Help with a GOOD answer to this voter's philosophy on the election
Posted February 5th, 2008 by sierradawn
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Hi All,
I need some good answers to reply to this person who simply does not believe Ron Paul can win.....or maybe this is the type of person where there is nothing we can say to help him otherwise see the chance Ron Paul really does have to win this election? I plan on telling him there is no way in hell I am voting for anyone else and that Ron Paul is NOT another Ross Perot or Nader.
Thanks in advance and here is the email:
I agree that this election may be an opportunity of a lifetime, but more so related to the philosophical differences between Democrats and Republicans than the role that Ron Paul plays as a presidential candidate. While your passion is admirable - it is clear given the polling data that Ron Paul truly does not have a chance to get the nomination. The amount of minds that would need to be changed in regard to RP would take a divine act of God....really. Most people have and have had their candidates for quite awhile. Guillani folks will tend to go toward McCain now, and F. Thompson folks to Romney and or Huck. Many Ron Paul supporters are so passionate(and i respect your decision)about their candidate that they cannot believe that people like the other guys - but they do.....And the majority of Americans truly do prefer the three current front runners. And believe are not, many have explored RP as a candidate.
RealPolitics.com has compiled a list of all the polling agencies and their combined results from the previously held primaries and the projected remaining state outcomes. While the polling data can sometimes be off some percentage points - they are usually not off to the degee that they would need to be in order for Ron Paul to win the nomination. In terms of current delegates attained- McCain has 97, Romney 92, Huckabee 29, and RP 6. The candidates need 1,191 delegates to win - 22 states will chime in manana and pretty much decide the nomination. In regards to the remaining states the polling shows Ron Paul at 6%, Huck 17.9%, Rom 24.5% and McCain at 42.8%. Many political commentators believe that Romney has a chance because the race is so close in some states. Huckabee has been deemed almost completely out - and because R. Paul is so far back he is not considered a contender.
Where Paul could remotely come into play, and Huckabee to a much larger degree, is in relation to the votes that could go to McCain or Romney to tip the tide toward either of those two candidates, but are going to "non-viable" candidates such as RP and to a much lesser degree Huck. So - your vote could make a difference in who will be the Republican candidate - just not your candidate. These polling numbers can be found across the political landscape - you can go to cnn, fox news, the Rasmussen Report, Pew Research, etc, etc. And again, they are usually not too far off - and definately not to the degree that they would need to be to usher in a RP nomination.
In terms of RP being considered a Nader or Ross Perot - My guess is that the commentators were not referring to philosophical similarities(though from vague recollection we would find quite a few parallels between Perot and RP), but because of the role third party candidates can play in the general election. In the 92 election it is thought that Perot took the election away from Bush senior, taking away would-be republican voters and thus allowing Clinton to take the nomination. And Nader, though to a lesser degree, has been said to effect democratic general election losses...Specifically Gore/Bush 2000. So I've read. Thus - many believe that Ron Paul as a third party candidate(if he chooses to participate) would take away would be republican votes and hand the election over to the democratic candidate.
So, and I welcome feedback from folks (though I can't guarantee a speedy response), I would encourage Ron Paul supporters to ponder which republican candidate(other than Paul) is closest to their viewpoints - there are differences between Romney and McCain....And if Paul does enter the general election as a third party candidate, ponder which political party most reflects your philosophical leanings - for Paul would potentially "spoil" the republican nomination rather than the democratic nomination.
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A majority of Americans do not prefer the three front runners.
Do the math. How many people in the U.S., in the primary states, are eligible to vote? What percentage of those actually voted for Obama or Clinton or McCain. McCain gets 35% (of the ones who actually showed up) and that's a majority? It means that 65% of those voting do not support him.
THANK YOU
Again, you fellow supporters have helped me with some good rebuttal points to compose in my email.
Cheers!!
how about CONVICTION???
Does anyone stand for conviction anymore? or is everything a compromise? think about it.
Those "6"
delegates so far awarded to Ron Paul don't include many delegates he has likely already won in Louisiana and Maine. Once all is said and done, he may even have placed 1st in both of those states.
Either way, Ron Paul is maybe the only presidential candidate since Kennedy with the courage to stand up to the power brokers and corporate elite who have run this country into the ground. 4 years from now, when America has become a third world nation, Dr. Paul will be 76 years old and it is doubtful he will try this again. Now is our only chance. If all of the people who would throw their vote to "more of the same" because they think Ron Paul can't win would vote their hearts and their concience, we'd win this thing easily. That's why the media is marginalizing Paul and hiding his true numbers - to convince people that Paul doesn't have a chance. Don't fall for it - his numbers are growing exponentially, now is the time to fight for what is right, NOW is the time to make your vote count and elect the one true patriot !
It's not our last chance
In the next election, we're going to get 10 RP Republicans elected to congress and 4 RP Republicans elected to the Senate. In the election after that, we're going to get 15 more RP Republicans elected, and 6 more Senate seats.
The constitution has been increasingly ignored since the day it was written. We can't fix that overnight, but we can reverse the trend.
We will see if the revolution truly starts the day after this election.
Tell him this
General election is for choosing President. The Primary you are voting the direction you want your party to go.
In a primary you do not ever throw a vote away. You vote for the guy who best encompasses your ideas
The whole point of your post...
insinuates this person would otherwise vote for Ron Paul if he was polling higher.
The polling argument is bogus, so use it to your advantage.
If a person supports Ron Paul on conviction because they have used intelligence to support a candidate, then polls won't deter them. If a person is weak on their convictions and is swayed by polls, then here is what you do.
Explain that if they believe the polls, then their vote is irrelevant--as the polls determine who will be elected, not them. Since the poll leader is going to win anyway, why not vote their conscience for Dr. Paul. What possible harm could there be since the polls have already told you who the winner is?
Imagine the power you have to vote you conscience without having to worry you are wasting your vote--which you would definitely be doing if you vote for the poll leader since they don't need your vote.
Now imagine everyone voted their conscience as they should. It's not a game. It wasn't for the founding fathers. It's not for the dedicated Ron Paul supporter. Nothing will get me to change my vote or compromise my conscience. I wish the same for you.
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If you vote, you deserve the government YOU voted for.
If you vote uninformed, you deserve the government you GET.
If you don't vote, you have no opinion that matters.
Ron Paul for President 2008
Here is some help
First thing that I noticed is that he quoted from the main media polls. He is regurgitating what they say; they have all tried to say he isn't viable. No he isn't viable in there messed up world because he doesn't go along with their program for our country (which is slavery). The information he is pulling from his polls is incorrect. Here is a link to an article from Ron Paul on his position: http://ronpaul2008.typepa...
He is ahead and in a very strong 3rd position. Polls are biased and don't really represent what the people want. We want our sovereignty back and our freedoms and we want Ron Paul as our President as he is the only viable candidate running for office. He is the only one with a record of 20 years of voting by the constitution. He is the only honest candidate. He is the only one with economic sense and the constitutionally correct foreign policy of non-intervention.
He is the only choice and the only one I can vote for and still sleep at night.
I always listen for the language a person uses
Watch for the buzzwords. How many people use the word "viable" in their day to day life? If someone tells me that RP isn't viable, then they are usually regurgitating media.
I find the viability argument odd as well. If one person doesn't vote for a candidate because he isnt "viable", then it is likely that lots of people aren't voting for him because he isn't "viable".
Remind people that the NYG weren't a viable superbowl champion.
viable
I actually think the tern is quite silly to use, and I do know it is a buzz word. I was trying to make a point of its silliness, but it didn't quite get it there :)
I saw you say it
I thought I'd just say it again, because it was a great point.
It's all about delegates
Ron Paul picked up nearly half the delegates in LA and NV and another 35% of delegates in Maine. RP supporters are active and willing to go to the state conventions for a person they believe in. This is why Ron Paul says he is in it until the convention. He knows he has around a 60 or so "uncommitted" delegates thus far (compared to Mc 97 and Rom 92). By the convention it will be around 500 with 700 still up for grabs plus anybody who has dropped out. He will be behind More War McCain (700 by the convention) but still enough so either could win.
And don't focus on the polls. They had him at 6-7% and he pulled out 14 and 20%. Remember it is about delegates and spreading the message. RP went from polling at 0% to 3% to 6% and is now getting votes at 20% and getting 50% of the state's delegates.
yeah...don't forget about the "King Maker" option
If RP doesn't have enough delegates to win the nomination and neither McCain nor Romney have enough delegates to win outright, RP can play kingmaker, can't he?
This would allow him to negotiate with one of the candidates on key issues. If he's already lost the race, then at a minimum we should get a commitment to not try and stifle the election of other "Ron Paul Republicans".
Ok...
The numbers he is talking about.. the stance he is talking about, and the political ~wisdom~ he is talking about is based on the smoke and mirrors that he believes is the political reality right now. This is not actually the case. Tell him, in all honesty, that if he has not watched freedom to fascism, then he is not prepared to talk ~reality~ politics with you.
Then go from there.
Believe it or not, Paul is an easy sell.. it's just a mindview change..lol
People have problems with not being able to simplify what is happening right now... help him.