Would you vote for Dr. Paul?

[GhostWriter16]

Just wondering, would you vote for Dr. Paul in the election? And what do you think of him in general?

Just notes of what won't be tolerated:

1. "He's a racist", or any other one line derivatives thereof will be reported.

2. As per above, this is a discussion, not a troll thread. I'm RDing this thread to preven the racist crap from taking over a good discussion.

 

[JollyRoger]

I do not think I could vote for him. He is not really the kind of guy I would want sitting next to me at a lunch counter or on a bus, so he would be tough to vote for. I might be able to tolerate him if I was a lobbyist for the shrimping industry. If I were to vote for a libertarian, I would much prefer Gary Johnson.

 

[Red Door]

I'd lick Rosie O'Donnell's butthole before voting for Ron Paul (and I am sure as hell not amusing him by calling him Dr.)

 

[SG-17]

No, he is too "1950s" in his personal-social outlook.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

No, he is too "1950s" in his social outlook.

care to explain?

 

[Arwon]

He strikes me as, like most politically prominent libertarians, being far more into freedom assoicated with money than all the others.

 

[Dachs]

I cannot conceive of any reason to vote for Paul. For my only policy positions that matter - the preservation of the Union and the expansion of the United States abroad - he is further away from my viewpoint than almost every other contender, serious or unserious, for the Presidency. He does not even have the bonus of affability, faked or real. Right now, his best chance of getting my vote lies in me getting unspeakably drunk on election day and screwing up my ballot somehow.

 

[SG-17]

care to explain?

You've never heard of the newsletter controversy?

 

[GoodGame]

What's with closing the polls so early?

I'd consider him an interesting candidate, as in one who tries to be different, but I've yet to seriously agree with him on principles. I've probably agreed with him on a particular issue rarely, but that is about it.

 

[carmen510]

I wouldn't vote for him, and that's not just because I can't.

His economic principles are flawed, mainly that he fails to realize that a central bank like the Fed is absolutely essential for a viable modern economy. Lowering taxes is the complete opposite of what this country needs in the long term, if it wants to fix its deficit. His free market principles are fine by me, although I would like him to stop "opposing federal interference" and then supporting earmarks that subsidize businesses in Texas. The one good economic proposal he's proposed (that I am aware of) is an "opt-out" option for Americans who don't want Social Security.

Limited government is a big issue. While it always is tossed around that big government is a problem, many vital functions are performed by this big federal government that would be cut if Ron Paul had his way, specifically the elimination of the IRS, Department of Energy, FEMA, Department of Commerce, & the Department of Health and Human Services.

Everything he has said about civil liberties makes complete sense to me, so that part of his record is more or less spotless in my eyes.

His record on environmentalism is mostly clean in my book, although his dismissal of climate change is somewhat disappointing.

While I do like the idea of non-intervention, Ron Paul seems to be advocating almost outright isolationism. We should certainly reduce our involvement in other nations' domestic affairs, but I support foreign aid (in general) and counter-terrorism efforts in hotspots like Yemen.

I don't like to dwell on healthcare (as I am not too knowledgeable about this subject), but I do like his support for legalizing marijuana and ending the War on Drugs. Saying that government should stay out of the healthcare business seems downright silly though.

 

[Miles Teg]

I'm generally a sane person, and I actually want the United States to succeed as a country. Why would you think I'd vote for Ron Paul?

EDITED FOR SERIOUSNESS: Ron Paul and Red Diamond threads don't mix. The reason is that Rep Paul isn't a serious person. The movement that's formed around him couldn't be anymore bizarrely random if I picked a congress member's name out of a hat.

The man's worldview is based on crank economists from the Seventies, yet he routinely violates his own principles whenever the shrimp farmers back home are feeling light on cash. His brilliant solution to the problem of terrorism was to suggest recruiting mercenaries to hunt down Bin Laden. He wants to roll back every governmental institution and custom that has made post-war America great. Who on earth decided this fellow would make a good president?

 

[Dachs]

I'm generally a sane person. Why would you think I'd vote for Ron Paul?

This is, ostensibly, a Red Diamond thread; the poll image just obscures the diamond.

 

[JollyRoger]

"If I may quote Trotsky of all people, this Revolution is permanent. It will not end at the Republican convention. It will not end in November. It will not end until we have won the great battle on which we have embarked."—Ron Paul

link to the original quotation

I'm not sure I could vote for a person that quotes Trotsky. What things common to Trotsky and Ron Paul do you admire, D3K?

 

[Dachs]

http://jewishracism.blogspot.com/2008/02/ron-paul-quotes-leon-trotsky-to-declare.html

I'm not sure I could vote for a person that quotes Trotsky. What things common to Trotsky and Ron Paul do you admire, D3K?

You probably don't want to use the latter-day version of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (now, in blog form!) to make your point. Just putting up the provided link to the original quotation is probably best.

 

[warpus]

The guy's probably one of the most honest politicians I've seen, but based on some of the things he's said in the past I've got to conclude that he's crazy.

Some good ideas, some horrible ideas. Wouldn't vote for the guy.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

I like Ron Paul, don't agree with him on everything, but he is a pretty guy.

 

[NickyJ]

While there are some issues that I flat out disagree with him on, overall I think he's on the level. While he's certainly not my first choice*, if he were the candidate against B.O., then I'd vote for him in a heart beat.

*(Out of the way, Rick Perry comin' through.)

 

[Berzerker]

I'd vote for him, but I like Gary Johnson more

1) end our wars abroad and bring the troops home
2) end the drug war
3) more open trade and a more level marketplace (hopefully)
4) a saner immigration policy (not likely)
5) a general reduction in the size and cost of the federal govt (maybe)
6) watching the 2 parties over ride his vetoes

Btw, is there a Herman Cain thread? That guy is nuts! I watched him on John Stossel criticize the govt for picking winners and losers in the marketplace and within a few minutes he was advocating for ag subsidies etc. And more recently he said the 1st Amendment gives "us" the right to ban mosques. WTH? I was liking the guy until he started in with the gibberish, course I didn't know much about his views - but first impressions were favorable.

 

[amadeus]

"I seriously support Ron Paul" - the least bad of those options. I could vote for him, but I don't think he'll get the nomination.

"I trust that Ron Paul is honest most/all of the time" - I was watching videos from C-SPAN when he was in Congress in the 80s and many of the things he says are as true today as they were 25 years ago.

"Ron Paul is dead-on economically" - again, the least bad of the poll options. He's right most of the time.

"Ron Paul is too socially conservative" - I disagree with him on abortion and gay marriage. He's too tame on drug reform - he should support the repeal of all federal (and state, as a matter of philosophy) drug laws.

"Ron Paul's foreign policy is mostly solid" - more or less. Withdraw the troops abroad. I wish he was in favor of unilaterally ending all tariffs and import quotas, though, rather than waiting for free-trade deals to come around.

 

[Ayn Rand]

As I'm British I won't be voting for anyone in America's elections However, Ron Paul seems like the most honest and decent guy in the Congress. I'm shocked by all the hate - this guy is reasonable and moderate.

If I was American I would only vote for him if there were no better right-wing candidate - he has often criticised American foreign policy and sections of the US government so he is too soft by far to ever make a good President, unless America wants to go isolationist again. That would be good for America, but bad for the rest of the World who save a fortune in lives and money by having America around to take on the World's problems.

Also, Ron Paul is about personal responsibility - the thing that used to define America but which is becoming a dying tradition among a growing section of the voting population who basically want bread and circuses, regardless of consequences.