Not gonna stand for a rig job this time!
"Russert Predicts Paul Could Beat Giuliani in Iowa
Jason Rhyne
Raw Story
January 2, 2008
Republican presidential contender Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) could be poised to beat Rudy Giuliani — once perceived as a frontrunner for the GOP nomination — in Thursday’s Iowa caucus voting, according to NBC’s Tim Russert.
Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program for a discussion about the latest Iowa polling numbers, Russert said Paul could realistically score a fourth place showing in the state.
“Having gone around and watching this thing,” said Russert, “to say for example Huckabee wins, Romney is two. McCain comes in third. Thompson is out — he has already said if he’s not two, he’s out. I think Ron Paul has a chance of coming in fourth here. I really do.”
Assuming former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) took fifth, Russert added that it appeared likely Giuliani could slip to a lowly sixth place finish.
Conservative pundit and two-time Republican presidential aspirant Pat Buchanan said he believed the former New York mayor was now facing an uphill fight for his party’s nomination.
“I think Rudy is toast…I mean, you can’t go 0-4, 0-5, and come back and win Florida,” said Buchanan of the possibility that Giuliani could fair poorly in the opening contests of the primary season.
Giuliani has not campaigned heavily in Iowa, choosing instead to adopt a national strategy focused on other states, such as Florida, that vote later in the primary process. More than twenty states, including New York and California go to the polls on February 5.
“When you get to Florida and the February 5th states,” Giuliani told Fox News, “we’re ahead in some cases by large percentages and in some case by closer percentages. We believe it’s a good strategy and it’s going to work.”
The latest poll from Iowa’s Des Moines Register tallies Giuliani’s support in the state at five percent. Paul and Thompson each notch nine percent."
"Ron Paul vs. Faux News
Mike Allen
Politico
January 1, 2008
Ron Paul’s campaign says he’s planning an alternative event at the same time as the Fox New Channel’s Republican forum in New Hampshire on Sunday if the network continues to hold back on an invitation, a campaign official tells Politico.
Already, blogs are alive with cries of “censorship” from Paul’s vocal and prolific followers.
Jesse Benton, Paul’s national press secretary, said he likely would hold a town hall with New Hampshire citizens — an event that would amount to counter-programming and would likely generate considerable publicity for the anti-war libertarian.
“We’re not going to sit around and cry about it,” Benton said.
“By all metrics, there is only a case for including Dr. Paul in the forum. We think it’s a little bit of a head-scratcher.”
Paul announced he raised $19.5 million in the last quarter of the year, and party sources say that is more than any other Republican campaign.
Fox News has not specified its exact criteria for the debate, but debate planners have long yearned to winnow the cast to permit more substantive and detailed conversation.
Fox has said it will make its final announcement about invitations after Thursday’s Iowa caucuses.
Benton said the campaign has placed about six calls to Marty Ryan, executive producer of political programming for Fox News Channel but said they have not been returned.
Ryan did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment on New Year’s Day.
Paul will participate in an ABC debate in New Hampshire on Saturday night, Benton said."
A debate with Ron Paul?!
Oh, I WILL watch that one!
"Why the Ron Paul Movement Is Dangerous
CT Johnson
Nolan Chart
January 2, 2008
The Ron Paul Movement is an election 2008 phenomenon coming out of nowhere. Tucker Carlson mentioned that it is truly a movement after spending some time with Ron Paul during a Nevada tour. This movement was completely unexpected and to the establishment it is becoming more and more dangerous. Not dangerous in the violent sense, but dangerous in the fact that whether Ron Paul wins or not it may very well change the political landscape. People within the establishment have in many cases devoted large portions of their very lives and careers obtaining the influence and power that they now enjoy. It is no wonder that they treat Ron Paul with disdain and many times disrespect. Put yourself in their shoes, even if they are right or wrong, and imagine having played by all the ‘rules’ and now facing a rebel who did not follow the ‘rules’ and the rebel is enjoying marked success.
It appears that many Ron Paul supporters may not fully realize that all of these establisment types are not completely evil men and women. Many of them just followed the age old rule of "It is easier to work within the system than against it". In fact, Ron Paul himself decided this was the best course of action. Ron Paul ran for Congress to try to make change within the system. However, many of the establishment types went further and emulated the system and its corruption while trying to effect ‘change’. It is this corruption and comprimising of ones values that the American people are starting to rail against. Ron Paul is a natural outlet for all of the electorate’s brewing anger. The establishment feels this anger and senses the danger. Of course, this danger to their glass encased houses is one of their own doing. Nevertheless, the Ron Paul movement is perceived to be very dangerous because it challenges so many established notions within the system.
The Ron Paul movement is probably even more dangerous to America’s established money and power elite. The oligarchy within the United States generally doesn’t care too much whether the Democrats or Republicans are in power. As long as they can continue to lobby and influence both sides and make slow and steady progress towards their goals…all is good. The oligarchy doesn’t generally care too much whether America has socialized medicine, corporate medicine, or free market medicine. So many things that affect America’s middle class and poor are irrelevant to them. In the long run it is about influence, power, and control. The oligarchy has invested very heavily into any and all forms of control that they can. Their control arsenal is huge and ever growing. They wield money, influence, lobbyists(with money), the media and much more. With these tools they can often control the public and their opinions and therefore control the politicians. They further tighten their control over politicians with money, connections, and lobbyists. To the oligarchy…the Ron Paul movement is VERY dangerous.
Ron Paul has for years challenged the establishment to little or no avail. The forces arrayed against him and his message were and are very powerful. It has taken the right moment in time for Ron Paul’s message to go viral. There are many factors involved. The first factor is that the establishment has pushed the economy and the US dollar to the brink. It may have escaped most of the public’s notice as they vampirically syphoned off the people’s purchasing power and their very lives through a hidden and nefarious tax known as inflation [See my article Ron Paul vs. The Vampires to get a more in depth perspective]. Unlike in the past though, the electorate is facing larger than ‘normal’ inflation and it is hammering the middle class and poor. Now with a war that is forcing the establishment to print more money just to cover all of our debt and increased spending the problem has become very noticeable. On top of the previosly mentioned problems we have the corruption that has irritated the electorate for years and a feeling of a Big Brother Federal government unnatural to the American Spirit…a recipe for disaster…for the elite. Stage right…enter the internet. The internet plays a large factor in that one of the oligarchies most effective tools, the media, can be completely bi-passed. What Ron Paul and his message never had was access to an outlet for his message. The message is now drawing the electorate, funds, and forming an organization outside of the oligarchies control. No matter the outcome Ron Paul has won. The Ron Paul movement and the ideas contained within it by an ever growing percentage of the American population will continue to spread. It is not the man…it is the message…the idea…and ideas are hard to defeat…they are bullet proof.
Yes…the Ron Paul movement is dangerous…very dangerous…to the establishment. As I wrote in a previous article…It May Very Well Be Ron Paul’s Time."
