Politics: ‘The increasingly remarkable rise of Congressman Ron Paul’
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Heh.
Tucker Carlson called the the campaign “formerly quixotic.” I suppose that when you raise $4.2 million in nearly 24 hours in an Internet-only campaign, they media has to pretend, at least for a little bit, that it takes your campaign seriously. But they are only hedging their bets. None of them want to be the last one pushing a conventional wisdom thats’s been proven invalid.
Four years ago, they were agog at a Howard Dean’s Internet fundraising skill’s right up until they caught him on tape being a humorously over exuberant. They played the damn thing so much, he became a joke and dropped out of the race. It wasn’t a conspiracy, but it might as well have been. That’s how politics works these days.
I also note Carlson insisted on questioning Paul about his role in the convention, as if his greatest dream is to somehow get to speak at the convention. So much for the sincerity of saying his campaign is “formerly quixotic.”
Feh.
What will happen is this: If Paul doesn’t get the GOP nod (and I conceded the odds are NOT in his favor because the neocons and the religious right hate his guts) he’ll run as either a Libertarian or a Constitution Party member, or perhaps as an independent. Then the media will obsess over how may votes Paul will “take away” from the Democratic or Republican nominees. Because as everyone the MSM believes, votes are the properties of the big two parties, not the people who cast them.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
If Paul doesn’t get the GOP nod … he’ll run as either a Libertarian or a Constitution Party member, or perhaps as an independent.
I can’t find a link to an interview with him saying it, but I read on blogs that he says if he doesn’t win the GOP nomination, he won’t run. Do you know if he has said this?
If Paul is seriously considering to run on a ticket other than the big two, he’ll need to drop out of the primary before the convention. I believe there are 8 states that have sore loser laws that would prevent him from running for any other office, even a write-in. He could not get enough electorial votes to win.
My two cents anyway
Paul has publicly stated multiple times tht he would not run as a 3rd party candidate. However, I was on a conference call where he was “feeling out” the idea of the memberships of the two parties mentioned in Billy’s post to see if they would be open to him as their parties candidate.
Billy:
Not all in the religious right hate Ron Paul’s guts. I have several friends who fit into that category who have sent Paul money and who are supporting him.
Paul certainly has a chance to win the nomination. Could make for an interesting run.
Paul will not win either partys’ nomination; but if he goes Independent, he will be the deciding factor in the election; does anyone remember Ross Perot causing Bush I losing the election to the Draft-Dodger?
James3v1: My apologies for what seemed like a gross over generalization. Of course, there are those in the R.R. who like Paul. Considering the (incorrect) reputation the Libertarians have among the established parties for being in favor of prostitution and drug use, it’s not likely there are many.
Ron Paul’s an extremist (the Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Republican Party) and would never gather support among moderates. His views would more closely fit with the Constitution party, in my opinion. I’m pretty conservative but can’t even stomach the Constitution party’s platform.
[...] is Paul’s weakness. Much has been written about how Paul supporters, in one day, raised $4.2 million on the Internet. But it’s easy to be a Ron Paul Internet Warrior sitting in front of your computer screen, [...]