Ron Paul supporters already claiming victory in Maine.

[RandySF]

Caucus's reporting so far: 44% Paul, 37% Romney, 10% Santorum and 8% Gingrich. http://watchthevote2012.com/ To all "Boots on the Ground" in Maine, help document and report the vote. If you have already had your caucus, please call in the results to the hotline: [phone]. If you have not caucused yet please photo the official precinct tally sheet and call in the results.

Unfortunately there seems to be some, even within the Campaign itself, as hard as it is to believe, that do not want an honest, transparent vote count and reporting of the vote. Who can be opposed to more transparency in regards to voting other than the enemy?

After speaking with Ron Paul's brother Wayne about this today, he said "Who can be against transparency in regards to vote counting and reporting?" He fully supports the efforts of http://watchthevote2012.com/ He also assured me both Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul ABSOLUTELY feels the same way, in regards to transparent vote counting and reporting !

http://www.dailypaul.com/212690/maine-caucus-results-ron-paul-is-winning

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Republicans don't like electoral corruption

when it doesn't operate in their favor.

[Old and In the Way]

2. The SO just told me that 5% of registered Republican voters in Portland have turned out

for this caucus. I still think the real story isn't who's winning, but who isn't showing up to vote in the 2012 Republican primary season.

[eShirl]

6. something like 1/4 as many R-caucus voters as moose up here

(as per MSNBC this morning)

[Scootaloo]

3. If Ron Paul wins a state... bwahahahaha

I'm loving this election year

[customerserviceguy]

10. The headline tomorrow

will not be that Paul won a state, but that Mitt lost one in his own backyard.

[woo me with science]

4. It is good for the debate that he is still in the race.

Report: US may be forced to "militarize" Syria crisis.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002288483

Congress Passes Bill to Proliferate Drone Use in US Airspace (FAA says up to 30,000 by 2020)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002287989

So Iran is our new “Enemy.” Are we going to fall for this crap again?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002288384

Top US counterterrorism official: drone critics are Al Qaeda enablers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002279862

War with Iran! Are you kidding me? says Dennis Kucinichhttp://www.democraticunderground.com/11066


The "What If" Speech

“Madame Speaker, I have a few questions for my colleagues. What if our foreign policy of the past century is deeply flawed and has not served our national security interests? What if we wake up one day and realize that the terrorist threat is a predictable consequence of our meddling in the affairs of others and has nothing to do with us being free and prosperous?

What if propping up oppressive regimes in the Middle East endangers both the United States and Israel? What if occupying countries like Iraq and Afghanistan and bombing Pakistan is directly related to the hatred directed toward us? What if some day it dawns on us that losing over 5,000 American military personnel in the Middle East since 9/11 is not a fair trade off for the loss of nearly 3,000 American citizens no matter how many Iraqi, Pakistani, or Afghan people are killed or displaced?

What if we finally decide that torture even if called “enhanced interrogation technique” is self destructive and produces no useful information and that contracting it out to a third world nation is just as evil?

What if it is finally realized that war and military spending is always destructive to the economy? What if all war time spending is paid for through the deceitful and evil process of inflating and borrowing? What if we finally see that war time conditions always undermine personal liberty?

What if conservatives who preach small government wake up and realize that our interventionist foreign policy provides the greatest incentive to expand the government? What if conservatives understood once again that their only logical position is to reject military intervention and managing an empire throughout the world?

What if the American people woke up and understood that the official reasons for going to war are almost always based on lies and promoted by war propaganda in order to serve special interests? What if we as a nation came to realize that the quest for empire eventually destroys all great nations? What if Obama has no intention of leaving Iraq? What if a military draft is being planned for, for the wars that will spread if our foreign policy is not changed?

What if the American people learn the truth that our foreign policy has nothing to do with national security and that it never changes from one administration to the next? What if war and preparation for war is a racket serving the special interests? What if president Obama is completely wrong about Afghanistan and it turns out worse than Iraq and Vietnam - put together? What if Christianity actually teaches peace and not preventive wars of aggression? What if diplomacy is found to be superior to bombs and bribes in protecting America?

What happens if my concerns are completely unfounded? Nothing. But what happens if my concerns are justified and ignored? Nothing good.”

And I yield back the balance of my time.”


This was spoken by Ron Paul in front of the House of Representatives in February 2009. Dennis Kucinich would endorse this, and probably a few other Democrats, as well....but not the Democrats in the spotlight...the Democrats we need to be saying things like this.

This is why I am glad Ron Paul is still in the race. And, no, this is not an endorsement for voting for him. But why is it that the only politician in the national spotlight we hear speaking these truths, actually using the word "warmongering" during a debate and talking about corporate benefit from these atrocities, is an extreme libertarian who would also rip away our safety nets and abolish critical government functions and safeguards?

We desperately need a national conversation about these things. We should have had a DEMOCRATIC candidate saying these things.

The only way things will change is to get the money out of politics. We must take back our party from the corporate interests who have purchased it and our media, and who are guiding the national conversation.

Support OWS

[Uncle Joe]

8. Because the corporate media has brainwashed a large % of the American People on two

reinforcing, fundamental tenets; the religion of materialism and the required authoritarianism to support it.

To support that kind of doctrine, the people's sense of what constitutes the center must be distorted.

One way the corporate media does this by creating a false or limited box for the people to live in ie; the political spectrum covered or discussed by the corporate media consists almost exclusively of the left to right or liberal, moderate/center and conservative dimension.

Little or no mention is made of up or down, that would be authoritarian, moderate/center and libertarian.

The corporate media doesn't want the American People to focus on the word authoritarian because that word is at odds with the American Mythology ie; land of the free, home of the brave, freedom, liberty, independence etc. etc. authoritarian at its' most extreme is Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.

The corporate media's motivation is simple, corporations are authoritarian by nature, and commercial buying corporations are the corporate media's clients, the American Citizen has been subjugated to customer or consumer status to be sold a product, candidate, down the river or all of the above.

If a poltical leader falls outside of the right wing, authoritarian quadrant of the political spectrum, they're labeled as "extremists."

Today about the only candidates sliding closer to the Libertarian point of view are right wingers.

The irony is even Paul falls into that authoritarian quadrant, he's just closer to the libertarian point of view than the others.

I believe the only time the corporate media gave serious coverage to a left leaning libertarian as happened in 2000 is when the corporate media percieved the Democratic Candidate as either having posed or will pose a threat to the right wing, authoritarian monopoly hold on political power.

[Scootaloo]

11. Except it's all empty for him

He's never actually tried to DO anything to halt our current wars or impede future ones. His record is almost purely fiscal and social policy issues (and he takes the radical right-wing stance on both arenas). He talks a good anti-war fight, but doesn't ever put his (considerable) money where is (also considerable) mouth is.

We have Kucinich, and we have Sanders. Both do more in a week than Paul has done in thirty-five fucking years. So let's not lionize the pizzle-stick of a congressman.

[mainer]

5. Lotta libertarians up here; not many religious fundies

Paul victory totally expected.

[renie408]

7. It's his turn. n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Good

another stunning loss for Mr. Corporations are People.