Texas Congressman Ron Paul appeared on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday to discuss the results of the Nevada caucus. Paul vowed to press forward as long as possible up to the convention.
Report from the LA Times:
A day after losing a Nevada contest that exposed the limits of his appeal to Republicans, Ron Paul vowed to keep pressing ahead for the party's presidential nomination, saying his ideas were inspiring an intellectual revolution among young Americans.
"I want to change the government, and I want to change it through the electoral process, but I also want to change the hearts and minds of people," the Texas congressman told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week." "That is where it really starts, and that is where we're making the progress."
Initial returns found Paul finishing third in the Nevada caucuses, just behind former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, but far behind winner Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. If those results stick in the final tally, it would mark a serious disappointment for Paul, who is counting on a sprawling grassroots network of supporters to dominate GOP contests in states that hold party caucuses rather than primaries.
"The votes aren't all counted yet, and there seems to be a bit of chaos out there, even though it was a small caucus vote," said Paul, who had hoped to place at least second to Romney. "There was a lot of confusion. So yes, if you go from second to third, there would be disappointment, but also on the positive side, we will get a bloc of votes. We will still get some delegates."
Paul stopped short of saying that he had no hope of capturing the nomination. But he came close.
Paul has the money to continue and his supporters are adamant so I suspect he'll be fighting Romney for the long haul. Gingrich can only hope to outlast Paul and become the non-Romney in the race.
Am for Romney but I like Ron Paul. If he were to win instead of Romney I would vote for him. I would NEVER vote for Gingrich. He's too much!
Ron Paul is a Great American Patriot the likes of which we have never known since the founding of this country!
Ron Paul does not need to win the republican nomination nor does he need to run third party to win the presidential election.
I will write him in and millions and millions of his supporters will be doing the same thing. I vote for the president not the party and I choose Ron Paul and no other!
Join us and write him in, there is no second choice candidate who stands for the principles of freedom as Ron Paul does.
Ron Paul is the only candidate who represents The People, "We The People" and our country's best interest. Ron Paul is US!
American Patriot, Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul!
I believe in Ron Paul, I will not vote for someone I do not want in office. I think voting a party is the reason for the stagnation and the business as usual. I will write in Ron Paul for President.Mitt Romney represents the problem, not the solution.
I agree that Mitt Romney is a part of the problem. I agree that both parties are essentially opposite sides of the same Statist coin heading down the wrong road, but I disagree strongly with the idea of not voting against the bigger problem.
It's all hypothetical at this point, but if Romney becomes the nominee we're essentially in the same place we were in 2008; having to choose the lesser of two evils. Having seen the Obama version I cannot help but think that anything Romney brings would be better. It can be argued that it isn't enough by a long stretch, but a single step in the right direction is better than a sprint in the wrong direction.
We (the people) are in damage control right now. We have been asleep for a long time and just woke up when we felt the ship hit the rocks. There has been a lot of confusion and scrambling, and many are still not clear on what has happened or what needs to be done. In that regard, Ron M. is right, although he got the name of the disease wrong (you can't fix stupid). Ignorance is the problem and the fear that people have is driving them to learn about what is going on. That is our only chance, but it may not come in time for this election.
If that is the case, we need to be prepared to defeat the one who is doing the most damage and focus our attention on driving change through Congress. Lest we forget, the President is not the King. For the most part, when the office isn't being abused, the President is a cheerleader. The real change comes from Congress and the President signs the paper. <bWe directly influence what Congress does. We elect the representatives and senators, who (if we chose well) listen carefully to us and create laws, repeal laws, and vote the way we want them to. I know that my Representative is on the right page and is very attentive to what his constituents want him to do in D.C.
We have to remember that we are driving this ship! The Constitution provides that We the People are the ones who form the government. It is because we dropped the reins that we have been abused, we need only to take them back, and we are doing that.
Doug, I agree with you completely on a philosophical level, but I'm afraid that we cannot afford to lose this election on principle. If we let the ship sink, our principles aren't going to save us from the sea. I would love to see the presidential elections use Instant Runoff Voting, which would allow us to choose the truely best candidate that we can, but that isn't a choice, and so we need to choose which way we go this year: Do we vote for the best person who can't win because it's the "right" thing to do, or do we vote to defeat the man who is systematically dismantling our country day by day? My vote is the latter. I love what Ron Paul is doing, I thoroughly agree with his politics, and when my turn comes at the primary booth he will almost certainly get my vote, but once it comes to the Presidential election in November, my vote goes to whomever is the most likely to defeat Obama.
It would be great if this fight were a sprint, but it's shaping up to be a marathon, and I think it would be unrealistic to expect a quick fix to a problem that's been going on for over a hundred years. One battle at a time. Vote to defeat Obama and then move on to the next battle.
My take on the 5 left:
1) Ron Paul — a genuine Patriot
2) Mitt — a handsome flip-flopper
3) Newt — orating Sophist with an animal-like intuition
4) Santorum — a rabid mutt (akin to a mad terrier)
5) Obama — little narcissist that blames all for his shortcomings
Odd, discuss the results ?…….they aren't even in yet hahaha.
Can you say fraud !
Sublime, as the results come in, more goes to Romney and less to Paul. With 71% of the precincts reporting, these are the results: Romney 48%, Gingrich 23%, Paul 19%, Santorum 11%. There's not only a great divide between Romney and Gingrich, but Gingrich + Paul does not surpass Romney. That's the same way it was in FL, Gingrich + Santorum still did not surpass Romney.
I'm disappointed. I was hoping Paul would come in 2nd, up close and personal to Romney, with Gingrich a distant 3rd. Paul hasn't, in my opinion, been posturing himself as the not-Romney as Gingrich has, and to a certain extent, also Santorum. Paul simply runs on his own issues.
I don't think Paul has a snowball's chance of getting the nomination, but I'd sure like to see him as the next Chairman of the Fed.
@Carmen:
I'm surprised that someone who likes and understands the message of Ron Paul would also back Romney. I too am a Ron Paul fan, in fact I think that he's the only one of the bunch who really understands both the problem and the solution. To me, Romney appears to represent exactly the opposite. I do not believe that he has the background or fundamental understanding of free market (Austrian) economics, or constitutional principles to do what needs to be done.
The mess we are in is so big and so deep that it is going to take some very aggressive measures to change our course before the bus goes off the cliff. I don't see Romney as being that sort of person. In fact he comes across to me as a typical politician; trying to find a middle ground, smooth talking his way along, but not really knowing much.
I understand your concerns about Newt, and I agree that he's not ideal (I would like to take the best characteristics of the four of them and make one candidate), but I believe that he and Santorum both understand to a much larger degree than Romney what Ron Paul understands, and although they differ from Paul on some issues (militarism), the core issues are understood by them much better than by Romney, and their solutions stronger and better directed.
Newt, for all of his issues, has solid solutions in mind for the really big problems that we face. Do I care if he wants to build a moon base? Not really, congress will decide if that happens, and we tell congress what we want. Do I care about his previous marriages or how he behaved in them? Slightly, but frankly when I'm on a bus about to go over a cliff, I really don't care what the guy in the driver's seat does at home so long as he knows where the brake is and intends to use it. Likewise with Santorum, I don't like a couple of things he brings to the table, but I can live with them because I think that congress can limit what he is able to do, and we direct congress through our representatives and senators.
What we can't afford now is weak leadership. While I don't think Romney is a weak man or necessarily a poor leader, I don't think he has a reliable compass. I think his understanding of the problems we face, and their causes and cures, is very shallow, and that is not what we need right now.
In reading back over this I realize that I got up on a soap box. I want to say that I am not trying to lecture Carmen at all. I respect everyone's right to choose the candidate they think is best. I just wanted to put my argument out there too, and I'm genuinely interested to hear Carmen's reasons for choosing Romney and Paul as a pair.
JF — Romney is prettier….
But Romney has already beginning dementia or something alike ( look at his moves, it is so slowly, I think personally that he is psychopath and this his whole programm and whole speech - he is prowars, he has poor people for nothing- it can be that in will come time when majority of Americans from USA will be poor, he is supported by all possible lobbysts and speculators, he has ruined a few companies it is the same candidate like Bush and Bush has ruined your country ) and Ron Paul is healthy. Paul is really intelligent, Paul is good and great politician. Paul has chances to win with Obama, Paul has the best solutions for USA - his proposals of foreign policy and domestic policy are very good and the best among all candidates, he is honest, he is not corrupt, he does not belong to clique and it is very important thing: president in USA has influence to create government from people according to his wish and clearly that he will not take old clique, but completely new people to his government and this is chance for USA, Ron Paul is candidate who does not love global speculators,global pro-war establishment, who does not love all possible foreign countries. He loves own country, USA and he loves own nation-Americans from USA and will care about USA and US nation. He is the only chance for you. Believe me.
Okay, JF, just saw this and want to answer you. We all know Ron Paul isn't going to get the nomination. For whatever reason Anerica just dosen't get all his message. As for Romney, do feel he would be our best bet. He is what we need right now. We are in such a mess. As for him not being agressive, I don't think he made his money being a push over. He gets faulted for having money and yet we need someone who can make us money and get us out of this debt. Funny, fist I've ever heard of his being a smooth talker! Usually its that he isn't and they wish he was. If people want Mr. Personality in the white house, we already have that and look where that got us.
As for Newt. I am probably older then you, and I remember his time at the White House. All his blunders! Now, to hear him talk about it, he single handed balanced the budget and pretty much ran the White House all by himself! Oh, and that was in the '80 and '90. What has he been doing since? Why do so many people that where in office with him not like him? Even today? He can't get along with people. How would he get anything done? About the budget, his campaign is $600,000 in debt. And, that's because he is so angry Romney is ahead, he is set on ruining him. Not even sure he's running to win more then to get even! Is that what you would want for a president? One that gets sidetract not even in the middle of a race? He needs to balance his own budget! Maybe he can borrow the money. (Am sure he has plenty of it himself)
As for Santorum. He would never win in a General Election. Too far to the right. Good values but not sure he has enough experience. (kinda whiny)
Marlene — LOL (Paul Head of Feds)…good one!
As far as Ron Paul's snowball chance — the more people hear his message, the greater the snowball effect. The question is, will he receive by the mainstream media the necessary exposure on time (if ever)?
Get the RNC and the GOP out of the counting and the votes will be right.As far as IOWA I seen first hand in my caucus the slight of hand,after standing over the count to make sure everything was up and up,I find out later the talley was handed over to a unknown whom was going to "call in the vote numbers"????BULL from DAY ONE the CAUCUS is at best a bunch of CON MEN. Manipulators with tentacle's.To STOP any one that may kill their cash cow.Its FAKE FOLKS.The RNC and their caucus is FAKE. Put all their name's on a ballot and let ME decide. I dont want anyone to tell me whom they decided "IS NOT THE BEST CHOICE FOR ME" When we get to third party and out of the RNC counting the votes it's "HANDS DOWN" RON PAUL
Stupid is a disease, but luckily there is a cure, it's called education. Where have you people been living? The objective of this election is to get rid of Mr. Obama & all his czars to save our precious country. Whoever that may be we as a people have to vote for that person. GOD Bless the USA.
Ron Paul is really the greatest candidate, great politician and he would be the best candidate for president in USA, he has really the chance to win against Obama, the rest of these republican candidates will fall ( they are completely out of their minds ).
I think that it is in interest of USA to have normal, good president and not to choose between evil ( Romney ), disaster ( Gingrich ) and less evil ( Obama ). You can have normal, good president, who will save USA and who will care about US nation.
He will change government, it will be no old clique anymore.
Ron Paul ROCKS!!!
It is TIME for a true return to freedom and the inspired Constitution.
None of the other candidates can match up to his principled patriotism and wisdom!!
Watching the republican primaries from outside the U.S.A.is
seems obvious to me that CNN is manipulating public opinion
in favor of Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich attempts to get voters
to think outside of the box "moon base" and Ron Paul's views
about budgeting with a smaller federal government are quickly
passed over by CNN reporters with snide commentary.