26 Things Non-Paul Voters Are Basically Saying
(1) The American political establishment has done a super job keeping our country prosperous and our liberties protected, so I’m sure whatever candidate they push on me is probably a good one.
(2) Our country is basically bankrupt. Unfunded entitlement liabilities are in excess of twice world GDP. Therefore, it’s a good idea to vote for someone who offers no specific spending cuts of any kind.
(3) Vague promises to cut spending are good enough for me, even though they have always resulted in higher spending in the past.
(4) I prefer a candidate who plays to the crowd, instead of having the courage to tell his audience things they may not want to hear.
(5) I am deeply concerned about spending. Therefore, I would like to vote for someone who supported Medicare Part D, thereby adding $7 trillion to Medicare’s unfunded liabilities.
(6) I am opposed to bailouts. Therefore, I will vote for a candidate who supported TARP.
(7) The federal government is much too involved in education, where it has no constitutional role. Therefore, I will vote for a candidate who supported expanding the Department of Education and favored the No Child Left Behind Act.
(8) Even though practically everyone was caught by surprise in the 2008 financial crisis, which we are still reeling from, it’s a good idea not to vote for the one man in politics who predicted exactly what was bound to unfold, all the way back in 2001.
(9) I am not impressed by a candidate who inspires people, especially young ones, to read the great economists and political philosophers.
(10) I am concerned about taxes. Therefore, I will not vote for the one candidate who has never supported a tax increase.
(11) I believe it is conservative to support bringing the Enlightenment to Afghanistan via military intervention.
(12) Even though I lost half my retirement portfolio when the economy crashed from the sugar high the Federal Reserve’s artificially low interest rates put it on, I would like to vote for someone who is not really interested in the Federal Reserve.
(13) Even though 50 years of the embargo on Cuba did nothing to undermine Fidel Castro, and in fact handed him a perfect excuse for all the failures of socialism, I favor continuing this policy.
(14) If someone has a drug problem, prison rape is the best solution I can think of.
(15) Even though the Constitution had to be amended to allow for alcohol prohibition, and even though I claim to care about the Constitution, I don’t mind that there’s no constitutional authorization for the war on drugs, and I will punish at the polls anyone who favors the constitutional solution of returning the issue to the states.
(16) I believe only a “liberal” would think it was inhumane to keep essential items out of Iraq in the 1990s, even though one of the first people to protest this policy was Pat Buchanan.
(17) The Brookings Institution says Newt Gingrich’s 1994 Contract with America was an insignificant nibbling around the edges. I favor people who support insignificant nibbling around the edges, as long as they occasionally trick me with a nice speech.
(18) I am deeply concerned about radical Islam, so it was a good idea to depose the secular Saddam Hussein — who was so despised by Islamists that Osama bin Laden himself offered to fight against him in the 1991 Persian Gulf War — and replace him with a Shiite regime friendly with Iran, while also bringing about a new Iraqi constitution that makes Islam the state religion and forbids any law that contradicts its teachings.
(19) Indefinite detention for U.S. citizens seems like nothing to be worried about, especially since our political class is so trustworthy that it could never abuse such a power.
(20) Following up on (19), I believe Thomas Jefferson was just being paranoid when he said, “In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”
(21) Even though the war in Iraq was based on crude propaganda I would have laughed at if the Soviet Union had peddled it, and even though the result has been hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis, four million people displaced, trillions of dollars down the drain, tens of thousands of serious injuries among American servicemen and an epidemic of suicide throughout the military, not to mention the ruination of America’s reputation in the world, I see no reason to be skeptical when the same people who peddled that fiasco urge me to support yet another war as my country is going bankrupt.
(22) I do not trust the media. But when the media tells me I am not to support Ron Paul, who says things he is not allowed to say, I will comply.
(23) I know the media will smear or marginalize anyone who would really fix this country. But when the media smears and marginalizes Ron Paul, I will draw no conclusion from this.
(24) I want to be spoken to like this: “My fellow Americans, you are the awesomest of the awesome, and the only reason anyone in the world might be unhappy with your government is because of your sheer awesomeness.”
(25) I think it’s a good idea to vote for Mitt Romney, whose top three donors are Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and Morgan Stanley, and a bad idea to vote for Ron Paul, whose top three donors are the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force.
(26) I have not been exploited enough by the cozy relationship between large financial firms and the U.S. government, and I would like to see it continue.
Do you want to take a dick in the ass from RP?
As I expected, no valid counter-argument from your part.
Ron Paul : 1 Heister: 0
Abdel, aren\'t you Canadian?
Indeed I am.
Fuckin\' A. SB for you.
(27) Rick Santorum is the only viable opposition to Mitt Romney, and I am going to vote for the Oblunderer before I vote for Bush 2.0.
recently, I have become more open to the idea of RP...but realistically, the guy has a 0% chance of winning right?
although i don't agree with him on foreign issues, i.e.: i agree with a presence in the middle east, i do think he's onto something when he says to cut off aid to the majority of nations and leave places like Korea..he shouldve declared himself a third party candidate a long time ago though, right?
You mean the same kind of presence in the middle east that Osama Bin Laden cited as his main motive in the 9/11 attack?
Mm.
The Saudis and Kuwaitis want or wanted us there. No way to predict that OBL would go and do awful things again because of it.
i just don't understand what you think you're going to get out of posting this shit non-stop. it's obvious he has no chance of being on the ticket whether or not you continue to post this stuff. i am big ron paul fan but your non stop propaganda is just getting annoying
How the fuck can you be a big Ron Paul fan and yet get annoyed at the occasional Ron Paul post?
Abdel keep up the good fight, ignorance runs deep in this country.
It's not that Ron Paul is wrong on some things (like the gold standard, which he is way wrong on and his lack of support for US allies abroad), it's mostly that he's unelectable.
tldr
I generally support RP, but I also realize that he has zero chance of winning.
Also, I'm sure there are people who aren't going to vote for RP that don't agree with #1 (the only one I read)/
Is your goal to just turn this into Canada vs USA again? I really don't get what your motive is for these posts. You don't believe that you're converting a massive amount of people to support RP do you?
Skilling, is your argument seriously that we should stop doing all the things Osama Bin Laden didn't like? That is how I read your comment. There is a pretty good debate about whether or not we should have a presence in the ME and good points to be made on either side. Do you really want to rest on "Osama thought it was shitty, so we shouldn't do it"?
I'm saying maybe we should critically assess our involevement in the middle east and consider if actually does more harm than good. Maybe we should only send our troops over there to risk their lives when congress actually declares the war, when the war is actually winnable, and when the nation we're fighting actually poses a threat to this country. Maybe we should understand the seriousness of blowback.
Also, are you saying the fact that Osama cited our military presence in Saudi Arabia as the reason behind the attacks to be irrelevant?
The original post makes no sense. How are non-Paul voters saying "I am opposed to bailouts. Therefore, I will vote for a candidate who supported TARP."? I am not a Paul voter, and I say that I did not oppose the bailouts and will vote for a candidate that supported TARP. Basically, you lay down 26 incredibly specific criteria that maybe 5% of the population believes in, and then assumed that everyone thought the same way and still doesn't support RP.
Way to take things way too seriously. It's called a joke.
Also, you support robbing taxpayers to prop up bad investments made by Wall Street? Cool.
Seems like some people recognized themselves in those 26 facts.
lol
ron paul would be too disruptive to US institutions. that being said, parts of his platform are excellent and the better showing he has the more they will get incorporated into mainstream views.
That's the point...
"Nearly 10 years after the declaration of the War on Terror, the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan have killed at least 225,000 people, including men and women in uniform, contractors, and civilians. The wars will cost Americans between $3.2 and $4 trillion, including medical care and disability for current and future war veterans, according to a new report by the Eisenhower Research Project based at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. If the wars continue, they are on track to require at least another $450 billion in Pentagon spending by 2020.
The group’s “Costs of War” project, which involved more than 20 economists, anthropologists, lawyers, humanitarian personnel, and political scientists, provides new estimates of the total war cost as well as other direct and indirect human and economic costs of the U.S. military response to the 9/11 attacks. The project is the first comprehensive analysis of all U.S., coalition, and civilian casualties, including U.S. contractors. It also assesses many of the wars’ hidden costs, such as interest on war-related debt and veterans’ benefits."
http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2011/06/warcosts
Considering the costs both human and monetary, we didn't get much if any return...what one dead terrorist leader? A non-interventionist foreign policy...that's just crazy.
We are trying to fight a conventional war with a fucking ideology...
The man is not electable because he's not likeable. Likeability is what will re-elect Obama and what will prevent Mitt Romney from even having a chance. Belive me, if Mitt had an ounce of Reagan's charm and charisma, November would have been a wrap in August.
People, whether they're in the US or Ghana, are fkin retards when it comes to understanding the importance of their vote. I've said it and have heard others say the same here - revoke voting rights for the intellectually challenged.
I think the end game for Ron Paul, at this point, is just to keep beating the drums with his message and set the stage for Rand Paul in the next 10-20 years. The old guy knows he'll never get the nod in his lifetime.
I find it astounding that people vote for anyone other than ron paul.I cant think of any solid argument against him. I guess Mitt Romney does have a more presidential face, and a great head of hair. That might explain his popularity among women. LOL.
you're astounded because you haven't accepted the fact that your fate is tied to that of millions of morons that have the same rights as you do when it comes to dictating how society works.
benevolent dictator = win
my limited degenerate brain, has no clue what the fuck you are talking about.
1) everyone (almost) in the US has the right to vote
2) most of these votes come from people with extremely limited intellect, i.e. they are easily hoodwinked into voting for representatives that obviously don't represent their interests
3) those of us that do have a brain are fucked because we are in the vast minority, and don't have enough votes to get the right guy in office.
4) benevolent dictator solves this problem.
what I was getting at is that, once you accept the above as reality, you would no longer be astounded by the fact that completely useless politicians continue to get voted into office.
Well thanks for clearing that up. I had the same thought process a while back but not that articulate.
People are such fucktards. What the hell is the difference b/n obama/romney /santorum/gingrich? they all work for dimon and blankfein. They know they would be bankrupt if we had a free market, thats why there terrifiied of hm and thats why goldman is the biggest campaign supporter for repubs AND dems. They know that either clown that gets elected, will still kow tow to them.
Look at this new show
The majority of people have no desire to be free or maximize liberty. Ron Paul's views do not reflect the majority of Americans.
People that support Ron Paul should just start supporting dictatorships. Same difference. The belief that people don't know what is good for them and smarter people should TELL them what is good for them and make them obey is exactly what Ron Paul supports keep complaining about.
Listen, I love RP, I support what he wants, but I also don't really respect the opinions of the majority of Americans. If you want to live in a Democracy you need to realize that retards have as much vote as intelligent people.
Just worry about making money. The rich are the most free. Stop trying to force liberty and freedom on people who don't want it and are too dumb to appreciate it.
This. The problem is that as more and more of the stupid people go on welfare/entitlement programs, and guys like Obama can basically get anything they want implemented (higher tax rates, etc). It becomes harder and harder to get rich. So the people who have the drive and ability to become rich do not do so, as they get frustrated or discouraged from how hard it's become, and their apathy leads them to go onto the entitlements as well, thereby effectively destroying the middle class and opportunity/hope for advancement. It's ironic that one of Obama's main campaign slogans was Hope when most of his policies would eliminate it.
How does it become HARDER to get rich with more money being taken from the guys at the top to pave the way for the next guy? Social mobility is at an all-time low. College degrees are unrealistically expensive. People aren't going to jump to entitlements just because the top is taxed hard. Hell, the last thing you're thinking about eating Ramen noodles is how shitty the taxes must be if you're a millionaire. There's always going to be bright kids with fire in their guts coming out of poor families. The only thing that will stand in their way is getting the resources to realize their potential.
No, not "this." ANT you are the man, and I get what you're saying, but I don't think you get why many of RP's supporters (including me) support him. I'm angry at the federal government for being the driving force behind a credit boom/bust that made and continues to make it much harder than it should be for recent grads - and all Americans, for that matter - to find jobs. The government is not and should not be responsible for creating jobs, and the world doesn't owe you shit, and you're not entitled to any handouts...but the government should be responsible for creating a free-market environment that allows the private sector to create jobs. Government needs to stay almost completely out of the economy because they always fuck everything up.
I remember taking Econ classes in college in 2007-2008. Someone emailed me a youtube video of Ron Paul...I laughed at Ron and thought he was a looney old nut job, a total bat shit crazy idiot...End the Fed? What the FUCK??? We HAVE to have the fed to ease the business cycle!!!
I was never very politically active until I began to get angry about the economy and at Obama/Congress for exacerbating the recession with regulations. This election cycle, I rediscovered Ron Paul and looked closely at his issues, read End The Fed, thought closely about what had happened in the economy over the past few years...and everything started to click. I will always be grateful to Ron Paul for showing me the light, for bringing free markets to my attention. Now I see why Ron Paul supporters are so passionate...
RON PAUL IS THE ONLY ONE MAKING ANY FUCKING SENSE AND PROPOSING REAL FUCKING SOLUTIONS.
Ron Paul is too smart to be president
You forgot one. "Ron Paul is a senile old racist bastard who thinks we should dissolve the federal government so the States can regulate themselves (back of the bus, you), and he wants to put us back on the gold standard." I don't get how anyone can listen to him speak for ten minutes and be inspired. He's clinically insane.
KYS
Great list. I actually lol'ed reading it b/c 90% is true. Dem/Repub..they're all the same. RP is the only candidate with any integrity imo which is extremely underrated in today's government/society.
Like ANT said though, there are too many
[quote=Genetic]Great list. I actually lol'ed reading it b/c 90% is true. Dem/Repub..they're all the same. RP is the only candidate with any integrity imo which is extremely underrated in today's government/society.
Like ANT said though, there are too many
[quote=Anomanderis][quote=Genetic]Great list. I actually lol'ed reading it b/c 90% is true. Dem/Repub..they're all the same. RP is the only candidate with any integrity imo which is extremely underrated in today's government/society.
Like ANT said though, there are too many
If I had the ability to look at a crystal ball of the the U.S. and the world at 10 years, 20 years after 2 terms of just one of these candidates, it would definitely be Ron Paul.
But as interesting and honest as the fella is, as much as I enjoy hearing him in the debates, as much as I respect him for his principles, his ideas are just too damn radical. His ideas sound neat in a vacuum, but would be absolutely chaotic in practice. If he could even pass half the stuff he wanted to. If the poison is in the dose, and too much government is toxic, the antidote is not zero government.
Still, I appreciate his contribution to the debate process.
His ideas = US Constitution.
If you think the social contract of the US is too extreme, then go live in another country where their social contract fit your views.
See I don't get this. The idea that a document written over 200 years ago is all we need today is quite frankly, rather naive. The world was different then. And if it was so good, why have there been amendments written since then?
Methinks you constitution bashers are living on the wrong side of history.
Jesus...
u gots dem logic skillz bro
You answered your own question. The reason a document written 200 years ago is still the foundation of our government is precisely because it was written in anticipation of having to change over time to suite the needs of the people. That alone is the brilliance of it. Amendments are the mechanism that gets that done.
Alanja, where has RP EVER said zero government? It seems you don't really know much about him if that's what yout think.
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