That being said, Rand just lost a TON of support from the freedom movement, so it really doesn't even matter anymore if he gets blackballed or not.
Yeah it's kind of a tricky matter. He has to balance support from the establishment with support from RP supporters. It seems like this is purely "playing the game" so that he can maintain his political career, but it does seem like a bad move. The freedom movement is on the rise and he could've definitely been the new leader to spearhead the movement after RP. He still can, I think. It's not like he's abandoned all his policies and taken on all of Romney's.
The most positive way I can see this is that the RP campaign hopes that if Rand endorses Romney, then Romney might actually implement some liberty policies. It's a moot point, though, because Romney can't win. Will be interesting seeing what comes from this.
-- _foolmo_ 'Illegal activities is a slight misnomer, most of it is not related to material that is actually illegal.' - nintendogrl1
I think this is actually Rand Paul playing the classic political game, and taking a bit of a gamble.
He's trying to play both sides. To have his cake and eat it too. He wants all of the benefits of the Paul name without any of the drawbacks. He's doing the classic gimmick of saying and emphasizing different things to different audiences. When he goes on Freedom Watch, he wants the viewers to believe he's exactly like his father, and when he goes on Hannity, he wants the viewers to believe he's nothing like his father.
But the freedom movement is too smart for that and won't let him get away with it. Best case scenario for him is that the neocons fall for it and he becomes just another Paul Ryan. Worst case scenario is that he doesn't fool EITHER side, alienates both, and his political career is over.
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SmartMuffin - Because anything less would be uncivilized - http://img.imgcake.com/smartmuffin/barkleyjpgde.jpg http://dudewheresmyfreedom.com/
That seems like the most likely scenario, but I can't help but feel there are some tricks up his sleeve. He should know that he can't play both sides because he knows the dedication of the freedom movement, especially on the internet. You don't use the word "legion" in the same sentence as "internet" without knowing what you are doing.
At the end of the day, I'm not gonna write him off as a "traitor" just yet.
-- _foolmo_ 'Ulti is like when your parents post something on your facebook status' - Sir Cobain
The most positive way I can see this is that the RP campaign hopes that if Rand endorses Romney, then Romney might actually implement some liberty policies. It's a moot point, though, because Romney can't win. Will be interesting seeing what comes from this.
It is a moot point, but Romney can definitely win. It's moot because Romney won't implement liberty policies under any circumstances.
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Congratulations to SuperNiceDog, Guru Winner, who was smart enough to pick your 7 time champion, Link.
Maybe that's not what you're saying, but that's the impression I get, and it's a common logical path that people take when they hear about cutting government programs, but it's based on fallacy.
My point was that the programs were not "failing" since they were accomplishing their goals on some basic level.
In regards to the FDA, the belief that health standards would not be followed without regulation is based on the historical record. If the FDA just disappeared, would people regulate themselves just as well/better? Possibly, but people's doubtfulness in regards to this is not simply rhetoric, it's based on some of the evidence we have for this. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to make inferences in regards to this based on history.
re: Rand/Ron/third party runs. Why are people (mostly Muffin) assuming Paul runs as a third party? It's my understanding that he's always insisted he's not seeking anything other than the Republican nomination. Wouldn't Gary Johnson be an acceptable alternative? I don't have any agenda with these questions. Just curious.
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My bracket wasn't good enough to beat SuperNiceDog's in the GameFAQS Rivalry Rumble. Congrats! This is Yesmar.
Yeah lots of people assume RP will run third party, but I really doubt it. The fact that Rand came out to endorse Romney nearly 100% confirms that he will not run third party.
My point was that the programs were not "failing" since they were accomplishing their goals on some basic level.
My point is that is a bad measure of whether a program is failing or not. Let's say you hire me to water your plants. So I go over and water your plants every day. Pretty good, right? Now let's say I go over and water your plants every day, with the added bonus of beating your face in. Do you still want my services? Now let's add in the fact that there is plenty of rain to water your plants already. I'm still accomplishing my goal of watering your plants, but the only real value you are getting from me is a daily face beating. That's bad, right?
I don't see any problem- the Republican race is over, there are two candidates left. He prefers Romney to Obama.
The problem is Romney is no different than Obama. So Rand's practically supporting Obama, in the fact that he's supporting broken, corrupt status-quo bullcrap. I'm really hoping he revokes his support, because it goes against everything his father has been teaching.
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Genesis does what Nintendon't http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7nsBoqJ6s8
My point was that the programs were not "failing" since they were accomplishing their goals on some basic level.
My point is that is a bad measure of whether a program is failing or not. Let's say you hire me to water your plants. So I go over and water your plants every day. Pretty good, right? Now let's say I go over and water your plants every day, with the added bonus of beating your face in. Do you still want my services? Now let's add in the fact that there is plenty of rain to water your plants already. I'm still accomplishing my goal of watering your plants, but the only real value you are getting from me is a daily face beating. That's bad, right?
I give this analogy a 10/10.
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SmartMuffin - Because anything less would be uncivilized - http://img.imgcake.com/smartmuffin/barkleyjpgde.jpg http://dudewheresmyfreedom.com/
Show me the law that says we can only have two candidates.
There isn't, and there also isn't any law that says Rand Paul can't support whomever he likes for whatever reason he likes. In this case, he thinks there are only 2 candidates who can win at this point, and he prefers one of them to the other. Doesn't mean he has to agree with that candidate on most issues.
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Congratulations to SuperNiceDog, Guru Winner, who was smart enough to pick your 7 time champion, Link.
21k could be possible as the tuition at state schools in some states. But even that would ignore cost of living expenses. At the cheapest schools, once you factor in cost of living, a 4-year college education is probably more in the range of 100k, and that's not even factoring in opportunity cost. At most schools, it's more like 200k cost.
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Congratulations to SuperNiceDog, Guru Winner, who was smart enough to pick your 7 time champion, Link.
The world of Pokemon is a clear example that Anarchy can work. Zero Taxation, healthcare and charity is dispensed at zero cost, plenty of employment prospects for young children, an effective education system, there are voluntary local sheriffs & the free market has provided such abundance that everyone has portable bodyguards, removing the need for jurisdiction.
On the other hand there are mafia problems, animal rights are not respected and the cycling industry is full of dicks.
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SmartMuffin - Because anything less would be uncivilized - http://img.imgcake.com/smartmuffin/barkleyjpgde.jpg http://dudewheresmyfreedom.com/
So Glenn Beck did a monologue today on how surprised he was that libertarians were coming out against Rand Paul. How he was just so disappointed. Of course, they scoured the Internet for the worst of the worst blog comments and quoted those exclusively. He then implied that Ron Paul supporters are just blindly following a Cult of Personality and will support him no matter what.
Guess again, Glenn. These exact same things will be said if Ron endorses Mitt Romney at any point.
He then closed by saying that libertarians were basically the same as occupy wall street.
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SmartMuffin - Because anything less would be uncivilized - http://img.imgcake.com/smartmuffin/barkleyjpgde.jpg http://dudewheresmyfreedom.com/
If you people are so upset at Rand Paul endorsing a candidate, then you are just like Occupy Wall Street/socialists. People who demand others agree with them on all particulars, and cannot tolerate dissent. Rand Paul can endorse whomever he chooses, just as you or I can.
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Congratulations to SuperNiceDog, Guru Winner, who was smart enough to pick your 7 time champion, Link.
Rand Paul can endorse whomever he chooses, just as you or I can.
Sure, but isn't Rand Paul, like... the polar opposite of Romney on most issues? If Nader suddenly started supporting Santorum, I'd be pretty pissed too.
It's not that we demand him to not endorse Romney, it's that it seems so out of character and contradictory to endorse Romney that it cheapens his stance and his esteem in the liberty movement. And it's extra disappointing because we thought he would be the successor to RP, and instead it seems like he's taking the traditional political route. It's all fine and of course he can do what he wants, but it's still disappointing.
Right. See, what this basically means is that Rand Paul is really stupid, or he's a liar.
Basically, Rand Paul has espoused pro-liberty beliefs constantly in the past. He is now endorsing someone who does NOT do that. So either Rand was lying about his beliefs before, or he is lying about his beliefs now, or he's stupid enough to actually think that Romney is pro-liberty.
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SmartMuffin - Because anything less would be uncivilized - http://img.imgcake.com/smartmuffin/barkleyjpgde.jpg http://dudewheresmyfreedom.com/
Doug Wead implying that Rand is taking a Nixon style approach to the political game, kissing ass to build favors for a possible future presidential run.
-- _foolmo_ 'he says listen to my story this maybe are last chance' - ertyu quoting Tidus
It's a good thing we have government around to save us from this evil, terrible woman who actually thinks she can voluntarily trade a service for money thereby improving the quality of life of both parties. Throw her in jail, I say.
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SmartMuffin - Because anything less would be uncivilized - http://img.imgcake.com/smartmuffin/barkleyjpgde.jpg http://dudewheresmyfreedom.com/
