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Ron Paul is the Military's Candidate? (analysis of campaign contribs) (vanity)
FEC Campaign Data at Open Secrets ^ | 2/21/2008 | self

Posted on 02/21/2008 6:18:29 PM PST by 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:

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!



TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: 2008; donors; marines; militaryvote; ronpaul
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To: wideawake
I hadn't considered the possibility that Paul speaks a non-English language whose lexicon is - by coincidence - entirely homonymic with standard English, so that the words he speaks sound like English words but have different meanings altogether.

Apparently, there must be something wrong with your comprehension. Because I viewed nearly all of Paul's speeches on foreign policy, and nowhere is he blaming America or sympathizing with terrorists.

If Dr. Paul is speaking in a dialect of native English, I'm not aware of it.

41 posted on 02/21/2008 6:48:25 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Thank you, Mike Huckabee, for giving us John McCain)
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To: Hoosiersailor

I meant branches, too tired to proof read.


42 posted on 02/21/2008 6:48:35 PM PST by Hoosiersailor
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To: FR Class of 1998

I think you’re full of...stuff, and I’m not talking wisdom.

Of course, I’ve only got 24 years in the Air Force, so what would I know, Class of 2008?

BTW - it seems to have missed my contributions to Thompson.


43 posted on 02/21/2008 6:49:29 PM PST by Mr Rogers (Let's win Congress - the Presidency is lost!)
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To: markomalley
If you can give me a method to weed out fakes (one that I can do quickly), I'd be happy to do so.

No, I can't. So since you've admitted that your methodology is severely lacking, how about doing the right thing and asking the mods to change the headline of your vanity since it's far from established by anything remotely approaching a valid statistical method.

44 posted on 02/21/2008 6:49:46 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: markomalley
The other question is can somebody explain this to me?

Because they took an oath to defend the Constitution. That explains Paul's support.

Obama? Beats me. I guess theres' an irrational, emotionally dominated component in every population.

45 posted on 02/21/2008 6:49:51 PM PST by ovrtaxt (Member of the irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.)
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To: Larry Lucido
I just took a poll at a Truther rally.

Everyone present said they supported Paul and two of them told me they had been in the military, and had carried secret missions for the CIA until they pried the microchips out of their heads and escaped.

As a result, my crack statistical analysis tells me that military support for Ron Paul is 100%.

46 posted on 02/21/2008 6:50:16 PM PST by wideawake (Why is it that those who call themselves Constitutionalists know the least about the Constitution?)
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To: Larry Lucido
Did you control for the number of non-military people who would lie and say they are in the military?

And you're automatically accusing these people of lying?

47 posted on 02/21/2008 6:50:30 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Thank you, Mike Huckabee, for giving us John McCain)
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To: squidly

>>Now hold the phone just a minute. Paul having 372 military members contribute to his campaign makes him the military candidate?<<

Exactly.

THAT’S 372 MEMBERS OUT OF 1.42 MILLION ACTIVE MEMBERS.

Ridiculous asusmption. Must’ve come from the school of polling by Zogby.


48 posted on 02/21/2008 6:51:09 PM PST by max americana
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To: Larry Lucido
Being Retired Military and living near 3 major Military Installations I don’t see the support. I've seen more Hillary stickers than Paul...


49 posted on 02/21/2008 6:51:40 PM PST by darkwing104 (Lets get dangerous)
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To: wideawake
I just took a poll at a Truther rally.

Yeah, and what were you doing at a Truther rally, huh? Or is this your alter-ego posting on FR.

50 posted on 02/21/2008 6:52:01 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Thank you, Mike Huckabee, for giving us John McCain)
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To: taxcontrol

Also, you can’t successfully fight a guerilla warfare with a conventional military.


51 posted on 02/21/2008 6:52:16 PM PST by Tiemieshooz (First round is on me)
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To: Hoosiersailor; markomalley
found his name on the Ron Paul list of military donors. I know for a fact this guy never contributed a dime.

Can't be true. If his name appeared on the list, damn it, then he adores Ron Paul and thinks He wrote the Constitution! FEC reports don't lie!!!! :-)

52 posted on 02/21/2008 6:53:12 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: markomalley

Also need to include the disclaimer that while the military is listed as their employer, it doesn’t mean all contributors are active duty soldiers.


53 posted on 02/21/2008 6:53:12 PM PST by swmobuffalo ("We didn't seek the approval of Code Pink and MoveOn.org before deciding what to do")
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To: tgusa

So what does constitute an endorsement? Saying “I endorse so and so?”

Talk is cheap. Money talks louder.


54 posted on 02/21/2008 6:55:30 PM PST by ovrtaxt (Member of the irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.)
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To: Larry Lucido; Admin Moderator

Mod: Could you please add a question mark after the word “candidate” in the title?


55 posted on 02/21/2008 6:55:31 PM PST by markomalley (Extra ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: Larry Lucido

NO! THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT RON PAUL! REALLY! THERE ARE! THEY”RE OUT THERE! HE’S NOT A NUT JOB! HE HAS OUTLASTED OTHER CANDIDATES! HE HAS RAISED MORE MONEY THAN ANYONE ELSE! HE’S THE ONLY ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE CONSTITUTION! THE MILITARY REALLY LOVES HIM!

Jeez. Did I forget anything? Oh yeah...

CODE PINKOS REALLY DON’T SUPPORT HIM! HE’S NOT AN ISOLATIONIST! RONALD REAGAN WOULD VOTE FOR HIM!

I’m sure there are more. On the basis of this data, SURELY it means the military overwhelmingly supports Ron Paul, right? Right?

Yeah. Right.


56 posted on 02/21/2008 6:56:07 PM PST by rlmorel (Liberals: If the Truth would help them, they would use it.)
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To: ovrtaxt
Because they took an oath to defend the Constitution. That explains Paul's support.

BZZZZTTTT!

I took an oath to defend the Constitution and wouldn't trust Paul with any office higher than dog catcher (I used to like him as a congressman, but no more).

So if I suddenly supported Ron Paul, it would be explained by sudden brain damage. Or by someone usurping my name and former occupation on a donation card.

57 posted on 02/21/2008 6:56:58 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
Well, he's not going to get the nomination thanks to the GOP establishment that refuses to yield for change and an apathetic voting public that craves statism. So you can breathe easier now.

Nor should he. He's a wackjob.

Now please explain what makes Dr. Paul a kook. This word has been casually tossed around at Dr. Paul, as if it came from leftists instead of FReepers who were taught how to recognize liberal BS.

Just listen to him speak. He's a wackjob who can't even listen to what's being said during a debate. Remember the Fox News dabate? He had everyone in the room (and across the country) laughing at him because he had no clue what he was talking about. And regardless what you RuPaul supporters may say in his defense, I've heard him say America is to blame for 911. That's kooky, and right out of the Rosie O'Donut playbook.

Ordinary Americans who still believe in freedom and the Constitution contributed to Dr. Paul. Now go ahead and call the 150,000+ Paul donors, especially those who dumped $6 million in one day to Paul's campaign, a bunch of white supremacists and kooks.

I've no opinion of you or anyone who supports this kook. Your choice is your decision. But it's gotten you nowhere, save for a little lighter in your wallets.


58 posted on 02/21/2008 6:58:07 PM PST by South40 (Amnesty is a slap in the face to the USBP!)
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To: markomalley

Thanks! :-)


59 posted on 02/21/2008 6:59:05 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Larry Lucido

Happy?


60 posted on 02/21/2008 6:59:21 PM PST by markomalley (Extra ecclesiam nulla salus)
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