Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Ed Schultz Discuss Ron Paul's Appeal To Voters

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow asked her panel of pundits to weigh in on Ron Paul's appeal to voters on Tuesday night, during the network's live coverage of the results from the Iowa caucuses.

Maddow wondered, "Ron Paul voters are human beings, why does no body compete for them?" According to MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, a candidate would have to "depart from Republican orthodoxy" to go after Paul supporters. He added that President Obama's campaign should be studying the "58 percent of voters under [the age of] 30 who are [voting for] Ron Paul. Those voters are available for the Obama campaign." O'Donnell was referring to an early entrance poll from NBC News that reported that 58 percent of Iowans who voted for Ron Paul were under the age of 30.

MSNBC's Ed Shultz weighed in and described what he believed were the key characteristics of Paul supporters. He said, "Ron Paul has tapped into something that the Republican party hasn't had. Young people, socially liberal, fiscally responsible, and they don't want anything to do with war. It's almost like a movement...Now how big a tent is that with the Republican party? Only time will tell."

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Comments

[Schadenfreudian]

09:34 PM on 01/21/2012

I really enjoyed watching Rachel Maddow diplomatically dress down Lawrence O'Donnell and Ed Schultz for their dismissive comments about Ron Paul's campaign. She revealed O'Donnell as a Democratic/Status Quo hack, and Ed Schultz as incredibly shallow and "programmed."

Rachel needs to take over MSNBC political programming.

[Eagleman]

04:50 PM on 01/09/2012

MSNBC is NOT deliberating....

It is celebrating Ron Paul's appeal

[ralle]

02:28 PM on 01/05/2012

Ron Paul has a racist ideology.

[BraveCajun-LA]

04:01 PM on 01/05/2012

So did the Deomcrat Senator Robert Byrd. That man was actually a member of the KKK.

[ralle]

03:42 PM on 01/06/2012

We know La. Voters don't have a problem with candidates with racist ideologies, after all, David Duke, a known klansman, got about 80% of the white vote in the run off for gov. in 1991. So I get that for some voters, a racist ideology doesn't disqualify a candidate.

[Jim Dodson]

11:46 PM on 01/13/2012

Our government expresses a covert racist ideology in the way it prosecutes the war on drugs, which has always disproportionately prosecuted minorities. Dr. Ron Paul seeks to end the vicious madness of the war on drugs, which has imprisoned millions of nonviolent users, separating people from their families- destroying families. Also, the war or drugs has caused thousands of violent deaths. Dr. Paul is by far the least racist of ANY of the other candidates, ALL of whom are in favor of keeping the monstrous war on drugs going.

[Marx Twain]

01:56 PM on 01/05/2012

It's no surprise that Paul is capturing the youth vote. Young voters are very liberal on social issues, while Obama has moved to the right on them. Paul wants to end the drug war, Obama has expanded it to legal dispensaries. Paul opposed NDAA, Obama signed it. Paul opposes bank bailouts, Obama supported them.

I doubt Paul's youth supporters are much in favor of his economics. Obama could out triangulate Paul easily by adopting his social policies but keeping his own economics.

[olephart]

01:43 PM on 01/05/2012

Ron Paul would be a good President if he were joined by a progressive House and Senate. He would straighten out our Foreign Policy disasters and they would keep him out of domestic affairs. They would have to come to some agreements on spending and the enforcement of regulations. They would control spending and he would enforce the laws to protect the environment and curtail Wall Street. Neither would like it but that’s the point.

[truthsayer4ever]

12:27 PM on 01/05/2012

Ron Paul is an empty suit - literally. And, when that weasel of a son is standing next to him - pathetic.

[EdBrotherton]

01:07 AM on 01/06/2012

That comment makes is pretty baseless.

[Jim Dodson]

11:57 PM on 01/13/2012

Ron Paul is the only one NOT an empty suit. The rest of the Republican field looks at home in a J.C. Penney catalog. They are nothing BUT empty suits- and nice haircuts.

[kkdkdkdkdk]

02:53 AM on 01/05/2012

Ron Paul is too extreme. He's a black and white thinker. Either this or this, no in between. Either we have government or we don't. Either we protect the environment or we don't. I think I could accept a lot of his views if they were more moderate (for instance bringing our troops home from around the world. Some need to be brought home. Some bases need to be closed. Some nations need to defend themselves.)

[darkday]

12:54 AM on 01/05/2012

I love love love Ron Paul. He's the only republican I would ever vote for. He rocks.

[shangrolah]

03:39 AM on 01/05/2012

Kelly Clarkson is for him, that isn't rocking. Maybe if he had Bono or even Aerosmith, even a metal band.....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/16/AR2006041601027.html

[Jim Dodson]

11:58 PM on 01/13/2012

Thank you for your excellent judgment! Yes, Ron Paul DOES rock!

[liberalluke]

10:28 PM on 01/04/2012

What a wonderful group of extremists.

[Jim Dodson]

12:05 AM on 01/14/2012

So...you prefer the mainstream to the extremists? The mainstream has become a tributary of the River Styx, if you haven't noticed. The mainstream, to put it bluntly, is frantically rowing us right to Hell. The mainstream wants the U.S. to attack more countries. The mainstream likes raising debt ceilings and the infinite war chest which is the Federal Reserve. The mainstream likes the National Defense Authorization Acts, the Military Commissions Acts, the Patriot Acts, all of which together have pretty much repealed the Bill of Rights.

[judycross4]

06:37 PM on 01/04/2012

If I were an American, I'd vote for anyone who wants the US to stop playing Globalist Cop of the World.

[escribacat]

09:08 PM on 01/04/2012

If you were an American, I'd advise you to look into Ron Paul a little more before voting for him. He's correct about some things but truly a rightwing extremist. For example, he has no interest in protecting the environment.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

12:51 AM on 01/05/2012

Not true.  But keep making up nonsense statements and claiming that they are facts.

I do not like Ron Paul, but I am not going to make up statements to criticize him.  There are enough valid points out there that can be used.

[Brock Kaplan]

03:27 AM on 02/01/2012

This is very untrue. He believes that the people should take it upon themselves to get things done, like, save the environment. His basic belief is if you believe there is a problem then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Simple as asking the people to take responsibility and learn from the mistakes that they make instead of always making it the job of the government to force the will of the 51% on the other 49%. Self-reliance and responsibility, not new ideas, just lost ideas.

[shangrolah]

03:40 AM on 01/05/2012

Thank you not an American voter then. You disagree with what the U.S. did in Libya or would have allowed what went on in Rawanda to happen again?

[bhaines213]

04:44 PM on 01/04/2012

I’m usually not too fond of Chris Matthews but his analysis starting at 5:30 into the video was a perfect description of today’s GOP.

[shangrolah]

03:40 AM on 01/05/2012

He is on a row, not sure why. Has bored for years.

[Schadenfreudian]

09:43 PM on 01/21/2012

Your command of English is disturbing.

[nogimmicks]

04:40 PM on 01/04/2012

His appeal: the only anti-war candidate, the only pro-civil liberties candidate, the only candidate who would challenge the abusive rule of the bankers.

[napoleon68]

05:21 PM on 01/04/2012

actually, he is not pro civil liberties or anti banker. he would have voted no for civil liberties act and believes in no regulations on businesses.

[JavaSavant]

06:32 PM on 01/04/2012

Well, he IS the only candidate to state opposition to Obama's belief that he can indefinitely detain and even assassinate American citizens without oversite.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

12:39 AM on 01/05/2012

The CRA (any of the various acts) are inherently flawed and are examples of authoritarian try-to-make-people-act-"good" legislation.

And they further entrench antiquated concepts in American culture--social science long ago stopped acknowledging "race", "gender", "skin color," and other granfalloons as being valid concepts.

The CRA are largely unnecessary (no justification can be made legally to bar access to any public entity, service, or institution; no justification can be made to apply such an act to a private entity, business, or whatever of any kind.)

[rosiebag]

03:58 PM on 01/05/2012

A bit like barry of the people' but dose not hate america

[larmarch5]

04:11 PM on 01/04/2012

That's becaue Rachel actually researched Ron Paul's positions and found them lacking. Most Ron Paul supporters can't actually explain his economic policies. The catch phases sound good, but there isn't anything inside the cracker jacks box.

[escribacat]

09:09 PM on 01/04/2012

Exactly.

[darkday]

12:57 AM on 01/05/2012

Perhaps Rachel is the one who is lacking.

[kkdkdkdkdk]

02:55 AM on 01/05/2012

Perhaps both are lacking. And in fact I would include Sharpton and Matthews and most certainly Olbermann in that "lacking" category.

[LisaO8]

08:35 AM on 01/05/2012

one thing she is not is lacking - one of the most brilliant women on t.v. - you just don't like the truth she exposes.

[Trapper50cal]

03:44 PM on 01/04/2012

If you are socially liberal, fiscally conservative, believe in tending to your own house (America) first, isolationist (Don't want America to be the World Police of Democracy), think that most of Washington is corrupt (both sides), and believe that the only way to ease the average citizen's tax burden is to aim for a much smaller government, then Paul has some very appealing (albeit delusional) things to say. He has a bunch of opinions and statements that are meat & potato winners for over-ideological, under-critical thinkers. Unfortunately, the Paulites put too much stock in his ability to identify problems, and too much trust in his ability to come up with something to do about them. Paul does a good job of identifying current hypocrisies and falsehoods, and he speaks from outside the establishment...that is his appeal.

[escribacat]

09:10 PM on 01/04/2012

Paul can say the things he says only because he never has to actually implement any of it. It's easy to criticize but he has no solutions except to eliminate departments of the government.

[Trapper50cal]

09:14 PM on 01/04/2012

Exactly, plus it's not as though anyone one in Washington would "play ball" if he were elected...he'd be screaming, alone, in an empty room.

[EdBrotherton]

01:23 AM on 01/06/2012

Wow, you guys are unbelievable. First of all most of what Congress is doing is unconstitutional. He doesn't need Congresses approval to make those changes. He doesn't need Congresses approval to bring troops home. He doesn't need Congresses approval to eliminate the Federal Reserve there is already a supreme court case that is prime for that. He doesn't need Congresses approval to eliminate the Federal Debt as it was incurred unconstitutionally anyway. (Congress doesn't have the power to loan money only borrow) The money Congress has been borrowing isn't money at all but Bills of Credit which are not authorized to be emitted by Congress under our Constitution. I can go on and on and on. He doens't need Congresses approval to do away with the IRS as it's not a Government agency anyway. He doesn't need Congresses approval to do away with government agencies. Need I say more.

Ed Brotherton

[Schadenfreudian]

09:53 PM on 01/21/2012

I have many good friends who are Libertarians. The problem I see among them is that they appear to be quite idealistic with respect to human nature: people are NOT (at this time) motivated by enlightened self-interest. In a way, they still possess the naivete of the supply-side economists, who still don't understand that trickle-down works...UNTIL it hits the first sociopath in the chain. And we now know just how MANY sociopaths are employed in banking and investment industries.

[Consequence]

03:11 PM on 01/04/2012

Someone needs to have a talk with Rachel......man to man.

[Have a cigar]

04:05 PM on 01/04/2012

LOL F&F

[escribacat]

09:10 PM on 01/04/2012

Dinosaur.