Top of the Ticket: Reader calls for Ron Paul revolution

The Technorati Top 100 blog, Top of the Ticket, the Times' most popular blog, has received almost 60,000 reader comments since its first post a little more than a year ago.  But few, if any, readers are as loyal as the one who calls himself "dave."  In these last few months, dave has rarely let a day go by without submitting a comment in support of Ron Paul.  The stories that dave remarks upon may have nothing to do with Ron Paul,  but that is besides the point. 

On a story about the magazine covers that Michelle Obama has graced, dave wrote: "the candidate for president who practiced as an ob/gyn doctor for decades, delivering many babies, is RON PAUL."

On "'Barns for Obama' -- Can 'Museums for McCain' be far behind?," dave wrote: "the RON PAUL rEVOLution resorted to this kind of advertising many months ago as the legitimate candidates were kept from getting their message out by the constant media censorship and propaganda."

On a National electoral map update, dave made a post at 4:10 in the morning, West Coast time: "so some will dream of a blue donkey, and others hope for a red elephant to save them, and many fail to see they'll fall again, for the same deceitful purple cow.  only when people stop to vote for political parties, or the interests of corporations and cartels, and banking dynasties, but reserve their vote for someone who will represent their own vital interests, and is accountable to them - only then can they reclaim their country, and see their rights and liberties restored. to implement constitutional principles and values in government and politics, will guarantee true and lasting benefits for everyone. this can best be done, by people of wisdom and integrity, such as RON PAUL."

Two days later, dave wrote a second, longer comment for the same story: "the implementation of the election of the president by national popular vote, as promoted by birch bayh (in), john anderson (il), tom campbell (ca) and others, would be the end of the american republic. it would transfer the powers now remaining at state level (after already having stripped the districts and local levels of their influence) to the federal government, practically reducing presidential elections, then by national popular vote, to an empty ritual or 'democratic' fig leaf, as typically seen in many de facto dictatorships, some even named 'people's republic' and the like."

That's only about a fifth of the post, but you can read the rest here.   

dave's longer comments all adhere to a similar formula.  They begin with a slow build-up, at first making no mention of the Texas congressman.  Not until the final sentences does Ron Paul's name finally appear in heroic, all-capital letters: "all legitimate and qualified candidates of integrity, not corrupt and bought by corporate and banking interests; all who care about the country and the people, and offer real solutions to the problems, have been suppressed and silenced from the start (despite all that, RON PAUL the legitimate presidential candidate for the republican party advocating constitutional values, having been excluded from the neocon convention, has managed to organize the REAL republican convention in minneapolis, right next door to the neocons' show in st. paul)."

At this point in the election season, it seems impossible that Ron Paul could become president, but dave would probably disagree. Want to join dave in the Ron Paul revolution, or at the very least, send him a sympathy comment?  Share your thoughts!

-- Amy Silverstein

Photo by Mark Wilson/ Getty Images for Meet the Press

Comments

[not dave]

i think i like dave. vote for ron paul.

[Joe]

Keep fighting the good fight, Dave. You're not alone.

[liberalnurse]

"Let it not be said that noone cared, that noone objected once it's realized that our liberty and wealth are in jeopardy. Let it not be said that we did nothing." ~RON PAUL~ You go DAVE.. In Liberty, Freedom Prosperity and Peace.

[Scott]

With the destruction of our economy by the Neoconservatives and the Neoliberals who want to concede our sovereignty to a global oligarchy, not to mention the destruction of the American name, the destruction of American Youth in our despicable education system and the horrible treatment of our true heroes like the 9/11 first responders and our servicemen how can people just go with known liars and war profiteers like John McCain and Barack Obama?

Ron Paul is the only honest candidate fighting for our individual rights. May God help you if you don't fight for your rights.

[Will_1]

Well, if "dave" is listening... keep up the good work.

[Brandy]

Keep the faith, Dave. People are starting to wake up! First we have to help them UNLEARN all the silly distracting propoganda that the mainstream media parades around in. Then we need to tell them the Truth about how there is only one major party in operation in the USA, the Republicrats, and they are the enemy of all ideals the Founding Fathers set forth in the Constitution for the protection of our liberties and national sovereignty. Common sense must be restored to politics before our Republic will ever see its former glory. A toast to Dave, and all those like him who are spreading the freedom message far and wide! The R3voLution has begun! VROOM!

[evil dave]

RON PAUL (in before "dave"!)

[Jim]

Well done Dave.

[Kyle]

This is kind of a mean-spirited blog. That said, Dave should focus his energy on getting Bob Barr elected. lol

[James]

I became very apathetic to politics after 9/11. I felt as if there was no change to be had. It was the same tinkering of big promises with no change at all. RON PAUL taught us there are real solutions to our problems and how we can over come them. For the first time I back someone with integrity who is a leader of the people. "Let it not be said we did nothing." Ron Paul

Well written story and thanks to Dave for his commitment.

[Stevo1]

Right on Dave! Viva La r3VOLution!!!

[Chris Burrage]

Good for Dave. Those that are awake and continue to evolve will support Ron Paul.

[PainfullyAware]

Dave Gets It.

Let The Re-education of America Continue.

The Monetary Crisis we face now is only one of the subjects that Ron Paul has correctly assessed. Too bad people would rather dismiss him rather than debate him.

Arrogance And Apathy Will Be The Traits Revealed By History When America Is Remembered In This Time Frame.

Fools Their Rights Are Soon Parted. Erosion Only Deposits Unstable Ground.

[D Robinson]

Nothing in this country will change unless we rid ourselves of the two party system. Both parties are hopelessly corrupt. Ron Paul isn't perfect but he is at least honest and consistent (check his voting record). Make no mistake, if we can't get our act together soon this country might just fall apart completely like the former Soviet Union.

[Duncan]

GO DAVE!

RON PAUL 4 LIFE! ! !

[CTCZ]

The rEVOLution is fascinating. As Dr. Paul has said before, "The message is powerful. I have my shortcomings, but the message has no shortcomings. The message of Liberty is what America is all about." We wildly support Ron Paul for 2 reasons: one, he is a great man and shows integrity and honesty not found in other politicians. Two, we love the Message of Liberty, Freedom, and adherence to the Constitution.

Among politicians, Ron Paul stands almost alone in actually wanting our government to operate by our Constitution. Every other politician out there wants the government to operate by their parties platform, even when the party platform is in direct contradiction with the Constitution. And they come up with this reason, or that reason, or another reason, to not follow the Constitution, even though they all take oaths to follow it.

To those of us who support the Constitution, it is shameful that individual party platforms and personal political agendas have been allowed to trump the law of the land. Republicans, they have their unconstitutional federal war on drugs, for example. Democrats, they have their unconstitutional federal social programs and agendas. They are all guilty of promoting their party platforms ahead of our Constitution - it's shameful, and it's also something our founding fathers warned about.

Our Constitution was written to shackle our federal government down and force it to operate within a specific confined space. But today's politicians look for every excuse to grow the federal government to solve every problem they deem important at that time - no matter whether it was supposed to be a function of our federal government or not. As long as we continue to move in this direction, America will be heading in the wrong direction - no matter whether you vote R or D, it's the wrong direction.

Ron Paul offers a new choice besides the status quo R and D - the choice to change direction entirely and return to the Constitution. And to those of us fed up with government (85% of Americans fall into this category), the Ron Paul message is fresh, exciting, optimistic, and one we can enthusiastically get behind.

ps - yes I am one of those people who are stamping $1 bills :)

[Sandy]

Dave should be the running mate for Ron Paul.... I'm starting to love him as much as Ron because he is one who really sees the message and logic brought forward by Dr. Paul.

More power to you dave!!!!

[Thom]

It sounds to me like Dave is a bit overzealous, but that's easy to do once you begin listening to what Ron Paul has to say. I won't claim that he's for everyone, but his message of freedom resonates with me and with pretty much every person with whom I've spoken about it at length. In fact, I found that a lot of people said, "I like a lot of his ideas. There's no way he'll win the primaries though, so I'm going to stick with [someone else]."

Now it seems that Paul's bid for the White House, while genuine, was not intended to simply be a long-shot campaign. He used the Presidential race, the only race that most Americans pay attention to these days, as a launching point for promoting his ideas of a small, Constitutional federal government, a sound money policy, and a non-interventionist foreign policy. I think even he was surprised at the level of support he got from young people on the Internet. This overwhelming response allowed him to set up the Campaign for Liberty, which can be found online at www.campaignforliberty.com, and hold a parallel event to the Republican National Convention called the Rally for the Republic. The thirst for liberty awakened in the hearts and minds of Americans by Ron Paul's presidential campaign has not ended with a failure to get the Republican nomination. If anything, it will only grow stronger as more and more Americans feel the current financial pains brought on by invasive government policies.

The Ron Paul Revolution has been marginalized as a fringe element, but it has the potential to snowball into a major voting block, or even (dare I say) a political party in the next decade or so. No matter what your take on the man or the movement is, it can certainly be said that change is in the air. I have a feeling that we will be hearing much more from Ron Paul over the next few years.

[Peter]

Go Dave! RON PAUL has my vote, whether he's on the ballot or not. He's the only one on the national scene who makes sense. Prayers for Dr. Paul's wive carol, who's in the hospital.

[Mark]

Go Dave, those in control do not understand what we strive for.

They have forgotten what the revolution was fought for, who it was we were fighting against. We are ready and willing. The revolution moves, onto Mineapolis, think the times could feature an article on the REAL convention, though not

It goes against the ones we fight against.

[56 men and DAVE]

`Do you ever wonder of the 56 men that Signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five: were captured by the British, tortured and died.
12: had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two: Lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army
One: had two children captured
Nine: fought and died from wounds and hardship in the Army
They signed and pledged their lives, their fortune, and sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
24 were lawyers
11 were merchants
9 were farmers and plantation owners.

All well educated men of means.
They singed the Declaration of Independence knowing the penalty would be DEATH if they were captured.
Many accumulated debts and died in rags, penniless.
Some were hounded by the British sending their family to safe havens, serving in Congress for free. In the process they lost their possessions and poverty was their REWARD.
This is the story and sacrifices of the SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
These were men with security, soft spoken men, not WILD EYED rabble rouser's. MEN OF MEANS, BUT THEY VALUED LIBERTY MORE.
They stood tall and unwaivering for the support of the Declaration of Independence!
They gave to you and me the privilege of a free land.
Dave's sacrifice seems a great tribute to those who sacrificed so much!
Long live the Revolution!

Go get em' Dave!

Write Dr. Paul in!

[Dwayne Hall]

Way to go Dave, fight the figh that needs fighting, not the ones they want us to fight! I have the honor of being one of the Protest Speakers at the RNC and I shall keep Dave in mind as I enjoy my 50 minutes of airtime! You can read more
here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/convention_beat/

Dwayne from Arkansas (Kind thoughts to Mrs. Paul and their entire family)

[Steven]

Way to go Dave! Keep it up. Go LA Times for keeping Ron Paul's name out there. He certainly drives traffic doesn't he? This is a nice example of mining recycled Ron Paul comments for gold. I wonder how much has Ron Paul earned for the LA Times in clickthroughs and PPMs...

[Charlotte]

Dave, you are "every intelligent man" to me. Only the undooped know that there is only one person who should ever be president right now and that is Ron Paul. If we don't get him in, we are in a world of hurt. Without Ron Paul, we are not America any more.

[Dave's great]

Dave is the man! Ron Paul's message cannot be stopped, we will spread it everywhere we can. If I could eat Ron Paul's message, I'd spread it on my bread instead of peanut butter

Dave Rocks! LA Times is still cool for the coverage

[Sandra]

Statesmen like Dr. Paul are very rare and it is unfortunate the media would only give him 5 minutes in the debates. Peace

[Sandra]

Hero worship is a dangerous thing if perfection is expected. So many voters expect their candidate to save the day, and the fact is, they can't.

I hope Dave realizes that pinning one's hopes on one candidate is not enough. I think he probably does, because Ron Paul was the first to say that he is popular because of his message of freedom and that winning the election is unimportant compared to growing the movement toward freedom.

Politics and political speech is so often seen as dirty, shameful or impolite. It takes a statesman like Ron Paul to make me proud to wear his name on my shirt! I know how Dave feels.

[Adam]

If it's the people vs. the media, I will side with the people. Thanks for stepping forward and covering a phenomenae others try to ignore!

For LIBERTY!

[Marilyn Townsend]

Way to go Dave! Ron Paul's wife Carol is right now in a Houston hospital in serious condition. Let's keep praying for her and Dr. Paul.

[Fabio]

Thank you from Germany!

Dave, You`ll never walk alone!

Best whishes from us Bavarians for Ron Paul!

Go Americans, go Paulites! Take back your country and show the world again what Freedom really means!

[Marilyn]

Thank you Dave for supporting the greatest Constitutional Statesman of all times! The political bar has forever been raised. Any politician must now say, "What Ron Paul would do is what I need to do!!!"

[Mike]

Very Nice Read!
Very well written Dave. Keep up the good work!

[Rhys]

Dave for 2012!

There is only one man who can lead, only one man who is the One man... his name....

RON PAUL

[dave]

it is great to see that there are many people now who dare to speak their mind, and do not care if those who don't yet understand would choose to mock them.
people don't agree on everything all the time, and don't have to;
but to be open to information and dialogue while being firm in solid principles and convictions, will eventually bring about the kind of change to benefit everyone.

another comment left on that article, 'the magazine covers that michelle obama has graced' frankly states,

'cult of personality is profoundly unamerican, and like any idolatry, unworthy of a free human being.
with every idol or celebrity created in america, america is more alienated from its foundations, and the people lose more and more of their freedom, their prosperity and peace, until they find themselves empty-handed and enslaved, in a bloody fool's paradise.'

but when people honor their birthright and the spirit of the constitution, and exercise their freedom not to lose it, they will see change: they will then be able to make responsible decisions, based on their best knowledge and understanding, and their conscience. even though outnumbered, RON PAUL consistently voted for his conscience in congress, maintaining his integrity in a cesspool of corruption throughout ten terms.
this is true patriotism, that shows true concern, and equals love.
and this is why he has already won, and will win in any case.
'it's about the message.'

[jp2]

Love you Dave.
Ron Paul for the long haul!

[Helen]

For every Dave comment, multipy it by one million ++, because there are that many of us out here that would "Ditto" his comments.

Ron Paul hit the nail on the head when he made the statement, "FREEDOM IS POPULAR!!!!

Thank you DAVE !! Keep it up!

[Bill]

Until this year, I have never participated in the election system. Since being introduced to ron paul several months back, I have really had my eyes opened and realize some very important things.

The first thing, that I always thought was wrong, I finally understand exactly why it is. and that is the idea that "If you don't vote, then you are part of the problem". Now I can see how flawed that actually is on many different counts. First, if you vote for who the media is shoving down your throat the most, you are just going to get who they want you to vote for, meaning its no longer your vote. The next problem is people who vote for who they think is going to win, these are the people that cause the most damage to our political system. Ron Paul might not have a huge chance of winning, but he is the right choice of who to vote for, so I wont be voting for anyone else. and if anyone is listening, I think we should all have a bic pen bomb or sharpie, or whatever we decide we're going to write with. right before the election so we all have something to write his name in with ;) Because I'm voting for who SHOULD WIN, NOT who I think WILL win. If you are going to vote for who you think is GOING TO WIN, then STAY HOME, they'll probably win without you, and if not, maybe you might just give a chance to let the right guy win.

[Simon9]

It's a bit scary that I understand what drives all the "Daves" out there. A lot of us feel his pain/rage/hope, etc.

I'm one, too, and I'll bet I'm not the only one who gets the kind of looks from his wife and neighbors that I get every time the conversation turns political and the steam starts coming outta my ears. Hey, let's face it: we "Paulistas" understand the problems and have solutions. We've been lied to and we know it. Our press is hostile to our message and we know it. Our kids future is up for grabs and we know it. We know which end is up.

And we're pretty ornery in the knowledge that our once-great country is running out of time. Damn, it's getting steamy in here....

[TheWhatNow?]

Write on dave! These fools want to hammer lies into our skulls, but we have a lot more fun hammering the truth back in, don't we?

[Carson]

Yes, Dave, He da man, RON PAUL 2008 0r 2012!

[Erick]

It's people like Dave that know and care enough to do a little more that help motivate the rest of us. In this case, possibly making an impression on a portion of the LA Times staff. As awareness spreads more to those who have the bully pulpit, the movement can accelerate even faster...hopefully fast enough. Ron Paul would be proud of you Dave.

[Mankato]

RON PAUL GR8 CANDIDATE WOULD VOTE FOR AGAIN !!!!! AAAAAA++++++++

[Brent]

"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!"

Barry Goldwater

You go Dave!

[Andre]

This is well written story and LOVE DAVE for his efforts. We need not to be discouraged if RON PAUL does not win the nomination. We can still push and reeducate as many americans as we can of the freedom message and the horrible destruction course we are on in this country if none of these issues are addressed. we need to use the new and alternative media to help spread the message.
If there are some of you who are interested in spreading the message or your own propaganda in a new outlet. try out this site. this time the people decide what news is important instead of getting feed crap from the corporate news.

https://www.pyrabang.com/?ref=MonKeyBraiNs

[Jake in Salt Lake]

Dave is absolutely onto something. I am an average college educated IT professional who has squabled with relatives over politics at family gatherings but I have never taken an active role in the political process until I met a statesman of the caliber of Ron Paul. I am now a state and county delegate for the Republican Party in Utah.

I listened with skepticism at his logical arguments and slowly began to feel a profound respect for this man. But as many Ron Paul followers will point out, this movement is not about Ron Paul at all. It is about liberty, economic freedom, the rejection of the warfare state and the welfare state and upholding the rule of law. Anyone interested in educating themselves as to Dr. Paul's positions and engaging in the best political dialogue to be had anywhere should visit campaignforliberty.com.

[Matt]

"dave" rocks!

[Jeremiah]

I know all of you who have read this already know.... but there are some who may not have heard about the campaign for liberty.... Ron Paul's message is not as they had hoped a passing fad... I hope to see you all in Minnesota come the end of this month... Signed 3rd district Indiana State coordinator Campaign for Liberty

[Frank]

We are the true American Conservatives who want a fiscally responsible government. Dave is one of many who feel strong for a man known as RON PAUL!

[Adam]

I agree with Dave... elections are for short term gain... revolutions are for long term change... RP

[John]

That Dave knows what he is blogging about!!

RON PAUL!!