San Francisco Republicans Cancel Straw Vote--Because Too Many Paul Supporters Show Up

This is ridiculous. These events are all about getting your people to show up and participate. If you can do that, then you win. But it doesn't mean much more than that. They should have let it go forward; what harm would have been done?

Thanks for posting the video. I've seen a couple of these scenario's in the last week, and it's definitely a curiosity. I couldn't really make out the reason why the straw poll was cancelled because there were several people complaining about the fact that they were going to be refunded rather than given the opportunity to vote in this seemingly meaningless straw poll.

I will say that even if this wasn't sanctioned by the GOP and may have been a private entity carrying out the straw poll, it's unethical and it really shouldn't have happened. However, Ron Paul supporters shouldn't be so quick to jump down people's throats. I know it feels good to be part of something you believe in, and you want other people to believe in it as strongly as you do partly because you feel it's right, and partly because all people are generally more comfortable with their decisions if those are more common as opposed to less.

But this video shows me two important things. First, it shows that even at the local level, some people in power positions have a general disdain for the supporters of Ron Paul, and not so much the candidate himself. Secondly, it shows me that Ron Paul supporters really need to get smart about how they react in situations like this.

You can't just start screaming bloody murder every time your candidate is undercut like this. I heard one person say "we've been marginalized for years," and i believe that. Unfortunately, this kind of reactionary attitude toward something you're not even surprised at is just what the opposition is going to focus on.

Non supporters who see this video are probably going to notice first how unruly Ron Paul supporters seem. In this video it looks like they're taking things to the extreme.

You have to be smarter about how you react to an unfriendly political environment or you will further isolate your candidate. We do not live in a utopia, and there is a big difference between the way things should work, and the way they actually do work. You have to be smart about it. This wasn't a smart reaction.