No Paul = No Vote in November

 – by Ron Holland

Ron Holland

"I would also say of Ron Paul – he doesn't need to win. In his view he is winning already. This is an ideological point he is making. But here's why it's electorally significant – a lot of people, I mean 41 percent in Virginia, only two people on the ballot, still a lot of people voted for Ron Paul. A lot of those voters are portable. They're not Republican – they're not dedicated Republican voters." – Tucker Carlson, Editor, The Daily Caller


It is time for a groundswell of Ron Paul supporters to quietly, respectfully but firmly make their position clear to the mainstream media and the GOP establishment. Simply put, "No Paul on the ticket means no vote for the GOP in November."
The Ron Paul Campaign has the GOP establishment stuck between a rock and a hard place even though they have not won a single state in the primaries to date. Every Paul supporter knows the underhanded tactics used by the Republican leadership at the state and national level as well as the organized smear and news blackout campaign carried out by the mainstream media.
Making Nice For the November Election
As we move into the last months of the GOP presidential nomination campaign, most of the establishment media are now "making nice" with Ron Paul and his supporters. He actually gets questions during the debates, some press coverage and the other candidates seem friendly. The reason is simple. The Republican Party desperately needs the votes of Ron Paul supporters in order to win in November against Obama.
Obviously, Virginia Heffernan didn't get the memo in her typical anti-Paul elitist drivel titled Ron Paul's Pointless Internet Presidency posted on Yahoo earlier in the week but now this is the exception rather than standard procedure for the press. The word has gone out to be nice and respectful to Ron Paul so they can get our votes in November.
Too Little Too Late
The Republican establishment has obviously done its homework with focus groups, polling, etc. and here is their situation. Although they have successfully held back the Ron Paul campaign to date from threatening to win the GOP presidential nomination, in the dirty tricks process they have ostracized the substantial Paul voting constituency even more from the GOP than before.
Paul supporters are far more than portable as suggested by Tucker Carlson; rather they are toxic toward the GOP elites and very few will now support any of the establishment candidates after the abusive treatment given to Ron Paul as well as the crude attacks against Paul supporters.
I well understand these feelings of resentment, as I am a Ron Paul supporter. There is no way I will vote for either Romney, Santorum or Gingrich, although I certainly prefer their fake rhetoric to the Obama propaganda. If Ron Paul isn't the Republican nominee for president, then the establishment nominee desperately needs the votes of his supporters in order to beat Obama in the fall general election.
The establishment knows the Gingrich and Santorum voters in the GOP Presidential primary will eventually vote for Mitt Romney in November if he wins the Republican presidential nomination at the GOP convention beginning on August 27th, 2012. They also know and fear that most Ron Paul supporters will not vote for the nominee and will likely stay away from the polls in droves thus hurting the other Republican candidates for the House and Senate as well for state and local elections. Basically, 15% of the GOP primary voters will sit out the 2012 November election and this almost guarantees the re-election of Barack Obama.
Why Don't I Really Care If the Democrats or Republicans Win in November?
My answer is regardless of whether Romney or Obama wins the general election despite all the anti-Obama rhetoric by the Republican establishment, little will change on major issues. Romney's campaign promises are identical to all other presidential campaign promises, much to do about nothing. Neither Bush nor Obama kept their campaign promises and neither will Romney.
Course of Action
First, we redouble our efforts in voting and funding the Ron Paul Campaign up through the final primary and caucus.
Second, in editorials, articles or discussions with the press or GOP leadership always emphasize your plans to stay at home on election day if a Ron or Rand Paul is not on the ticket.
Third, at the Republican National Convention when the presidential nomination is handed to Romney, assuming he wins, we continue to stress "NO PAUL = NO VOTE IN NOVEMBER."
Finally, we then wait at the convention for the personal phone call from Mitt Romney following private preliminary discussions where Rand Paul is asked to be the Vice Presidential candidate on a Romney/Paul ticket after assurances Ron Paul will be nominated for an appropriate cabinet level appointment such as Secretary of the Treasury or Defense.
Ron Paul deserves some family time off following the years of campaigning and educating the American people about liberty. He has done more to advance the cause of limited government, peace, liberty and free markets than any American since the time of the American Revolution.
Mitt Romney has spent the last seven years running for President of the United States so obviously he really wants to win. Romney and his advisors must know that without the 15% plus of GOP voters supporting Ron Paul who, unlike Gingrich and Santorum supporters, will sit the election out, he cannot defeat Barack Obama without our support. His only option is to put a "Paul" on the ticket.
Although a Vice President Rand Paul is a great tactical victory, this is only a battle in a long war for the restoration of liberty and legitimate constitutional government to the United States.
When I was a young man in the military during the 1970s, I well remember the antiwar crowds shouting "Hell, no, we won't go!" in opposition to the Vietnam War. Today, 40-plus years later, I'm a grandfather and maybe older and wiser but still willing to a little more respectfully tell the same power elites running this country and both political parties, "Hell, no, I won't go." But this time it is to the polls in November unless there is a Paul on the ticket.
Will you join me?