My Precinct - All Ron Paul delegates, but Santorum won the vote

We all see what is happening around us, don't we? Elections and media coverage are manipulated to perpetuate their choice of OUR elected representatives!

The rules of the game have been set to allow this manipulation to be set forth by people much higher on the food chain than the voters themselves.

So I say that we need to take back the power of the voting public!

Vote for Ron Paul! If that is what you want to do then do it! Who cares what anyone else says!

Finally a post that has a simple and easy answer.

Vote RP

The reason that this wouldn't go against the will of the people is because the PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY HAVE NO WILL LEFT!!! You are morally obligated to vote RP because you know that number 1 - the people who voted for Santorum probably dont really understand why they voted for him number 2 - the people who voted for Santorum probably dont have kids in the Military number 3 - the people who voted for Santorum have not idea what his voting record is number 4 - the people who voted for Santorum only voted for him because he won the last 4 states and would of voted for Romney if he wasnt loosing all the time. Theres more but it would take me all day.

Trust me, you wont loose a single amount of sleep voting for RP as the Republican Nominee and at the end of the day your neighbor will be grateful you did.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3



The straw poll and the delegate process are separate for a reason. If you were to vote for Santorum after expressing that you were a Paul delegate you would be acting dishonestly.

You were voted in as a delegate as a Paul supporter, you should take that seriously. I would be pretty mad if I voted for you as a delegate and then read this.

This isn't winner take all, you are talking about two separate and distinct votes. One vote is a straw poll, the other vote is the delegates. They are separate yet for some reason your are trying to combine them. The only dishonest thing you could do is not vote according to your beliefs.

As a delegate you should understand this. If you don't perhaps you should reconsider being a delegate in the first place, you really ought to understand and abide by the process if you are going to participate in it.

You should respect the rules of the process. The rules are very clear, the straw poll is non-binding and the delegates are not to be representative of the straw poll.

If the straw poll was supposed to decide who the delegates vote for than the rules would reflect that.

Why are you thinking about trying to unofficially change the rules of your states convention with your vote?

That is the moral problem I see here.

If you don't like the way your state does it then petition them to change the rules so that the straw poll is binding, until then you should respect the rules and vote accordingly.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


Make up for all those silenced voters whose RP votes weren't counted!!
Haha. The Santorum people at least had their voices heard when he won the count, let's make up for the Ron Paul voters whose will and votes weren't counted. They want us divided, the will of the people isn't relegated into precincts. If I could be a delegate, and as a Ron Paul supporter, I think I would have to take a stand for both what I want and what I personally know is the will of a lot of intelligent people. What I have seen as the honest will of the people is a real fight for Ron Paul, what I have seen of the dishonest will and manipulation is everyone else.

Are you gonna do things "by the book" in a corrupt system that only expects you to play by the book when the GOP themselves don't OR are you gonna be part of a silent revolution?

Ask yourself that? How many of those people have a silent will that they can't come out and address. Are you a voter or a revolutionary?

If I was a delegate, I'd vote for Paul. The votes are just a straw poll, and don't count for anything. If the people want it to count for something, then they should demand it from the government. Just sayin...

Thanks for everyone's input so far. To address a couple things. One, the voting was open voting, and counts were verified by everyone in the room, so the 16 for Santorum were for him. I have to say, it was funny seeing Romeny only get 4. What was interesting is that a lady came around with the "final count" for the whole building, and from her totals, you'd think we were the only room with Paul supporters.

For those saying that Santorm's supporters should have volunteered to be delegates, I tend to agree with that. People tend to think that their responsibility is to simply show up to an event one or two nights a year. Sorry, but I think it's more than that. Ron Paul supporters "get that".

Really the only issue I have is the "coup" type of play, if we vote 100% for Paul. I don't know what the right answer is, and everyone on here has made some great points. It's something I'll continue to do the dreaded "flip flop" on for the next couple of weeks. I'm thinking I'll vote with my heart and mind and not my soul at this point, but that may change.

Originally posted by satron
If I was a delegate, I'd vote for Paul. The votes are just a straw poll, and don't count for anything. If the people want it to count for something, then they should demand it from the government. Just sayin...

I agree. Life is boring. If it were me I would shake things up. If you feel bad or need to justify it all you have to know is that you are undeniably rectifying fraud perpetrated against RP somewhere, in some state (if not your own).

The system is set up the way it is for a reason...it may not be a good reason, but that's beside the point. If popular vote were meant to be the only determinate factor in elections, then it would be set up that way. It is not, so you vote for the candidate that you and you alone support. It would be immoral and against the principles of this country to change your vote based only on who is most popular. THAT would be a problem. Voting for Ron Paul, even though he came in a close second, is the right thing to do because you support him. That's all that matters.

And yeah, I admit that I would be a little peeved if you supported Romney and voted for him, even though Paul may have won the caucus...but oh well, that's the nature of the election beast, my opinion doesn't matter. Your opinion does matter, because you were selected to have that opinion...not to pander to the populace.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


In the electoral process you aren't voting the "will of the People"; that was accomplished with you becoming a delegate (along with your son and bravo for engaging in the process!) If your state's Republican party sets up their by-laws in this manner you are now the cross-section of the voter base.

Basically, the "will of the People" have entrusted you to perform your delegate duties to the best of your abilities and that your choice would be an informed one.

The beauty and quite frankly, double edged sword of the process is the dependency on politically informed and competent members of society.

Weigh your choices and make the one that best represents your area that you are a delegate for.