Is it a good idea to reach out to Ron Paul supporters?

[Jason Taylor]

The Ron Paul supporters are certainly their own breed. They have many qualities that would certainly make them valuable teammates. They are unapologetically conservative, fiercely loyal and patently activist.

On the other hand, their highly idealistic nature leads many to believe that they are too inflexible to accept any platform which requires even their most lofty aspirations to be put on hold.

Where exactly do they stand on the issues? Can we find success by embracing them into our new plan for the Republican party, as many have voted for on rebuildtheparty.com?

One thing's for sure: We had better figure this whole mess out quickly, figure out just exactly who is going to be on our side in this, and start laying the foundation for success. Unfortunately, it seems like a "hot potato" issue that nobody really wants to take head-on.

I'd like to invite you to explore this topic with me. I have created the group "Committee on the Campaign for Liberty", and if you're interested in seeing exactly where they stand on the issues compared with us, please join. I believe that it is important for us to make every reasonable effort to understand these folks, and to include them in what we're doing here - if possible, to build a bridge between these obvious factions of our party. I hope that you think so too.

[Ron Paul Supporters]

Hey...there are alot of Ron Paul supporters that are not 'young'...I'm in my 50's. Dr. Paul's integrity and long standing beliefs are what appealed to me, and many more 'boomers' who have lived through Watergate, Contra hearings, etc. His common sense approach to upholding the Constitution is his core appeal to his base. Who'd have thought, that actually returning to what the Founding Fathers wanted for America, would even need to be debated? These are sad times, but I still hold hope that truth will prevail.

[Jason Taylor]

It is truly a shame that so many of us put more stock in the shortcomings of our differences than the strength of our commonalities. I will be the first to admit that we really need to separate the stereotypes and hype from the facts, to sit down and focus on the things that we can do to promote our common goals, both in the short- and long- term.

I am interested in investigating exactly where our views are in conflict, and where they are in harmony. Most importantly, we need to figure out if we can find enough common ground to establish a strong, unified vision on many of the basic fundamentals of the Party.

The question is not whether the GoP should reach out to Ron Paul supporters, but whether Ron Paul supporters should split and form their own party. The fact that mainstream GoP doesn't even 'get' Dr. Paul's ideas and is even asking this question shows just how lost the party has become after drinking Bush's koolaid for 8yrs. I'm beginning to wonder if Ron Paul's movement may be more effective as an independent movement rather than under the umbrella of a GoP that will pay it lip service, but try to marginalize and quash it behind the scenes.

Really? I think that it is foolish to approach this topic in such a divisive manner. It will serve us far better to focus on whether we can work together to promote a far more open-minded discussion on the issues at hand, and whether we can form a loyal enough union to support the candidate who legitimately wins a more fairly moderated Republican primary.

If the CFL folks are focused on just when they should split, then will they bail out just as soon as one of their more preferred candidates loses a fair debate on the issues? If the GOP folks are so steadfast in their views, then will they abandon a candidate who is more favored by the CFL camp as soon as he wins a primary?

Are our common goals not more relevant than some of our more differing views? We need to stop throwing mud at each other, and put our hurt feelings to rest. All the crybabies need to pull up their huggies, bury the hatchet, and get started on working toward a unified vision - even if that vision does not encompass every one of our dissenting views.

Together we are strong, divided we will continue to fail. The sooner we stop looking for reasons to split and start looking for reasons to cooperate, the sooner we will effect positive change.

[Thinbev]

Off course it's a good idea! I am one of the many former Democrats who registered Republican to vote for Ron Paul in the Primaries.

After countless hours of watching Ron Paul' videos on YouTube and reading his speeches and books, I now understand the benefits to society by having sound money and a government that limits itself by obeying our constitution. I am now a true conservative and will probably never look back.

In a day in age where politicians and central planners have destroyed our country financially, the idea of a sensible foreign policy, personal freedom and sound money is popular and it's sure to keep getting more and more attention in the political sphere. The Republican party shouldn't ignore us. Our message is powerful.

[Young Jeffersonian Republican]

Why is following the Constitution considered taboo in the Republican Party? Does this parties "leadership" recognize that if Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Thomas Payne, or John Adams ran for president in today's environment the leadership of this party would not embrace any of them? Thomas Jefferson founded this party and he would be ashamed at the lack of respect for the natural rights of man as well as a lack of respect for the rule of law, the Constitution.

"Ron Paul is the Thomas Jefferson of our day."
-Judge Andrew Napolitano

[Kurtosis]

The question is not whether the GoP should reach out to Ron Paul supporters, but whether Ron Paul supporters should split and form their own party. The fact that mainstream GoP doesn't even 'get' Dr. Paul's ideas and is even asking this question shows just how lost the party has become after drinking Bush's koolaid for 8yrs. I'm beginning to wonder if Ron Paul's movement may be more effective as an independent movement rather than under the umbrella of a GoP that will pay it lip service, but try to marginalize and quash it behind the scenes.

[Kim J]

I agree with realityunwound. We all need to sit down together, figure this out, get back to our roots and support each other. With politicians that is hard, but we must do it to survive. Two people in a room are never going to agree on everything. My husband and I don't always agree on everything, but when it really matters, we stand together. A united front.

[Kim J]

I tried to reach out to a Ron Paul supporter, my daughter. She was fierce in her support. Mainly it had to do with the wars. I only wish that I could have had a candidate that I could have felt strongly about. Unfortunately, this election, I voted against someone instead of for someone and the person that I voted against is already trying to take office before he's supposed to.

[Peter Sperry]

Of course we should reach out to everyone. Reagan set the tine when he said that our 80 percent friends should not be treated as 20 percent enemies. Grover Norquist has taken the principal even further by establishing a venue (his Wednesday meetings) where organizations who disagree on 90 percent of the issues can work together on the other 10. We can find many ways for all of the differing ideological groups to work together on common themes without surrendering their independence on items where they differ. That does not mean that minority factions get to dicate either policy or candidate selection to the majority. But it does mean they get an opportunity to make their case, that primaries, caucuses and party functions are open, transparent and not rigged to favor one group over another. I've seen some very hard fought nominating fights where the wounds healed quickly and the "losing" faction was a valuable asset in the general election. I've also seen fights that divided local and state party organizations so badly they never fully recovered. The latter usually stem from one of three causes: a perception the losing faction was treated unfairly and is no longer welcome in the party, the replacement of a previously dominent majority that cannot adjust to being in the minority or the personalization of ideological differences as one group or anther demonizes their opponents. There is no need for any of this moving forward. Each faction within the party should be encouraged to put forward their ideas or candidates, make thier case and have an opportunity for a fair primary or caucus vote. In return, the minority factions should be willing to support the party majority in the general election. If they choose to walk away, that is their choice but we should give them every opportunity to stay and clearly articulate the advantages of doing so.

[Garrett3000]

Yes.

[Jason Taylor]

You can marginalize Ron Paul supporters if you want by calling them "their own breed" but you are doing it at your expense and the expense of those who listen to you.

WOW. thanks to everybody for the great response. I just wanted to note that I didn't mean any disrespect by my statement - I wasn't trying to marginalize anybody. If anything, I was pointing out that they are particularly impressive to me in the ways subsequently mentioned.

Smugly calling Ron Paul supporters 'their own breed' and 'highly idealistic' is the worst way to unite conservatives.

Man, am I completely oblivious or is there a little hypersensitivity in the air this morning? There's nothing smug about it. Once again, didn't mean to offend you with what I thought was an honest compliment.