Mandeville, LA - Exclusive Audio and Transcript - Caller Richard thinks that the Ron Paul supporters should just "go along with the machine" and try and change the GOP from the inside. Well Richard, when has that ever successfully worked? Why would Ron Paul supporters sacrifice their principles like that RIGHT NOW when they never have before? And what do you think the chances of actually changing the Republican Party from the inside are? I'll tell ya: ZERO. POINT. ZERO. Check out today's transcript for more...
Begin Mike Church Show Transcript
Mike: Richard is in Columbus. You are next. Richard, how are you?
Caller Richard: Absolutely wonderful. I had a quick question and I hope you let me complete my thought before, I think there must be a visceral reaction. When I heard the conversation regarding how the Ron Paul supporters are handling the electoral process, it comes across as a lot of sour grapes. The way I see it is, the Ron Paul supporters are sounding like constitutional Taliban. In their effort to maintain that ideological purity, they’re getting locked out of the system and staring through the window into the process that is happening. I’m trying to say is there a “go along to get along” option in this situation, rather than muddying up the system and sitting outside and complaining, why don’t you participate in the process from the inside rather than maintaining ideological purity in the long run?
Mike: Where’s the purity? They’re arguing for what they actually went inside the process and achieved. What’s wrong with that?
Caller Richard: At a ten percent participation rate or acceptance rate by the general population, in a parliamentarian system, you could become a team maker if you’re a Paul supporter. Right now, it’s limited to a fringe element. I’m saying why don’t you participate in the interior process and change it from the inside out? It’s becoming, to me at least, sounding like a lot of sour grapes.
Mike: They are participating in the process in the interior, from the inside out. What is the caucus? What is a state Republican convention process? Is that not an internal process?
Caller Richard: No, I guess I’m misstating it. When you’re getting steamrolled by the machine --
Mike: Go along with the machine?
Caller Richard: Yes, to get inside. That’s what I’m saying. If you’re getting steamrolled and you’re limited to a ten percent number, you can maintain all the ideological purity you want. You’re still not going to, in the end, have an effect. Change the machine from the inside. You go along to get along to go along.
Mike: You can’t change the machine from the inside unless you are actually going to achieve electoral victories. This would not be a pyrrhic victory because there’s nothing to lose, a motivational victory along the way. Motivational victories are actually winning the Louisiana caucus and other caucuses and then actually sending representatives to the federal convention in Tampa, not causing a ruckus, going along to get along, but voting their conscience if they’re given the chance on the second or third floor vote. Their guy is not going to be nominated. Nobody even thinks that. I don’t understand what is to be gained by just basically, if I’m understanding you correctly, by just basically lying through your teeth and saying, “Rah, rah, GOP!”
Caller Richard: Because it works.
Mike: Who does it work for?
Caller Richard: I know it sounds bad.
Mike: Who has it worked for? Where? When?
Caller Richard: The Romney supporters. The Romney supporters, there’s a huge distaste for the Romney supporters. There’s a bunch of us out here who are feeling that we have to because it literally is the least of the bad choice. The Paul supporters see it the same way is what I’m saying. Sometimes you just have to take your bitter pill to make things go in the direction overall that you want it to be.
Mike: So how do you take -- I’m confused. How do you take the bitter pill? Maybe you’re not explaining it well enough to me.
Caller Richard: Maybe I’m not. That’s what I’m saying. There’s a lot of processes going on where the Ron Paul supporters are making a big name for themselves in terms of -- it’s tough to describe. The Ron Paul supporters are coming across as “Hey, we’re getting locked out. Hey, this is not fair. Hey, you’re not following the rules.” Okay, instead of that tact, try, “Hey, Ron Paul is our guy, but let’s support Mitt Romney, let’s make this happen, let’s improve the process.”
Mike: Improve what process? To say improve the process would the imply that there’s something wrong with it. You just said you should say there’s nothing wrong with it and go along with it.
Caller Richard: Exactly. What I’m saying is sometimes you have to.
Mike: What could possibly go wrong with this plan? There’s nothing to see here, move along. There’s no problem. Everybody’s happy. Just one, big, giant, happy tent.
Caller Richard: Absolutely. The Democrats are feeding us our lunch right now.
Mike: There’s another problem here, Richard. That is what I view as a battle that is a battle without distinction, this Democrat vs. Republican and Republican vs. Democrat. From the federal edifice anyway, you have very little evidence that there is, as said in the 1960’s, that there’s dime’s worth of difference between the two federal parties. That is the problem. If you’re actually a Ron Paul delegate or supporter and you actually get involved in the internal workings of the party, I would think it would be your duty to speak out when you’re being disenfranchised. Or let’s not even use the word disenfranchised, when you signed up for something that the party said would happen if you did this, then when you go and do that, they say, [mocking] “Yeah, but we didn’t actually think you’d accomplish it, so we’re not going to honor that.” That’s no way to do business, come on. Richard, thanks for the entertainment. I appreciate it.
End Mike Church Show Transcript
The problem is the political parties themselves, but the culture change that got the politicians elected in the first place. Our election process has become some what as a joke. It is nothing more then a popularity contest. Therefor the politicians themselves will NEVER do anything that will make them unpopular that might justify them getting reelected even if it's the right thing to do. For example cutting or appealing a government program that employs government bureaucrats, to include the military.
All we, supporters of freedom that migrate towards Ron Paul, want is for the rules to be followed. Hmm, all we want are the constitutions and the city and county charters to be followed. Rules are established to be followed. Here in lies the problem. Both the parties and most people in general only want the other guy to follow the rules, but not themselves. Is that not where we strayed for all of those that worship the national constitution? The citizenry expects the other guys representatives to follow the rules, but theirs can break them.
A dirty little not-so-secret everyone, the RNC rules in the past have allowed the delegates to vote their conscience and not be bound. Hmmm, is this why there is such a push to not allow Paul supporters to have the majority in 5 states? Something for all of you lovely rule breakers to put in your pipe and smoke for a while. Wink, wink.
When i herd this call i wanted to call in and give some insight to the other side however when at work making personal calls on your cell phone is a no no so here goes, Now i can only speak for me, my state ( Maine ) and what ive observed, taken part in and done during our caucuses, and convention. From the get go the Rommny camp has taken the democratic play book and incorperated it into there own, dis infranchising a whole county ( Washington ) then at the convention acting and playing like a bunch of spolied little school kids who didnt get there way and pouted and whent home to mom crying. The paul people ( i one of them and a delegate from my small town of Kenduskeag ) brought there A game to the convention. They were organized, we had a information meeting the night before the convention and we had a group of dedicated voulenteer group that made shure the process to us new commers was easy and explained, we had a ticket with canadates we wanted to not only go to tampa but also in the Maine republican party high archy. and we won just about every spot that was up for grabs, it was done fair and to paramentary rules ( Roberts rules of order ) which the author gave our chair person a high mark for fowllowing the rules to a T alnong side a lawyer and the republican party rule book.
Yet with all the rule following and the legiditmant election of canadates we ( Ron Paul people ) were said to have " Hijacked " the state convention, that we had anrachy ruling the convention floor when in fact it was the Rommny people who did the stalling tactics, forging the Paul delegate list 2 times! and harassing Paul delegates sent to the state convention duely elected at there town and city caucuses. Now the rommney folks are suing the party so as to not seat our elected delegates to tampa, after all that ive wrote in here who seams to be the group that is not getting along?
The Rommny folks would like you to belive the Paul delegates and those elected to key Maine republicn party positions that we are a tiny majority in the party, if so then i ask why the lawsuit? why the name calling in newspapers and concertive forums? why all the childish antics at the convention? if we are such a minor threat why all this B.S ? We ( the Paul pepople ) whent through the porcoess we were told to do if we wanted change, change is who we vote on to elect at the fedral and state level, then we were told we hijacked the process because we won, we came with the most people and votes, is this the way to mend fences and try and ralley the party together? it seams by pushing the majority away would be the last thing you would want to do in any election but this is what has and is happing in Maine.
So to richard it is not us the Paul Pepole who wount play ball, in theis circumstances ( in Maine ) it apears you ( the rommny people ) want to take your ball and go home.