VP Poll
Submitted by GoodSamaritan on Tue, 07/31/2007 - 21:57Is it too early to start considering the best choice for VP? I realize that this decision is up to Dr. Paul, but I suspect that he and his campaign staff would appreciate some early input from the grassroots. After all, we are already hearing rumors of a Clinton-Obama ticket.
Hopefully someone reading this has the skill and the will to set up a poll that can filter duplicate IPs, and do whatever else is necessary to make it as accurate as possible. We should have as many reasonable choices as possible, and I would like to start with two suggestions that have already been floated elsewhere: John Stossel and Walter E. Williams - both libertarian.
We DO NOT want to make a Ross Perot - type blunder with a VP candidate like James Stockdale. I have nothing against Stockdale, a graduate of the Naval Academy, Viet Nam POW, and all-around distinguished American (now deceased). But the sad fact was that he had virtually no public name recognition and is only remembered from his campaign for asking the embarrassing questions, "Who am I? Why am I here?"
I think that we could safely count on both Stossel and Williams to obey the Constitution. They both have enormous name recognition - Stossel from years on TV and Williams from many years as a columnist and co-host for Rush Limbaugh. Milton Friedman once praised Stossel for his understanding of economics. Williams is a professor of economics and has endorsed Ron Paul for President.
So, is there anyone willing and able to set up such a poll?
If there is a poll, who else should be on it?
What about George Carlin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccYoVnBc_fk
Famous Quote from Justice William O. Douglas
"The Constitution is not neutral.
It was designed to take the government
off the backs of people."
Famous Quote from Justice William O. Douglas
"The Constitution is not neutral.
It was designed to take the government
off the backs of people."
Like-Minded Constitutionalists
I didn't see any naming of Paul Craig Roberts, For those who do not know him, here is a link to get you to his syndicated columns.
http://www.vdare.com/roberts/all_columns.htm
I also like Bob Barr and Andrew Napolitano, They would also be strong candidates for Attorney General or if the opportunity arises - Supreme Court Justice
Maybe the Doctor might consider a fellow Texan, Jon Roland of Constitution dotorg. Jon is an attorney
http://constitution.org/
How about the attorney from Shreveport who just won a not guilty unanimous decision from a jury against the DOJ and the IRS for evasion of tax and failure to file. His name is Tom Cryer.
His website is http://www.gcstation.net/liefreezone/
And type LieFreeZone at youtube and watch his video about the federal income tax.
He was helped in his case by another attorney-long in the tax-honesty movement-Larry Beecraft.
I think any of these people would add value to a Ron Paul ticket or Administration.
Go Ron,
Michael Pannone
Bob Barr, Baggage, Flip Flopping and the CIA
I have supported Bob Barr in the past and would be agreeable to having him in Congress again. His voting while in congress was pretty good from a less government perspective.
Mr. Barr played a prominent position in the impeachment of Bill Clinton and this is baggage that would distract from Mr. Paul's message. It might help in the Primary but would be a negative in the General Election.
Barr was a strong supporter of the War on Drugs and adamantly opposed the legalization of medical marijuana. He recently changed his position on this. I could give him the benefit of the doubt on this except when I take into account who he worked for in the 1970's.
From 1971 to 1978, he served as a member of the Central Intelligence Agency (reported on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Barr ), as legal counsel I believe. I personally would not trust him to be VP based on that single item.
Read the 12th Amendment
Electoral College voters must vote for one candidate for Pres., one for VeeP, and only one of those two choices at most can be from their own State. That means your buddy Jon Roland is out unless he changes his voter registration to another State (like Cheney did in 2000, from TX to WY).
Raising the Barr
Barr is okay, but keep in mind that he just recently disavowed the GOP in favor of the Libertarians, so he's up sh*ts creek with the party. Plus, he's just a Representative. Paul already brings legislative experience to the ticket, his VP should be someone with executive experience. Gary Johnson fits the bill. He's a popular ex-governor with strong credentials.
Bob Barr
Don't forget about Bob Barr. He has the credentials, and can hold his own in a debate.
I THINK CYNTHIA MCKINNEY
I THINK FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN CYNTHIA MCKINNEY WOULD BE A GOOD CHOICE, SHES HONEST, TONS OF COURAGE, SMART, STRONGLY BELIEVES IN THE CONSTITUTION,AND HATES CURRUPT LOBBYIST AS MUCH AS RON PAUL DOES.ANOTHER PLUS WOULD BE IS SHE WOULD DRAW THE WOMANS VOTE AND THE BLACK VOTE AND PUT TO REST ANY ATTEMPS TO SAY RON PAUL IS A RASCIST . ALSO, IF (GOD FORBID) RON PAUL GETS ASSASINATED SHE WOULD STOP AT NOTHING TO GET A PROPER INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY AND PUT THOSE CRIMINALS IN THIER PROPER PLACE. SHE'S A STRONG FIGHTER . ALSO RON PAUL IS 71 YEARS OLD, AND ALTHOUGH HE IS PROBABLY IN BETTER SHAPE THAN ME AT 46, BEING THE PRESIDENT IS A HIGHLY STRESSFULL JOB AND COULD TAKE ITS TOLL ON HIM. SO BOTTOM LINE IF HE SHOULD DIE FOR ANY REASON OR FALL VERY ILL, I WOULD TRUST HER TO THE TAKE OVER THE JOB. I KNOW SHE WAS A DEMOCRAT IN THE PAST,BUT I THINK IF SHE WAS GIVEN THE CALL SHE WOULD DO IT.Sorry about the caps but i didnt notice until i was done and i didnt want to retype it all again
CAPS & McKinney
You don't have to retype your comment to remove the caps. Just copy and paste it into a Word doc, highlight it, hit Shift + F3 twice, and then copy and paste it back into your comment.
BTW, Cynthia McKinney would most likely be remembered most for punching a Capitol Hill police officer. That might be a bit too much baggage.
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
that cop deserved it
mckinney punched that cop because he was harassing her and trying to manhandle her. i think he was a plant to mess up her re-elction myself. i hate cops anyways.
Walter Williams
I wrote a letter to Walter Williams several months ago before Dr. Paul announced and, among other things, mentioned that I would like to see a Paul/Williams ticket. He must feel strongly about not running because I received a reply. He mentioned that he believes he can do the most good for the cause where he is right now.
Donna
D'oh!
If you write back, please express my strong disagreement. I think he'd make an excellent VP, and any debate featuring him would be fantastic. Plus his race, when combined with his obviously-superior intelligence, would infuriate exactly the right people who *NEED* to be infuriated! ;)
But seriously, I pray he'll reconsider, or at least take a more prominent role than "occasional Limbaugh replacement."
JMR
class
Some people just have too much class to get into politics. That is why we are so lucky that Dr. Paul is running.
Donna
No journalists
I hate to be a downer, but a journalist or academic is not an ideal Vice Presidential candidate. Gary Johnson is GREAT - he was a governor who won re-election, did a lot of his state, retired in style, and has since become a triathlete. Everyone should really be lobbying for him, because much of the field are guys whose hearts are in the right place, but who simply don't have the background to run for the office.
New List and Some Ideas
This discussion on the merits of each proposed VP, and the number of suggestions, is better than I expected. Here is the new list:
Baldwin, Chuck
Buchanan, Pat
Carlson, Tucker
Coburn, Tom
Corsi, Jerome
Daniels, Mitch
Dobbs, Lou
Johnson, Gary
Jones, Walter
Keyes, Alan
Kwiatkowski, Karen
Napolitano, Andrew
Palin, Sarah
Rockwell, Lew
Sanford, Mark
Stossel, John
Thiel, Peter
Williams, Walter
What I am thinking now is that, in addition to creating a poll, perhaps these proposed VPs should also be rated against several important indicators of fitness using a scale (such as 1...5, or low...high, or hurt...help). I propose the following categories:
- Constitutional faithfulness
- Debating skill
- Leadership experience
- Name recognition
- Charisma/Personality
- Knowledge depth/breadth
- Protected class
I almost hate even mentioning that last one but, as some of you have rightly pointed out, certain personal characteristics (age, race, gender, etc.) may significantly affect a campaign in this less than perfect world.
With such an expanded poll, the results would be more meaningful than just a straight up or down vote for each candidate. I am hoping that this exercise produces something useful that we could hand to the Ron Paul campaign. Maybe they are already paying attention :)
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
I propose...
this category:
First Choice
That's The Purpose
of the basic poll. Expanding the poll with a list of pertinent characteristics would provide additional information on opinions concerning their perceived strengths and weaknesses.
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
Bill Moyers-Secretary of Education
I am enjoying reading up on all the "nominees" in this thread. I have even ventured into cabinet positions and am learning just how hard it is to find a "good man/woman" who has the experience to be accepted by the public and yet who has not been compromised. Dr. Paul sets such a high standard.
But as I continue the process, I keep trying to find the perfect place for the one journalist who busts through "general consensus" with clarity, civility and perfect logic. That would be Bill Moyers. After first considering him as VP, I decided for a variety of reasons that he would make an incredible Sec. of State .Finally settled on Secretary of Education. Found he was once offered that position and it was the only thing that really interested him:
He was asked: "If a president were to call you up to serve again full-time in the White House, would you do it?"
http://utopia.utexas.edu/articles/alcalde/moyers.html
He responded: "I've faced that. Jimmy Carter asked me to be his chief of staff in 1978 midway through his term, and I declined. Then he asked me to be the first secretary of education, and I declined, though I was more tempted by that because I had worked on education legislation in the White House. Bill Clinton sent emissaries twice to ask me to be chief of staff, once after Mack McLarty retired and then a year later. They still see me the way I used to be. They remember my youth. And I explained each time that I had crossed the Rubicon, that once I had chosen to leave the White House and be a journalist, I was going to stay on that side of the fence. I really don't believe in going back and forth. I was flattered but not tempted in the least.
In one sense I regret that, because journalism has no power. It's government that can pick our pockets, or send us to jail or run a highway through our rose garden. Government is where things happen. And I believe in government. I'm a strong believer in the necessity for us to act collectively as a society to solve our problems."
Well, we are now at a place in history where the word "Statesman" comes into play i.e., experiential wisdom coupled with life-long insatiable curiosity about the world in which we live, ability to ask the right questions and listen impartially, and finally the rare gift of discernment. That's Ron Paul. It is also Bill Moyer.
Perhaps, as a final thrust to make a huge difference in all the areas that interest him and the opportunity to leave a legacy to the next generations, Bill Moyer might be persuaded to once again enter public life. I hold out that hope.
fonta
Only One Duty for the Secretary
There is one overriding consideration for any Secretary of Education in a Paul administration - that he or she will make his or her # 1 priority the immediate dismantling of the Department of Education. Do you think that Bill Moyers would agree?
The same goes for all of the other Cabinet leaders, outside of the those chosen for State, Justice and Defense - the three that Ron Paul believes have Constitutional support.
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
Ron Paul - Honorary Founding Father
Would Bill Moyers Abolish Dept of Education
You sent me back to the drawing board, Good Samaritan. Just read an interview Lew Rockwell did with Bill Moyers. Sadly, unless he has changed drastically in the several years since that interview, he would not fit in a Ron Paul cabinet. It is hard for me to accept because I don't know of any journalist through the years who has educated me more or who has so courageously attacked difficult issues that nobody else seemed to touch. He is still doing that. And he is a diplomat...much the same temperament as Ron Paul. He is also almost universally respected.
Moyers has spoken passionately about all the failures of the education system. He has admitted that No Child Left Behind is a huge failure and, I think, he has spoken out against Agenda 21 (not sure.).
But would he agree with Ron Paul about abolishing the Department of Education? I'm afraid you are right...he would not. But I wish..........
fonta
Secretary of Defense - William Lind
I cannot think of anyone that comes even close to his insights into modern warfare. He realized long ago that technology doesn't win wars anymore, and that this new generation of warfare requires a drastically different military and way of thinking. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he is correct, he is constantly waved away by the Pentagon because it means that they couldn't ask for huge sums of money anymore.
Info on William Lind
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=William_S._Lind
Also, who was the general (or was he a general?...asian, I think) who dared to tell the current administration it would take a 100,000 troops to win in Iraq and was fired for doing so? He deserves a "spot" somewhere under Lind maybe?
At the time that happened I remember reading a little about him and liking what he said.
fonta
That would be...
General Eric Shinseki (ret.)
...and it was more like 500,000 troops to conquer and secure Iraq. ;)
my personal choice...
would be Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico. Governor Johnson was called "Governor No" (just like Ron Paul is Dr. No) because he vetoed any unbalanced budget or any budget that included too much spending. Gary was also on the forefront of drug decriminalization. He may not be as well known as Walter Williams, but he's been a governor with a proven libertarian record. He's a successful businessman and a sharp guy who's hiked Mt. Everest and run in several marathons.
The drawbacks to Johnson are that, as far as I know, he's currently a ski bum and he's admitted to a lot of marijuana use. None of that disqualifies him in my eyes - he's ideal in my opinion, but unfortunately, that might drive voters away from Dr. Paul once the MSM starts hurling insults at him.
Karen Kwiatkowski and Walter Williams are both great as well - I'd love to see either as veep, and both bring a lot of positives to the table. I would only choose Governor Johnson over them because of his legislative experience and proven executive track record.
Kwiatkowski is great because she's a die-hard libertarian and very intelligent. Also, because many voters look only at the surface, I think it helps that she's a woman, and a tough one with a very impressive military record. And with her experience at the Pentagon, she'll be able to shut anyone down on Iraq. This will effectively end the myth that the military is happy with the status quo with respect to foreign policy.
I really like Williams as well - he's a brilliant economist and fun to read and listen to. And, once again, I believe it's beneficial to have a minority running mate, especially if the MSM tries to paint Dr. Paul as a racist (an absolutely ridiculous claim, but they'll try it).
As for Patrick Buchanan, he has good name recognition and he's great on foreign policy. I really appreciate the support he gives Dr. Paul, but he's a bit too socially conservative for my taste. In his 2000 campaign, he complained that Vermont allowed gay marriage and he condemned that. We don't need someone like that held up as the libertarian ideal, IMO.
My list:
1. Gary Johnson
2. Karen Kwiatkowski
3. Walter Williams
I'd rank Williams third because I think Johnson's executive record and Kwiatkowski's military record are too impressive to overlook.
Sanford or Thiel
Two good directions he could go. Many excellent choices, but I agree that Williams is an obvious member of the Economic advisory team, and Napolitano serves as either Atty. Gen. or Supreme Court nominee. What Dr. Paul is lacking in many voters' minds is executive experience, and having that in the VP would balance the ticket. Sanford has Chief Executive experience in the State of South Carolina, while Thiel spent years running Pay Pal, and I believe that business leadership experience is way underrated. Both are eloquent speakers and can vocalize Dr. Paul's ideas well, because they believe in them. But each brings a different value to the race, in addition to the obvious. Sanford brings credibility in the solid South, which will be important for any Republican to win in a general election, and particularly important to help deflect confusion over the anti-war rhetoric that doesn't go over as well there as in some regions. On the other hand, Thiel, to be blunt, brings much needed capital to the race. This is likely to be a high spending campaign, and having a bankroll might make it more doable.
Either of these choices offers a great candidate who fully supports Paul's ideals, but we'll need to wait until we're closer to the date to decide which direction will be more important at the time.
I love the Irony of...
... appointing former NM federal district attorney David Iglesias as AG. ;)
Think about that for a moment. :D
VP option
How about Congressman Walter Jones?
Nah... Too old.
Dr Paul is my one exemption to my personal age rule of "no one over retirement age."
We need a VeeP who is 58 or less when sworn-in so that he won't be too old for his own two terms after 8 years of Dr Paul.
As I said below, we need continuity in office, folks!
Lew Rockwell
How about Lew Rockwell?
Impractical
If he were chosen, hundreds millions of face masks would have to be handed out over the country to prevent Rockwell from rocking their face off.
VP Choices
For VP choices,
I like Lou Dobbs of CNN, he is a populist, against the war in Iraq, against illegal immigration, is an economist and understands the problems with printing money. He also is against NAFTA, GATT, WTO etc. and tends to get support from all sides of the political spectrum like Ron Paul
http://www.loudobbs4president.com
or Dr. Tom Coburn Senator from Oklahoma (who also delivered 4000 babies), but he did vote for the war, but he is great on alot of other issues.