On the front page of FreedomsPhoenix is our first poll. We’ve had the ability to poll our readers for quite some time but I find little value in polls (other than as a traffic driver) but I was very curious what our readers’ prediction might be regarding Ron Paul’s latest announcement.

The wording of the question and the options available were carefully chosen for the following reasons.

 

By asking the readers of FreedomsPhoenix what they thought the majority of Ron Paul’s supporters will do, I was seeking a prediction rather than a preference. In the past I have been amazed at how accurate our readership has been in their predictions. It would have been a mistake to ask them their preference and expect a more accurate result of what will actually happen.

 

The poll was not promoted across the Internet as we have the ability to do because I wanted to get a snapshot of those that are regular readers that were interested in sharing their ‘first impression’ of the news of Ron Paul’s decision. Within 48 hours I think I can see the trend.

 

The poll will remain up through Sunday June 15th 2008 (Father’s Day). And due to this article I am certain that there will be a much greater participation in the poll that may cause it to change dramatically,… but I’ve already got what I needed to make a few observations.

 

I did my best to offer all of the options available to most people in one form or another so that I could come up with a more general evaluation of the opinions of people whose minds I respected.

 

What percentage of Ron Paul supporters would likely stay involved in Presidential politics at some level…

44% believe that that Ron Paul supporters will vote for another candidate.
34% believe that that Ron Paul supporters will vote for a libertarian leaning candidate.
5%   believe that that Ron Paul supporters will support a non-libertarian leaning candidate.
34% believe that that Ron Paul supporters will abandon Presidential politics.
45% believe that that Ron Paul supporters will join Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty.

 

The numbers can be sorted in many ways but I think the above is a pretty good prediction of what is to happen.

 

I am very interested in the personality type of the people being speculated about here. The activists types that were the backbone of the open dissent for the current system will continue expressing themselves,… or they won’t. They may take a much needed break and/or continue expressing themselves in various ways. Will one of those methods be inside the structure of the Campaign for Liberty and in the Republican Party? If not, then how, where,… why?... and even _when_ is an important question.

 

I have many opinions on the subject. But I’ve learned over the years to first focus on what questions would produce the most valuable answers.

 

Today on my radio show "Declare your Independence with Ernest Hancock" I'll share my thoughts on the subject and post the MP3 here. I'll be sharing the microphone with fellow libertarian activist and the Ron Paul Meetup Coordinator for Phoenix, Arizona, Ed Vallejo.

It is going to be very interesting to see how the excitement of the r3VOLution is translated into political power,... and can that even be accomplished in the traditional sense?

 

Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty will have a profound effect on he elections of 2008,... How, What, Why, When and Who will it effect?

 

I'll add the MP3 of the show here this afternoon when I find time between Father's Day celebrations. But you can listen live at 10am PST