The average American did not think Goldwater was right. Richard Nixon did not trounce the Democrats by running as a Goldwater disciple. And after Goldwater smacked Ronald Reagan across the face with his non-endorsement, Reagan won with his own brand of conservatism, having completely outgrown Goldwater's petulant childishness.
Same thing that Paul is doing.
I agree that Paul is a crank that successful Republicans will not look to as a role model.
He may not win the nomination, but I bet the GOP will be more libertarian as a result.
He will definitely not even be in the running for the nomination and the GOP will not become more libertarian, since key libertarian issues like legalizing hard drugs and betraying US troops are not gaining much currency.
You should appreciate that Paul is running.
I appreciate the comic relief, certainly.
He's bringing in new and younger voters into the GOP.
No, he's getting fringe types who normally vote Green, Democrat, New Alliance and Socialist to switch registration for the primaries with the express purpose of undermining the GOP's resolve to deafeat terrorism. None of these people will still be "Republicans" after Paul's candidacy finishes going down in flames.
The GOP is a dying party
LOL! The GOP has more registered members as a percentage of the US population now than it has since before the days of FDR.
the base has completely shrunk to religious conservatives and those who support the war
So the base is the 55ish percent of Americans who consider themselves conservatives? Or the 70% of Americans who consider themselves religious? Or the presumably high percentage of Americans who would rather win a war than lose it?
I'm not sure if we need a few thousand neo-Nazis, goldbugs and 9/11 Truthers in the mix, to be honest.
That's because the average American has been dumbed down by history textbooks and the liberal media. Time has proven Goldwater to be correct. He had the foresight to predict almost everything that has ruined this nation now.
Richard Nixon did not trounce the Democrats by running as a Goldwater disciple. And after Goldwater smacked Ronald Reagan across the face with his non-endorsement, Reagan won with his own brand of conservatism, having completely outgrown Goldwater's petulant childishness.
A guy like Nixon wouldn't get elected dog catcher now. Like I said, Goldwater planted the seeds. These things take time, you know, once people read about his views they came around and embraced them. BTW, Reagan won because he's more telegenic and smoothed out the message with his excellent communication skills.
I appreciate the comic relief, certainly.
Laugh now, but when independents and libertarians stay home because the GOP nominated a turd like Rudy or Huckabee, the joke will be on you.
No, he's getting fringe types who normally vote Green, Democrat, New Alliance and Socialist to switch registration for the primaries with the express purpose of undermining the GOP's resolve to deafeat terrorism. None of these people will still be "Republicans" after Paul's candidacy finishes going down in flames.
Nonsense. Nearly all of the people who are supporting Dr. Paul are new voters and independents, in addition to angry conservatives frustrated at the GOP's big spending. Why would these left-wing groups support Paul when he's against their views, even right down to the war? If Paul endorses someone like Fred, most of his supporters will default to Fred in the general.
LOL! The GOP has more registered members as a percentage of the US population now than it has since before the days of FDR.
That's not a valid comparison. Of course, you'll have more members with a larger population than ever before too. Trust me, the GOP has alienated the libertarians, fiscal conservatives, and pro-American populists. Notice how the main GOP contenders are scrambling for endorsements from religious and pro-life bigwigs. Not to say they're not important, but people care more about dinner table issues than they do about Pat Robertson or Weyrich. If the other candidates don't start talking about limiting government and our national debt, they're toast.
So the base is the 55ish percent of Americans who consider themselves conservatives? Or the 70% of Americans who consider themselves religious? Or the presumably high percentage of Americans who would rather win a war than lose it?
They do want to win the war but they don't want us staying over in the Middle East for another generation, with permanent bases and such. Trust me, the GOP is in a tailspin.