Ron Paul Appears to have Given up 2008 Presidential Bid to Focus on Congressional Run

reply to post by xstealth

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Yes that exactly what he said. He is turning his efforts to preseve his seat. But keep sending me money!!!!!

No doubt he will kepp his presidential campaign going simply to enrich his coffers for future endeavors. its really that simply. You savior seems to reek of the same old brand of politics

[edit on 2/9/08 by FredT]

of cource he has not given up anything, he still needs you guys to keep sending in the money. Lets face facts, as a fringe candidate he never really stood a chance. Why walk away from a cash cow?



[edit on 2/9/08 by FredT]

A donation is made willingly, it can also be a tax write off correct? There is nothing wrong with keeping the pipeline open. You should not donate until you have researched it and you are happy with your reasons for doing so.

For instance, I first donated to him months ago because he was getting a minute here and there in these debates, and using them to openly talk about the national debt and inflation tax, and that maybe just maybe, all these occupations of foreign countries are unnecessary and attack our liberties/hurt our national security.

I never once donated because I thought he would win. I took full responsibilities for my choice of donating, as anyone else should.

With all due respect, I'd like to point out a few things.

For the last two years, many of you have cried to the heavens, "Ron Paul must run the fo the Presidency!"

Well...he has. You got your wish.

For 12 glorious months, an under-funded and unappreciated man...who could be off doing other things...has stood on the national stage and said loud and clear what you've been thinking.

The media has laughed at him, and he's been poorly treated in the Presidential debates. And yet...he stayed on task because he thought your point of view needed to be represented.

He made sure you got heard.

If he wants to make sure you still have a voice when Hillary takes power, he needs to keep his seat in Congress. He needs to have the sterngth of character to keep on going in spite of his failures, or the fact that the rest of you are so bummed out.

That's what you want, right?

Or, would you rather have him give up and go fishin' because he can't win?

Now, his name is in the history books. Every word he said and wrote will be looked at by scholars and political thinkers for the next thousand years. His brief contributions will be remembered long after you and I are gone. His arguments might still be changing minds well in to the next century.

That ain't half bad for a guy who lost with dignity.

Think about that the next time you wish for a champion. You're asking them to "step up" whether they win or lose.

Could you do that?

I know you guys disagree stongly, but I'm not the only one who reads his recent email as "I give up". Funny , the New York Times sees it the same way.



And look at this short summary on Slashdot.


I know a lot of you feel strongly about Ron Paul, but how can you still believe that he has any hope of winning the 2008 Presidential election? Okay, sure he didn't say "I quit" but anyone willing to look at the situation with an open mind will see it that way. When Mitt Romney "suspended" his run what did everyone say? The said he conceded and they were right. Did Mitt Romney say "I quit"? No, but we all get it. It's a shame that many of you here don't "get it". Politicians are not going to say they are quitting. That wouldn't be right. They simply re-shift their focus to other things.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet".

You can call it what you want, but Ron Paul has just effectively given up on being President this year.

I don't see what the conflict is in this thread.

I received Ron Paul's email the moment he sent it and I read it thoroughly. I got the same impression as the OP did. I have been a supporter of Ron Paul since the first debate where Giuliani tried to make a name for himself against the bomb-thrower Paul. I'm not taking any offense to any of this.

I don't believe in God, and i don't believe Ron Paul, at this point, has any shot at winning the GOP nomination. Additionally, it makes zero sense for him or his supporters to think it would be a good idea to continue the fight for the nomination full-throttle and risk losing his Congressional seat as well. Something is better than nothing, is it not?

I first posted news of this announcement last evening in the US Politics forum, but i'll reiterate here.

Ron Paul is a catalyst for something bigger. He is the vessel of this message at this present time. Real change doesn't happen in one election cycle as Obama supporters will soon find out when Hillary gets the nomination because of her overwhelming establishment support. Real change happens over the course of years, and it's up to supporters of "the revolution" to continue to propagate that change via more regional elections such as the Senate and House races.

Doesn't that make more sense? Doesn't change always happen from the ground up? Ron Paul is a pacifist, he is a strong supporter of non-violent protest the likes of MLK and Ghandi. Change will happen only if we can carry on this mobilization into regional elections and change Washington from the inside out.

There are a handful of politicians in government who truly have our best interests at heart. Just a handful. It's high-time we start electing more of them in my opinion. The Revolution can and must live on there.

reply to post by dbates

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You still interpreted it wrong. Here's the story from AP:

Ron Paul Vows to Remain a Republican in Race




He is making cuts to his campaign, not dropping out.

dbates, you really need to change the title of your thread. Its very misleading and erroneous.

He hasn't appeared to have given up anything. He needs to focus on the Senate race for the moment, but as soon as that's over, he'll be back.

Same thing happened with Kucinich, but his support is not nearly as significant with the mainstream.

A few other quotes from the source:



He plans on 'fighting on' in the remaining primaries and the caucus.

Where does he say he's dropping out?

I must be illiterate or something because I don't see a single drop of evidence of him dropping out.



Check his website for the email (www.ronpaul2008.com)

He needs our support in both races and I see no evidence for him dropping out of either.

There is an existing older thread .

Well all I can say is that Paul and other minor candidates will never have any real influence unless the US becomes a representative democracy . My advice to Paul fans is to start a grass roots movement that supports MMP and Dennis and Ron running on a independent ticket in 2012/16 .

He is running for re-election in Congress as a Republican. He is on the verge of losing the GOP nomination for President. He is not going to run for his House seat as a Republican, and then run for President as a third party. It doesn't make sense.



He hasn't dropped out of the Republican race, but he has acknowledged the fact that he isn't going to win the nomination. Many may perceive his dropping out because his level of support is the equivalent to having dropped out of the race for many Americans. You have poll workers telling voters that Ron Paul dropped out of the race which is why he wasn't on some ballots. It's all fine and good to be into the cause and hopeful of that cause, but the chips are down so far they're underground, and to think Ron Paul's 21% finish in Washington state laste night is going to thrust him into the winners circle, you're wrong.



Again, he isn't dropping out. But he is accepting the fact that he won't win. As a Ron Paul supporter i'm okay with that because i know the real power will come when we start electing responsible politicians to other facets of government such as the House or Senate.

I too got the email form Ron Paul's campaign staff and as anyone here knows has been a staunch Ron Paul supporter from the get-go. Not for one second did I delude myself into thinking he would ever get the Republican nomination. His policies and positions strike at the very heart of the corporate machine that feeds the RNC and its various special interests. He's their worst nightmare.

I have to respect his desire to protect his congressional constituency. And his desire to support his party. But as has already been pointed out, this republican party (and the democrats are no better) is a wholly owned perversion of the corporate special interests. It is they who are responsible for the very decline that Ron Paul himself has underlined again and again in his speeches.

He cannot run as a Republican without the party's nomination. He isn't going to get nor did he ever have a hope of getting that nomination for the reasons cited. I'm amazed that he and his advisors wouldn't have realized that. By ruling out a 3rd party run he has effectively taken himself off the November Presidential ballot. As difficult as that may be for me to accept.

It was a long shot. But it was a shot. I hope everyone keeps this in mind as things play-out over the next few years. This election is a historic turning point for this country. I sincerely fear for us.

Alast a Ron Paul fan has admitted the truth. Ron never tuely stood a chance of winning. If was simply a silly wish, but i feel like he wil be great in his congressional run.

Dorian Gray

I'm a Ron Paul supporter and i've been admitting the truth for a good while now. The truth is that our empire is going bankrupt and our solution is to spend ourselves into oblivion. The truth is that our foreign policy has lead us right where we are today. These are big ideas and they come with pretty bold accusations, and people do not like big ideas.

New letter from the campaign...



Read the full letter here.

It's far from over.

Ron Paul is calling for a Washington march. People are currently discussing when to hold this march. We're looking at June. I'm already planning to take my vacation for this march. Regardless of the turnout of this election, our message stands for more than any other candidate.

YouTube Link

YouTube Link

Change? Are they really pretending this is a presidential campaign platform? I guess so. And people are really buying it. Hey, I changed my shoes this morning. Does that make me a candidate?

dbates,

Your title is inherently flawed.

Ron Paul did not give anything up.

Here is a video update from the man himself.

YouTube Link

reply to post by The Cyfre

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No bud, you're wrong.

He's still 'in it to win it.'

Nothing has changed.

It's people...oh, excuse me...Super Moderators like DBates that make me not want to fight the good fight for the US Constitution and a more transparent and representative Government for us all.

But I have kids, and I'm going to use the opportunity that a good man has given us all to do what I can to get the message of Liberty out. People will continue to feel like they are free, until it's too late.

Washington DC has the following on thier license plates "Taxation without Representation" like it's mocking us. Look it up.

I recently posted a rant thread called "When is Enough Enough." Take a look.

I think I know what the "D" stands for, DBates.

Why don't we let the Candidates admit defeat before the media says it for them? Reading between the lines is reading empty space.

He's not out, and I'm going to the March. It's only February. 1 of 3. Don't let the b.s. fool you.

Maybe just maybe this is the March that brings true and utter change. I want a grand sit in on Washington.

Bet you someone won't let it happen. But I'm going anyways.

Go Paul.

Would you guys feel better if the thread title was changed to "Ron Paul doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of winning"? You need 1,191 delegates to get the Republican nomonation. Let's see how the field is doing today.

Current Delegate Count

• McCain - 789
  
• Romney - 288
  
• Huckabee - 241
  
• Ron Paul - 14
  

Ron Paul, Loserville called. They want you to come back home. Romney quit and Ron Paul can't even beat him. What hope does he have of overtaking McCain?

Anyone who has hope of Ron Paul winning has to be willing to ignore the facts. He's done, and he never had a chance. Be honest with yourself. He's going to persue his congressional seat. The White House is out of his grasp this time. McCain was pathetic in 2000 but he's the obvious victor this year. Maybe Ron Paul will do better next time.


[edit on 13-2-2008 by dbates]

reply to post by dbates

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You're sitting down in your picture because you're between 4 and 4 1/2 feet tall, aren't you? Be honest.

Please tell us "ridiculous" supporters of the Constitution who we should vote for. Am asking you for your help.

John McCain, who did serve our nation, and was held captive in Viet Nam, doesn't get my vote. I've stated in other threads that I have boys and don't want to see them HAVE TO serve their country by way of a draft. Ron Paul asks, "How can we afford to stay in Iraq for another 'hundred years?'" What's you're response to that question?

Then there's this:

www.libertypost.org...

What do you think?