“The point being that the Republican Party leadership wanted Bob Dole, even though he could not win the general election.”
And what? They used hypnotism on the voters? Thery rigged the votes in the rest of the primaries? If you think a man who is good enough in the eyes of the people cannot be elected because of powerful leadership figures, why bother pushing Ron Paul, if in fact the fix is always in?
We "bother" pushing our favorite candidate, Dr. Ron Paul, because we believe he is the best candidate.
We also believe that the grass-roots party membership is worth listening to, in spite of what the party leadership thinks.
I've been in the party long enough to realize the power brokers are self-serving to the point of promoting their favorite candidate regardless of his chances of actually wining.
The power brokers are pushing their own agenda which is not necessarily in the best interest of the country, or even of the party.