Palin: GOP Should Not Alienate Ron Paul Voters

NewsMax ^ | Jan. 4, 2012 | Staff

[La Enchiladita]

Sarah Palin said she wasn't surprised at Rick Santorum's success in Iowa, and warned that the GOP should not take Ron Paul's supporters lightly.

Speaking on Fox News before Iowa's final numbers were in, she called Santorum "spot-on" with his policies toward Iran and praised his "social conservative" positions.

Her strongest comments came for Paul, however, saying "the GOP had better not marginalize Ron Paul and his supporters after this" because "a lot of Americans are war-weary and we are broke" and Paul has reached that constituency well. She warned that the GOP "better work with them."

[justlurking]

Because the Constitution give Congress, not the Executive, the power to spend money

The problem I see is that the Constitution doesn't give Congress the power to spend money on themselves.

And no matter how you spin it, that's what earmarks are.

[traditional1]

"Right now its has the feel of the 1920s to 1930s, one could argue we just had our “Roaring 20s” and we are in a beginning to mid-stage depression era."

Well said.

There is NO STOPPING the Muslim pursuit of "Infidels", and Jews are the number 1 target, followed by Americans. To think that it won't come to pass that another "Religious War" will happen is to ignore what's really happening. China will NOT allow oil countries to be taken, period. Likewise, we are so indebted to Chinese money that they won't take kindly to us not being able to pay, either.

[Daveinyork]

A lot of Republicans will either vote for Paul, or stay home, if the GOP nominates someone who does not promise to dramatically cut government. I will stay home if Romney gets the nomination. I’m as tired of Republicans who grow government as I am of Dems who do it. If you’re so fond of big government, join the Nazi or Commie party. They’ll accomodate you adequately.

[PapaBear3625]

As I see it, a lot of Ron Paul "supporters" are actually Obama supporters trying to sew seeds of diversion and division.

A lot of Ron Paul supporters are America-first, small-government activists who we need in the Republican party. I would vote for Ron Paul ahead of Mitt. People on FR dismiss the "Paul-bots", but one thing you CANNOT deny is that Paul has some pretty passionate people rooting for him, people that the Repubs will NEED in the General Election.

[ngat]

“Yeah I do.”

Shows what a stupid old woman you are.

[goat granny]

She lost a lot of respect I had for her.....

[WilliamHouston]

Good for Palin.

The message was sent loud and clear in Iowa: 44 percent of Independents who participated voted for Ron Paul, as did every age demographic under 40 by wide margins, as did those who voted for the “True Conservative” in the race and those who voted because of government spending and the budget deficit.

The Ron Paul supporters message is this: no more wasteful and expensive neocon foreign wars for “dumbocracy,” no more neocon foreign wars that young people are expected to fight and pay for, no more wasteful big government spending programs in the name of “compassionate conservatism,” no more Wall Street bailouts for hedge fund managers, no more “No Child Left Behind” nonsense, etc.

Young people and Independents are on board with the Constitution, with the family, with states’ rights, with limited government, with opposing the welfare state, with the ideal of liberty and personal freedom ... NOT on board with a soaring national debt, with endless wars in the Middle East, with the Wall Street bailout, with government spending on utopian schemes like “No Child Left Behind,” with the Pentagon/HHS welfare/warfare state.

The neocon globalists like Newt Gingrich who believe American foreign policy should be a game of Risk with young people saddling up to go fight WW3 to bring on Armageddon (or for women’s rights and democracy in Iraq or Iran or Vietnam) are no longer the mainstream.

[jpsb]

I agree with all you said and I am in the same boat with one exception, Newt. To me Newt is acceptable. Last time Newt was in power he governed as a conservative, so I am OK with Newt. Not happy but I think (hope) Newt would be OK.

[Daveinyork]

Your insulting post makes me wonder if you aren’t a nutcase.

[txhurl]

I’d be interested to know what chunk of our armed services support Paul, and why.

[PieterCasparzen]

Just remember this, if we do not cut the budget by at least a trillion a year, right now, we will not be able to afford an aggressive foreign policy.

Bachmann and Santorum were both for Constitutionally requiring a balanced budget every year.

Here is Rick's position on Spending Cuts and Entitlements Reform:

RESTORING AMERICA’S GREATNESS PROMOTING FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITY

Reining in Spending and Reforming Government Entitlements for Sustainable and Better Solutions for America’s Families and Future

Living Within Our Means: Cutting $5 trillion over 5 years

Spending Core Principles

* Live within our means so that America, our families, and our future generations will have a brighter future unburdened with oppressive debt and high taxation.
* Prioritize our national security and defense
* Refocus the federal government on constitutional priorities and parameters
* Consolidate duplicative programs and agencies
* Promote competition for provision of essential services
* Eliminate outdated, ineffective, and wasteful programs
* Empower State and Local Governments through partnership, block grants, and reserving functions for the States
* Reform and Modernize Medicare since reducing healthcare costs is a prerequisite for our long term success and economic strength
* Reforming Social Security which is essential for solvency, sustainability, and real retirement security

Proposals

* Commit to cut $5 trillion of federal spending within 5 years.
* Implement Strong America Now reform through Lean Six Sigma management process as a key engine for cutting government waste and improving efficiency.
* Immediately reduce federal (non-defense discretionary spending) to 2008 levels through across the board spending cuts.
* Freeze defense spending levels for 5 years and reject automatic cuts.
* Freeze spending levels for social programs for 5 years such as Medicaid, Housing, Education, Job Training, and Food Stamps, time limit restrictions, and block grant to the States like in Welfare Reform.
* Repeal and Replace ObamaCare with market based healthcare innovation and competition to improve America’s and Americans health, control costs, improve quality and access, and to keep and create jobs which provide resources for healthcare.
* Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution capping government spending at 18% of GDP so that Congress and the President will need to balance the budget like Governors are required to do.
* Pass legislation to reform the Congressional Budget Process and support legislation to require Congress to pass constitutionally required spending bills on time or not get paid the next fiscal year.
* Implement Medicare Reforms and Innovation proposed by Congressman Paul Ryan and speed up their implementation to control healthcare costs and improve quality.
* Reform Social Security and place on a sustainable path by a combination of reforms such as addressing adjusting CPI, dependent benefits and disability income benefits reforms, moving back the retirement age for younger workers, means testing benefits, annual adjustments as needed, and dedicating Social Security payroll taxes to Social Security.
* Implement reforms and cost savings of up to $100 billion in March 2011 GAO report requested by Senator Coburn listing 34 areas of duplication and waste.
* Stop implementation of any remaining federal stimulus spending.
* Freeze pay for non-defense related federal employees for four years, cut workforce by 10% with no compensatory increase in contract workforce, and phase out defined benefit plans for newer workers.
* Eliminate all energy subsidies and most agriculture subsidies within four years.
* Eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood and use half of the dollars to support adoption instead.
* Cut EPA resources for job killing regulations and return focus to commonsense conservation and safe and clean air and water.
* Cut in half the number of State Department USAID employees and US funding for United Nations programs.
* Eliminate funding for implementation of Dodd/Frank regulatory burdens.
* Eliminate funding for implementation of ObamaCare.
* Cut funding for National Labor Relations Board for decision preventing airplane factory in South Carolina.
* Eliminating funding for United Nations’ agencies which oppose America’s interests and promote abortion and cut the US contribution to the UN in half.
* Phase out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac within five years.
* Sell unproductive and wasteful federal properties.
* Transition Team will review all spending cut proposals and restructuring reforms of the Heritage Foundation, CATO Institute, American Enterprise Institute, and the Simpson-Bowles Commission for additional savings.

[traditional1]

"A lot of Republicans will either vote for Paul, or stay home"

LOL

I don't think 2 dozen people staying home will sway the outcome of the 2012 General Election, myself.

[onedoug]

Party failure retries to be bigshot.

[Fledermaus]

Hold a two for one bong sale on election days and the Paulbots will miss the polls.

Their support is about as far reaching as Howard Dean’s minions in Iowa in 2004.

[traditional1]

"Your insulting post makes me wonder if you aren’t a nutcase"

Spoken like a true Paulbot.

Myself, I won't stay home on voting day, even if Romney is the Chosen One and makes it (as planned by the RNC) to the ticket.

I would NEVER stay home on Election Day.

[jpsb]

"I'm not quite sure of his rationale for it."

His rational is that if the money is earmarked the money goes where it was intended to go. If not the money goes into a general "slush fund" that the administration can spend anyway it wants.

[chicken head]

I know- thats my point. we are Broke, we have massive unemployment, and wars without end. I know exactly what sarah means about war weary. The anti- war canidate will probally win- but i thought that a Libertarian was futher to the right than a republican?-

[WilliamHouston]

There were plenty of conservatives who (1) are not fond of Wall Street and (2) who believed the Wall Street bailout was a bad idea.

Why should Wall Street get a massive federal bailout? How is that conservative? What does that say to people - not the OWS crowd, but to ordinary people who work for a living - that Goldman Sachs is “too big to fail,” but not the man who has lost his manufacturing job because of outsourcing?

[Daveinyork]

I think Paul would not be poling as well as he has if he was only getting nutcase support. I think he’s poling as well as he does because he’s the only candidate who specifically promises to cxut the government, and remembers which department he plans to eliminate. I hope Santorum will be the remedy for this. If I’m right, Santorum will drain away most of that support from Paul. He won’t if he insults them for having supported paul.

[Daveinyork]

“Myself, I won’t stay home on voting day, even if Romney is the Chosen One and makes it (as planned by the RNC) to the ticket.”

I’m not surprised, and that’s why we can’t stop the growth of government, and the elimination of our Constitutional liberties.