Talk:Ron Paul 1988 presidential campaign/GA2

GA Review

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Reviewer: Xtzou (Talk) 19:40, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Article review

• There is one dead link: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yzcSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=m-8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4578,5160045&dq=ron-paul  Done

Lead

• Perhaps this is not necessary, but I wonder if you should not add a little context regarding what the political climate was in 1988. I assume that the issues Paul was trumpeting were hot button issues. The return to the gold standard and the abolishing of the Federal Reserve, was that because of budget deficits and mismanagement of the economy?

I added some more about the Reagan deficits and I added some in the body about the CIA involvement in Nicaragua, but for the most part Paul's campaign was not based on hot button issues, just the issues that he and his supporters felt were important. The political climate was quite calm during this election. Most people were satisfied with Reagan-Bush and so Bush won in a landslide.--William S. Saturn (talk) 04:50, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Background

• Wouldn't it be important to say exactly what district he represented?  Done

• "forcing him to return to his practice of obstetrics and gynecology" - I take it he did not much like being a physician.  Done

• Had Paul had any connections to the Libertarian Party previously? (It sounds like he had little contact with it subsequently.)  Done

Yes, I found a source that says he had been in contact with the party for 6 years before his run. I added this to the background section.--William S. Saturn (talk) 18:29, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Campaign developments

• This is a huge section, after a very small Background and followed by a small Aftermath section.  Done

• The General election subsection is very large and offers no guidance to the reader.  Done

• In the Libertarian National Convention section, it says "Paul was nominated on the first ballot at the Convention with 196 votes, with his closest opponent, Means, receiving 120". How many total votes were there, and were all the states represented?

I added the number of votes, but not completely sure about the number of states represented.--William S. Saturn (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

• Just curious, did his wife campaign at all with him?  Done

I added that his wife was with him at the convention, and I added the role of his son in the campaign. --William S. Saturn (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

• General election
• It sounds like Paul had a vast amount of energy and did all the work, and that the Libertarian Party did little.

I added some facts about fundraising and advertising. Paul does a good job of raising money on his own so he probably didn't need nor get much help from the small LP party. However, I can't find anything to confirm or deny this.--William S. Saturn (talk) 04:50, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

• Is there much to be said about his vice presidential candidate?  Done
• I think this section could be organized more clearly, as it is difficult for some one like me (who doesn't know anything about this campaign) to follow.  Done

• The article would benefit from a tighter organization with more informative headings.  Done

(I may add more comments.)

Xtzou (Talk) 19:40, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for the review. I will begin to address the issues in next few hours. --William S. Saturn (talk) 00:57, 19 May 2010 (UTC)

• Federal budget and third party need disambiguation. Xtzou (Talk) 19:30, 20 May 2010 (UTC)  Done

A few more comments

• "As Means received heightened media attention for his comments regarding Native Americans and militancy, reports circulated that highlighted Paul's calls for the nation to return to the Gold Standard,[9] and diminish the power of the Federal Reserve." This sentence implies a cause and effect but the passive voice doesn't reveal who circulated the reports.

I added that it was reported in the news media.--William S. Saturn (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

• 'Another candidate featured in the discussion expressed his desire to "put handcuffs on all IRS agents." ' - what is this supposed to mean?

This shows how radical some members of the party were. I take what he said literally, anything else would be speculation.--William S. Saturn (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

• "A plank revealed a pro-choice stand on abortion, which was at odds with Paul's pro-life position." - Another passive voice, strangely worded statement. How did this come to be? Did Paul not have influence in the party?

The Libertarian Party has always been pro-Choice, Paul nor anyone else will ever change this. They just accepted Paul despite the difference.--William S. Saturn (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

• "gave a campaign speech in front of 200 students." - is this meant to show a little or a lot of students? (It seems like despite his energetic efforts, he really did not receive much attention.

Yes. Since this was a major component of the campaign, it is good to show how many actually attended.--William S. Saturn (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

• You have probably done as well as you can on this article. I take it that Paul has not written autobiographies or provided any more insight into is motivations, emotional reactions etc. He must be proud of the recent victory of Rand Paul which perhaps is a legacy.

Xtzou (Talk) 20:34, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

I will search. --William S. Saturn (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it reasonably well written?

   A. Prose quality: Clearly written and concise

   B. MoS compliance: Complies with basic MoS

2. Is it factually accurate and verifiable?

   A. References to sources: Reliable sources

   B. Citation of reliable sources where necessary: Well referenced

   C. No original research:

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. Major aspects: Sets the context

   B. Focused: Remains focused on the topic

4. Is it neutral?

   Fair representation without bias:

5. Is it stable?

   No edit wars, etc:

6. Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?

   A. Images are copyright tagged, and non-free images have fair use rationales:

   B. Images are provided where possible and appropriate, with suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail: Pass!

Congratulations! (I like the pullquotes—they give a flavor of the campaign!) Xtzou (Talk) 12:26, 21 May 2010 (UTC)