Posted on 06/14/2008 9:18:36 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
Congressman Ron Paul officially unplugged his dormant Republican presidential campaign Thursday night.
The Lake Jackson obstetrician was expected to tell a Houston crowd here for the state GOP convention that he wants to build a national organization to elect libertarian-leaning Republicans at all government levels. As of 9:45 p.m., he had yet to address the crowd at the Hilton Americas Hotel.
"The presidential campaign was Phase One" of the national movement, Paul spokesman Jesse Benton told the Washington Post.
Paul reportedly has rented a stadium in Minneapolis-St. Paul to rally supporters during the Republican National Convention there in early September.
Paul leaped into prominence last year in the current presidential campaign with a vigorous Web-based fundraising operation and criticism of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq.
But he was forced to suspend his GOP campaign in February after failing to affect the primary voting in any significant way.
Paul also swore off the idea of running as an independent for president, and former Republican congressman Bob Barr of Georgia is this year's Libertarian Party candidate.
After leaving his presidential campaign in limbo, Paul concentrated on winning the Republican primary in March for his congressional seat. He soundly defeated Friendswood accountant Chris Peden and has no Democratic opponent in the Nov. 4 election.
Paul supporters and admirers dot the Texas Republican convention, with buttons and bumper stickers from his presidential campaign on wide display at the three-day event in downtown Houston. He spoke Thursday night at a "freedom rally" at a downtown hotel and is scheduled to address the convention Saturday.
In one of his latest libertarian-leaning policy statements, Paul said the federal government should ease the gasoline price crisis by dissolving fuel taxes.
"The free market can meet the American people's demand for a reliable supply of gasoline as long as government does not distort the market through excessive taxation and regulation," he said.
As a delegate to the Texas GOP Convention, I got an invitation to attend Ron Paul's ice cream social at the 4th floor ballroom at the Hilton hotel next to the George Brown Convention Center in Houston. It was like being in an alternative universe. The Ron Paul supporters looked more like people you'd expect to see at a DemocRAT convention rather than a Republican convention, and there was a standing room only crowd in the ballroom.
I arrived about 10 minutes before Ron Paul spoke. Not only was there plenty of ice cream, there was a bar, but the drinks weren't free. When Ron Paul walked out, he got a reception like that of a rock star. Ron Paul spoke for maybe an hour and 15 minutes. From the crowd reaction, you'd have thought he was giving an acceptance speech. While he was yammering away, I collected various handouts from his fellow travelers. I made note of which candidates for party positions the Ron Paulistas were supporting to know whom to vote against on Friday and Saturday in the general sessions.
On Friday the general session got underway after lunch. No sooner did it start than Ron Paulistas call for points of order attacking the credentials of my county's (Nueces County, Texas) delegation. The convention rejected the Nueces County rump convention's protest and voted to seat the delegates from the Nueces County Convention. Not only that, but it was announced that the Repulican Party of Nueces County the appeal of the lawsuit filed by the Ron Paulistas, and the plaintiffs would pay all the court costs and attorney fees incurred by the Repulican Party of Nueces County.
All the candidates run by the Ron Paulistas failed to win. One of them ran for every delegate position in my congressional district's slate for delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention. He got beat by an overwhelming margin all 7 times. They did not have a candidate for elector, so the candidate nominated by the local Republican Party leadership won by acclimation.
Overall it was a rather successful convention and interesting experience.
He should keep running.
In fact even after the next President is elected he should continue to run. It really doesn't matter. He just doesn't get it. I radical fringe group wanted him. He would have had a better shot at winning in the 60’s. He's a waste of time.
he’s also a lunatic
Disappointing, but I am glad he will still be in Congress fighting the Big Government types who are effectively in control of both parties.
Only for another 2 - 1/2 years. The Paulbots disruptive antics were not takes well in his CD 14 caucus, even with about 38 Paulbot deleates seated.
All the Paulbot candidates were voted down handily. The Chambers County chairman gave a shout out thank you to Ron Paul at the end of his National delegate candidates speech and the person that had seconded his nomination walked out of the caucus room in the middle of the vote - with his name sign that she had been holding up for the delegates to see the proper spelling of his name. He still made it to the run off vote, but lost that badly. In the next three alternate candidate speeches, he profusely backpedaled a tried to convince the delegates that he really did support McCain and not Paul. He lost the second and third try too. On the last alternate vote, he finally was elected, but only because some people in our County delegation split our vote by nominating 2 good people.
Afterwards a few Paulbots tried to get a round of applause for our Congressman, Dr. Paul, but they were met with general disdain from most everyone but the Paulbot minority. His home Precinct Chairman even stated that his precinct convention delegates were not happy with Ron Paul’s disruptive campaign. It would have helped, if Rep. Paul actually took some time out of his “busy schedule” to actually stop by his CD 14 caucus or at least send a staffer to send his regards. Even the Paulbots probably were disappointed in him for not at least making a brief appearance.
I guess he sees the zoo you and I saw at his ice cream rally as his real constituents, not those foolish enough to keep re-electing him to his congressional seat. I suspect that in 2010, their patience with him will be as non-existent as he was at the CD 14 caucus.
Finally...
Now he and his commander, Ross Perot, should board their alien spacecraft and ship off to whatever parallel universe they came from... Where down is up and up is down, and liberals are conservatives and vise versa. My best guess is that it’s probably called Bizarro World.
paul and barr huge ash holes = surrender in WOT and no America.
And you call yourself a paleo-conservative? Is that supposed to be a joke?
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