Saturday, November 17, 2007

Opinion: What do you think Paul's impact will be on this election, if any, and what will it mean for the other candidates?

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul is bieng called "the political phenomenon of the 2008 White House race". As a conservative libertarian he supports "decriminalization of marijuana and expresses tolerance for same-sex unions but fiercely opposes abortion". He does insist "on a strict interpretation of the US Constitution" and is a stauch supporter of the second amendment, however, he "[rejects] the idea of the United States as the world's policeman".

Also, he calls for the "immediate withdrawal of US soldiers deployed in Iraq but also those stationed in South Korea, Japan and Europe." He even "wants the United States to quit the United Nations, NATO and the World Trade Organization.""[Paul] argues for a return to the gold standard and eliminating the income tax.

"Though his views are so radical, he holds 5-6% of the Republican vote and polls show he is attractive to both Democrats and those who are not affiliated with either party. He has even raised "8.1 million dollars" and "raised 4.2 million dollars via the Internet from about 37,000 donors."Paul is certainly one of the most unorthodox and radical candidates of the presidential race, however he seems to be drawing support from both sides.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071117/pl_afp/usvote2008republicanspaul;_ylt=Au5yJB6oWab43RwvPvQtBZOyFz4D
(Question contributed by Joanna Z)

26 comments:

katiekso said...

I think Paul's impact on this election will mostly be a consideration of new ideas and plans on both sides of the political spectrum. He has many new ideas that are both controversial and appealing at the same time. This will cause many people who would normally not consider him as a promising candidate to rethink their opinion of him based on his interesting beliefs. For exampple, I agree with his belief in same-sex marriages but I disagree with him about wanting the United States to leave the United Nations. Personally, I don't feel that he will do very well in the presidential race but I do feel that his new ideas will influence many candidates' platforms.

Unknown said...

I can't believe I'm doing this so early on a Sunday- it's pretty crazy. Anyways, a moderate canidate is exactly what this country needs. We need someone who is going to see things from both perspectives and have mixed opinions on the controversial topics such as abortion and gay marriage. I personally think a President should represent both sides of the spectrum, otherwise clearly one side has a disadvantage. Despite this being the way it has been for numerous years, I think it's a good time to change that. Let's get someone in office that will account for the Conservatives and the Liberals.

MorganJ said...

I do not think Ron Paul will have a direct affect on this election—meaning he will not win the presidency. On the other hand, I do believe that his stance on issues will influence his opponents. Paul's ideas are making his poll numbers go up, not his potential for presidency (if that makes sense). His ideas appeal to many of the swing voters which inevitably wins the election for which ever candidate. I believe that more candidates will start to take a moderate stance on issues rather than an extreme one. The younger demographic is looking for lawful changes as society changes and a moderate candidate seems to be offering this the most.

*** An ode to Mr. Bretzmann***
Ron Paul will not become President, because you can't trust a man with two first names.

Vlad said...

I think Ronald Ernest Paul is an interesting candidate because of his libertarian (Reason Magazine anyone?) views but his supporters make me cringe (9/11 conspiracy?). I don't think he'll have any impact on the election because he'll never get elected and his views may only get criticized by the other candidates. He has ran for office once before and that attempt was a failure, much like this one will be. I guess the only way he could make any sort of impact in this election is if he says something completely wacky and manages to become a laughing stock of comedians everywhere.
Politics aside, he was an admirable doctor. He worked a lot of pro bono.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

It concerns me that Ron Paul has been described a couple of times as "moderate". Most political scientists would not consider him to be a moderate. Consider the following statements from Paul's website (whether you agree or disagree with them, they do not seem to be moderate ideas):

"I want to abolish the unconstitutional, wasteful Department of Education and return its functions to the states.

The government should never have the power to require immunizations or vaccinations.

In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman.
In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, HR 1094.
I am also the prime sponsor of HR 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life.
I have always supported the Second Amendment and these are some of the bills I have introduced in the current Congress to help restore respect for it: H.R. 1146 would end our membership in the United Nations, protecting us from their attempts to tax our guns or disarm us entirely.”

Mr. Bretzmann said...

MODERATE?
On Paul:
"He favors the legalization of marijuana."
Source: SourceWatch.org Jan 22, 2007

ELECTABILITY?
On the Sunday morning shows someone said that if Clinton wins in Iowa and NH that the Repbublicans will have to take a look at electability. So even if they like Ron Paul, they will have to consider whether or not he can defeat the Democrats' frontrunner. I thought it was ironic that Ron Paul might be hurt by Hillary Clinton!

I'm Thankful for irony.

Christina S said...

I'm with Katie on this one. He has some ideas that are pretty out there, but it makes people think about the issues more. His impact on this election will be on the other candidates, although I don't think he will go very far in the presidential race.

Unknown said...

I take back what I said about the whole moderate thing. Mayyyybe he isn't a moderate haha. I need to look more up on this guy.

Lisa Marie said...

I believe that Ron Paul won't get very far in the election, it might be that I don't know everything about the upcoming election, but I don't recall hearing about him before (I also just woke up =/). I believe he has interesting opinions that might get the other candidates questioning. I overall just think he's going to have an effect on anyone in the race, but not necessarily the citizens.

KellyH said...

If Ron Paul has any impact on this election, it will probably be how he makes the public think about the other candidates. Ron Paul, although extreme in some of what he believes, has taken definate stances on many issues, and doesn't side-step questions for fear of losing votes of those who don't feel the same way. He has taken stances on abortion and the war which are completely black and white, so people know what he stands for and don't have to guess. This is something different because not many candidates are that clear on what they believe; many still leave grey in their answers.
As for the other candidates, there probably won't be much impact, because although Paul takes a definate stance, he can become very angry at debates so it is easy for the others to get away with not answering questions because they are calm about it.

ericag said...

GUESS WHAT, i didn't need my cellly to remind me tonight, for some reason i just remebered. so, similar to jamie im posting about two hours earlier than normal =].

Related to the topic, I don't find him going far in the election. His views are not views that will have people "jumping on the banwagon." His views may bring new ideas to peoples minds, and allow people to think about situations differently. The different views may change the voters votes between other canidates, but i don't believe it will allow him to become president.

Anonymous said...

I think Ron Paul is a kind of so far one way, he's got some ideals of the other side kinda guy. IF he was a candidate, I could see him taking away some moderate democratic votes who don't feel that strongly about abortion and other issues Paul is Conservative, but I highly doubt he will ever be close to becoming a candidate, so this is kinda irrelevant.Overall I don't see him making a very big difference.

amandak said...

I really can't imagine why Ron Paul has as much support as he does. His ideas are so radical in both directions that I don't see how either Republicans or Democrats can support him fully, although they may like one or two of his ideas. I can't see Americans electing a guy who wants us to leave the UN. However, he may affect other candidates when they realize that people like some of his ideas, they might also begin to support some of the same things.

Alex D said...

Ron Paul; gaining support by the day but still is hardly cracking a blip on the radar. When a candidate is only pulling 5% of the vote in New Hampshire why should he have an affect on any of the candidates. Conservatives and liberals generally feel one way on most of the issues and Ron Paul's radical thinking probably won't help his cause. Ron Paul's radical views are not going to get him the primary and especially not the presidency. He is bound to have little effect on conservative views, especially after a few of them had to be restrained from going over there and ripping his head off during a the debate. Ron Paul will have little effect on the candidates unless his numbers go way up, otherwise the candidates have little reason to worry or look his away.

arletap said...

One can't argue that Paul has been ever building support for himself via the Internet, so it could appear to seem as if he'd have an impact on the election. My opinion, however, is that it's just too late to really get anywhere in the election. And for the other candidates, I don't see Paul impacting anyone else's progress. He may have an increasing amount of internet coverage, but he's just of passing interest to the public with his novel combination of political beliefs.

mente said...

I agree with what Kelly is saying. I think that Paul will maybe change the way voters look at other candidates with his blunt answers, but I don't think that he will make much of a difference otherwise. He's too radical to go any further in the race for presidency.

Erica C said...

I think that Ron Paul has a very long way to come if he hopes to be the Republican nominee. Therefore, I don't believe him a huge threat to the other Republican candidates. However, his ability to feverishly support views held by Democrats as well as Republicans is what is turning heads. We might not hear much from or about Ron Paul after this presidential race, but we may be seeing more candidates like him in the future.

Tom B. said...

Paul Ryan, please. even if this guy is pulling in 5-6% of votes i dont think he has a Popsicles chance in hell of getting elected. i just think that his only impact on this election will be that a very radical candidate with get more votes than expected. other than that Paul Ryan wont mean anything come November

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Paul Ryan is the Congressman from Wisconsin's first Congressional District. He is not running for president.

cmorgan said...

A Ron Paul as President? I can understand some peoples' want of a more radical leader, but Ron Paul? He might be appealing to people who just think all the other candidates are too moderate on their stances on issues. In my opinion I think this is a wrong reason to vote for someone but what can you do. Ron Paul will turn some heads with his thinking but will he have any real impact in the upcoming election? On the matter of winning, no I don't believe as Tom puts it "a Popsicles chance in hell of getting elected". When it comes to turning heads and going out in a blaze of glory, possibly. The other candidates won't have to worry about Ron Paul hurting them but his radical stances might cause some of them to consider their own. All in all though, I do not believe Ron Paul will go anywhere in this upcoming election and should probably stick to being a great doctor.

DanielleT said...

Although he seems to be much different than most of the other candidates, I do not believe that he will have a very significant impact on the election. Since his views on very important topics are a mix of conservative and liberal, I don't think that either party will be that pleased with him as a president.

Johnny B said...

Tom B, thanks for making me chuckle at 11:34pm.

Ron Paul is a very interesting candidate. He definitely has some of the most radical views of this election. That's just it. People don't always like the most radical views. That's why they're radical. What he is doing is just stirring up talk ... which is exactly what this blog is doing about him right now, talking about him. In response to a lot of the comments it doesn't look like many of us will vote for him yet we're still having a nice discussion. Get my point? Overall, his big impact will be to spread word about his views on topics. I doubt he will win but he will get his point across.

BrookeS said...

As a firm believer in the saying "history repeats itself", I do not thing Paul's significance in the '08 election will be that great. Many people may see his views as "uncertain" and too compromising. The other candidates in this race have an upperhand when it comes to their views on the issues. Voters want to ensure they are voting for a representative that will stand by his/her opinions and take neccessary actions to promote them.
I, personally, like the idea of a candidate that understands both conservative and liberal ideals. His views act as a compromising solution to the ongoing battle between right and left siders. I believe this compromise is very important for finding balance in our nation's politcal system and acts as a type of remedy for the clash between Republicans and Democrats. However, for the rest of the nation's voters, compromise is not an option in choosing a leader during these crucial times.

Anonymous said...

As Americans, we're pretty cautious about who we elect for president. A guy who wants to quit NATO and the UN? I wouldn't exactly agree that quitting NATO and the UN fall in the definition of "preserve, protect, and defend." Nor are they cautious behaviors. It's pretty amazing that this guy raised 4.2 million dollars in one day but I really can't see him going anywhere. Now I realized, like many presidential candidates, that I haven't answered the question. Paul's impact on the election will most likely be for other candidates to point out his ridiculousness and better themselves in the running. This means the other candidates can get ahead at his benefit.

aly mac said...

I really don't think that Ron Paul will play a very significant role in the upcoming 2008 elections. His radicals views, I feel will drive the majority away. The swing voters may support his radical views, but to win an election, this support won't be enough. In the bigger picture of the 2008 election I don't feel that his involvement will play much of a factor on the more dominate candidates running for election. His views on troop involvement and gay marriage are very extreme for most conservative positions. Right now, Ron Paul may be showing some potential in this race, but I don’t feel he will make much of an impact in the end.

Angelina said...

I like Ron Paul, because I feel that he makes the other canidates think. I think in a way he will have some impact on the election.