Ron Paul is the Military's Candidate? (analysis of campaign contribs) (vanity)

FEC Campaign Data at Open Secrets ^ | 2/21/2008 | self

[markomalley]

On a couple of other boards, I have heard the allegation that "Ron Paul is the Military's Candidate." I always figured it to be your typical overblown hyperbole...

So I decided to research the numbers, in order to blow away the conspiracy theory. There's no way that he could be the leading candidate for military contributors...right?

Well, I went to the FEC Contributions Database that is maintained by opensecrets.org...the numbers I came up with were both surprising and very, very disturbing.

First of all, the methodology:

• I did individual contributor searches for a number of different employer types: "Army," "US Army," "United States Army," "Air Force," "US Air Force," "USAF," etc.
• I did this search for candidates Paul, McCain, Romney, Clinton, Obama. I didn't do searches for Thompson, Hunter, etc. (So, in theory, one or more of the others could be recipients of huge quantities of military contributors, but I doubt it)
• I limited the search to the 2008 cycle.

What I found was that the Paul folks were right! Both the number of individual contributions (372) and the amount contributed ($167K), far outstripped the other candidates checked. In comparison, McCain only had 110 contributions for $50K.

The disturbing part of this was that the runner up to Ron Paul wasn't McCain, it was Obama (172 contributions for $77K)! That was a shock!

[South40]

You didn't say "people I talk to"... You said "that's a shared opinion across the country." You were speaking for the whole country, that's what I said was a lie.

I've said it since. And it's the truth, not a "big fat lie".

My 12-year-old niece uses that phrase. Of course she's only 12.

[rb22982]

Posting ad hominem attacks is not a fact. Name calling, even if true, doesn’t do much, if anything for your side or point of view. I think Paul is a bit of a kook myself—not because of his opinion on nation building but the man just comes off a a bit eccentric. I agree with about 95% of his positions though. The only 2 candidates I agreed with more than him was Duncan Hunter & Tancredo. I agree with McCain/Bush about 50% of the time and Hillary/Obama maybe 3%.

[South40]

I’ll be the first to admit it’s been a badly managed war. Be that as it may, pulling out now and surrendering as kook RuPaul wants to do is not the way to end it.

[South40]

Calling RuPaul a kook is not an ad hominem attack. It’s a fact.

[rb22982]

I’ll be the first to admit it’s been a badly managed war. Be that as it may, pulling out now and surrendering as kook RuPaul wants to do is not the way to end it.

Seriously, you'll be taken a lot more seriously if you drop the name calling. How does it enhance your position at all? If your position is so weak that it relies on name calling to 'win', you've already lost. If your position is strong, name calling isn't necessary.

I don't want to see Ron Paul as Commander in Chief. He was 4th on my list of Republican Presidential candidates (Hunter #1, then Tancredo, then Thompson). But--overall I'd rather have Paul than McCain, Hillary or Obama. I may not agree with him on Iraq (or returning to the gold standard--although some reforms could be a good thing), but I'm DONE voting for big government Republicans who at the same time talk about Iraq yet refuse to do a da!n thing about border control and illegals here getting benefit after benefit on my time. Government has grown quicker and larger under Bush than it did under Clinton. This Me Too! socialism lite mantra MUST go.

[darkwing104]

certainly not for introducing 'democracy' (whatever that means) to a culture that wants nothing to do with it.

You could have of say the same thing about post war Japan in 1946.

Besides, pulling soldiers out before the mission is completed is akin to calling them incompetent...

[South40]

You're already stated your unsolicited advice; there is no reason to repeat it.

And RuPaul is a kook.

[rb22982]

Comparing Japan and Muslim crazies is humerous. Japan may not have liked America in 1946 but they are and have been relatively rational. Muslim crazies have never been rational for centuries

Besides, pulling soldiers out before the mission is completed is akin to calling them incompetent...

Wasn't the original mission to dismantle Saddam and remove the threat of weapons of mass destruction? If not, then what is the mission, and how exactly do we win it? At what cost of US lives and money are you willing to spend to achieve that exactly?

[incindiary]

LOL! You were caught in your lie, and now you're saying its just the people YOU have spoken with. Which doesn't mean much, since many of us have spoken with lots of people who feel the exact opposite. Even people who disagree with his politics (Democrats, for example) respect him, I've seen that time and time again on lots of different websites.

As far you not liking my choice of words - well it's funny you mentioned that, because I was just about to ask you how old YOU were. You sound like a 3rd grader with your constant name-calling over and over "He's a kook! He's a kook! lalala he's a kook!" I can picture you with your hands over your ears, repeating the same ad-hominens in lieu of an argument. And saying things like "RuPaul." And then you have the nerve to say that what I said was childish. Too funny.

[rb22982]

Sigh. You’ve stated your unsolicited advice dozens of times just on this thread. I’m sure your posting history on Paul would yield hundreds of times.

[murphE]

If we lose there, it’s likely we are the likely cause of complete distabilization in the middle east.

Forever changing its long history of stability, harmony and tranquility???? ;- D

[rb22982]

Forever changing its long history of stability, harmony and tranquility???? ;- D

LOL very true. I wouldn't really care if we had a group of politicans that allowed our country to access or our energy sources. It's sad that we are held hostage to a bunch of religious nuts across the globe in environmental nut politicans in DC.

[murphE]

The only ones who hate him with such a passion are the people I mentioned earlier, which sure as hell is not representative of the whole country.

And the ones who think he is a kook are generally people who think abolishing the IRS is crazy and who wouldn't know how to inhale and exhale without having a BIG government nanny state telling them when and how.

[incindiary]

Forever changing its long history of stability, harmony and tranquility???? ;- D

LOL!! Actually, MANY years ago it wasn't as bad as it is now. Because of my dad's job I've lived overseas a few times, and we lived in the Middle East for 2 years, when I was 11-12. At that time it was a lot more peaceful.

[rb22982]

Was that back when the royals had complete control over the middle east with relatively little radical influence?

[incindiary]

And the ones who think he is a kook are generally people who think abolishing the IRS is crazy and who wouldn't know how to inhale and exhale without having a BIG government nanny state telling them when and how.

Yep... sadly, it seems people have been indoctrinated to accept socialism. So the idea of getting rid of the IRS and government bureaucracies seems radical and scary to some people. But as you and I know, there are a lot of people who want to get back to a constitutional republic. :-)

[cookcounty]

"I’ve never called him a terrorist sympathizer, but I have and will call him a kook."

How could Ron Paul be a terrorist sympathizer? He doesn't even believe terrorists exist.

[incindiary]

Yeah, I think so. I don't want to say the year and give away my age. ;-) But it was many years ago.

[cookcounty]

"There is an entire subculture of leftists in this country who make their living by falsely claiming to war veterans."

Bingo. I've met some of them.

[murphE]

Was that back when the royals had complete control over the middle east with relatively little radical influence?

I think it was a Tuesday. = )