Ron Paul, whats in the cards.

[Danno 1,228]

The True Believer

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Friday - January 13, 2012

Last May, Ron Paul filed his financial disclosure form, and The Wall Street Journal enlisted financial analyst William Bernstein to scrutinize his investments.

"Paul's portfolio isn't merely different," said an astonished Journal, "it's shockingly different."

Twenty-one percent of his $2.4 to $5.5 million was in real estate, 14 percent in cash. He owns no bonds. Only 0.1 percent is invested in stocks, and Paul bought these "short," betting the price will plunge. Every other nickel is sunk into gold and silver mining companies.

Bernstein "had never seen such an extreme bet on economic catastrophe," said the Journal.

"This portfolio," said Bernstein, "is a half step away from a cellar-full of canned goods and 9-millimeter rounds."

"You can say this for Ron Paul," conceded the Journal. "In investing as in politics, (Paul) has the courage of his convictions."

Indeed, he does. Paul's investments mirror his belief that the empire of debt is coming down and Western governments will never repay -- in dollars of the same value -- what they have borrowed.

And here we come to the reason Paul ran a strong third in Iowa and a clear second in New Hampshire. He is a conviction politician and, like Barry Goldwater and George McGovern, the candidate of a cause.

Aware it is unlikely he will ever be president, the 76-year-old soldiers on in the belief that this cause will one day triumph in a party where he was, not long ago, seen as an odd duck, but a party where today he speaks for a national constituency.

It is easy to understand why the young are attracted to him. There is a consistency here no other candidate can match.

Republicans may deplore the GOP Great Society of Bush 43. Paul stood almost alone in voting against every Bush measure. By two-to-one, Americans now believe the Iraq War was a mistake. Paul, alone among the candidates, opposed the war.

And because his campaign is about a cause larger than himself, it is a safe bet he will not quit this race until the last caucuses have met and the last primary has been held.

Prediction: Paul will go into the Tampa, Fla., convention with more delegates than any other candidate save the nominee of the party.

There is a gnawing fear in the GOP that Paul will quit the party when the primaries are over and run as a third-party candidate on the Libertarian or some other line in the November election.

Not going to happen. Such a decision would sunder the movement Paul has pulled together, bring about his own and his party's certain defeat in November, and re-elect Barack Obama.

Paul would become a pariah in his party, while his son, Sen. Rand Paul, who would be forced to endorse his father over the GOP nominee, would be ruined as a future Republican leader.

Why would Dr. Paul do this, when the future inside the GOP looks bright not only for him but for his son?

The course Ron Paul will likely take, then, is this.

Commit to this nomination battle all the way to Tampa, contest every primary and caucus, amass a maximum of delegates.

If Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich lose in South Carolina, they will lose in Florida, and begin to peel off and drop out, for none is a cause candidate and each will soon come to realize that his presidential aspirations are done for now if not for good.

Their departure will leave the Republican contest a Romney-Paul race, giving Paul half a year on the campaign trail to increase his visibility, enlarge his following, grow his mailing lists and broaden his donor base.

In return for a commitment to campaign for the ticket, Paul should demand a prime-time speaking slot at the convention and use the speech to emulate Barry Goldwater in 1960 when he admonished conservatives at the convention to "grow up," so that "we can take this party back."

Assuming the nominee is Mitt Romney, should he win in the fall and Paul has campaigned for him, Paul will not only have a friend in the White House, but be a respected figure in the party with a constituency all his own.

Most important to Paul are the issues he has campaigned on: a new transparency and accountability for the Federal Reserve, a downsizing of the American empire, and an end to U.S. interventions in foreign quarrels and wars that are none of our business.

Whether Paul goes home to Texas when his last term in Congress is over in January 2013, or whether he remains in Washington in a policy institute to advance the causes he believes in, his views will be sought out by the major media on all the issues he cares about.

Moreover, his fears of a coming collapse, manifest in his portfolio, could come to pass, making of Ron Paul a prophet in his own time.

SOURCE: http://buchanan.org/blog/the-true-believer-4983

[slim 1,514]

RP, FTW!

And what's wrong with a cellar full of canned goods and 9mm ammo?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I've got Ron Paul's card.

[slim 1,514]

There are no palm trees at the white house.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

There are no palm trees at the white house.

Bingo! Slowly but surely, you're catching on.

[Ban Hammer 12,835]

Bingo! Slowly but surely, you're catching on.

so you want him for a neighbor in sunny florida!

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Ron Pauls hand holds 5 jokers.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

The author has it all wrong.

Ron Paul would alienate/slap all of his supporters in the face if he were to endorse Mitt.

Not only that the author is also wrong about the third-party ticket. RP has said he won't do it, but his supporters WANT him to do it if he doesn't get the nomination. Ron Paul supporters don't support the Republican party establishemnt at all. The author is very out of touch with the reality of the situation.

[Danno 1,228]

Ron Pauls hand holds 5 jokers.

There is only one Joker in this election.

[Danno 1,228]

The author has it all wrong.

Ron Paul would alienate/slap all of his supporters in the face if he were to endorse Mitt.

Not only that the author is also wrong about the third-party ticket. RP has said he won't do it, but his supporters WANT him to do it if he doesn't get the nomination. Ron Paul supporters don't support the Republican party establishemnt at all. The author is very out of touch with the reality of the situation.

You speak of the Ron Paul supporters as if they are all monolithic.

I have never seen a more mixed bag of people support a candidate, who knows what "they" would do?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

You speak of the Ron Paul supporters as if they are all monolithic.

I have never seen a more mixed bag of people support a candidate, who knows what "they" would do?

Mixed bag, yes. Supporting Mitt Romney is the LAST thing that "they" as a collective would do however. They'd write-in Ron Paul before voting for a piece of ####### like Mitt.

[luckytxn 2,263]

The author has it all wrong.

Ron Paul would alienate/slap all of his supporters in the face if he were to endorse Mitt.

Not only that the author is also wrong about the third-party ticket. RP has said he won't do it, but his supporters WANT him to do it if he doesn't get the nomination. Ron Paul supporters don't support the Republican party establishemnt at all. The author is very out of touch with the reality of the situation.

Ron Paul would not endorse Romney. He could though go and not run against him as a third party. The party will need to come to Ron Paul and talk to him. They will not do so unless they see a catastrophe coming. They will do anything to not have to go to Ron Paul and plead with him. None of us supporters want Paul to run as a third party. (Most of us anyway) We will want the party platform changed to incorporate new ideas that all candidates have to pledge to support. (They don't want to do this) Also he will have to be guarantee the prime speaking slot. Doing this sets up a future where many of the ideas will have to be thought about and let us American people have a say if we want or not. As it stands now there is no difference in the two major parties.

It is all mute though if Romney starts winning by huge amounts finally. So it is all on Romney to go out there and win and win big. One slip and the party has to talk to Ron Paul. Perfect campaign and the party can ignore Ron Paul. Now Mitt boy lets see what you have.

[slim 1,514]

They're already being forced to consider his positions. Anotehr month, and they'll be forced to consider him as a candidate.

Only one candidate is gaining supporters AND KEEPING THEM. Only one candidates numbers keep going up, up, UUUUUUUUUUUUP!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Only one candidate is gaining supporters AND KEEPING THEM. Only one candidates numbers keep going up, up, UUUUUUUUUUUUP!

Yep, and that candidate is Mitt.

Chances of winning SC

Mitt: 63%

Paul: 8%

Chances of winning FL

Mitt: 96%

Paul: 0%

The worst news for you, slim, is that even among Ron Paul supporters you're in the minority actually believing that your candidate will win the nomination. Only one in four of the Paul supporters believe that Paul will win. Half of the Paul supports believe that Mitt will win. So, you're in the minority of a minority.

Beware of the ocean of reality, slim.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Mr. Big Dog

[luckytxn 2,263]

They're already being forced to consider his positions. Anotehr month, and they'll be forced to consider him as a candidate.

Only one candidate is gaining supporters AND KEEPING THEM. Only one candidates numbers keep going up, up, UUUUUUUUUUUUP!

At this point they are not being forced to even consider Ron Pauls ideas. They are now in a huddle to come up with a plan to make sure he doesn't win. Everyone should start seeing the money flow to Romney from the national and state Republican parties this week. If Romney gets less than 40% again in S.C. and Ron Paul has a strong showing then the party will start making overtures to Paul to see if they can get him to back off. After that they will start making plans on what to do. Nothing will happen unless Paul does well in S.C. and if he does the same in Florida then the party will be freaking.