Comments on: How could a Ron Paul win the 2008 US Presidential election?

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:11:06 +0000

I think the big issue is the role of the media. The media, as currently constituted, likes to have concise sound bites and non-challenging ideas being expressed. This is because challenging ideas require more air time - they need to be explained, put in context, and discussed. Therefore, to get the media’s attention, you have to be somewhat bland and non-threatening.

Candidates on the “fringe” don’t fulfill this requirement (which is not to say that some of their ideas aren’t whacko). But it means they won’t get as much media attention — or the media attention will solely focus on how “out of step” the thinking is — which doesn’t help the candidate reach the public.

Glenn Greenwald express what I am thinking better than I can. I stumbled across a Chomsky clip recently that covered this idea as well that I can’t find back.

By: markare

markare — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:07:19 +0000

Who?

By: contessa

contessa — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:11:38 +0000

On the campaign trail, days before the last primary state has cast its votes, all the Republican candidates are invited to a peach pie festival in South Carolina. Ron Paul sent his regrets because he had a previous engagement with the LinkSpam Coalition. Tragically and unexpectedly, within days all the Republican field is dead from food poisoning, save our lone survivor, Ron Paul. Who goes on to win the Presidential Election because a huge number of people vote for him as a joke, thinking no way in hell is that guy actually going to win.

By: Marie Mon Dieu

Marie Mon Dieu — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:17:41 +0000

What if the underdog was Dennis Kucinich?

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:46:51 +0000

There was a goddam Ron Paul blimp in Columbia, SC today. Keep your fucking blimps out of my city fucko!

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:33:55 +0000

His supporters could alter the electronic votes. Or the blimp could be attacked by terrorists and he could speak about the need for a valiant and heroic fight in the name of American freedoms.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:49:23 +0000

either that, or he’d have to be Prez.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:48:19 +0000

OOH! OOH! I know! A huge linkspamming campaign by foaming at the mouth supporters!

By: Marie Mon Dieu

Marie Mon Dieu — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:20:52 +0000

Something would have to happen to the opposition. They would have to drop out, be attacked by a severe scandal, or become seriously ill. So say, Mitt has a sex scandal, Rudy has a heart attack, McCain slips on a banana, and uh, Huckabee decides to give it all up to become a missionary to Guam. It would be better if all of this happened in the next few weeks, before the primaries.

Then he would have to be accepted by his party. This would be accomplished by bribes and promises of big boondoggles for all the key players.

There would have to then be something to either make people like him more or like the Dem candidate less than Ron Paul. So if it were Hilary, a release of a video showing her doing something heinous.

By: filmgeek

filmgeek — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:14:37 +0000

There’s no way. Everyone else would have to be a dead rapist. I honestly believe that if all of the candidates died in a tragic blimp accident, they’re be more write in votes than for this guy.