Yesterday I got an email from the Ron Paul campaign

[mdmc]

The email stated that Ron Paul was going to be on the NYS ballot (although it didn't mention if Paul would have delegates across the state).
I thought to myself, "How did he do all that hard work so fast?"

During the 2004 primary, only Howard Dean and Joe Leiberman were eligible for statewide access, including all their delegate slates (you vote for a candidate and a slate of delegates in NY). Everyone else got on the statewide ballot, but the voters did not get to choose from the campaigns pool of delegates.

Edwards, Kerry (Kerry filed flawed petitions without enough signatures, but his petitions were not challenged, thus allowed to stand), Sharpton, Braun, Kucinich, Gerhardt, and Graham all were unable to secure enough signatures to field a complete delegate slate across all of the NYS congressional districts.

This petition process is hard work. It shows strength to get it done. This year I think only HRC (maybe Obama, but I haven't seen any of his petitions yet) will have a full delegate slate in NYS. According to the Kucinich campaign, we have until 11-24-07 to file petitions.

How did Ron Paul organize such a huge effort so quickly and efficiently? :shrug:

ps- I saw a van loaded with JAIL BUSH / CHENEY stickers and messages. The van has many Ron Paul stickers too.

[Virginia Dare]

1. That's an interesting question..

I'd like to know that too. He's got to be getting some help from somewhere, this isn't all grassroots?

[Taverner]

2. Well the Neo-Nazis make great foot soldiers

I'll admit, at first I was intrigued by Paul's candidacy.

That is, until I saw his supporters.

[Amanita]

3. Yup. he tapped into the "hate the government" vermin

I attempted a rational discussion on line with one who said "all liberals should support Ron Paul". By the time he got to "why should I be bothered with rebuilding New Orleans" I knew everything I needed.

[Truth2Tell]

4. He's also tapped into the "Hate Bush" people

uninformed liberals and conservatives alike.

That would make a lot of DUers vermin according to you.

[Recursion]

6. Which ones?

Here in Boston, they're mostly hipsters who, I agree, are annoying, but certainly not neo-nazi's. The impression that I get is that half don't know his abortion position and the other half don't care compared to their desire to end the war.

Kucinich and Paul, incidentally, are good friends (see Paul's praise of Kucinich a few debates ago), and they both seem to be running campaigns that stand out for how they directly and frankly address our current problems. And they both have managed to get some very dedicated and hardworking volunteers because of that. But writing off Paul's supporters as fascist seems to me to be as unfair as writing off Kucinich's as communists.

[Selatius]

7. The fascist reference comes from stormfront.org's support of Ron Paul's candidacy

Stormfront, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, is a neo-nazi outfit. To be sure, not all Paul supporters are neo-nazis, but I felt I should give the backstory to where the broadbrushing of Paul supporters originated.

[Taverner]

8. Not saying all Paul supporters are neo-nazis

But there is a large contingent of them in his camp.

He also wants to abolish the Federal Reserve, which is a cause championed by the John Birchers.

Although I argue the Fed Reserve needs more oversight, getting rid of it is just plain crazy

[Recursion]

9. The far right and far left dislike the Fed

The right generally sees it as a Rothschild conspiracy and the left sees it as a tool of capitalist exploitation and globalization. And you'll hear as much nervousness on both far-ends of the spectrum about fiat currency.

I'm not sure where Paul is saying we should go back to a central bank that prints only specie-based currency or not, but if so he's echoing a talking point of the far right and far left.

[Taverner]

10. Thing is, the days of gold based currency are long gone

We live on the faith behind invisible money - and going back to hard currency would collapse the world economy. Not good.

It may seem like a scheme (it is) but the alternative is far worse...

[Recursion]

5. He's done it by word-of-mouth and some ads that highlight his antiwar position

He's got a pretty large and very dedicated following. The fact that he slips at times into theoconnery and LaRouchism hasn't really been made apparent.

On his campaign website, abortion is mentioned once (he supports legislation to bar Federal courts from adjudicating state abortion restrictions, though he has acknowledged in an interview I heard that it would probably require a Constitutional amendment). Most of his site is about taxes, privacy (particularly his hate for the PATRIOT act), and ending the war the day he takes office. The privacy and war positions have energized a whole lot of people who have given up on the Democrats since they have refused to say the same things. And, for various reasons, reproductive choice is no longer the cause celebre it once was among a lot of otherwise-progressive people. I think his message would resonate well with anti-choice, anti-war voters (say, Catholics). I guess the best option here is that he runs as an independent and splits off the anti-war right.

[Vickers]

11. He's so kewl! He's, like, an anti-government government employee!!!

:sarcasm:

[mdmc]

12. kick

peace out!