Things are so bad.....

[Jamisjockey]

...for Perry and Cain ....that Fox news had to admit that Ron Paul is running second in the polls in New Hampshire.  The last few times they've mentioned polls, they literally skip over several places just to cover the "frontrunners". 

[Jocassee]

I like Cain but he keeps dropping the ball. Paul is my second pick.

[AJ Dual]

It's important to not put too much stock in polls or funding, they don't reflect the other portion of the electoral/nomination process in terms of the power politics and gladhanding among the various state primaries and caucuses.

While the press is definitely being unfair to Paul in terms of straw polls, and funding goals/records, he's incredibly weak in that other part of the process. And their (lack of) coverage of him somewhat more honestly reflects that reality too.

However, if Romney gets kicked to the curb over his RINO'ism (please God, oh please...) and Perry/Cain self-destruct, this could be Paul's year.  Especially seeing as an incumbent with Obama's fundamentals, in terms of the economy, unemployment, and approval ratings has never been re-elected, the challenger would have to have a dead same-sex underage prostitute in their trunk to fail to beat him.

[lupinus]

Especially seeing as an incumbent with Obama's fundamentals, in terms of the economy, unemployment, and approval ratings has never been re-elected, the challenger would have to have a dead same-sex underage prostitute in their trunk to fail to beat him.

Midget, you left out them needing to be a midget.

[MicroBalrog]

It's important to not put too much stock in polls or funding, they don't reflect the other portion of the electoral/nomination process in terms of the power politics and gladhanding among the various state primaries and caucuses.

While the press is definitely being unfair to Paul in terms of straw polls, and funding goals/records, he's incredibly weak in that other part of the process. And their (lack of) coverage of him somewhat more honestly reflects that reality too.

This is basically true.

[Jamisjockey]

It's important to not put too much stock in polls or funding, they don't reflect the other portion of the electoral/nomination process in terms of the power politics and gladhanding among the various state primaries and caucuses.

While the press is definitely being unfair to Paul in terms of straw polls, and funding goals/records, he's incredibly weak in that other part of the process. And their (lack of) coverage of him somewhat more honestly reflects that reality too.

However, if Romney gets kicked to the curb over his RINO'ism (please God, oh please...) and Perry/Cain self-destruct, this could be Paul's year.  Especially seeing as an incumbent with Obama's fundamentals, in terms of the economy, unemployment, and approval ratings has never been re-elected, the challenger would have to have a dead same-sex underage prostitute in their trunk to fail to beat him.

I would argue that by the MSM ignoring him and other candidates, they are unfairly making their candidacy weaker.  
RP isn't the only one being skipped over routinely when they mention candidates.  And the MSM puts a metric ass load of stock in the polls, many of which they fund themselves.  

[roo_ster]

I saw Paul on Cspan.org talk about his book "End the Fed" the other day (not sure when it was filmed).

I found myself nodding more & more as it went on, I got a crick in my neck.

He still has a few problems:
1. He has reverted to libertarian cultural suicide with support for open borders.
2. Still naive on foreign policy. 

Rand Paul has been a consistent voice of reason on facebook, though.  Maybe he can drive home the nail Ron started.

[RoadKingLarry]

I'm still predicting a Romney/Huntsman ticket.
 

[MicroBalrog]

I saw Paul on Cspan.org talk about his book "End the Fed" the other day (not sure when it was filmed).

I found myself nodding more & more as it went on, I got a crick in my neck.

He still has a few problems:
1. He has reverted to libertarian cultural suicide with support for open borders.
2. Still naive on foreign policy. 

So basically, still by far the best candidate.

[Jamisjockey]

I saw Paul on Cspan.org talk about his book "End the Fed" the other day (not sure when it was filmed).

I found myself nodding more & more as it went on, I got a crick in my neck.

He still has a few problems:
1. He has reverted to libertarian cultural suicide with support for open borders.
2. Still naive on foreign policy. 

Rand Paul has been a consistent voice of reason on facebook, though.  Maybe he can drive home the nail Ron started.

Open borders work fine with the elimination of the welfare state.  They come for the work.  They stay for the free *expletive deleted*it.

[longeyes]

I respect Ron Paul but he, like Sarah Palin, only makes sense as a post-America-as-we-know-it Presidential aspirant.  He can never be President of the unified U.S.A. we have now any more than she can.  If he runs as a third-party candidate--and he is not going to get the GOP nomination--he will most likely hand Obama another term.  What comes from that is the subject of nightmares.

[Lee]

I like Paul...but he doesn't have a snowball's chance.  Neither do any of the others IMO.  Obama will be a 2 termer unless something really unexpected happens.

[Tallpine]

It's important to not put too much stock in polls or funding, they don't reflect the other portion of the electoral/nomination process in terms of the power politics and gladhanding among the various state primaries and caucuses.

In other words, our votes don't mean a damn thing 

[TommyGunn]

I like Paul...but he doesn't have a snowball's chance.  Neither do any of the others IMO.  Obama will be a 2 termer unless something really unexpected happens.

What a pessimist!
It's said the only president to win reelection with the unemployment rate as high as it is was FDR.  I hate to glom onto a really depressing statistic as a reason to be optimistic, but politics is a nasty business.
I know that the republican candidate is going to have a tough fight ahead but it's nowhere near hopeless.

[longeyes]

Far from hopeless.  Is the issue, though, what a victorious Republican will (or can) do to stop the insanity?   It will be enormously difficult for any Republican President to achieve a consensus at this point in our cultural devolution.  That is the boulder we are going to have to roll aside somehow.

[TommyGunn]

Far from hopeless.  Is the issue, though, what a victorious Republican will (or can) do to stop the insanity?   It will be enormously difficult for any Republican President to achieve a consensus at this point in our cultural devolution.  That is the boulder we are going to have to roll aside somehow.

Well, that is THE issue.
During the 2000 election I was discussing Bush's election with a coworker.  She pointed out that Bush the Younger was not going to be able to stop the mad expansion of the government.
"STOP THE MAD EXPANSION? ? ? ? ? "
Ha ha.  Little did we know........  Well, that isn't really true, I sorta hoped he'd slow it down.
No wait, he didn't really do THAT.






















I hate politicians.

[Lee]

It's said the only president to win reelection with the unemployment rate as high as it is was FDR

Then BO will have that bragging right as well.  I'm not a pessimist...I'm a realist....well maybe somewhat pessimistic after seeing what we've been offered. I was hopeful about Cain...but he's toast.  The rest (except for Paul) are a bunch of empty suits. I like Paul, but he is just not electable IMO.

[Jamisjockey]

Then BO will have that bragging right as well.  I'm not a pessimist...I'm a realist....well maybe somewhat pessimistic after seeing what we've been offered. I was hopeful about Cain...but he's toast.  The rest (except for Paul) are a bunch of empty suits. I like Paul, but he is just not electable IMO.

As long as the MSM keeps skipping over him in polls, what do you expect? RP is like the 800 pound elephant in the room. He says the things that should be said, that nobody wants to hear.

If we manage to nominate another (R) who is just like Bush or McCain, we're hosed. Either way.

[makattak]

RP is like the 800 pound elephant in the room.

I think you inadvertently described him correctly.

He's the 800lb elephant. Kind of interesting, but not of much use except as an oddity. (Elephants weigh ~250 at birth and fully grown they weigh 4+ tons.)

[MicroBalrog]

Then BO will have that bragging right as well.  I'm not a pessimist...I'm a realist....well maybe somewhat pessimistic after seeing what we've been offered. I was hopeful about Cain...but he's toast.  The rest (except for Paul) are a bunch of empty suits. I like Paul, but he is just not electable IMO.

Let me say it now:

The only way to solve the problems with the entrenched welfare/police state system, is, like with any other entrenched system of anything, to attack it, to attack viciously and relentlessly.

If a candidate is not willing to do that, he's on the same side as Obama. Does anybody think Romney is willing to do it? People will now (unfairly in my mind) abandon Cain, who might have done. If people will not vote for Ron Paul because of things like the fictional "Islamic Threat", then who is left?

[AJ Dual]

Let me say it now:

The only way to solve the problems with the entrenched welfare/police state system, is, like with any other entrenched system of anything, to attack it, to attack viciously and relentlessly.

If a candidate is not willing to do that, he's on the same side as Obama. Does anybody think Romney is willing to do it? People will now (unfairly in my mind) abandon Cain, who might have done. If people will not vote for Ron Paul because of things like the fictional "Islamic Threat", then who is left?

More like, "what is left?"

Taking what small comfort you can in the fact that after 500 years as a nominal Republic, Rome lasted a few hundred years more as an Empire, without a huge difference to the day-to-day lives of the bulk of it's citizenry, at least in the core. 

[brimic]

Short of someone finding a pile of dead transvestite hookers in his basement, Romney is going to get the nomination- he was picked by the GOP machine from the start.

[Lee]

The only way to solve the problems with the entrenched welfare/police state system, is, like with any other entrenched system of anything, to attack it, to attack viciously and relentlessly.

I agree ...but Ron isn't the guy who can pull that off.  The rest of the pack is just plain hopeless.  Like it or not, the candidate of today has to have charisma and be able to make people feel like he/she is in charge.  People like Reagan or JFK..and even Obama had/have the cult of personality, that at a minimum, causes people to stop and listen to them. They may not agree with everything they say, but there is something about them that appeals to people. Then of course, they have to be fairly smart (or not say anything blatantly stupid) - which has doomed most of the recent candidates.  
As my old boss used to say, "crap in one hand and wish in the other - and see which get's full first".  Our hands are going to be brown and smelly until the GOP (or a third party) gets their crap together. How do we fire those people?  

[longeyes]

You're trying to save a country that stopped being one nation indivisible some time ago.  Americans were asleep when the charges were planted that tore apart the legacy culture of the nation.  What we can do is save the viable part and let go of the diseased part.  That's realism.  It isn't going to happen until Romney wins and fails to change the basic direction or Obama wins and precipitates a major collapse.

[lee n. field]

Rome lasted a few hundred years more as an Empire, without a huge difference to the day-to-day lives of the bulk of it's citizenry, at least in the core.  sad

Bread and circuses in the capitol, and the gross debasement of the currency.  And, arguably the empire lasted into the 15th century, in the East.

(I'm currently taking a stab at Augustine's City of God, written in response to the sacking of the capitol in the early 5th century. )