Trying to un-break the Republican Party, then set the country right is double work. Liberty has never been a top priority for Repugs. Not in my 68 years of jumping back and forth from Libertarian to Republican candidates. It’s time to grow up and drop that illusion.

“What would such a march accomplish?”

I have a hunch that a humongous turn-out, as I expect there will be, would prompt an on-the-spot announcement from Dr Paul that he has changed his mind and will run third party, after all!

Spot on! Marches are boring for most of America. This is the best chance for Liberty or Heritage or whatever party to commence...Having been in organization of Buchanan campaigns among others....remnant of freedom will come to convention and join

I am with Mr. Raimondo on some parts, less so others.

An alternative convention inviting all sorts of groups to come and write platforms, identify competitive races for folks running under and party, a movement both shadow Republican, and Parliamentarian consensus, might well work.

Marches, mass gatherings have accomplished nothing since the mistakes of the government’s response to the Bonus Army which did more to topple Hoover than any other single event.  These mistakes were the attempt to paint the Bonus Army (World War One veterans) as Commie Revolutionaries was utterly false, and there after, any threat to the regime, in DC or fly-over country, calls for cash to the Phelps/World Church of the Creator etc types as well as the Commies.

Where I am more cautious that Raimondo, though I agree with his general Rothbardian goal of throwing up road blocks to the regime as the right goal tactically, particularly if Obama is the nominee, is that Dr. Paul is more of the Birch tradition of focusing on the Congress and the potential for a 20-30 anti-Imperial votes that could yet bring slow-down or stop the machine long enough for mid-terms.

Justin - You are spot on! The march as a concept is silly and a waste of time
And, has its culture roots in leftist radicalism…

I would guess that the Paul people are going to try to have the march at around the same time as the book coming out in April.  What they do after all that I have no idea.  So, in general, I agree with Mr. Raimondo.  Maybe Dr. Paul, after all that’s happened in the last year, is exhausted and just needs some time to recharge the batteries.  That’s what I’m hoping, at least.

But, what about his congressional seat?  Is it even possible for him to run 3rd party and retain it?

Here in Austin, we love marches--but I REALLY like the idea of a convention better.  It sounds 110% more effective.

I agree partially.  We need to keep the young people motivated to change government.  They are the future and the life insurance as you say.  I think a march and a conferance are the way to go. 
I think if we make it a march/motorcycle rally we will draw more people.  Bikers are always ready to rally and my guess is that ron Paul has decent support among bikers.  The other thing that bikes do is lend visibillity and noise.  For Ron who is a laid back quiet and thoughtfull politician an injection of noise is a good thing.

After being demoralized, much as A Capp predicted and I secretly knew all along, just was too proud to give in to Capp publicly - the recent video recharged me for some few minutes, oh well.  A convention is a much better idea and hopefully that’s what will finally be decided upon.

DR. Paul is almost 73 and has been on the road for a year ,he needs a rest with his family.With Obama the democrat nominee, a third party doesn’t have a chance to do much. He is claiming the antiwar, change vote. Hopefully the prowar republicans will decimate the party and and the proliberty forces can rebuild the party.Ballot access laws in many states wouldn’t allow Dr. Paul on the ballot because he ran as a Republican.I am all for a prolife proliberty party but we have to find a different candidate.As Dr. Paul said he will not back Mccain.Let Dr Paul keep spitting in the koolaide at the Republican Party and find another candidate for the Constitution party.The other option is to vote for people we like down ticket and boycott McCain.

Well, Dr Paul does seem to be a big fan of both the Gandhi and “Marchin” Luther King, so a “March on Washington” is not surprising.

If only we could expect government enforced freedom to come out of a march…

Meanwhile, I am beginning to believe the “empty suit” of that Negro Muslim Terrorist “Osama” indeed “has what it takes” to win the presidency.  If some large portion of the “anti-war” people cast their votes for John McCain, why wouldn’t the majority of war supporters cast their votes for a Negro Muslim Terrorist named “Osama”?

Justin,
You do not allow comments at Antiwar.com, so I have to respond here to your puzzlement about neoconservatives’ astonishing staying power.  Necons remain on the media radar, because they have a highly committed support group that has excellent connections and practically unlimited funds.  Their political power, however, comes from conservative Christians.  Without the hard-line Evangelical vote, neconservatives would be a small frige group with limited influence in spite of all the noise they can make.

Conservative Christians, again, can be swayed only by religious arguments.  Secular, effects-based, “realist” political reasoning has little effect on their thinking.  (The wisdom of man is foolishness in the eyes of God.) Significantly, there are powerful religious arguments that can be used on the politically hard-line Christians, because the war-supporting evangelicals’ behavior is irreconcilable with Christ’s teaching of humility, meekness, turning the other cheeck, forgiving wrongs and loving your enemies.  More impressive yet, the evangelicals’ behavior is right in the middle of what Western Christianity used to mean when they talked about the sins of pride and hatred. 

Pro-war evangelicals would find it very difficult to defend themselves against these impeccably Christian criticisms.  An approach from this angle might well be effective in removing the religious support of neoconservatism—and thus their political power.

So I shouldn’t nominate you as a speaker at the march....

Justin, I agree that a march in D.C. would accomplish nothing. The media won’t cover it, and if they do they will portray the event as an act of desperation. And just how many would attend? MOST Ron Paul supporters, of which I am one, can’t just drop everything and hop on a plane to D.C. (I for one, am boycotting the airlines until the TSA nazis are dead and gone.) Also, how many supporters can AFFORD to go? Ron Paul should run third party. It’s our only chance.

It’s impossible to be both a Conservative and a Populist. Unfortunately, whether or not this was Paul’s intention, he’s become a tabula rasa for right-wing populists, along with the occasional Leftist. Hence the growing sense, no doubt magnified by mainstream media, that he is the propeller-head candidate.

I’m wondering whether his decision to regroup is not, at least in part, an attempt to get clear of this perception.

If this is the case, it would explain his desire to stay within the GOP as the spokesman for the rather tiresomely named “Remnant”: paleo-cons, paleo-libs, traditionalists, and the like.

Of course, should this be his goal, a March on Washington would be, at the very least, weird.

It would most likely be compared not to Martin Luther King, but to Louis Farrakhan and his Million Man March. At worst it would attract, as Justin Raimundo suggests, a bevy of knuckle-headed racists and aluminum-foil capped conspiracy theorists. Not good.

If Ron Paul really wants to march, why not endorse the already scheduled United for Peace and Justice demonstration slated for 19-March? He could perform a significant service toward building the anti-imperialist coalition by appearing on the speakers’ platform.

Libertarians have marched in peace demonstrations before. Why not now? Also there is the added benefit that the weirdoes at that march would not be covered in Ron Paul paraphernalia.

Kari Konkola’s comment is right on the money.  While I think the Neocon’s connections and money make them formidable, peeling off their Christian native auxiliaries would cripple them. 

A frontal assault is in order. Let’s get to the bottom of Christian Zionist funding.  I can’t believe that given their utility to their cause the Israeli’s haven’t give in to the temptation to directly fund some of these “Christian” ministers. Hagee is the obvious example.

Once these pius people see that their leaders have been bought and paid for, they will need no further help in cleaning house.

Kari is also right about doctrinal arguments. Don’t most evangelicals believe that America is the new Jerusuelem?  How then can they now transfer their alliegance to a non-Christian state overseas? They also need to be made more aware of the plight of fellow Christians at the hands of their Zionist allies.  It’s difficult to understand how they can dismiss this. 

We have been on the defensive for too long.  We need to “name and shame” these collaborators.  But first, a bit of good investigative journalism is in order.

A march would be a great idea.  But forget the placards.  If everyone came armed - unloaded, of course; we don’t want to frighten the sheeple too much - we would get noticed.

I don’t normally post on this blog but thought it might be worthwhile to voice the concern that staging a march would not only be ineffective but may also serve to draw a more incendiary anarchist contingent which would then serve to discredit the whole movement.

It should be abundantly clear by now that there is not much of a constituency out there for a Ron Paul-type candidate (contrast his vote totals with those of the Huckster). The most he could do would be to help the Democrats a bit in November, which he is loathe to do.

T.O. Meehan,
Conservative Christians very probably will not care where the money comes from.  Religious arguments are what matters to them.  Justin points to a very real and important phenomenon, when he emphasizes the astonishingly large and committed support Ron Paul has found on the net.  These numbers will, however, be dwarfed if Evangelical Protestants suddenly come to the conclusion that they have followed what in their own, Biblical terminology is called “the prince of darkness camouflaging as an angel of light.”

It is a sad, depressing spectacle when people cannot\
let go of their illusions.  Dr. Paul put a game fight,
but he was hampered by having to do within the
Republican Party - a party full of neocons and
neocon-enablers, who let talk radio hosts define their
policy, as if there was not a long history of the
dangers of letting rabble rousers run the show (at least
there were no heads paraded on pikes...) He might have
had a chance as a Thrid party candidate, or at least
have gotten himself and his message more in the public
view.

As it is, we have to face it, the next President will
be HillBill “we know her well”, Obama “hopemonger”, or
McCain “Hundred years war”.  We have to decide which is
the best deal we can get, and go for it.  It is not
as if we can dictate terms.

As Pat Buchanan said last night, the Republican leadership
hasa been enabling George Bush and his entourage for
too long, and now there is Hell to pay.  The revolt
should have happened four years ago, at least.

How about Ron Paul supporters mounting a massive movement to write in Dr. Paul’s name on the ballot in November? Perhaps some of Dr. Paul’s remaining campaign funds could be used to buy very brief radio (and TV?) ads telling people to “write-in Ron Paul”. The ad could simply be a question: “Can you write in Ron Paul?” Repeat it over and over a few thousand times during the next nine months, put it on bumper stickers and web sites and we might actually see results. Of course, Paul would not win the election simply on write-in votes. But if he received, say, 3-12 million+ write-ins, it would get people’s attention and be a big encouragement!

One more point, to follow up my preceding “write-in” suggestion. Perhaps the march on Washington could tie in with the Ron Paul write-in campaign. Picture thousands of people carrying placards encouraging everyone to write in Dr. Paul’s name in November, speakers exhorting their hearers to “make it happen!” I’m smiling as I write this.

Forget about a march on Washington.Campaign against McCain until the convention in September and then march on the convention in St Paul and keep marching all thru the convention.The campaign should spend whatever money it has and whatever it can raise to do rough adds against the war and also for life and libety.Let the intrest groups fund the adds they like.Do it vertually and with informercials and national adds only. Keep the movement going till Sept and force the party to suffer.It will be easy on Dr. Paul we can build for the future.

Justin, point taken.
It does seem excessive to ask supporters
who have already donated to the hilt to
now spend considerable funds on a pilgrimage
to D.C.
That money would be better spent on another
money bomb.
However, if Dr.Paul calls on his supporters
to rally in D.C. then I will be there if at
all possible.
I would very much hope to see you there as well

Justin - I agree that the march could be a disaster and won’t garner much publicity.  I have lived around DC for 10 years and they usually don’t, even locally. 

But, I also don’t think the 3rd party idea is really beneficial.  The deck is stacked.  We need to act like in the neocons (did I just write that?!?) and co-opt a part with the libertarian caucus.  This won’t be quick, but without the direct and unified participation within one of the parties, the message will never reach the masses.

That said, is there a libertarian caucus within the Republican Party or even the Democratic Party?  I would lean to making one in the Republican Party, based on the platform, but after W, maybe the Democrats would be easier.

I agree this march on Washington, DC idea isn’t too hot, but a conference of Paulian activists and intellectuals (such as the above) sounds very promising--a no brainer. I have to disagree though with Mr. Raimondo’s call for Dr. Paul to change his mind and run third party. The die is already cast, and to change direction at this point would cause more harm than good. Furthermore, there is a compelling logic to Dr. Paul fighting the peace and liberty battle from within one of the two major parties that control our destiny. Mr. Raimondo’s mentor, Murray Rothbard, and himself decided themselves to fight the battle for peace and liberty within during the 1990’s when they joined the GOP and backed Pat Buchanan’s presidential campaign. 

In my view and at least a contingent of the LewRockwell.com denizens, the focus should be on drafting former Congressman Bob Barr to carry the freedom movement torch as a Libertarian or Libertarian-Constitution Party presidential candidate. Congressman Barr might even be a stronger candidate than Dr. Paul this election cycle given Congressman Barr’s excellent conservative credentials (earned during the Clinton-Monica years) and the enormous discontent with McCain among conservatives.

I agree, the march will accomplish nothing. Hold a convention, I’d go, I was planning on creating one, but one from the campaign would be much easier.

As for a third party, it will never work. I don’t think there will ever be a chance for the libertarian, or constitution, party being elected. We must work within the Republican party and take it back, that’s our only hope. The Christians did it, why can’t we?

Although I like the idea of Bob Barr running for president on a third party ticket I would rather he run as a Ron Paul Republican for the Senate or House.

A third party candidacy by either Barr or Paul would provide an easy excuse to the establishment statist Republicans to blame Barr or Paul for their coming ass-kicking in 2008.  Better Paul and Barr be around to remind those left that they tried to warn them, and then they can lead the restoration of paleo/libertarian/conservatism.

Justin is understandably frustrated by the ratcheting down of the Paul campaign but it’s time to close ranks, trust his judgement (he is the only one who has done the third party gig and he knows of what he speaks) and continue the process of networking and supporting Ron Paul-like candidates.

Pick one, two or three out and let’s get them elected!

http://www.paulcongress.com

I think Ron is correct.  The only way we have a chance is to build a STRONG libertarian ‘camp’ in the GOP.  Love it or hate it (the GOP), our message works best there and we often get many fellow travelers on board as well (anti-tax activists, gun rights groups, etc) that are normally more attracted to the GOP to begin with.

We can all waste our time with another 3rd party that might get 1 percent of a popular vote, or we can make the libertarians so strong in the GOP that they cannot be ignored any longer. 

I think Barr ought to try and get his old seat back. With Murray Sabrin running in NJ, this could be the start of something big.

I agree that a march would be a waste of resources and largely ineffectual, but I have to disagree with Justin about the third party run. The last time a third party candidate made an impact was (ugh) Perot and he’s literally a trivia qu. today. I think Dr. Paul is right to try and run things out until the convention. I know many supporters trying to get elected as delegates (PA) and I think they may have some influence on the convention. Regardless I think he needs to keep hammering out his message and his main ideas, at least so when McCain loses in November the Republicrats may have a ready answer for the loss.

Incidentally I support Dr. Paul’s efforts to reform the GOP rather than trying to make waves with a third party. When I think about this thankless and Promethean task I remember that “Office Space” line from Michael Bolton: “Why should I change my name?  He’s the one who sucks.” The GOP needs to be constantly reminded that they’ve abandoned their principles.

In light of this I am beginning to wonder if an Obama presidency might not be so bad. I will not vote for him. I fear he would be too easily influenced (his lack of experience makes it hard to judge his character) and his voting record is clearly left-liberal despite all his empty blather about change. Maybe it would be just the thing to galvanize the GOP and help them recover their senses (think- despite its imperfections- of the contract with America).

It’s the John Doe Society! Wheeze. Paging Frank Capra, paging Frank Capra.......

There is a “Libertarian” wing of the GOP.  The “RLC”.
Republican Liberty Caucus.  Ron Paul was the former Chairman of this group!

I think if Ron Paul did run as a third party candidate, the media would use it against him.  That is the one question that seems to get asked at all the interviews he has done.  Ron Paul has repeatedly said, “No”.  He should stay the course and not give the media any more ammunition against him. 

I do agree with you about the march on Washington.  I am excited about getting all of the Ron Paul supporters together, but a convention sounds like a great idea.  I hope this gets back to the campaign HQ.  Maybe they will change their mind.  This could be a time to really “teach” the young people and those of us who are new to the political scene, just how important it will be to stay involved, run for office ourselves and vote only for those that will help us get our Constitution back.

Ye have little faith,

Ron Paul has always said that it is our movement, we need to stop looking for a solution and become the solution.  All he is asking for is for us to get up from our couches and computer desks to march for our freedom and the lives of our children.

Justin, it is you who is disappointing.  Stop pointing to all the ways it could fail and imagine all the ways it can succeed. 

Remember, this is the perfect way for the movement to see their true numbers. If we are not enough than forget about the GOP, Third Party, and the American experiment all together.

We will march and we will march proud, we are not few, we are many. Let us show our true numbers.

I would suggest that what is needed now..more than marches, more even than an organizing convention..are Committess of Correspondence to loosely coordinate the seditious elements now in place across the country. Just as the time was not yet right in 1770, it is not yet right today. But the right time is approaching and we need to be ready for it.

organizers need to focus on a theme or a few themes-- if it turns into a pro-life rally or a pro-2nd-amendment rally i will be much less excited than if it is a pro-4th amendment, gold standard, sane foreign policy rally

Opinions and assholes everyone’s got one.  This

article sucks.  The GOP its heading for a humpty

dumbty crash and burn: loss of both houses of Congress

and the White House!  The GOP has lost its way just

like RP said in the debates.  When the dust settles,

this March launches Ron Paul’s bid to take over the

GOP and reestablish a Conservative Platform.

I agree that such a march is meaningless.  Who in government will pay attention?  We stand very little to gain, and plenty to lose if just a few thousand show up, and given the primary results for Ron Paul so far, the remnant I think is just what it long has been, just about 5%.

Hre is the text of a speech I send Kent Snyder, Ron Paul’s campaign manager.

So much for Dr. Paul’s leading a movement. I was hoping he would assume the role Reagan did in 1976 after Reagan lost the nomination to Gerald Ford. The then-out-of office Reagan spent the next four years going around building up the conservative base of the party.This was what made it possible for Reagan to win in 1980.

Now Ron Paul wants to go back to the House of Representatives where he will be even more ostracized by his colleagues and the media because he is now fully tainted with the dreaded “anti Israel” odor. For a fellow politician to even be seen with him might well now be the political kiss of death. 

Maybe Paul is now just suffering a tinge of the the “incumbency disease.” Maybe he got some very bad advice,

Make no mistake about it. The Republican Party is going to go way out it way to make sure he not loses the primary, no doubt about that.  The Repubs are going to do the same thing to him that the Demos did to leftist Cynthia McKinney for criticizing Israel, The Lobby, and the Iraq war.

Didn’t Dr. Paul realize that he is now simply too dangerous to these people to be allowed back into the House. He also doesn’t seem to realize that he is now about to experience what will be the dirtiest campaign he has ever been involved in. They are out for his scalp and will stop at absolutely nothing to defeat him. They don’t just want him to lose, they want to totally humiliate him and render him impotent. They also want to make an example out of him to other House members who might be tempted to stray. If they don’t get him in the primary they will try again in the general election even more ferociously. They want to sully his name and make him totally unaceptable in polite company. In short, They want to make him a leper. 

His congressional district is about to be inundated with torrents of “walking around money.” His opponents are literally going to be standing on street corners handing out money from big baskets of green cash to get people to vote against him just as they did in the case of McKinney. Every black minister will be put on their payroll to get out the vote. Every illegal alien will be solicited. If what happened to Cynthia McKinney is any indication, they will be supplying cash, free transportation to the polls from the housing projects and barrios, and even promising the prospect of free entry into lavish post election victory block parties well supplied with free food and booze.The media attack will be vicious and unrelenting. People in the local media who used to be his friends will desert him because of extreme pressure and threats from above. 

Then there are the Christian Zionists. John Hagee’s mega Cornerstrone Church in San Antonio is just a four hour car ride away from Dr Paul’s district.  I guarantee John Hagee (with twenty thousand plus parishioners) will be VERY active in making sure than Dr. Paul loses in either the primary or in the general election. I can just picture all those hired buses and car pools full of his white, average, unthreatening looking church members making their way down to Galveston starting any day now to walk the precincts in the white neighborhoods there and telling people there that Ron Paul is the anti-Christ

Did I mention that they will also be shipping in every neo Nazi and wacko in need of an infusion of cash so that these guys can very publicly pledge their allegiance to Dr. Paul. Like I said before, this campaign wil be unbelievably dirty. Forget any concept of fair play. 

This decision of Dr. Paul’s reveals an almost startling level of naivete. It is as if he thinks he can walk back over a bridge that he has already burned. Despite all his years in Congress he has apparently learned nothing about how these people operate and how just effective their well oiled machine can be.

Think I am exaggerating? Here are a few of the popular politicians who though they could take on the The Lobby and win but ended up losing badly: William Fulbright, Charles Percy, Pete McCloskey, Paul Findley,Cynthia McKinney, Adlai Stevenson Jr., Earl Holliman etc, etc.

They not only lost, Afterwards they were all marginalized to the status of “non persons” never to be seen in the popular media again. When was the last time you ever heard of Charles “Chuck” Percy? You probably didn’t know he was still alive did you? So complete was his banishment that few people know he is still with us. He was completely deserted by the Illinois Republican Party.

See: Charles H. Percy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list doesn’t even include those like Chuck Hagel who didn’t even attempt a reelection campaign because he already knew they had no chance.

Ex congressman Paul Findley is still alive and apparently living or working in Washington, DC. Ron Paul should really call him to get a picture of what is about to happen. Findley can be reached at 202-863-2951

John F.
Sausalito, CA
(a life long Republican)

Trying to reform or restore the GOP is like trying to polish a turd.  If we managed to pull off that unlikely stunt, what would we have?  A shiny piece of shit, that’s all.

Let the rotten GOP die off and/or merge with the democrats.  That’s precisely what the party leadership has been intent on doing as far back as I can remember anyway.

Terry V asks: “is there a libertarian caucus within the Republican Party or even the Democratic Party?”

On the Democratic side there is the Democratic Freedom Caucus which is described as “ a progressive, pro-freedom caucus in the Democratic party. The purpose of the DFC is to promote individual liberty, constitutional democracy, and social responsibility.”

Ii doubt that they would pass muster with advocates of Austrian School economics, (They endorsed Bill Richardson - a pretty far cry from Ron Paul). However its interesting to note that Libertarian ideas are making inroads into the party of Jefferson.

Even Barak Obama was recently tagged as a “Left-Libertarian”.

http://www.democraticfreedomcaucus.org/dfc-platform/

Agreed. Why a march? All Justin said is correct. Please Ron Paul--let’s do something much more useful.

I think this article needs to go in your bottom drawer Taki.  You say a lot of good things about Ron Paul, and I appreciate that, thank you.  A third party run would make his congressional seat void.  America simply can’t afford to lose him in Congress if he doesn’t take the Presidency.  Congress is the roots from which the tree of Libery will grow once again if we can get enough people in Congress who are followers of the Ron Paul platform.  I think you are missing the point of the march.  The march is not for us to feel good.  We already feel good about the message, enough to donate time and money into this campaign.  This march will be done in hopes that it will get us some publicity, it may not.  The march is to spread the message.  I will take my chances on the march and that doesn’t mean we cannot still have a convention after that.  All of us cannot afford to go to this march, but we also cannot afford not to.  Without a sovereign country and a free country, what jobs and security will be left anyway?  Strap your Dr. Martins on and lets go to the capital.  Go Ron, GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Justin, you wrote, “What does such a march accomplish, exactly, except to make the participants feel good?”

Maybe after less-than-fabulous results in the primaries/caucuses so far, “feeling good” again is what we need. I don’t think the whole Paul campaign was ever able to fully recover from the disappointing results of the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary. If Paul’s supporters get their optimism and confidence back, that will be a huge step toward furthering this cause. If a grand march in Washington aids in that endeavor, so be it.

Dr. Paul is RIGHT and on message:
The Country is facing 2 problems:
1. The Collapsing Economy,
2. The Wars
More than 70 % of Americans can be united on these issues which can only be tackled if we change direction in DC.
If we don’t deal with these 2 issues the “purity” of our ideology is not going to save us, and the American people will not support us.

We need to be open to becoming a big tent party to lead on and address these 2 issues.
(remember how the chinese communists formed a united front with the nationalists to defeat the Japanese, and after the Japanese were defeated they
Came to power in 4 years.
Their power came from leading the people on the MAIN ISSUES which was to defeat the Japanese, and provide economic survival.
If we do not understand this simple truth we deserve to have the neocons lead us to hell.
Lets support Ron Paul and if he says March lets March.
Strategy is important, we need to form the BROADEST possible United Front.
There are too many chiefs here and not enough Injuns.
The decision whether to March or hold a convention should be made in a smoke filled room and not be second guessed like this which only undermines the stated position of the leader. I’m sure Dr. Paul is aware of the difference between a March and a Convention.

Yep.  MARCH AWAY!  Hup, 2, 3 4 ... into oblivion.  I think a better idea would be to incorporate Ron Paul’s movement with a Ralph Nader platform.  Nader has a pretty decent organization, and one helluva stand on the issues that plague our country and our planet.  The only other productive idea would be to spread the writings of Mr. Raimondo far and wide, especially via the non-digital media, like your local newspaper.  It’s down to the wire, people.  Our Earth can’t stand much more abuse from the warmongers and big spenders, (ie. the military - industrial complex).

I find many of the comments in this thread constitute a sort of “flailing about.” Instead of thoughtful strategizing, I see floundering. Whether one believes there should there be a march or no march on Washington, we can certainly agree it would be great if Dr. Paul were re-elected to Congress. The beauty of a “write-in Dr. Paul in November” campaign is that it allows him to pursue his congressional race. All we want to do is get millions of voters to write in Dr. Paul’s name on their ballot! Simple. Direct. Over the coming months we explain to people why they should write in Paul’s name in November.  Would someone tell me what’s wrong with this plan?

I agree with you, Mr. Raimondo, that a 3rd
party “Libertarian?” run would have pleased many of
us supporters. But, I’m forced to wonder if there
are other circumstances we may be missing. Bruce Fein,
Ron Paul’s chief legal council is spearheading the
Republican efforts to impeach Bush/Cheney. Congressman
Wexler’s efforts are truly non-partisan. Wouldn’t an
impeachment and subsequent removal from office
discredit the Bush/Cheney interventionism and
the latest neo-con candidates and clear the
path for Ron Paul?

Isn’t it ironic that someone who permits no feedback on his own website has noting but negative feedback blowing smoke all over Ron Paul’s message, which, BTW needs could be more focused and show some PASSION.

I agree that a march is risky and should only be undertaken with considerable planning and care.

Also, it needs to have an educational purpose.

But for someone complaining previously that Ron’s temporary focus on his other campaign for his House seat is a “betrayal”, why bitch about an event intended to literally rally and inspire his followers, giving them something fun and important to do?

Very few RP supporters could afford to take off time to campaign in Iowa or New Hampshire. But many might travel for a long weekend for a rally in DC.

This would cost time and money, so Ron would have to break with tradition and actually manage this, not let it “happen” spontaneously with a few volunteers.

McCain will likely have the majority of delegates sewed up in 30 days or so.

What else can his primary campaign consist of (beside paid ads) other than events to rally his supporters and speak Truth to Power?

The rally might be one thing.

Justin, you can’t complain Ron is “betraying” the campaign on the one hand and moan about some upcoming event designed to spotlight his campaign on the other.

And Ron can’t pretend he can magically win a majority of delegates now. If it were ever possible (which no one rationally believed, given the GOP primary electorate) prior to the elections it surely is no longer even a faint hope.

The campaign can be faulted for the clumsy way they had to scramble to explain the recent downsizing. That showed poor leadership. But that has been rectified and Ron continues the battle.

I hope he continues his effort until September, sending his message.

If he holds a DC march and rally, I hope he has the good sense to make you one of the main speakers.

I’ve always admired your work, Justin,
but now is not the time to agitate.
You are a big part of this movement
and we need solidarity not second guessing.
Ron is leading this campaign. He is the
one making the greatest sacrifice and
he is well aware of the situation.
Stick with it, as he is.
A third party run will prove 10 times
more futile than running the course
already chosen with so much hard work
already committed.
It is the right course. I believe
Dr.Paul knows exactly what he is doing.

hey Andrew Capp:

F*** You—take your racist ass elsewhere and know that people with your ignorant attitude are are hopefully being pushed toward the margins.

Dr. Paul’s campaign can go wherever he please but it certainly does not need your racist ignorant small mind so long as it apparently has nothing to contribute.

I’d rather have an Obama given the lesser of 2 evils environment we are forced to lived in but to read your racist crap I say go F*** yourself.

Running on a 3rd party ticket would do the movement the best service, as Ron would be able to have a platform similiar to Perot in 1992.  He would not be 1 of 3 at the national debates, and would be the true alternative candidate.

The Republicans are going to gatekeep Ron Paul out until kingdom come.  Nothing is going to change in this country until we get free from under this two headed monster.  We have a War and Globalist party masquerading as two parties right now and as one can see from the options so far for 2008, the public is given absolutely no choice in the main election.

The thing that most surprises me about Ron Paul is his seeming immunity to discouragement. Ron Paul has been tirelessly fighting the beast for thirty years now, with no apparent diminution of dedication and effort on his part. Every time I have experienced a let-down, a disappointment in some election results or MSM bias, I see that he seems unaffected by the media slight or the lack of results. This is incredibly inspiring to me, and makes me want to just keep standing by him. And I will, too.

Another thing I have seen is that he is a very wise and seasoned cowboy: an astute judge of character and human foibles. My opinion is that he is correct in his reason for NOT going third party: If he did, and the dems won because it is perceived that he pulled from the GOP nominee, he will be blamed forever by the GOP for that loss. I think he is much smarter than we think.

A rally? Yes. I need to show my 15-year-old son our nation’s capital, and what it means to stand for one’s beliefs. He will remember it for the rest of his life.

I agree that a traditional march on Washington is probably not the best approach.  Mr. Raimondo correctly points out the disadvantages (which Paul seems to recognize).  If not enough people show up, it will be seen as a failure.  I don’t know how you avoid this as it will be difficult for many people to drop everything and travel to DC, and frankly, why subject us to the torture.  It would only take the presence of a few fringe elements (think angry neo-nazis) to discredit the entire march (and Paul).  You don’t have any ability to control what is happening and Paul’s enemies could easily pay some people to pose as the fringe (or worse) to discredit the march.  Contrary to Paul, he didn’t get anywhere near a fair shake by the media, and the media won’t give a march a fair shake.

The strength of Paul’s support has been the internet and its ability to unite people around the country, such as through the various money bombs.  Any rally, or similar grand event, has to build on this strength.

Something to consider: a nation-wide rally that is held simultaneously in DC and in each of the states, which would culminate in a DC convention that affirms resolutions on the war, economy and other pertinent issues, perhaps voted on via the internet by each of the state rallies.  Think mini-conventions of the people of each state joining together to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances. This might be more feasible to allow people to participate and to attract positive media attention, and it can be more controlled to prevent fringe elements from discrediting the entire event.  This would be a “town hall” meeting for supporters across the nation.  It would be a unique event capitalizing on modern technology that would be more likely to attract media attention.

However, its success depends on many factors:
1) It would have to be preceded and followed by some major print and TV ads that focus on the key issues covered by the resolutions, as well as some high profile TV interviews with Dr. Paul (for example: if you can get Leno and the Daily Show to interview him before and after, you could get a lot of publicity for the event).

2) Getting support from a broad coalition of groups (Libertarian party, Constitution party, progressives, paleoconservatives, pro-life and religious conservatives, etc.) that could lend coverage, attendance, and on-going support and publicity.

3) You need financing and planning.

4) Get some celebrities and high-profile personalities to participate and attend, as this would capture the broader public’s and media’s attention. Let’s face facts: we live in a celebrity obsessed society, and this would raise the profile of the event while also attracting more media coverage.

5) Showcase the diversity of support for Paul and his message.

6) Have delegates to both the Republican and Democrat conventions present the resolutions at their respective conventions.

Call it a Convention for Real Change, so you can contrast the real change Paul advocates with the Two-Party Monopoly represented by Obama-Hillary-McCain that provide the same Big Government, Welfare-Warfare State, Interventionist policies.

The march may transform into a riot :)

Ron leads, I follow.

Anyway you slice it DR.paul has done great service to
this country.And all the talk generated here is proof
of that.This being said ,I vow to trust his lead more
than all the bloggers that would have very little to
write about if we all kept following your grand ideas!
A march is only a fraction of what I am seeing happen.

Splitism is working for the enemy, second guessing your leader is anarchism,feedback is provided best with a private communication to the leader, drowning the leader’s message in a sea of doubts is acting like 9 cats in a room who won’t line up for inspection.
The discussion should be about: what can I do to help?
Glad to see we have some injuns amongst all the chiefs:)

@ “anon american MUSLIM Paul supporter”

Foul-mouthed comments like yours evoke neither sympathy nor respect. In fact, what it did was make me scroll up to see what the problem was and what do I find?
Somebody vilifies an unqualified presidential candidate and the critic is automatically a racist.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. I’m sick of politically correct weasels. If
you can’t take it, develop a hide; be a man for once in your life; and stop hiding behind the cowardice of calling someone a racist or a bigot as if that wins an argument. It doesn’t.

Now, what are you going to do besides exercising your right, as (presumably) an American citizen, to criticize A.Capp and to be foul-mouthed? Issue a fatwa?
Explode the bomb in your pocket?

You not only represent “muslims” (if, in fact, you are one), you represent a lot of the immigrant minorities who really take too much for granted here. If Dr. Paul and others like him can take abuse and criticism, certainly a nobody like you can learn to conduct yourself with a little more class. Does the concept of class (in the non-Marxist sense of the word) exist in the muslim culture?  If it does, start practicing it.

@ the rest of you....including Justin Raimando

Most of you are basically correct: a march is a complete waste of time. As far as that goes, a convention would be just as ineffective. I said it twenty years ago (to the few who were listening) and I’ll say it again: what the genuine conservatives need is an anchor in the culture to compete with the neocons and other socialists. You need the conservavtive equivalent of a cable news network; news; opinions; commentary; interviews; documentaries.
Very educational. Mix in some “c-Span” coverage and cultural productions and the potential is enormous.

Very simple. Very expensive. Twenty four hours a day. But you need reporters who are willing to be ostracized by their so-called peers; who know how to respond to the expected bigotry; and who have a commitment to truth. The choir, the demographics, would be easily 20 million regular viewers. So, you wanna commit to something for the present and the future?

All you need are a couple of billionaires with wisdom. That’s actually much more difficult.

Mr. Raimondo,

As usual, your writing is both succint and thought-provoking.

The only thing I would point out is that Ron Paul’s public flogging on Rudy Guiliani on the War and the re-education of Thompson on the gold standard and FED are two of the reasons why so many people woke up and swelled the Paulite ranks. I do agree with you that the GOP is for the most part too far gone. To only insist that we work within the GOP when the grassroots have far exceeded everyone’s expectation is not the best way in my opinion.

How about this? Let’s do both! Let’s have a Ron Paul Convention. Let the marchers march. Let’s have other luminaries get together for a Congress mobbed by thousands of young people eager to band together for individual liberty and responsible government.

- Abe

The march will be a lot bigger if Ron Paul decides to run 3rd party.

A permanent organization is the most important issue
facing us.  Will we continue to resist the ease with
which it may be implemented and the national unity of
our numbers it would provide? 
Or will we just talk ourselves into slavery?

Mr Raimondo-
What, you don’t have any contacts within the campaign that you can argue with privately?  Why on earth would you publicly criticize the candidate you have supported so well for so long?

How can your second guesses be constructive? What would make you so publicly disagree with the candidate you most agree with? It doesn’t make sense. Your behavior lately is as indefensible as Nick Gillespie’s, Matt Welch’s, or Radley Balko’s.

Publicly criticising strategy is stupid and harmful. You have a right to your opinions, of course. I fully understand why policy differences should be public, but a public strategy disagreement looks like mutiny.

Support Joe Allen comment, i had the same reaction.
Is it Tequila, or schnaps or Mau Tai?
Its a lot stronger than your everyday light beer.
We need to draw a line between what we think we know, and what we think we can say.

Erich sed: “It’s impossible to be both a Conservative and a Populist. Unfortunately, whether or not this was Paul’s intention, he’s become a tabula rasa for right-wing populists, along with the occasional Leftist.”

That is sort of a silly comment, given the fact that the political strategy of the so-called “conservative” movement since Reagan has been “fusionism”…combining a Wall Street economic agenda with whipping up popular discontent against the liberal social agenda of abortion-on-demand, multi-culturalism, radical feminism, racial preferences in the access to employment and educational opportunities, unrestrained immigration and so on..  This has been the winning formula for the Republican Party for years.

The problem is that the liberal social agenda and the Wall Street economic agenda have virtually undermined the middle class, the Nixon “silent majority” that has been so successful for years.  The folks that form this base---including the Christian fundamentalists---are being hit hard by decreasing real wages and increasing costs of education, housing and health care.  Fusionism was contradictory from the start, and too many folks are giving up on the social issues because they can no longer sustain the traditional middle class economic security for themselves and their kids. They are forced to choose between a Republican/”Conservative” economic agenda that is NOT in their interests, with the fact that virually nothing has been done for them on the social issues for 40 years by the Republican or “conservative” coalition.

In other words, too many people are waking up to the fact that ‘fusionism’ was always a fraud from the beginning.

Ron Paul’s popularity is that his issues are opposing the Wall Street or “liberatarian” agenda of using long term debt to fund short prosperity, while remaining absolutely faithful to opposing unrestrained immigration, racial quotas

I don’t know what Justin and the co-called “libertarians” are talking about when they rant about “liberty”, when in fact the mainstream libertarians and conservatives--the neo-cons---are obviously in opposition to everything they say they believe in.

BTW, a big “rally” isn’t a bad idea, but frankly the media will not cover it, and the real problem is that the chickens have come home to roost when it comes to the “conservative” movement, which as been based on contradictions since the beginning.

What we all ought to be doing is getting Ron Paul delegates elected in Texas!

McCain does not have enough delegates to win, and he can’t win a brokered convention. Actually, none of the candidates can, but it’s this kind of shake-up which can really be beneficial.

Also, delegates in Texas can change the state party platform just as in Alaska:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=117171

This is a golden opportunity to take over this weak party!

This is what we ought to be doing NOW instead of mulling about stupid conferences and marches and whatnot. Time is of the essence, so please help us take over the Texas GOP!

http://operationcomeandtakeit.com/

Ladies and Gentlemen,

When General Robert E. Lee ordered the Army of Northern Virginia into action on 03 July 1863 and specifically gave General Pickett the order to advance to, against and over the union line at the copse of trees, he knew that he was taking a very big risk; but his army was ready and his assets were well managed and in his command; yet, the outcome was not to be as he desired.  Had the cards fallen where Lee wanted to play them, he would have likely won the day.

This Revolution, which I support 100%, which is based on fundamental priciples articulated in a message by Ron Paul in this campaign and supported by so many thousands of people is no where near being ready to charge a copse of trees on the political landscape controlled by the Marxist narrative, the Rockefeller Republicans, the neo-cons and, on the Democratic side, the New Left and the vast patronage of that party.

Right now, we are nothing but a hodge podge of militia trying to figure out how to keep our powder dry.

Neither a march, a brokered convention or a third party in 2008 is going to win the Revolution.  Before we become, metaphorically, a fighting machine the equivalent of Lee’s - and even he lost - we have some years and work ahead of us.

Mr. Raimondo,

You are among the best writers whom I have ever encountered.  I look forward to reading what you write and will continue to do so; however, these two articles smack of a desire for instant gratification and of sunshine patriotism.  The Ron Paul campaign has, I my opinion, made several mistakes.  Hoping for a brokered convention was a false hope from the beginning, held out on Lew Rockwell’s site.  The Washington march is a mistake.  Going third party would likewise, I believe, be a mistake.  I have been involved in Presidential campaign’s in the past; from my perspective and experience, the RP campaign’s biggest mistake was not being organized at the precinct level in all states with primaries and caucuses by 31 August 2007.  However, ALL campaigns, even the strongest, make mistakes.

The principles behind the message are not flawed.  The message is not flawed.  The man, Dr. Ron Paul, who has been living the principles and giving the message as best he can, in season and out of season, is not flawed beyond those flaws which he shares with all fallen sons of Adam.  The Revolution is not flawed.  It is young, it is inexperienced, and it is impatient.  The Revolution has been bloodied and has survived.  The babies, whiners and quitters will go home; however, those left will be tougher, less afraid, a little wiser.  I am fifty-eight years old; I am likely to die somewhere between the next second and the next thirty years.  Given that my demise is at or about thirty years, I am in this Revolution for at least that long.

I then look forward to then day, somewhere in the future well beyond 2008, when someone will give the Revolution the order to charge that copse of trees and we will be such that we can realistically expect to win the day, breaking the line and pushing the Rockefeller Republicans, the neo-cons, the New Left, etc., to hell.

David slew Goliath with a sling shot. Mao took his followwers on the long March after repeated defeats, and chose the time and place for a come back in a “united front”. How will we know we need to go on a long march when we won’t even show up for a convention on the steps of the capital?
We are a bunch of sissified layabouts.
Lets see in 30 years China will be the Global superpower. The $ will trade at 10 $/1 yuan. Our per capita income will be $12,000 per annum, Dr. Ron Paul will have moved on..Florida and New York will have great subterranean tourist attractions for Chinese tourists.
History books wiil tell us the the U.S empire was so rotten that as it collapsed its intellectuals fiddled and paractised intellectual M**turba...as the storms gathered, the weather report will include your daily radiation count..

@ teachem2think

who commissioned you to defend Capp? or are you him signed as another name to look like he has support for his racism? either way you show no ability to see your own racism and it has nothing to do with being PC

for the record i do not like foul language and i do regret using those specific words and for that i take it back but to see a broadside to my faith out of context with Justin’s article’s purpose was uncalled for

i’d love to see you walk into a group of blacks and call them “negro”—talk about being a man i’d love to see you do it and you ask me to develop a hide—it is a vile word used given the historical use of it—your “fixation” on foul language is ammusing though given the following:

you do not know me and yet you chose to do the same smear job of lumping my beliefs with terrorist acts—let me teach you a little lesson for the “thinking” part of your brain: the incineration of some 150 000 japanese (real individual human beings) in WW2 **by the pressing of 2 bomb release buttons** is not something that can ever be attributed to christianity - it was terrorism of the worst kind yet i do not see it as faith motivated—yet is was “christians” that did it—maybe THAT is something that you can find offensive rather than foul language

if you include the fatalities since gulf war 1 there have been 1.5 million iraqis that have been killed from the warmongers’ elective “bringing democracy” to iraqis by bush and his criminal admin—all of them “christians” and “jews” (most of the neo-cons) and, although there is a clear undercurrent of faith motivated intentions, i do not hold them to be consistent with the teachings of Jesus and Moses—maybe THAT is something that you can find offensive rather than foul language

even the murderous, racist policies of israel i do not attribute to Judaic teachings yet it is jews who do the systematic killing of palestinians (christians and muslims) at a ratio that averages in the region of minimum 1:10—maybe THAT is something that you can find offensive rather than foul language

i never sought “sympathy” from anyone - if someone doesn’t like that i practice my faith then its not my problem its theirs

you choose to defend the vilifying of an “unqualifed candidate”—who the hell are you or i to see him as unqualified? like it or not he’s been vetted—that you do not like him is your problem

your simplistic approach exposes your immature intellect and puerile argument—issuing a fatwa? bomb in my pocket? dude get a life—whether you choose to admit/ see it or not muslims are well integrated in this country and overwhelmingly contribute positively to it—i could make juvenile arguments like you and make the case that there are immigrant minorities, poor blacks as well as use the pejorative “poor white ____” (such language i find as offensive as that of Capp’s ) taking too much for granted but then i would be like you—a simpleton—i prefer more nuanced understanding and discussion of what is going on

yes - as a muslim i find it offensive that my faith is always lumped with terrorism - have you ever asked yourself why talking-out-of-both-sides-of-his-mouth mitt complains that there is no room for judging ppl running for public office based on their faith yet he attacked islam in the same breath and claimed he would never have allowed for any muslim in his admin? i’m willing to argue for whatever and wherever is truth whether it is against ppl like you or mis-guided muslims, christians or jews who are out of touch with the universal teachings of peace and justice that are taught in the scriptures

>>"Does the concept of class.. ... exist in the muslim culture?  If it does, start practicing it.”

you clearly neither know anything about nor have you ever experienced “muslim culture” for you to have any credible opinion on it—i suggest you get out once in a while and try and actually see other parts of the world before you make judgments for yourself about over a BILLION ppl—translation in case you did not “get it” its not monolithic!

what a stupid argument you have implying that by my posting towards Capp i am “really take too much for granted here”

perhaps you need to teach YOURSELF to think first before get worked up over my use of foul language and get some perspective on proportionality of human suffering and lives lost—maybe then the terrorist acts will become more comprehensible to you since you clearly have not understood Dr Paul’s arguments

for stats by honorable peace seeking ppl of faith see:

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/

@ anon

Nuance is my middle name; I just don’t advertise it.
No one commissioned me to do anything. I respond to what I like
or don’t like. After reading your comments, I think I am supposed
to feel chastened. I don’t. I think your knowledge of history is
rudimentary, at best. I can assure you, I have as much respect for your
false and blasphemous religion as I do for zionism. The critical
difference is that while you can spout whatever you want here,
if I dared to call mohammed – a morally degenerate Bedouin
who is probably burning in hell – a child molester (if not an
outright pedophile) because of his “marriage” to Aisha, daughter
of Umar (second caliph) when she was seven years old and he was
fifty one, I would be arrested and tried and executed in any muslim
nation.  This lice-ridden “messenger of God,” in his wisdom and
munificence, waited until she was nine before he consummated
the “marriage.” And I am to be impressed that there are over a
billion idiots in the world who are adherents to this “prophet” ? 
Sorry, I’m not impressed but I respect you and your beliefs as much
as I do the zionists who murdered and beheaded British soldiers
before Israel was recognized as a “legitimate” state.

The only truly important matter is that I could never publish the
above in any primitive, God-forsaken muslim country without
putting my life in jeopardy. Here, so far, we don’t have that problem.

If you truly understood American history or politics, you would not
ask a question like “who the hell are you or i to see him [Obama]
as unqualified?  like it or not he’s been vetted...” Having millions
of quasi-educated citizens vote for you does not validate any sense
of worth or qualification for such a position. What it does verify is
the extremely low level of education prevalent in our nation.  And,
whether you like it or not, those of use who have been around for
a while, remember how Vice-President Dan Quayle was portrayed.
He had been Vice-President for one term; served two terms (12 years)
in the Senate; and three terms (6 years) in the House. And he was
portrayed as “not qualified” because he misspelled a word on tv.
Now your hero, has served four years in the Senate, six or seven in
the Illinois State legislature, and I am supposed to accept him as being
“qualified”?  The only people more contemptible than the charismatic
candidate are the idiots who vote for him and support him.

I could respond to your other statements but, frankly, that’s not the
purpose of these columns and/or the comments. The purpose is
to discuss ideas.

@ anon

Correction: “Now your hero....” was inadvertent.
It should read” “Now B. Hussein Obama....”

@ teachem2think

ok now you *REALLY* display you need to apply your online name to yourself and you won’t believe me when i say this but i mean it in the most non-derogatory way - i sincerely feel you have been unexposed to certain realities—whether or not you advertise your “nuance” is irrelevant if the argument you make shows otherwise

i *genuinely*-- GOD as my witness—feel sympathy for you—for though i know that there are many acts done out there that are done by muslims or attributed to islam, they are NOT representative of the true teachings which are clearly unknown to you—they are of the same kind as acts done by christians and jews, hindus, sikhs, buddists whatever that are criminal and out of touch with the teachings of the respective faiths/ scriptures - no more no less—your “blasphemous religion” comment betrays your lack of knowing what islam is—for a good place to start if you should take it upon yourself to learn what i am talking about see the below link for a good starter book:

http://www.islamctr.org/Publisher.asp

you conveniently smear the prophet - and, whether you believe me or not, i do not feel ANY “offense” for i know him by the teachings in the Qur’an that you and others like you have clearly never been exposed to what they truly are by virtue of your hostility—which i would be glad to address but not here as its not the forum for it --- while you smear him yet you conveniently do not address the most important issue i presented being the genocidal acts that are committed by so called “christians” or “jews”—like i said i do not conflate the two things: - the act(s) by the individual or group and the teachings of the scriptures

“if I dared to call mohammed...”—i’m sure there are many places in the South US where if one were to say derogatory remarks towards Jesus they would be persecuted as well—heck not too long ago since you seem to not remember this point people were doing just that to blacks just for BEING black all under a false guise of a “white christianity” of the sort that Jesus would have surely condemned ... i presume you know what the KKK represented or do you not?

i have probably more hostility than you towards zionism for it is a racist ideology that - again - is mis-representative of the Old Testament teachings—and this is where many of my jewish brethren are mis-guided—yes brethren and that for me includes you as well whether you choose reciprocate it or not because i see us all as children of Adam and Eve even if my brethren are unable to accept that

you - even more clearly now - have never ventured in any muslim majority country and for that you are in a cocoon of disinformation that you will never see yourself out of till you expand your horizons—again i’d be be glad to address ANYTHING but will YOU be open to such a discussion? given your lack of exposure

you don’t display knowledge of muslims’ views on Jesus, Moses, Abraham, God etc and i would be happy to address them if you are inclined (email me if you wish:  ekalam at excite dot com should you decide to be educated by a muslim directly instead of the islamophobic sources you clearly are presenting talking points from)

on the Obama issue which we have detracted from - yes he has been “vetted” by virtue his meeting the qualifications to run for office—again the QUALITY of the candidate is another issue that is subject to the people’s education, capacity for civic responsibility etc—that you do not like him or liked Quayle is entirely a separate issue—quality is not equal to qualifying; one may qualiFy without being the best “qualiTy”—i would hope that you see that as a fact

but your argument needs much more rigor as you defeat your own point—that Quayle was in the house and senate as he was can JUST AS EASILY be attributed to verifying “the extremely low level of education prevalent in our nation” by “quasi-educated citizens” voting for him (whether its millions across the country for the presidency or the constituents of a senator or congressman) so there is a problem there in your argument --- ok so you hate Obama deal with it - i can’t stand any of them if Paul would have had a chance

and it might interest you to know that it is BECAUSE Paul is so principled and TRUE to his christian faith that i am supporting him (principles that are in total agreement with the ones i hold AS A muslim)—he is not a hypocrite like so many other “christians” as he embodies in his behavior and actions the TRUE teachings of Jesus and that is the precise reason why he was not accepted by the psuedo-christians and was blocked by them by virtue of their empirical aspirations—on that level Paul is a “hero” for me

>>"I could respond to your other statements but, frankly, that’s not the purpose of these columns and/or the comments. The purpose is to discuss ideas.”

please feel free to do so at my email for the “ideas” i presented —sorry your above statement is too much escapist from the MUCH bigger issue presented re genocidal acts by so called “christians” and “jews” in proportion to labeled “terrorist” acts done by “muslims” - the Obama issue is nothing in comparison

again for the record i will apologize for my vulgarity towards Capp - i was not being true to my faith - but will emphasize again also that such vulgarity should cause less offense as it PALES to the offense of the crimes against humanity that are going on as we speak RIGHT NOW with the approval of so many

i am reminded of a statement that makes me even more apologetic to Capp for my vulgarity:

“Love is from God. Hate is from the Devil.”

despite your racist remark Capp

peace

correction of the starter book link - its free, its an education should you make the attempt

http://www.islamctr.org/muslimmind.asp

peace