I Watched The Tonight Show And Here Are My Findings

I Watched The Tonight Show And Here Are My Findings.

So I sat through 40 minutes of Jay Leno’s the Tonight Show on NBC waiting for Ron Paul to come on. It wasn’t that bad. I actually like Leno the best of all the late night comedians. The show started at 10:41 PM Mountain Time. Thats an hour and seven minutes later than it originally aired. Ron Paul was mentioned three to five times before being introduced by Leno and walking on stage to the tune of a rendition of Amy Allen’s Ron Paul theme song, originally from the 2008 election cycle.

He came in waving at the studio audience (and the television one) and sat down between Kevin Hart (who had the first interview, and who moved over for Doctor Paul) and Jay Leno. There was applause. I don’t know if there were many Paul fans there (there was at least one who would break out with chants of “President Paul, President Paul” from time to time) or if the audience is just supposed to cheer, but it was a warm enough reception.

Down to business. All kidding aside, Leno asked Paul a good dozen or so serious questions, each of which Paul was ready to answer, albeit in his gentile, sometimes broken-sentenced, Texas Congressman/Doctor/Grandfather way.

We were all hoping for some big announcement, though some of us may not actually have been expecting one. So when it came time for Leno to ask him about if he gave any thought to running third party, it was disappointing, but in retrospect, not all that surprising as he had said the same all throughout the campaign, when he answered, “No, not much.” He did mention something about instead taking a rest before firing things back up again in 2016, adding that he was “just kidding.”

Upon prompting, he also stated that he planned on voting but was not going prepared to say for whom. Some are taking this to mean he will not endorse anyone. They may well be right. And that may well be what Ron Paul meant. But I have another take.

Here should be the takeaway; not of what all this does mean, but what it could mean:

By saying he was not going to run third party, that could just refer to running on the top of the presidential ticket. He did not say he wouldn’t run for another office, third party.

By mentioning 2016 it could mean, while he was kidding about running himself, he plans on working towards Rand being the 2016 GOP nominee. This may or may not be contingent on who wins this time: Obama, Romney, or least-likely-but-every-dog-has-his-day Johnson. If Obama wins this time, the GOP establishment will be discredited. If it is not enough to make the Republican Party implode, it might be enough to make it revamp itself by dumping some of RINOs, particularly those heavily invested in the losing ticket, RomneyRyan. If this wouldn’t be Rand’s chance to shine, nothing would.

If Romney does win, something I think will not happen for several reasons, Rand won’t be able to run against him within the GOP without first being branded a traitor and then being absolutely ignored, probably even worse than his father was at the convention. Ron Paul media coverage during the primaries and up until a month or two prior to the Convention will look like doting by comparison. Of course, if Romney’s vision for America turns out to be worse than Obama’s, or better but just not good enough to stem the tide of the inevitable fiscal nightmare scenario, the Democrats and the ignorant amongst the independents will demonize all Republicans and especially those of a more laissez faire persuasion worse than they ever did Bush or Cheney or McCain or Palin (most of whom deserved it). Rand won’t stand a chance. Even if the Perry-Gingrich-Santorum-Bachmann-Cain crowd gets behind him, the establishment will likely have its way and nominate the least laissez faire Republican they can find, potentially RomneyRyan redux. And even if Rand does end up the nominee, the demonization of all things even mildly libertarian will be ever his companion.

And if Johnson wins (I don’t think he can without almost all of Paul’s supporter’s backing, which he may not get without making some concessions), there is no real reason for Rand to run unless he really has turned to the dark side. Not to mention that given this whole analysis of Rand’s chances is rooted in Paul’s mention of mention, and that Johnson can’t win without Paul and his supporters, which if given couldn’t do much good for Rand, the Rand versus Johnson scenario is the least likely of all possible outcomes.

By not saying who he is voting for, he could be genuinely undecided, not even fully aware of all the possibilities, in which case there is still time to petition him and Johnson to collaborate in the form of an endorsement or modified LP ticket. Or he could be stringing people along to give him time to calculate a decision, consciously considering a bold move such as one of the ones promoted on this blog. Alternatively his mind may already be made up, be it to write in himself, vote for Johnson or Virgil Goode, to not vote, or to conspire with the Johnson campaign, but he wants to keep things quiet for now.

I am probably reading too much into all of this, but it is good to know all of the possible scenarios, not just the most immediate or the most obvious.

PaulJohnson2012 Mission Statement

PaulJohnson2012 Mission Statement.

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement.

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement.

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.

SIx Page Version of How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Slot 6 Pages

Click on Link for Ideas and Info!

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot – Click on Link for Hyperlinked Version

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Slot 4 Pages

PaulJohnson2012 Mission Statement

PaulJohnson2012 Mission Statement.

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.

Evan Alaska First Conference Call. Brief Transcript.

Just listened to the entire 2 plus hour recording of the Monday night Evan Alaska conference call. I did call in when it was live, but only caught the last 45 minutes.

Here is my brief transcription. I didn’t have the ability to write everything, so much of what is here is a short version with plenty of paraphrasing. I apologize if I got ahything wrong, especially caller’s names.

I dialed 559 726 1299 (for the recording; the conference number is 559 7261200) and then access code 811476 for the recording.

Begin transcript

Evan: 300 people on the call right now. 600 people are signed in [there was a total of 1800 throughout the call, not all on at once].

Talked to Doctor Paul (has his number because he was a delegate/organizer from 2008)

Read a poem about achieving the improbable.

Talked a little about his background as a 2008 delegate from Alaska as well as the Alaska Republican Party’s shenanigans in 2012.

States that Ron Paul said he was no longer a Republican. [WHich is not what really happened].

In his call with Paul he asked him about a third party run. Paul said he had not ruled it out but was not thinking that he would.

Mentions LP rules. Says there is a willingness on the LP’s part to accept Paul on their ticket ifJim Gray bows out and Paul also indicates willingness. May have to amend bylaws.

We should lobby Ron Paul via his phone numbers, addresses, website,and the ronpaul2012.net petition.

Washington Office: 202 225 2831 9 to 6 PM eastern, Monday through Friday

Lake Jackson Office: 979 285 0231 hours?

Victoria Office: 361 576 1231 hours?

If we talk to anyone we should make sure they know our party affiliation be it Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent

Washington Office: 203 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC 20515

Lake Jackson Office: 122 West Way Suite 30 Lake Jackson Texas 77566

http://www.paul.house.gov>contact form>write letter>submit

Evan tried an open conference but had to switch to q and a mode because open conference was too chaotic.

First caller: Clayton. Republican from Texas. Student in Utah. Mentioned possible Romney campaign fund fraud. Says the best way to get the word out for Johnson Paul ticket is through local news stations.

Second caller: Phoebe. Republican from Texas. Asked for Evan to post Ron Paul contact info to alaskansforronpaul2012.com. Evan mentions another conference call scheduled for Thursday at 5PM Alaska time, that 9 PM Eastern. Phoebe asks if Ron sounded like he didn’t want to jeopardize Rand’s future presidential aspirations or senate career. Evan says Ron was more concerned about support and funds as to questions of running third party.

Third caller: Robert from Bridgeport Connecticut. Mentions that someone should be posting weekly talking points for spreading the word and contacting LP and Ron Paul.

Fourth caller: Did not catch name. Woman from Nevada. Says she was in touch with a group that would do a full online marketing campaign for $500,000 and proved that they could by getting a press release on the top of yahoo news. She and another woman already had access to $50,000. Mentions a write-in campaign for Paul won’t work. Lawyers fro Ron Paul law suit not over yet. Hopefully something good comes of that. Also corrects Evan and says that Ron Paul never stated he was no longer a Republican. Urges people who are in the GOP to stay in, especially if they are already delegates, but to still support a Johnson Paul ticket. The marketing group is called ourvoicecounts.com. It should be posted on Evan’s event page.

Fifth caller: Bryan. Urges people to volunteer to be precinct committee members. Brings up Jay Leno show.

Sixth caller: Man. Last name Capone. From Massachusetts. Says “Americans Elect” no longer viable. Asks who in LP Evan spoke with regarding picking up Paul for their ticket. Evan contacted Jim Gray. No response yet. Also spoke with guy one step away from chief LP organizer. Gary Johnson said that the only reason he ran was because he thought Paul would not be nominated.

Seventh caller: Jonathan. Candidate in Texas. Asks if the GOP will be mad at Liberty republican candidates who back Paul on a third party ticket so much so that Liberty Republicans don’t win against the Democrat in November or future races. Asks how to deal with this if it happens. He backs the third party ticket but has concerns. Evan says to follow conscience, win or lose.

Eighth caller: Mark in Alaska. Had been elected twice as a Republican. Doesn’t care about repercussion in the GOP for not supporting Romney. We must not vote for Romney. Says he has lost all hope of changing the GOP at the national level after seeing what went on in Tampa. Lost his re-election thanks to “corrupt bastards.” Thanks all delegates for putting up with the abuse down in Tampa.

Ninth caller: Tay (?) Addressing Jonathan: Repercussions won’t be there because party voters (the people Jonathan was worried about) will vote along party lines even if they don’t particularly like their candidate, but it is the Ron Paul grassroots, his base that he should be concerned about alienating. If he and others betray them it is they who will stay home or vote for someone else. Asks Evan to post Gary Johnson campaign’s phone number.

Tenth caller: Joseph. Mentions a post on the Daily Paul by Israel Anderson that says he spoke with Doug Wead. Doug Wead tells him that there is zero chance Paul will run as a Libertarian. Evan claims that Paul sounded receptive to the idea, though.

Eleventh caller: Gabrielle. Addressing Jonathan: You can still be a registered Republican and vote for someone else. We should all vote for local candidates but we do not have to support Romney.

Twelfth caller: June (?). A man. Oklahoma Libertarian. On lobbying Ron Paul: we should generate media excitement. Write letters to the editor. Lobby the LP. The nominees don’t choose their running mates, the LP does. So if Gray resigns, the LP could pick Paul. Says to Lobby Libertarian National Committee. Says he will post LP email and phone numbers to Evan’s event page.

Thirteenth caller: David from Minnesota. Says he has $50,000 on the line for a 2014 Congressional run. The Republican party cannot discount us. Stay involved with the GOP. We are not going anywhere.

Fourteenth caller: Nicki from Wisconsin. Asks if Ron Paul signed anything saying he wouldn’t run third party. Evan says he didn’t think so. Also that Paul’s concerns about running had more to do with getting support and ruining progress he had made than it did with his view of the LP. Nicki asks if we should lobby the LP to put Paul at the top of the ticket. Evan says probably not because of the sore loser laws and if Johnson steps down Gray would just move up. So they would both have to resign and the LP would have to amend its bylaws. We should let the LP decide what works best for it and its membership. Nicki asks whether Paul is still a Republican. Evan says that this rumor is probably just a media distortion. Nicki says that Paul Ryan is her Congressman and that her husband is going to run for his spot. She asks for advice for her husband. Evan gives her his email address.

Fifteenth caller: Mick (on youtube as r11110000). Be active online. Don’t forget YouTube. Johnson speech at We are the Future Rally is there.

Sixteenth caller: Chris. Democrat from Indiana. hard for him to support Johnson but says he will back him if that is what it takes. The Paul people should stick together, but don’t have to abandon their respective parties. Promotes a national third party unity day.

Seventeenth caller: Name not mentioned. Asks how the Libertarian nominees, regardless of who they are, get into the presidential debates. Evan says that the easiest way to get the polling numbers required is if Ron Paul is on the ticket.

Eighteenth caller: Jason. Alternate delegate from Texas. Says that when Lincoln won he ran as a third party candidate. Says that Jesse Benton screwed us over and that if Paul goes through with this his campaign should consist of fully vetted people. Also, in order to combat voter fraud, Gary or Ron should recommend people as poll watchers. In order to convince them to run together we should pledge to them that we will be poll watchers.

Nineteenth caller: Sheila (?). Asks if Evan and Paul specifically talked about Paul running with Johnson. Evan says yes. Sheila asks why anyone should be concerned about ticking off the GOP which has shown that it really doesn’t care about doing the same to us. Evan says that some of us are in the GOP and WE care. It is not all or nothing. Use the GOP. Sheila says a lot of people think it takes a majority to win, but all we need to do is force a tie in the electoral college. Evan says people should become electors. Even if Paul is not on every ballot, electors can vote their conscience.

Twentieth caller: Anthony. Republican from Pennsylvania. Says Ron Paul is still a Republican and clears up rumors. On CNN Paul said “they are not my party”, meaning he doesn’t agree with everything they do, not that he was leaving. States that sore loser laws might apply to running as president and vice president. Evan thinks it just applies to president so Paul could run as someone’s vice president pick. Anthony asks how to change the GOP from within. Evan says start out by attending meetings and conventions and becoming delegates.

Twenty-first caller: Jose from Florida. We want to follow the rules because the GOP does not. But says he doesn’t mind voting third party even if it means losing his status within his local GOP. Evan says that an unjust oath is not a valid oath. No one knows what you do in the voting booth.

Twenty-second caller: Still Jose or someone whose name I didn’t catch? Asks if we should reach out to Ben Swann. Evan says we should do what we can. Call Ron Paul, Send the contact form, Convince him Draft him.

Twenty-second caller: Niamh (?). Doug Wead has a video that says the reason Paul did not go after Romney in the debates was because Romney threatened to drag Paul’s name through the mud. Wonders if this blackmail would still apply if Paul ran third party. Evan says that he doubts there is much Romney can do to taint Paul’s reputation.

Twenty-third caller: Michael in Texas. says he is known online as Michael O. Smith. Computers will count the votes. This could lead to fraud. Watch rigged election videos on YouTube.

Twenty-Fourth caller: ? Didn’t catch name. Off topic. Say the [GAO] Federal Reserve Audit. Says that 16 Trillion in bailouts.

Twenty-Fifth caller: Mike. Boston, Massachusetts. Has radio show called Two Hot Heads. Runs a Marijuana Fest on the Commons. Independent. Says not to worry about the establishment Republicans and to stay registered if you are one but to vote for JohnsonPaul. Get them in the debates. Evan says sometimes the improbable happens. Like the Berlin Wall or the Soviet Empire coming down without wars or people getting shot. Critical Mass.

Twenty-Sixth caller: Denise. Blog talk radio program called Global Voice 2012. Invites people to listen to Tuesday 8 PM interview with Richard Gilbert from Lawyers for Ron Paul. Says suit is still pending and indicates that it could render Romney ineligible. Evan says he hopes something good comes of it but doubts it will.

Twenty-seventh caller: Doug. The election might not go our way. Our next chance will be 2016, but only if Obama wins. 2020 if Romney wins. Evan says it would be hard to replace Romney if he is the incumbent. Doug shouts that this is an emergency. It is hard to keep people enthusiastic about Liberty for 16 years (presumably 2008 to 2024). States that Audit the Fed will be coming up in the Senate on September 12. If Harry Reid allows it to go to vote and it passes, what are the repercussions of us making a move on JohnsonPaul before that time? We don’t want to damage Paul’s signature legislation’s chances at passing. But if we make our move after it passes, we have that much more to back us up. Lets contact our Senators. Evan says we don’t have four more years, implying that it could be dangerous to wait any amount of time to make our move.

Twenty-eighth caller: Rex. Concerning the LP: A lot of people were disenfranchised in Tampa by the GOP. How do we turn around and do the same to the Libertarian voters? THey spent their time, their energy, and their money. EVan says that the difference is that we are simply petitioning Jim Gray to step down and Paul to take his place and the LP to allow it and to do so in the proper ways, while the GOP violated its own rules and cheated.

Twenty-ninth caller: Wanda (?). Republican from Kentucky. There should be one last money bomb for Ron Paul. What do we do if the election is rigged or Obama wins again? Evan says he doesn’t know.

Thirtieth caller: Maria in California. Paul’s Washington Office does not answer campaign related questions. In reference to Rex: Bylaws do not allow for changes of nominee unless one of the candidates voluntarily resign. Says she is an immigrant from the Netherlands and was a Kucinich type liberal. Then she heard about Ron Paul and found she agree with him about everything except economics. But she read up on things and learned she supported capitalism. Says that the GOP pretends they are capitalists so their non-capitalist policies get blamed by the Democrats on Capitalism. Austrian economics are better than the state capiatlism that both major parties support.

Thirty-first caller: Joseph. A radio host and delegate from Massachusetts. Republican. Says the Paul campaign has a $2 Million surplus that he might be able to use to help fund a third part run. Evan says that Romney has a $Billion but that we have grassroots and possible help from the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. Evan says he will personally contribute to the limit, something he had not done yet this year.

Thirty-second caller: Wayne. Patriot leader in Arkansas. Arkansas is receptive to third parties according to polling data. If Johnson can get 15% he can get in the debates. Between Obama and Romney, there is no anti-war candidate.

Thirty-third caller: Michael. Use alternative media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Thirty-fourth caller: Nick. A Chapter head and member of ANDAA. Says the founder of ANDAA has Jim Gray’s personal phone number which he will supply to Evan. The Rand Paul endorsement or Romney changed his view on things. Says that changes should be made at the local level. If a JohnsonPaul ticket doesn’t work out we will still have the grassroots and the local leadership.

Thirty-fifth caller: Travis in Sacramento, California. Says Reddit is a good way to spread the word. Ron Paul has 24,000 subscribers. Libertarian has 50,000 subscribers. And Gary Johnson has 5,000 subscribers. Suggests Johnson does an “ask me anything” session where he could be asked if he will run with Paul. Evan suggests that Paul do the same.

Thirty-sixth caller: Lee (?). Alternate. Tampa was demoralizing but now we are back home and angry. We are ready to continue the grassroots skirmishing. We will back Paul no matter what. If he decides not to run we respect that. If he decides to run we will support him. Even if Romney tries to sully his good name.

Thirty-seventh and last call: Lynn. Republican from Pennsylvania. Reverend. Lived in New Mexico when Gary Johnson was the Governor. If this whole thing does not work out, let us vote for Johnson anyways. Asks Evan if she can air the entire conference call on her blog talk radio program, Holistic Truth. Says that GOP didn’t even follow its own rules.

Evan: There will be another conference call on Thursday.

I Watched The Tonight Show And Here Are My Findings

So I sat through 40 minutes of Jay Leno’s the Tonight Show on NBC waiting for Ron Paul to come on. It wasn’t that bad. I actually like Leno the best of all the late night comedians. The show started at 10:41 PM Mountain Time. Thats an hour and seven minutes later than it originally aired. Ron Paul was mentioned three to five times before being introduced by Leno and walking on stage to the tune of a rendition of Amy Allen’s Ron Paul theme song, originally from the 2008 election cycle.

He came in waving at the studio audience (and the television one) and sat down between Kevin Hart (who had the first interview, and who moved over for Doctor Paul) and Jay Leno. There was applause. I don’t know if there were many Paul fans there (there was at least one who would break out with chants of “President Paul, President Paul” from time to time) or if the audience is just supposed to cheer, but it was a warm enough reception.

Down to business. All kidding aside, Leno asked Paul a good dozen or so serious questions, each of which Paul was ready to answer, albeit in his gentile, sometimes broken-sentenced, Texas Congressman/Doctor/Grandfather way.

We were all hoping for some big announcement, though some of us may not actually have been expecting one. So when it came time for Leno to ask him about if he gave any thought to running third party, it was disappointing, but in retrospect, not all that surprising as he had said the same all throughout the campaign, when he answered, “No, not much.” He did mention something about instead taking a rest before firing things back up again in 2016, adding that he was “just kidding.”

Upon prompting, he also stated that he planned on voting but was not going prepared to say for whom. Some are taking this to mean he will not endorse anyone. They may well be right. And that may well be what Ron Paul meant. But I have another take.

Here should be the takeaway; not of what all this does mean, but what it could mean:

By saying he was not going to run third party, that could just refer to running on the top of the presidential ticket. He did not say he wouldn’t run for another office, third party.

By mentioning 2016 it could mean, while he was kidding about running himself, he plans on working towards Rand being the 2016 GOP nominee. This may or may not be contingent on who wins this time: Obama, Romney, or least-likely-but-every-dog-has-his-day Johnson. If Obama wins this time, the GOP establishment will be discredited. If it is not enough to make the Republican Party implode, it might be enough to make it revamp itself by dumping some of RINOs, particularly those heavily invested in the losing ticket, RomneyRyan. If this wouldn’t be Rand’s chance to shine, nothing would.

If Romney does win, something I think will not happen for several reasons, Rand won’t be able to run against him within the GOP without first being branded a traitor and then being absolutely ignored, probably even worse than his father was at the convention. Ron Paul media coverage during the primaries and up until a month or two prior to the Convention will look like doting by comparison. Of course, if Romney’s vision for America turns out to be worse than Obama’s, or better but just not good enough to stem the tide of the inevitable fiscal nightmare scenario, the Democrats and the ignorant amongst the independents will demonize all Republicans and especially those of a more laissez faire persuasion worse than they ever did Bush or Cheney or McCain or Palin (most of whom deserved it). Rand won’t stand a chance. Even if the Perry-Gingrich-Santorum-Bachmann-Cain crowd gets behind him, the establishment will likely have its way and nominate the least laissez faire Republican they can find, potentially RomneyRyan redux. And even if Rand does end up the nominee, the demonization of all things even mildly libertarian will be ever his companion.

And if Johnson wins (I don’t think he can without almost all of Paul’s supporter’s backing, which he may not get without making some concessions), there is no real reason for Rand to run unless he really has turned to the dark side. Not to mention that given this whole analysis of Rand’s chances is rooted in Paul’s mention of mention, and that Johnson can’t win without Paul and his supporters, which if given couldn’t do much good for Rand, the Rand versus Johnson scenario is the least likely of all possible outcomes.

By not saying who he is voting for, he could be genuinely undecided, not even fully aware of all the possibilities, in which case there is still time to petition him and Johnson to collaborate in the form of an endorsement or modified LP ticket. Or he could be stringing people along to give him time to calculate a decision, consciously considering a bold move such as one of the ones promoted on this blog. Alternatively his mind may already be made up, be it to write in himself, vote for Johnson or Virgil Goode, to not vote, or to conspire with the Johnson campaign, but he wants to keep things quiet for now.

I am probably reading too much into all of this, but it is good to know all of the possible scenarios, not just the most immediate or the most obvious.

PaulJohnson2012 Mission Statement

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.