"Maine figures into Ron Paul’s caucus-centric strategy" February 03, 2012|By Sarah Schweitzer
FALMOUTH, Maine - He may have yet to secure a win, but Ron Paul is not without a strategy.
In a word, it is caucuses.
While he has ignored big primary states such as South Carolina and Florida, the Texas congressman is banking on ginning up support from his often youthful and always faithful backers in targeted cheaper-to-win caucuses, such as Nevada’s tomorrow, Maine’s from tomorrow to Feb. 11, Colorado’s and Minnesota’s on Feb. 7, and Washington state’s on March 3.
Caucuses are thought to offer Paul the greatest leverage because they tend to be sparsely attended by the most motivated voters - meaning that highly organized campaigns like Paul’s have the advantage.
“We will be going to the caucus states, and we will be promoting the whole idea of getting more delegates, because that’s the name of the game and we will pursue it,’’ Paul told supporters in South Carolina after his defeat there....
Paul is unlikely to gather enough delegates to claim the nomination. But a significant number of delegates from caucus states could give him a voice at the Republican National Convention in Tampa and put his libertarian ideas on the table for consideration, observers say.
“He wants to affect the Republican platform on some of the issues that he thinks are critical - among them the federal reserve system,’’ said L. Sandy Maisel, a government professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, referring to Paul’s calls for the abolition of the Federal Reserve.
Here in Maine, Paul’s caucus efforts are on display in a small storefront in the back of a strip mall on busy Route 1 in this bedroom community of Portland. A recent weekday found two 20-something campaign workers hunched over laptops in the spare space.
They declined to talk with a reporter, citing an impending meeting. National campaign officials did not respond to requests for comment....
:-)
The Paul campaign has work to do. Mitt Romney won the caucuses here in 2008, and this go-round Romney has the support of some 75 percent of elected Republicans, according to the state Republican Party (though Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe have not endorsed any candidate). Paul is not benefiting from media buzz after coming in last place in South Carolina and Florida.
Meanwhile, a sampling of a dozen voters turned up few planned caucus-goers.
And like the Paul campaign, Romney workers have been calling potential voters, encouraging them to caucus.
But Romney has not been to the state and has no immediate plans to visit; Paul swung through last weekend, drawing sizeable crowds in Freeport and other locations.
Even before this, Paul’s campaign had clinched the caucus vote of Alex Lyscars.
Lyscars is a 21-year-old college student who hails from a long line of Democrats, including 19th-century President Grover Cleveland, his great grandfather.
Lyscars was a registered Democrat but changed his party this year so that he could vote for Paul.
That is why I'm a registered Republican, and have been for years.
“I think of Ron Paul as a bit of an awkward jump to go to,’’ he said. “But it was like hitting the panic button.’’
Lyscars said he has grown increasingly concerned about President Obama’s foreign policy and his extension of the war in Afghanistan and backs Paul’s insistence on reduced foreign entanglements.
Lyscars said he will not vote for Obama, even if Paul loses the nomination.
I'm actually considering voting Obama if he keeps Israel from starting WWIII.
Likewise, Alex Greenlee, a 23-year-old college student, said he enthusiastically backs Paul because he has been steady in his positions, even if he does not agree with all of them, such as Paul’s push to repeal Roe v. Wade.
“I like him more as a person than his policies,’’ Greenlee said.
But Greenlee will not caucus for Paul. He is a registered Democrat and as such can not participate in the Republican caucuses....
Not very enthusiastic(?), is he?
Where does the Globe find these people?
Yeah, even Ron Paul's supporters can't vote for him.
Talk about rigging a narrative before the votes are even cast.
--more--"
Even money can't help Ron Paul:
"True to image, Ron Paul is no big spender" February 04, 2012
WASHINGTON - There’s little doubt about it. Ron Paul is cheap.
When Republican presidential rival Rick Perry stayed in Council Bluffs, Iowa, his campaign racked up a $1,204 tab at the Hilton Gardens Inn.
When Paul visited Council Bluffs, he spent $64.38 at a Super 8 motel.
His favorite restaurant, McDonald’s, appeared more than 40 times.
That can't be good for his health.
With few bills from expensive catering companies, Paul’s campaign opted for pizza - and lots of it. From Pizza Hut to Domino’s Pizza to Godfather’s Pizza (take that, Herman Cain), the campaign was billed for pizza more than 70 times.
I don't like pizza because it upsets my stomach.
Related: Dominoes in Line For Romney
That one really put a fire in my belly.
Paul’s smallest bill? A one dollar purchase from the Salvation Army.
On the campaign trail, Paul asserts he is the only candidate for a balanced budget and reduced spending. His disclosure statements covering the fourth quarter of 2011 prove that he practices what he preaches.
Thus his wide appeal to the people.
That does not mean he spends nothing. Overall, Paul spent $15,085,426.39 in the fourth quarter, the second-most of any Republican candidate. Mitt Romney topped him at $19,019,342.53, and Perry was a close third at $14,226,095.17.
Paul’s biggest expense was his TV ads that saturated the airwaves of Iowa and New Hampshire. However, he managed to end the quarter with zero debt.
Romney was the only other candidate without any debt.
--more--"
On to Nevada:
"Paul seeks to attract Mormon voters in Nevada GOP contest; His libertarian, anti-Washington principles appeal" by Shira Schoenberg | Globe Staff, February 04, 2012
The Paul campaign launched an “LDS for Ron Paul’’ coalition featuring supporters mostly from Nevada and Utah. (He has similar coalitions for Protestants, homeschoolers, and farmers.) A Facebook page, Latter-day Saints for Ron Paul, is “liked’’ by more than 1,500 people. The campaign released a video featuring quotes from Mormon church leaders extolling the importance of the US Constitution.
But Paul, who has been campaigning throughout the past two days in Nevada, faces an uphill battle. The most recent poll from the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows him lagging Romney badly. And although the Mormon Church is neutral, Romney is extraordinarily popular among Mormons. He was a high-level church leader in Massachusetts and comes from a long line of prominent Mormons....
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"The Nevada caucuses begin at 9 a.m. They will largely be concluded by late afternoon, except for one location in Las Vegas being held open until as late as 8:30 p.m. so Jews and Seventh Day Adventists can participate after observing the Sabbath.
I wish this nation would stop bending over backward for the (rhymes with) you-know-who.
In 2008, Romney won the caucuses with 51 percent of the vote. Representative Ron Paul of Texas, who has also been organizing in the state this year, finished second with 14 percent.
Okay, four years ago Ron Paul finished in second?
A poll this week by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Romney leading this time with 45 percent of likely caucusgoers, compared with 25 percent for Gingrich, 11 percent for former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, and 9 percent for Paul....
I guess he's lucky he was awarded third this year, huh?
--more--"
"Paul, who campaigned hard in Nevada and has staked his entire strategy on winning caucus states, may be bordering on irrelevancy after this shellacking. By raising expectations for a strong finish in Nevada -- only to place a weak third -- the Texas congressman undercut himself going into the next round of caucus contests.
Paul's ultimate goal -- keeping his libertarian-leaning platform part of the national political conversation -- could also be damaged as his losses pile up....
Boy, does the AmeriKan media ever want this guy to go away.
--more--"
At least the ladies like Ron Paul:
"The ladies who work at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel endorsed Ron Paul and started raising money for him."
Whadda you mean there was MORE VOTE FRAUD in Nevada!
Also see:
Maine lobster catch tops 100m pounds
Maine crew set to recover sunken $3b in platinum
Maine teens to face tough new driver's license requirements
No evidence of abduction of tot, police say
Related: Sunday Globe Special: Maine in Metro
What I never saw in my Globe:
Portland, Maine City Council Votes To End ‘Corporate Personhood’
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