# Bill Kristol says GOP should kick Ron Paul to the curb **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 17, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832 "2012-01-17T21:11:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/1 "2012-01-17T21:11:11Z")
“[Buchanan] left the party in 1999 and a lot of people, and I was one of them, said, goodbye and good riddance, you’re not in the mainstream of the Republican party, go run as some Reform party candidate . . . he did in 2000 and he didn’t get many votes and actually George W. Bush I think was helped—and the Republican party was helped—to be free of Buchanan’s extreme isolationism, protectionism, anti-Israel views, and the like. Ron Paul is a little different from Pat Buchanan—but he’s no better, in my view. And I actually think we’d benefit in the long run—but even in the short run . . .” From [here](http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/kristol-let-ron-paul-go_617074.html). I tend to agree that the GOP might benefit in the long term from taking a few things from Paul’s positions (I think some of the libertarian and quasi-libertarian ideas make sense in the Republican party, and some are just nuts. Same for the Democrats) and then ignoring the guy. But I don’t think it would benefit them at all in the short term. But maybe I’m wrong. Paul isn’t going to be the nominee. Would he be more likely to run as a third party if he gets dissed by the GOP in some way, and if he did would he pull many votes away? Or are his voters, by and large, not going to vote Republican if he doesn’t get the nom, so who cares if they are disaffected? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/2 "2012-01-17T21:34:37Z")
There isn’t really anyway to “kick him to the curb”. They actually tried to primary him out of his TX House seat once or twice, but that didn’t work. As long as he keeps getting people to show up to Primary elections to vote for him and/or fund his campaigns, he’s not going to be ignorable by the GOP. In any case, he’s retiring next year and is 77 years old, I imagine he’ll be off to meet the Blessed Exchequer in the Divine Treasury relatively soon and Bill Kristol will be able to breathe easy. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/3 "2012-01-17T21:41:15Z")
Isn’t it ironic that the dude heavily supported the career of such acts as Ron Paul and the Randroids. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/4 "2012-01-17T21:45:26Z")
The Republican party is aging, so let’s kick the only GOP candidate with youthful support out of the party. Sounds like a great long term plan to me, just like the Iraq invasion. I can’t believe anyone takes this idiot seriously. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/5 "2012-01-17T22:54:41Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > There isn’t really anyway to “kick him to the curb”. Exactly. The OP’s thread title is wrong. Kristol is saying they should let him go, not that they should kick him out. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/6 "2012-01-17T22:59:41Z")
They should put him on an ice floe and push him out to sea. Yes he does have some youth support- from those young people that are ill-informed. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/7 "2012-01-17T23:35:23Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Ron Paul and the Randroids Band name! ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/8 "2012-01-18T00:22:43Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > They should put him on an ice floe and push him out to sea. > > Yes he does have some youth support- from those young people that are ill-informed. Welcome to America bud. Voters are ill-informed. I guess they were informed when they voted for Obama though, right? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/9 "2012-01-18T00:31:31Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Welcome to America bud. Voters are ill-informed. I guess they were informed when they voted for Obama though, right? I’m a bit confused. You seem to be admitting that Paul’s young voters are ill-informed. Yet you argue that the GOP should get behind this senile bigot? Why? We’re talking about an idiot who believes in various conspiracy theories, is completely ignorant of American history, and who’s apparently afraid and intolerant of both blacks and gays. Why should the GOP want him? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/10 "2012-01-18T00:32:14Z")
In anycase, while I agree with Kristol that Paul is “not a good guy”, just from a strategic point of view I think he’s wrong that the GOP would be better off if he left the party. A third party Paul candidacy in '12 would be pretty damaging for Romney’s chances of beating Obama, while the damage done by having Paul in the GOP primary debates is pretty minimal. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/11 "2012-01-18T00:37:38Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I’m a bit confused. End post ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/12 "2012-01-18T01:05:28Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > We’re talking about an idiot who believes in various conspiracy theories, is completely ignorant of American history, and who’s apparently afraid and intolerant of both blacks and gays. > > Why should the GOP want him? I was not aware that [idiocy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=511831), belief in [conspiracy theories](http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/11/19/372833/gingrich-secularism-is-responsible-for-all-the-problems-we-have), ["]ignorance of American history]([http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/michele-bachmann-gaffe-proof/2011/11/18/gIQAmXzzYN\_blog.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/michele-bachmann-gaffe-proof/2011/11/18/gIQAmXzzYN_blog.html)), or fear of [blacks](http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-gingrich-defends-calling-obama-the-food-stamp-president-20120116,0,2648083.story) and [gays](http://buzz.eewmagazine.com/eew-magazine-buzz-blog/2011/12/7/political-buzz-rick-perry-condemns-obamas-gay-agenda-accuses.html) were considered disqualifying by the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/13 "2012-01-18T01:10:07Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > End post If you have a personal problem with **Ibn Warraq** , take it to the Pit. This isn’t appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/14 "2012-01-18T01:18:42Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I tend to agree that the GOP might benefit in the long term from taking a few things from Paul’s positions (I think some of the libertarian and quasi-libertarian ideas make sense in the Republican party, and some are just nuts. Same for the Democrats) and then ignoring the guy. But I don’t think it would benefit them at all in the short term. But maybe I’m wrong. Paul isn’t going to be the nominee. Would he be more likely to run as a third party if he gets dissed by the GOP in some way, and if he did would he pull many votes away? Or are his voters, by and large, not going to vote Republican if he doesn’t get the nom, so who cares if they are disaffected? Kristol has a major part in getting Palin on the ticket in 2008, so he definitely should be listened to. Enough abuse, and Paul will run as a third party candidate, which would mean Kristol helped to elect Obama both times. Sounds good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/15 "2012-01-18T01:43:14Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Kristol has a major part in getting Palin on the ticket in 2008, so he definitely should be listened to. You misspelled “flogged”. There’s a connection between Palin and Paul though. Both have brought short-term excitement and embarassment to the Republican Party. Neither is a long-term fix for the party’s problems. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-kristol-says-gop-should-kick-ron-paul-to-the-curb/609832/16 "2012-01-18T01:53:27Z")
Waitaminnit, this is Bill “Always Wrong About Everything” Kristol talking here, right? Nate the Neocon? Irving’s even-dumber kid?