Posted on 12/31/2011 6:36:09 AM PST by no dems
My impression was that Perot voters were the ones that were voting against Bush 41, but couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Clinton. Perot said enough conservative sounding things to attract them. (Not that I think he actually believed in what he was saying, way too fast a talker.)
Bush lost because he didn’t govern like the conservative we thought he was. Enough voters thought Perot was a viable alternative. If Obama is going to loose like this, then enough of his voters have to believe that he hasn’t governed like the liberal we thought he was, and Paul is a viable alternative.
Is that last statement reasonable?
He doesn’t have to reach the 50% mark. All he has to do is drain about 3-5 percent of Obama’s vote.
Hey, don’t forget: Had it not been for Ralph Nader being on the ballot in FL, we’d have had Al Gore for 8 years.
I think that RP pulls from both the left and right. I tend to think a little more from the right. In a 3 way race, I see barky ultimately emerging the winner. From my perspective there is little difference; both mittens and barky are cut from the same cloth.
I also think a big problem that the gop is going to face this year is with the gunnies. This hasn’t been much discussed, but given the non-choice between Fast and Furious barky and Massachusetts gun control mittens, I think a large majority of gunnies will vote for Ron Paul in a 3 way race. Regardless of who the NRA may or may not endorse.
As for how a 3rd party run affects conservatives in general, I don’t think it hurts them any more than they’ve already been hurt. Although I do think the paleo-cons and libertarians gain some traction as a result.
In my view, this election basically ended for the worst for conservatives the day Sarah Palin decided not to run. She and maybe Herman Cain could have united conservatives under a gop ticket. It’s obvious that the gop is NOT a conservative political party, and has no intent of running conservatives under it’s banner unless it is dragged into it kicking and screaming.
The problem is that Ron Paul would never have won a single election if he ran with an (L) behind his name and he knew it when he switched. He is a nutjob and would give 0 bummer another term which America can not afford.
I don’t like the current primary system at all. By the time Texas gets to vote in a primary, the voters in states like Iowa and NE states have already chosen the candidate. If it is RP or mittens, I won’t even take the time to vote.
You said that if Romney is the nominee, many disaffected conservatives might go the Ron Paul route as their own protest vote. Well, those folks would stay home and not vote for Romney anyhow, so what difference would it make? There are a lot of FReepers here who say they will not vote for Romney.
But, Conservatives learned their lesson in ‘92. By voting for Perot, they gave us Bill and Hillary for life. They won’t make that mistake again.
Yes they love paul for us but still will vote for mr obama
Paul’s support is a mile wide and 1/16” deep. All this chatter is only meant to muck up the Republican primary process. And all these idiots will not vote for Paul in the general election. Having him run as a 3rd party is not a good idea, IMO.
So, how does this explain the '96 results?
All the leftists will vote for Obama.
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I guarantee you, there will not be as many voting for him this time. I guarantee you the Black vote will not even turn out for him this time like they did last time. They won’t vote GOP, they’ll just stay in their house or the jail house or the crack house or the HO house......
I’d be willing to bet some money on what I just said.
Third party bids have never succeeded in American politics. If the Tea Party had formed itself into a third party immediately after the 2010 elections, then we might have something to discuss.
I would applaud a third-party bid by a declared socialist, one who called for huge tax increases and limitless government benefits for all. Such a loon would draw tons of support away from Obummer while having no chance to prevail in the general election. Third parties don’t win, remember.
Ron Paul has too many good conservative points to dismiss him as a total left-wing whacko. (They keep re-electing him in Texas for a reason, ya think?) Any third-party bid by Dr. Paul, or Donald Trump for that matter, would draw more conservatives than liberals and that would give Obummer a smooth ride to re-election.
Any chance we could get Herman Cain back in the race?
Ross Perot ran in 1996 as well.
Your Post #11 is excellent!
[It is so important to shore up enough support to ensure an O-bozo defeat.]
Then let the rino right support a true conservative like Santorium and to hell with the liberals who fix elections so that only a liberal democrat like Romney can win. This impasse was created by those who go along to get along and follow the communist liberal left into the hell they are jumping down to.
Personally, I am sick of liberal leftist rinos fixing the primaries.
Read the article before you show your ignorance.
In your scenario, it would be better to vote for Romney as a protest vote against Obama. Obama is the one we are trying to defeat here.
[That includes even the notion of a 3rd party run....which would be absolutely ignorant.]
That is your opinion and you are entitled to it but I will vote for whom I will vote for and Ron Paul and Romeny are not on my list.. The GOP is ridiculous and might as well be democrat as the Congress proves over and over and over and over and over again and again.
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