Comments on: Ron Paul’s Missed Chance Against McCain?

By: Bill Woolsey

Bill Woolsey — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:52:25 +0000

The “free media” received by the campaign all described Paul as an anti-war libertrian. With that “covered” for free, the paid media could focus on issues that were ignored by the mass media. For example, Paul’s views on immigration, the threat of the North American Union, etc. Certainly in South Carolina, and I suspect in other states as well, most of the paid media was direct mail postcards. They looked as good as what I received from Romney (and Huckabee and McCain were about the same too.) I did hear ads on rock radio stations that seemed aimed at the young, anti-war voter. We had very few TV ads in South Carolina. I understand they did more in New Hampshire.

Anyway, apparently all of those mailings to long time Repubican primary voters did little good. Still, it was a sensible approach. (Immigration is an important issue and Paul’s position was probably “best” to win votes here. The North America Union stuff was counterproductive.)

The free media gave a broad message that was unpopular witht the Republican base. Mailings to Republicans could counteract that, right?

Well, in hindsight, perhaps it is obvious that it would never work and so those resources were wasted. TV and radio aimed at reinforcing the free media and getting the more of the independent, young, libertarian-oriented Paul voter would have been a better use of the funds.

Now the next libertarian Republican candidate will know. On the other hand, it suggests that victory is going to be more difficult to acheive.

By: D. Saul Weiner

D. Saul Weiner — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:27:54 +0000

Paul made 2 major mistakes in his campaign. First, trying to position himself as a “conservative Republican”. That may have worked 50 years ago, but nowadays what it (primarily) means to be a conservative Republican is to promote war and the police state. Second, the decision to run lame radio and TV ads instead of taking the hard-hitting approach he did during the debates, where he won his following. Surely it is better to go down swinging than to watch 3 fat pitches sail by.

By: The Infamous Oregon Lawhobbit

The Infamous Oregon Lawhobbit — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:54:18 +0000

See, any “libertarian” who talks about something as nonexistent as “Islamofascism” is clearly a poseur in my book and hasn’t a clue about actual liberty. I’d rather vote for an honest fascist like McCain, first.

By: Tom Blanton

Tom Blanton — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 01:47:12 +0000

There are those who are conservatives that pose as libertarians and there are those who don’t know the difference between conservatives and libertarians. Ron Paul’s supporters included a large number of these folks. These people also have a knee-jerk aversion to to anything that might offend a conservative. I believe the anti-war issue was played down as this issue doesn’t play well with most conservatives.

This same dynamic can be seen with the Libertarian candidate Wayne Allyn Root who was on Glenn Beck’s radio show today to talk about tax cuts, big government, and the threat of Islamofascism. Root, who wrote “The Millionaire Republican”, touted his Republican credentials and affirmed his dislike for liberal socialists (he didn’t comment on conservative socialists).

The way things are going, I probably won’t go to the polls this November unless it is to encourage people to not vote. Is that considered political terrorism now?

By: The Infamous Oregon Lawhobbit

The Infamous Oregon Lawhobbit — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:05:34 +0000

I notice that the “Ron Paul Giving Up/Suspending” story is getting more press time than he’s had all the previous year.

He should have given up sooner!

By: Adam S.

Adam S. — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:48:39 +0000

I wanted to add a postscript: conservatism is dead. Conservatism is what it has always been: the thoughtless reception of tradition and sloth in the face of life’s change. This is a movement that aims to repel the welfare state and replace it with the moralizing one. I believe that this dumpster baby of a movement should be sunk into its most unholy grave and paved over. And this is a larger sign of America’s decay and warping at the hands of the baby boomers. We will have no peace in this country until the last one retires or dies. As the Brothers Judd put it, “Every day is Vietnam, until the last Vet puts a stake through the heart of the last hippie” Jeff Riggenbach put it in a libertarian way, “every year is 1968″ Conservatism, liberalism,socialism, and libertarianism are all dead. Thank God! WE can start over.

By: Adam S.

Adam S. — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:35:12 +0000

I think it is irrelevant what ever kind of grassroots support Ron Paul had. The fact is that the media did not and do not like the man. And if the media do not like you, you’re screwed. The real power brokers in today’s society are the academics, bureaucrats, and media types. Frank Chodorov, while often quoted as an anarchist, libertarian, conservative or the like, actually rejected all these labels and pointed out that all the major political movements out there (socialism, conservatism, liberalism, etc.) actually are vain pretensions. They all never actually deliver their goals except through perpetual servitude, or the apocalypse. A political theorist will have to do much better than what we are offered on the American spectrum. Even allowing for the excellence of the Paul campaign and Libertarian theory, the problems described are much deeper and span centuries. To truly tackle the things you describe would destroy the world as we know it.

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:50:09 +0000

Larry, the media bias in favor of McCain was part of the reason why McCain could capture antiwar votes.

But the Paul campaign did nothing to expose this scam.

By: Larry Ruane

Larry Ruane — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:42:43 +0000

Great comments. I’m wondering if the reason so many Republicans who oppose the war voted for McCain is because they heard a few sound bites of McCain criticizing the war. They didn’t notice that his criticism was that Bush is not fighting the war with enough brutality!

By: Clifton Rogers

Clifton Rogers — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:26:47 +0000

LawHobbit, by your comment, It makes me think about the Ross Perot campaign.