Your prediction, right now, who will be President?

[JCMElway]

OK, who's it gonna be? I'm not listing all the candidates, only the probables. No homers here, who do you honestly believe will win it? (regardless of your hopes/fears.) Poll to follow.....

[spdirty]

Why is Ron Paul and Joe Biden on there but not Romney?

[Taco John]

I fixed it...

And yes, I honestly believe Ron Paul is going to win this thing.

Destiny is calling.

[baja]

I fixed it...

And yes, I honestly believe Ron Paul is going to win this thing.

Destiny is calling.

Please don't say "I'm going to go ahead and call it." ;D

[spdirty]

Taco, do you believe he will win the nomination?

[cutthemdown]

It's too early to predict IMO, but if I had to guess I would say Hilliary takes it and we have first female President. Unless her own party's base destroys her for really being a Republican in Dems colthing.

[Taco John]

Taco, do you believe he will win the nomination?


Yes, yes I do. But even if he ran as a third party, I believe he could win against these weak candidates. The only thing it will take for Ron Paul to win is the opportunity to get his ideas across to the electorate at large. When that happens, the Ron Paul effect takes place and a good number of those people are transformed... As the saying goes "Dr. Paul cured my apathy." People that go through this transformation aren't like the standard Republicans or Democrats who maybe get to the polls. People who go through this transformation make the conscious decision that they're not going to miss the opportunity to vote for this man no matter what.

There is no support base as strong and fervent as Dr. Paul's. The last time a support base was this excited for a candidate was Reagan:

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TTX27pmZGLk&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed>


There are some things that the Paul Campaign has up its sleeve. Right now, insiders are saying that the campaign's internal polling has them at third in Iowa. They're making moves over the next few weeks to battle for even higher than that.

But yes, I believe Ron Paul will win the Republican nomination. I don't believe that the polling numbers could possibly capture his true level of support. There's no way they'd be able to nail down the cross section of newly registered Republicans. It's an impossible task for them.

[cutthemdown]

Taco I think you are dreaming because every Republican in Calif I talk to likes him, but then says he seems a little crazy and some of his ideas are just to drastic. I really think had he toned some of it down a little he would have done better.

For instance the close every military base around the world. Most Republicans like the idea of saving money, but they don't think that would be a good idea. Had he said we could close a few hundred military bases that are of no strategic value in the new war on terror and better spend that money at home that may have went over better.

On the no IRS issue it sounds great but some I talk to feel that some states would have problems generating the revenue needed to compete with the bigger states. I talked to my old civics professor at a jazz concert the other night. He told me he feels USA with all the tax done through the states would end up fracturing the union in ways that would not bode well for our unity. He is a Democrat and also one of the smartest persons I get the chance to call a friend. I told him I was labled a neo-con and he said I am the first Neo-con to support Roe v Wade and think drugs should be legal. He said I am more a Neo-Con-Artist lol but it was all in fun. I thought though many of you would get a kick out of that and since I'm not above making fun of myself I thought I would share it.

I really like Ron Paul taco but sometimes I feel we need more then just someone that says let the States decide everything like it was meant to be. I totally agree with him that it was set up for States to have way more power then they do right now. I'm just not sure we can switch back to that way of govt. Compared to what Paul advocates we really are already socialists and I'm not sure the States are all ready to go it on there own. I will say this though if by the time Ron Paul hits the calif primary, if he's doing well and has a chance I will donate the max allowed and he has my vote.

[Taco John]

You either believe in the Constitution or you don't. I personally do, and I'd rather see us get back to it ASAP, and let those who think the Federal Government needs to do all this stuff outside of the Constitution to make their arguments through the proper mechanisms (ie. a Constitutional Convention).

In any case, this is what I think we're going to see: Ron Paul placing consistently in first, second and third place in all of the primaries and caucuses. It's essentially going to be Ron Paul vs. whichever neo-con the pro-war Republicans settle on. At that point, the real debate will start moving towards St. Paul. Dr. Paul's ideas will get the proper attention that they deserve in a protracted debate.

Like wit Reagan, the establishment Republicans will call him crazy. And like with Reagan, the conservatives will back Dr. Paul with the kind of fanaticism that no other candidate can match. In the end, that kind of wide-spread fanaticism will prove to be impossible to overcome. The decision to nominate Dr. Paul will be a very pragmatic one: We have to nominate the candidate who can win, because if we don't we will lose all these voters, and ultimately, the election.

It's going to be simple math, with the party realizing that they have to back the candidate who is going to be able to garner the most wide spread support.

'This isn't going to be the first time that a conservative candidate corrected the course of the Republican party. Reagan did it. Goldwater did it even in a loss. It's all cyclical.

[JCMElway]

Oversight on Romney, sorry fellas......