over the other, the RNC’s rules or state laws that bind delegates to vote for certain candidates on the first ballot of the convention?

As IVN’s Kymberly Bays recently reported, this exact question has already been resolved at the US Supreme Court level: the national party’s rules take precedence over state laws because as a private organization and free association of individuals, a political party has the constitutional right to set its own rules and state laws interfering with that private process violate a political party’s First Amendment rights.

The Monday email is no mystery then– if Ron Paul could win his party’s nomination simply by having enough of his energetic supporters become delegates from their state, why would he spend millions of dollars on radio and television ad purchases to win what amounts to an inconsequential straw poll?

Ron Paul Delegates Set to Mount First Ballot Upset at GOP National Convention - Independent Voter Network

~ Politico: Key Clark County, Nv Gop Calls For Priebus Resignation" 5/16

Submitted by Barracuda_Trader on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 20:32
Daily Paul Liberty Forum

"The Clark County Republican Party formally condemns the actions of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and the RNC Executive Committee for their flagrant violations of RNC Rule 11(a)," the Clark County party said in a statement Wednesday. "The Republican Party's rules in regard to this matter are specifically intended to ensure a fair process which allows the members of the party to determine which candidates best represent the ideals and will of the membership. By disenfranchising its own members, the RNC Executive Committee and Chairman Priebus have weakened the party by subverting the principles on which it was built. "

"We hope that our Republican colleagues in local and state parties across the nation will join with us in expressing our outrage at having our role in the nomination process usurped by a select few individuals," the statement continued. "Finally, given his outright disregard for the rules that govern our party, we are formally demanding that Chairman Priebus resign his position within the RNC effective immediately."
Key county GOP calls for Priebus resignation - POLITICO.com


~ Politico: Key Clark County, Nv Gop Calls For Priebus Resignation" 5/16 | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Key county GOP calls for Priebus resignation

Comments (1

By CHARLES MAHTESIAN |
5/16/12 3:27 PM EDT

The Republican National Committee just got a taste of life under the new GOP order in Nevada.

Thanks to the efforts of Ron Paul supporters, the Clark County GOP — the largest in the key swing state — voted narrowly Tuesday to censure RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and demand his resignation.

His crime? Priebus is accused of violating RNC Rule 11(a), which stipulates that the Republican National Committee cannot "contribute money or in-kind aid to any candidate for any public or party office except the nominee of the Republican Party or a candidate who is unopposed in the Republican primary."

The resolution asserts that Priebus broke party rules when he announced April 25 that the RNC was setting up a joint fundraising operation with Romney since there were still candidates — namely Ron Paul — in the race at that time.

Laura Myers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has more:

Paul's supporters are angry that the RNC is helping Romney while the Texas congressman remains in the race, collecting hundreds of delegates from Nevada and other states to the national convention so he can influence the party platform and remain a factor in the White House.

"The Clark County Republican Party formally condemns the actions of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and the RNC Executive Committee for their flagrant violations of RNC Rule 11(a)," the Clark County party said in a statement Wednesday. "The Republican Party's rules in regard to this matter are specifically intended to ensure a fair process which allows the members of the party to determine which candidates best represent the ideals and will of the membership. By disenfranchising its own members, the RNC Executive Committee and Chairman Priebus have weakened the party by subverting the principles on which it was built. "

"We hope that our Republican colleagues in local and state parties across the nation will join with us in expressing our outrage at having our role in the nomination process usurped by a select few individuals," the statement continued. "Finally, given his outright disregard for the rules that govern our party, we are formally demanding that Chairman Priebus resign his position within the RNC effective immediately."

Despite the anger from Paul supporters in Nevada, Paul's campaign said over the weekend that it doesn't believe the RNC is violating its rules. Also, Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said Priebus also offered Paul the opportunity to jointly raise money with the RNC for a possible general election campaign, and Paul said no.

The RNC points out that the resolution isn't directed toward a presidential race, but rather toward state level contests. Besides, there's plenty of precedent for the party to begin working with the presumptive nominee before the nomination is officially bestowed.

"The RNC Chairman has the authority to take necessary steps to assist our presumptive nominee before our national convention in Tampa. RNC Rule 11 applies to the RNC’s ability to make state endorsements only and has been misapplied by some in Nevada to include the presidential election," RNC spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski said Wednesday afternoon. "We look forward to working with Republicans in Nevada to elect Mitt Romney and defeat Barack Obama in the fall."

While the resolution has no real teeth, the fact that Paul supporters went to the trouble to pass it — even after Paul essentially dropped out and offered an olive branch to the national party — is revealing. Elements of the Ron Paul base are not only operating independently and contrary to the campaign's wishes, but they continue to look at the national party with deep suspicion.

Key county GOP calls for Priebus resignation - POLITICO.com

Fox News poll: Obama pulls ahead of Romney

Submitted by DJP333 on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:29
Ron Paul 2012

Well, well, well....thanks for the info Fox.

Fox News poll: Obama pulls ahead of Romney as presidential race heats up | Fox News



Fox News poll: Obama pulls ahead of Romney | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

I know what's going on, and you're all wrong.

Submitted by jbradley1134 on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:24
Ron Paul 2012

Ron Paul's aim is to be President of The United States.

Let me ask you all a question. In light of the Jesse Benton email, the campaign statement, and all of the talk about the Ron Paul campaign basically being at and end, how do you think the establishment feels, and how do you think they're going to act?

Still don't get it? Let me clue you in....

Right now the establishment is feeling high and mighty, and the other team is feeling like they've won. In fact, what do they really care if some goofy Ron Paul supporters show up and try to cause a ruckus? They're just going to continue to employ the same dirty tactics.... Or hell they can probably just relax a little, Ron Paul and his senior staffers are BASICALLY conceding anyway.... So who cares? Right? Right.....

Meanwhile, Ron Paul is putting his money where it matters- in the state conventions. He's going to continue to gather delegates. Now that he doesn't have to run thousand of dollars worth of tv ads, he probably has money for those pesky little legal battles that NEED to happen over places like OK.

Look. Ron Paul has been in this for almost 40 years. Does ANYONE here REALLY think that this is how he's gonna go out? Like a lamb? Oh but he's "laying the groundwork for future liberty candidates"... Definitely not himself. Right? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Dr. Ron Paul is a genius. He knows what he's doing. He's running for The presidency, and ANYONE that thinks otherwise is a FOOL. And what kind of people make up the establishment GOP? FOOLS.

The Doctor is in folks. He has YET begun to fight, and so have we.

For Liberty...

I know what's going on, and you're all wrong. | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012