Ron Paul Can Stick Around

Jesse Walker | May 21, 2007

Saul Anuzis of the Michigan GOP, last spotted trying to bar Ron Paul from future presidential debates, has changed his mind:

After consulting with my fellow RNC members, I believe there isn't anything to be gained by advancing a petition aimed solely at removing Congressman Paul from the debates.

Bravo, Saul, for coming around. But I can't agree with your other point:

I do however think we should continue to look at the bigger picture, the problem of how our party is going to adapt to the new realities of this very long primary season....

We have given 10 candidates 3 hours of national TV time. Our many local and state parties have opened our doors to them. And we have certainly invited all them to help us raise money. In short, the so called 3rd tier candidates have had their chance to make an impression and if they cannot poll beyond 1 or 2 percentage points of support, they are simply getting in the way of the real debate of how to move our party and our country forward.

It's 2007. It's spring of 2007. This early in the season, most Americans still can't tell Rudy McRomney from RuPaul Tancredo. It's kind of difficult to make an impression when hardly any real-world voters are paying attention yet. The best argument against those 10-man debates isn't the possibility that the low-rung candidates will get in the audience's way. It's the possibility that the low-rung candidates will make up 70 percent of the audience themselves.

The GOP already has a process for winnowing down the field. It's called the primaries. If you want to speed up the system, either start the voting earlier or start the debates much later.

Comments

|5.21.07 @ 4:58PM|#

Ron Paul. Short, easy to remember. And it's the two first names that Americans love. He could be accidentally elected if his name gets mentioned often enough.

Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul. Ron Paul.

And Ron Paul.

highnumber|5.21.07 @ 5:00PM|#

Who?

|5.21.07 @ 5:00PM|#

Saw an interview w/ him yesterday morning on CNN. I only caught the last 3-4 minutes, but I thought he did quite well, especially mentioning his voting record.

I felt good about the interview when the person talking to him ended it along the lines of "he's only getting (x) in the polls but he's really shaking things up." It was a good interview.

|5.21.07 @ 5:16PM|#

Raul Pon.

|5.21.07 @ 5:18PM|#

highnumber,

Much activity on Urkobold today. Must be a Monday.

|5.21.07 @ 5:18PM|#

Ron Paul!

Brian|5.21.07 @ 5:20PM|#

I must've made that poor Saul feel pretty bad.

Brian E|5.21.07 @ 5:20PM|#

Raul Pon.

The LP's 2004 nominee for Illinois Senate was named Jerry Kohn. I thought that was immensely amusing.

mw|5.21.07 @ 5:29PM|#

Free Translation Service:

Saul Anuzis: "After consulting with my fellow RNC members..."
TRANSLATION:"After consulting with Rudy Giuliani, whose only points with the party faithful were scored by using Ron Paul as punching bag ...

SA: "...I believe there isn't anything to be gained..."
TRANS:... "it would not be fair to other Republican candidates to deny them a few rounds at the bag..."

SA:"...by advancing a petition aimed solely at removing Congressman Paul from the debates."
TRANS:"...by removing Paul from the debate, therby forcing the remaining candidates to eviscerate each other with cheap theatrics."

Russ 2000|5.21.07 @ 5:32PM|#

either start the voting earlier or start the debates much later

That's a good idea, but most of the reason for these debates at this point in time is to be content for the 24/7 news channels, aka Satan's Workshop

deron|5.21.07 @ 5:34PM|#

Saul isn't interested in the primaries as means of winnowing the field. He's interested in the primaries as an infomercial for the Republican Party. He wants the infomercial to be part of the process of beating the other guys. He doesn't even care who comes out in the end as long as the boat doesn't get rocked and they can beat the other side. Ron Paul's presence messes that up.

The other no-hopers could mess it up as well, but they've been largely compliant in keeping with the informercial theme.

highnumber|5.21.07 @ 5:34PM|#

ProGlib,

I'm very disappointed that no one is signing Urkobold's petition.

|5.21.07 @ 5:38PM|#

Well, I signed it. That's 10% of our audience right there. Unless VM's theory that we have 100 million lurkers is, in fact, accurate.

I understand that Zod was so impressed with Paul's independence that he is mulling over the possibility of tapping Paul to be his VP. Intriguing possibility!

Guy Montag|5.21.07 @ 5:40PM|#

YEAAA!!!! More entertainment for me during the next R debate!

|5.21.07 @ 5:49PM|#

Guy,

You're a Zod fan, then?

highnumber|5.21.07 @ 5:55PM|#

100 million lurkers seems a little high.
I have thought about using Blogger's transliteration tool to simultaneously post in Hindi. That would probably get us there.

|5.21.07 @ 6:06PM|#

I just added it. Apparently, it just allows us to transliterate the text as we're posting into Hindi. I'm disappointed, because I thought it would just convert the whole site into Hindi. There goes our hope of being instantly bigger than Bollywood. One billion hits out the window :(

Guy Montag|5.21.07 @ 7:00PM|#

You're a Zod fan, then?

NEIN!

highnumber|5.21.07 @ 7:07PM|#

Zod wouldn't have him anyway, but he will still kneel before Zod.

King Saul|5.21.07 @ 7:16PM|#

\"The threat of ban was causing too much commotion among some of the GOP base and giving him too much attention. I was advised to allow Paul in the debates, so we can keep giving him the cold shoulder and kill him with indifference, per the original plan.\"

|5.21.07 @ 7:25PM|#

Saul Anuzis,

One more bone head move like trying to bar Ron Paul from future presidential debates and it's time for you to quit and join the other side.

Paul is the most pro free enterprise, pro limited government candidate in the debates. Tossing Paul is tossing everything that makes the GOP worth voting for.

|5.21.07 @ 7:43PM|#

Paul is the most pro free enterprise, pro limited government candidate in the debates.

for 'most' substitute 'only'

|5.21.07 @ 7:45PM|#

Nice name asian!

|5.21.07 @ 7:49PM|#

I rent videos weekly, bi-weekly, inter-weekly...

|5.21.07 @ 8:33PM|#

Guy,

There's no Zod but Zod, and Urkobold is his Campaign Manager.

|5.21.07 @ 9:28PM|#

Frankly, I find it shocking that so-called libertarians are pimping for Zod. His planned subsidies for green Kryptonite are just more corporate welfare - and for businesses that aren't even in the same country or galaxy.

LarryA|5.21.07 @ 9:29PM|#

In short, the so called 3rd tier candidates have had their chance to make an impression and if they cannot poll beyond 1 or 2 percentage points of support, they are simply getting in the way of the real debate of how to move our party and our country forward.

(Off the record translation) Ron Paul must be eliminated. That joker actually read the Republican platform and wants to implement its policies.

|5.21.07 @ 9:41PM|#

Frankly, I find it shocking that so-called libertarians are pimping for Zod. His planned subsidies for green Kryptonite are just more corporate welfare - and for businesses that aren't even in the same country or galaxy.

First, a vote for Zod is a vote for libertarianism. If Zod becomes ruler of America, he'll achieve a perfect state of freedom! Since I can't hope to ever be truly free, why not help Zod get to the promised land?

Second, the usual conspiracy theories about Zod are nonsense. Kryptonite is lethal to Zod, so he'd hardly be interested in buying it all up. Also, he was a close friend of Jor-El--all those stories about him trying to kill his kid are damned lies.

Bill Kristol|5.21.07 @ 9:49PM|#

Ron Paul? Oh the guy who said we DESERVED the joint Halliburton/CIA attack we endured on 9/11/2001. Chimpler's Reichstag was provoked by blowback from Operation Ajax and all those Iraqi babies we starved by denying Saddam gold bathroom fixtures and Juggs magazine. Well as long as Cheney's friends get rich while poor innocent Muslims take the blame it is OK by me.


All Hail World Jewry!

|5.21.07 @ 10:01PM|#

Hmmm... perfect state of freedom, eh? You know, a deep red sunset would look pretty...

|5.21.07 @ 10:06PM|#

BakedPenguin,

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. Unlike the other candidates for president, Zod understands this.

Can't you feel your knees bending ever so slightly? Kneeling before Zod is easy after the first time.

There are even exercises to get you ready.

|5.21.07 @ 10:28PM|#

You've convinced me enough to sign the petition, anyway.

I'm still going to have to look over Kodos's literature before I step in the voting booth, though.

|5.21.07 @ 11:21PM|#

Come *on*. It's obvious.

A playoff system!

Just think how interest will SPIKE if everyone is cooking up political brackets, and laying bets on who will make it to the finals.

Candidates would pair off and debate each other. Do it on CSpan and YouTube for goodness sake. Voting would be by members of some website, with a fee required to join - say, $50, big enough to keep out the riffraff, but small enough to not be an obstacle for a dedicated supporter (or group of supporters pooling funds).

The final two would go to the Primaries.

There's enough time that this could actually work.

Asharak|5.22.07 @ 1:36AM|#

YEAAA!!!! More entertainment for me during the next R debate!

Hyey, Guy, try explaing how the rest of the Republican candidates would makes this country more free. Oh, wait, you can't. Moron.

Asharak|5.22.07 @ 1:36AM|#

Hyey=Hey

Asharak|5.22.07 @ 1:37AM|#

makes=make

|5.22.07 @ 2:59AM|#

The GOP already has a process for winnowing down the field. It's called the primaries.

Quoted for truth.

Urkobold®|5.22.07 @ 9:28AM|#

BAKEDPENGUIN PERSON,

PLEASE, REVIEW ALL OF THE FACTS BEFORE EXERCISING YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE--IT'S THE AMERICAN WAY!

OH, BY THE WAY, KANG AND KODOS ARE GAY LOVERS WHO INCLUDE SQUIRRELS IN THEIR BIZARRE SEXUAL RITUALS.

Guy Montag|5.22.07 @ 10:43AM|#

Asharak,

You are as entertaining as joe.

Hyey, Guy, try explaing how the rest of the Republican candidates would makes this country more free. Oh, wait, you can't. Moron.

With a post like that you sure don't need to be calling names and I am not referring to any spelling errors either. Just the 'substance.'

Eric Langborgh|5.22.07 @ 10:45AM|#

Well, that's nice. Unfortunately, many more than Anuzis need to retract their attempted blacklisting of Ron Paul from the Republican Party. The good news, though, is their hysteria is bacfiring on them.

See my post at the Borg Blog, "GOP Establishment's War on Ron Paul Backfires," to learn more.

Guy Montag|5.22.07 @ 10:53AM|#

Unfortunately, many more than Anuzis need to retract their attempted blacklisting of Ron Paul from the Republican Party. The good news, though, is their hysteria is bacfiring on them.

Politics and other walks of life seem to be full of hysterical people. More entertainment for me I say!

VM|5.22.07 @ 11:35AM|#

IT IS ACCURATE. WE HAVE 100 MILLION LURKERS. IT'S TRUE. WHY DO YOU HATE ZOD SO MUCH?

SPLITTER!!!!!!!!!

|5.22.07 @ 12:56PM|#

VM,

I'm not surprised. People cowering in fear are less likely to post than most.