Topic: Ron Paul
Operation RonDemption for Idaho A newsblogger advises Democrats how to get payback for Operation Chaos: "Operation RonDemption, the plan to give Ron Paul a state primary victory".by George Dance
(Libertarian)
Friday, May 2, 2008
Last Monday, AOL newsblogger Tommy Christopher took a look at Ron Paul's "best primary finish ever," in Pennsylvania the previous Tuesday. As Christopher saw it, "16% is nothing to sneeze at, even if you take into account much lower turnout due to the fact that the Republicans already have a nominee." He pondered the implications if the Paul surge continued:
The worst-case scenario for McCain is that Ron Paul makes an even bigger splash in North Carolina and Indiana, a very real possibility. Paul's internet guerillas specialize in exploiting statistical weaknesses like a low-turnout primary. If Paul were to crack 20% in either of those states, a narrative will begin to build.....
McCain has enjoyed a free ride from the press thus far. Ron Paul getting 20% would put an end to all that, and there's little to prevent it. Even if he was inclined, McCain would be hard-pressed to energize his supporters enough to go out and vote in meaningless contests....
That leaves McCain at the mercy of the will of the Ron Paul Revolutionaries..... Can they get Ron Paul over the 20% mark? Time will tell, but I wouldn't bet the farm against them. (1)
The next day, Christopher was reading a short Buzzfeed news item on "Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos:" As Buzzfeed told it: "Rush Limbaugh urges his conservative fans to vote for Hillary so that neither Democrat can win the primaries. In Limbaugh's own words: 'The endgame is to see that neither of these candidates can win by virtue of the primaries' assuring that Hillary and Barack will be so bloodied and brought down to earth that neither can win in the general." (2)
Suddenly Christopher had a Eureka moment, and the idea of "Operation RonDemption" was born.
Operation what? RonDemption: a wordplay on "redemption," or payback. Which explains the operation's motive: Democratic payback for the Republican interference in their party's race.
The opportunity is the Idaho primary next month. On May 27, Republicans in Idaho get a chance to vote for their party's nominee, a race they'll be told was decided two months before. Meanwhile, though their race has still to be decided; Idaho Democrats will not be voting; that was done, by a few of them in caucuses (won by Obama) back in February.
Christopher points out that "Democrats or Independents who didn't vote in February's Idaho Democratic Caucuses are eligible to vote in the Republican Primary on 5/27/08. Idaho is one of only a few open nominating contests left." (3)
Which in turn implies Operation RonDemption's method:
The strategy is to get Democratic voters and independent leaners in Idaho to vote for Ron Paul in the Republican primary. Anyone who wasn't among the 21,000 or so that voted in the Democratic Caucus is eligible. (4)
It wouldn't take much for the Democrats, aided by the Ron Paul Army, to put a serious dent in John McCain, especially considering the low turnout for the Dem caucus. Since the GOP already has its nominee, their turnout should be low, too, inflating the percentage of Paul votes. Who knows, maybe Dr. Paul can deal McCain a defeat. Just forward and post this link wherever you can, especially to people in Idaho. Let's see how the Paul-ites do against the Dittoheads. (3)
The expected outcome? Christopher bills his scheme as "Operation RonDemption, the plan to give Ron Paul a state primary victory while damaging John McCain's campaign." However, he is lowballing expectations: "An attention-grabbing 20%+ finish is well within reach, and with some hard work, an outright victory for Dr. Paul is not impossible." (4)
In a follow-up article the next day, Christopher suggested expanding the plan to other states with upcoming primaries:
The polls in Indiana are pretty well knotted right now. If one or the other of the Democrats falls way behind by primary day, that candidate's supporters can peel off for Paul, as well.
For Obama, it might mean sacrificing a few delegates, whereas Clinton supporters would have to ask themselves where they can do the most good, inching a few delegates to an insurmountable lead, or damaging John McCain with a Ron Paul insurrection? Clinton's case to the Supers isn't going to rest on delegate totals, anyway, so if she's losing the state by then, the impact will be minimal. (4)
He also announced tactics: "The next step here is a viral marketing program, something at which the Ron Paul army is quite proficient. " (4) That army' is beginning to rally: Ron Paul Forums and the Daily Paul have already begun publicizing Operation RonDemption. Christopher has also promoted it (under an alias) on large-circulation Democratic blog Daily Kos, asking all Kosbots to "have a little imagination and forward this link to the 25 people who sent you that 5th grade poem about the meaning of friendship this morning. America will thank you." (5)
---------
(1) Tommy Christopher, "McCain Should Worry About Ron Paul," Political Machine, AOL, Apr. 28, 2008. http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/04/28/mccain-should-worry-about-ron-paul/
(3) Tommy Christopher, "DittoHeads For Hillary, Meet Dems For Ron Paul," Political Machine, AOL, Apr. 29, 2008. http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/04/29/dittoheads-for-hillary-meet-dems-for-ron-paul/
(4) Tommy Christopher, "Rush Pauses Op. Chaos; Op. RonDemption Soars," Political Machine, AOL, Apr. 30, 2008. http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/04/30/limbaugh-pauses-operation-chaos-op-rondemption-soars/
Did you like this article? If you did, Thumb It! 12 thumbs so far
2008 George Dance, all rights reserved.
Published: Friday, May 2, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, May 4, 2008
The views expressed in this
article are those of George Dance only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. George Dance is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Want to comment on this
article? Leave your comment here. Your email address is
required to track your comment. However, we will neither
publish your email address nor distribute it to other
organizations or persons. The only reason we might use
it would be if we needed to contact you regarding your
comment. All comments are subject to our
terms of use policy.
2008 George Dance, all rights reserved.