castledoom.com

[FrankyG888]

Ron Paul has all but officially entered the GOP primary, but does he have a chance to win the nomination?

I think that he does. He is already appealing to moderates in both parties much like a John McCain or even a Joe Lieberman. This will be important in the general election, and with no true fiscal conservatives in the race, it would not be surprising to see him jump in the polls if he can get any amount of name recognition.

The current primary season also runs well for a candidate like Paul. The early contest in New Hampshire should help him immensely. In a small state like New Hampshire he should be able to meet and influence voters at a much more local level. This is key for candidates who seem to be flying under the radar screen of voters. Most people had never even heard of Bill Clinton when he nearly won in the state in 1991.

Right now he is the only Republican in the race that I could even consider supporting, let alone vote for. A candidate like Paul could draw many registered Democrats like myself to the Republican party.

Quote: Ron Paul, the iconoclastic nine-term congressman from southeast Texas, took the first step Thursday toward launching a second presidential bid in 2008, this time as a Republican.

Paul filed incorporation papers in Texas on Thursday to create a presidential exploratory committee that allows him and his supporters to collect money on behalf of his bid. This will be Paul's second try for the White House; he was the Libertarian nominee for president in 1988.

Kent Snyder, the chairman of Paul's exploratory committee and a former staffer on Paul's Libertarian campaign, said the congressman knows he's a long shot.

"There's no question that it's an uphill battle, and that Dr. Paul is an underdog," Snyder said. "But we think it's well worth doing and we'll let the voters decide."

Paul, of Lake Jackson, acknowledges that the national GOP has never fully embraced him despite his nine terms in office under its banner. He gets little money from the GOP's large traditional donors, but benefits from individual conservative and Libertarian donors outside Texas. He bills himself as "The Taxpayers' Best Friend," and is routinely ranked either first or second in the House of Representatives by the National Taxpayers Union, a national group advocating low taxes and limited government.

He describes himself as a lifelong Libertarian running as a Republican.

Paul was not available for comment Thursday, Snyder said.

But he said the campaign will test its ability to attract financial and political support before deciding whether to launch a full-fledged campaign. Snyder said Paul is not running just to make a point or to try to ensure that his issues are addressed, but to win.

Paul is expected to formally announce his bid in the next week or two, Snyder said.

Snyder said Paul and his supporters are not intimidated by the presence of nationally known and better-financed candidates such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona or former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.

"This is going to be a grassroots American campaign," he said. "For us, it's either going to happen at the grassroots level or it's not."

Paul limits his view of the role of the federal government to those duties laid out in the U.S. Constitution. As a result, he sometimes casts votes that appear at odds with his constituents and other Republicans. He was the only Republican congressman to vote against Department of Defense appropriations for fiscal year 2007.

The vote against the defense appropriations bill, he said, was because of his opposition to the war in Iraq, which he said was "not necessary for our actual security."

[JuntaJoe]

He's really more of a Libertarian.

But with all political parties there are subsets.


I like Libertarians who like a vigorous military. Ron Paul does not.


Imo, a strong military is what helps keep our current democracy safe.

Texans will likely have the same opinion and shoot him down in his home primary.

[Che]

At one time or another, Ron has ran for office as a Dem, Rep
and a Lib.

He is a political whore... who is only interested in himself.

[crispybacon]

Brilliant! I now know my future career: Political pimp.
________
DISPENSARIES

[broomdalf]

Bah, if popularity and political clout were all he were after, there's no way in hell he would have voted against the Iraq war resolution...I mean, he is a Texan after all... This guy has crazy ideas, probably too crazy to allow him to become President, but, from a distant glance, he seems to be crazy enough to trust...

[JuntaJoe]

crispybacon wrote: Brilliant! I now know my future career: Political pimp.

Sorry, that's James Carville's and Mary Matalin Carville's job! :P

One is a democrat, the other a republican, and either can get you elected. :lol:

[FrankyG888]

I actually like Ron Paul. He seems to know what he stands for and he follows it. It is the only person running that I know would actually reduce the size of the government, which would be a nice change.

Who knows, maybe after the Republicans shoot him down the Libertarians will pick him up. All of the experts are calling for a major move from a third party in 2008, why not the libertarians.

No, I am not saying that he could win the election, but if he plays it right he could win a few small fringe states like New Hampshire, Maine, or Kansas. Maine and Kansas both nearly went for Perot in 1992, and New Hampshire is always ready to try something different.