techPresident - Ron Paul's $5M a Wake Up Call - Comments

It's the message, stupid

Avery Knapp Jr — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:31:22 -0400

Your article has some good points and some grossly inaccurate points.

"But he's not a very good Republican." Was Ronald Reagan, who had remarkably similar rhetoric to Dr. Paul's, a very good Republican? Was Robert Taft? Was Barry Goldwater? Dr. Paul was an air-force flight surgeon, defender of the constitution. If Ron Paul is not a very good Republican, there are no good Republicans. And I know plenty of good Republicans: 125,000 of them who donated to Dr. Paul's campaign.

"Ron Paul gives Internet success a bad name by making it look like a fringe phenomenon." 125,000 donors to Dr. Paul's campaign and you label the phenomenon fringe? Is most of the internet "fringe?" Just because your own personal views differ from Dr. Paul's, Mr. Ruffini, doesn't mean that the tens of millions of people who will support Dr. Paul's ideas are fringe. At one time, freedom individual rights were considered fringe too...perhaps they are today again.

"If a candidate with such a narrow base of support can raise $5 million," Narrow base of support? Its my understanding that Ron Paul had more donors than any other candidate! No narrow base of support here, but instead a wide swath of support...the widest. You know well that landline polls are a lagging indicator of mainly name recognition, and Ron Paul will rise dramatically in these.

"imagine what a candidate with mainstream appeal and a strong grassroots message can do?" Dr. Paul's anti-tax stance, limited government stance, position of defending our borders not the borders of Iraq's, and will to bring the troops home is a very strong grassroots message with plenty of mainstream appeal.

Mr. Ruffini, with all due respect, once you realize that its Dr. Paul's pro-freedom limited government message and his consistency and honesty that is at the heart of his success, and not his campaign's online tactics and strategy, you will be a few steps ahead of the other pundits. I realize you're not stupid (and neither was Bill Clinton) and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but "It's the message, stupid".

Avery J. Knapp Jr., M.D.

WSJ asks Ron Paul supporters for advice

Tex MacRae — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:16:23 -0400

This guy's asking the right questions. Go read and learn.

BizTech question for any Ron Paul supporters who read this post: What is it about the campaign that makes you feel so engaged? And are there any lessons here for how to use the Internet?

Ron Paul is the Libertarian choice

Freedomfighter — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:19:09 -0400

Ron Paul is getting the support of Libertarians because he is libertarian and the Libertarians do not have any well known candidate.

What?!?!

rtester — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:09:05 -0400

"Ron Paul has shown them that a Republican can do this. But he's not a very good Republican."

Not a good Republican? Are you serious? I guess maybe to the establishment Neo-cons he may not be, but historically speaking, he is the ONLY one running for the Repub. nomination that has true Republican principles....and he sticks to them no matter what the circumstances. What's bad about that?

I really don't understand why so many folks keep slamming him. He ACTUALLY stands for something! He speaks out for the people's interests. He says what he means, and he means what he says......and he's telling the American people the truth. How refreshing is that?! He also doesn't change his principles depending on which way the wind is blowing politically. Hmmm, with that description I think I may have just talked my way into agreeing with you....I guess maybe he is a bad "current-day" Republican, or for that matter, a bad politician in general....

....but, is that such a BAD thing?

Ron Paul not a "fringe" candidate

johnfkosanke — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:13:40 -0400

Since the big media began branding Paul as a "fringe candidate," gullible journalists from all walks have sheepishly parroted that label - that is, whenever they have been forced to mention him. His fundraising success has occured in spite of the blackout - which has morphed into a smear - because of his record as the most constitutionally conservative member of Congress. It's the message, not the technique.

Ron Paul's $5M a Wake Up Call

Patrick Ruffini — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 22:42:57 -0400

It looks like I was only a little early in my prediction of a Ron Paul $4 million quarter.

In a quarter when non-Hillary fundraising bottomed out, Ron Paul has shown Republicans that there is a price to be paid for not making the Web a central part of your strategy. Sure, top GOPers read the headlines about Obama's fundraising. But they waved it off as a Democrat phenomenon. Their philosophy: Republicans are from Mars, Democrats are from Venus -- and nothing about one side could every apply to the other.

Paul's nearly matching a weakened John McCain and quintupling offline darling Mike Huckabee could either be a much needed wake up call, or the morphine drip that keeps this top-down fear of the Internet going until catastrophe forces change.