All these comments bemoaning how "crazy" and "extreme" Ron Paul is supposed to be would have gotten under my skin at one time, but now they just amuse me, The enemies of liberty finally see the long-term impact of Ron Paul's campaign on the minds and hearts of Americans and they are going into full-blown panic mode.
Unfortunately - civility and a firm grasp of logic not being most garden-variety statists' strong suit - the only tools left in their arsenal now are sophomoric shaming and social ostracism attempts using flaccid and meaningless buzzwords. "Radical!" "Crazy!" "Extreme!" is the kind of rubbish they bleat about when they can no longer find coherent justifications for their barbarically coercive models of society.
PUBLIC OPINION > A Libertarian Can Be Elected President One Day
SodaHead News
2012/05/16 22:00:00
As with his 1988 and 2008 presidential campaigns, Ron Paul was able to accumulate an enormously active and responsive following this year, but once again, he's wound up a little short. He's run as a third-party libertarian and as a Republican; he's run in good times and bad; he's remained (relatively) honest and incorruptible in the eyes of the public. Still, nothing. If he can't make it to the Oval Office, will a libertarian candidate ever have a shot? We asked the public.
The results were pretty close, but in politics, you don't need much of a margin to win. 53% is more than enough to land the presidency, even if you're Grover Cleveland. If we acted like everything that hasn't happened yet could never happen, humanity would never move forward. Will it happen? Who knows. But the point is, it could. This isn't about whether or not you'd want a libertarian president, but whether or not it would be possible to break the two-party system and elect someone outside of the box. As the Top Comment wrote, "At this point, they can only try to forestall the inevitable. A free and voluntary society is coming."
Libertarians Have Faith
Conservatives were a little more likely than liberals to trust that a libertarian president could win, but they were both unconvinced. Same goes for moderates. The only political demographics that thought it could happen were libertarians (obviously) and political "others." The real kicker was how many voters fell into those categories -- 45% combined.
Smokers Could See It Happening
One thing we've noticed in the past is a correlation between smokers and libertarian thinking. We've suggested that maybe recent proposals threatening to slap graphic warnings on packs, or jack the price of a pack up to $100, are the reason smokers are so like-minded. Here, again, smokers were much more likely than nonsmokers to believe libertarians could take the presidency.
High School Hot Spot
In his books, Ron Paul describes the overwhelming response he's gotten from college students who are frustrated with the rigid two-party political structure, but the breakdown shows that college students are no more likely than anyone else. In fact, high school students were the real supporters here. 84% of high schoolers said it's possible -- almost as much as the libertarians themselves.
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about libertarian candidates. We'd love to hear from you!
It really just upsets me because the writing is on the wall and I know that we are living in a time that will see the fall of the republic...
As far as the rest of what you said--- anything in politics can be summed up with your own backyard----can you really bitch about the height of your neighbors lawn when you haven't cut your own??? When this nation is fixed, then we should try and "help" other countries--- this country is not even close to healthy.
Plus--last time I looked, America and Americans should be about the last people to judge other people or "peoples" because the country is supposed to be built on a foundation of liberty and freedom---really the ONLY one built on that foundation....maybe they should stop calling us the "land of liberty" because its really a big fat f'n joke.
http://images.sodahead.com/pr...
Think about it. Instead of settling for the lesser of two evils, a truly multi-party system would offer voters more viable options. Voting FOR someone, instead of simply AGAINST that other guy. One can hope.
Considering state votes are cast according to pluralities, and we have many instances of a Pres. candidate winning with a popular minority when a run-off between the top 2 candidates would have produced a different result, but I wouldn't mind if Ron Paul were to do a "Nader" on Romney.
Joke from one of the Patrick O'Brian novels:
Two tars on an early 19th century warship found a couple of weevils in their hard-tack, and decided to race them. A bet on the smallest one and won the bet. Asked why he bet on the smaller one, he said "I always choose the lesser of two weevils".
So you would remove the word "life" from "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"?
Libertarians, FTW!
As a person who expends far too much time and effort keeping up with what our government is doing to us lately, there are a couple of issues that surprise even me that the American people are not ready to riot in the streets about.
When the Dept. of Homeland Security orders hundreds of millions of rounds of hollow point ammunition that can only be used on our soil because it would violate the Geneva Convention to use such deadly ordinance anywhere else, why are we not questioning exactly whom do they intend to kill with all that ammo? When you add it up, it's enough to double tap every man, woman and child in America and have some left over????????
When the President takes it on himself to authorize the use of military drones inside America without even bothering to consult Congress, and the use of the military inside our borders is specifically prohibited by the Constitution, where are the people asking why is he doing this? I mean, he has already shown that he is willing to use drones to kill American citizens abroad that no charges have even been brought against, much less them being convicted of a crime, does that worry anybody but me?
All any of us have to do now is say something our government doesn't l...
As a person who expends far too much time and effort keeping up with what our government is doing to us lately, there are a couple of issues that surprise even me that the American people are not ready to riot in the streets about.
When the Dept. of Homeland Security orders hundreds of millions of rounds of hollow point ammunition that can only be used on our soil because it would violate the Geneva Convention to use such deadly ordinance anywhere else, why are we not questioning exactly whom do they intend to kill with all that ammo? When you add it up, it's enough to double tap every man, woman and child in America and have some left over????????
When the President takes it on himself to authorize the use of military drones inside America without even bothering to consult Congress, and the use of the military inside our borders is specifically prohibited by the Constitution, where are the people asking why is he doing this? I mean, he has already shown that he is willing to use drones to kill American citizens abroad that no charges have even been brought against, much less them being convicted of a crime, does that worry anybody but me?
All any of us have to do now is say something our government doesn't like on our cell phone, our house phone, our computer, or maybe even in our own bed, and they can lock us up forever with no charges being filed, no day in court, and not even allow us a consultation with council. Forever is a long time. Does that worry anybody but me????????????????
Y'all tell me. Am I just being a paranoid conspiracy nut here?
Oh well we honestly can't probably do much to prevent the collapse of our government. Guess it's just on us to bail out of sinking ships while we can. Oddly enough South America is looking relatively bright these days. Chile?
Of course I just thought I'd point out that the government is probably watching you because of that comment, you're gonna find yourself on attackwatch.com.
You are correct, Chile is looking pretty good these days. It's pretty sad when what were considered third world countries not long ago are rapidly becoming safer and more free options than the good ole U.S.A..
Just another failed experiment in a long list of governmental failures. It really is sad, our forefathers got it right, they just couldn't live forever to see it through.
Americans voting-in big government & dictatorship. I'm actually very disappointed in US.
How freedom loving person can become American president if FBI labeling him as extremist or terrorist?
FBI stated: "that people who resist the trend toward more government and more taxes are “anti-government extremists,” and claim through press releases that using cash or changing a cell phone’s SIM card in public are signs of terrorism."
Rights of all American citizens going down the drain: it's ok now to assassinate American citizens as terrorists - without court, arrest American citizens - indefinitely, now 30,000 drones will patrol Americans, etc., definition of terrorist can be changed to anyone who criticizing president, buying guns, who against big gov & tax increase, etc. How far will US government go? To pay the debt that now more than all equity that Americans have (combined). At least Hyperinflation is a sure thing. But police state with confiscations from the "rich" is a possibility, after they close down the border, so no one can leave. )) Also, definition of "rich" can be changed to any small business owner or who make over 60k.
And in the airport they make you get used to be searched & treated like dirt, testi...&&&
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Americans voting-in big government & dictatorship. I'm actually very disappointed in US.
How freedom loving person can become American president if FBI labeling him as extremist or terrorist?
FBI stated: "that people who resist the trend toward more government and more taxes are “anti-government extremists,” and claim through press releases that using cash or changing a cell phone’s SIM card in public are signs of terrorism."
Rights of all American citizens going down the drain: it's ok now to assassinate American citizens as terrorists - without court, arrest American citizens - indefinitely, now 30,000 drones will patrol Americans, etc., definition of terrorist can be changed to anyone who criticizing president, buying guns, who against big gov & tax increase, etc. How far will US government go? To pay the debt that now more than all equity that Americans have (combined). At least Hyperinflation is a sure thing. But police state with confiscations from the "rich" is a possibility, after they close down the border, so no one can leave. )) Also, definition of "rich" can be changed to any small business owner or who make over 60k.
And in the airport they make you get used to be searched & treated like dirt, testing it there & than moving TSA to trains, buses, highways, etc. - when they can search you for new illegal items, like too much cash/gold/etc. or don't let you leave your state if you have unpaid taxes, etc. It will be impossible to leave US with your own earned money, you will have to leave everything behind & pay 30% tax for the next 10 years if you actually left US & became citizen of different country. )
Now US has less freedoms than Russia & Americans paying more taxes than people there.
But even in USSR times we never were searched on the border like in US airports, and we often traveled to Poland, etc.
Just sad what US became... Freedom & Liberty almost gone...
1. Attorney general defends presidential assassinations of US citizens
"US Attorney General Eric Holder asserted the “right” of the president to secretly order the assassination of US citizens. Laying out a brief for virtually unchecked executive power to carry out military aggression abroad and repression at home, the speech was a sweeping attack on fundamental democratic and constitutional principles.
While not referring directly to the government's drone attack on U.S.-born Awlaki in Yemen last year, Holder was unflinching in providing publicly for the first time the Justice Department's legal justification for using lethal force, saying attacks like the strike that killed Awlaki fell within "our laws and values."
2. Bill Clears Path For 30,000 Surveillance Drones Over US In Next Ten Years.
3. Law: indefinite detention of American citizens.
"A judge on Wednesday struck down a portion of a law giving the government wide powers to regulate the detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists, saying it left journalists, scholars and political activists facing the prospect of indefinite detention for exercising First Amendment rights."
I honestly don't know how much more obvious Obama and friends could be about their intentions in his next term, and yet, no one seems to notice, or even care. All he has to do is promise the "fairness" and everything is ok.
For example, as you mentioned, it's getting close to impossible to leave this country now, and if you do, you have to leave everything you have worked for to Uncle Sam. The co-founder of Facebook, not Zucker, what's his name...??? is denouncing citizenship in the U.S. and moving to Singapore. (a very wise move) For his contribution of creating so many jobs and making it soooooo easy for the government to keep tabs on us, not to mention enormous amounts of taxes already paid, what does he get? Just to start with, a 500 million dollar "exit tax", plus all kinds of other fines and charges that will total up to pretty much everything one of the richest guys on the planet has. Just to move to another country.
From the time we are born in America until the day we die, we are now servants of the government and owe them anything they desire, just for being a citizen of the U.S..
And yet.....the people STILL sleep. Amazing.
One can't even win a governorship, much less a presidency.
It's the wet your finger and stick it in the air to see which way the wind blows. In a pinch, you just can't depend on the "independent" nor the libertarian.