Posted on 03/26/2008 2:41:37 PM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
There used to be an organization for people who believed in a truly limited government — limited taxes, limited spending, limited interference in individual lives and limited intervention in foreign affairs. That organization was known as the Republican Party. But the only one of those beliefs that still motivates the G.O.P. establishment is limited taxes. In 2008, people who still hold all of them joined the Ron Paul Revolution.
But now the revolution is ebbing. Congressman Paul's new campaign finance report shows that he's raised nearly $35 million, including more than any other Republican candidate in the fourth quarter of 2007, and he's inspired remarkable passion among the kind of diehards who hold up campaign signs on highway overpasses and post irate comments on obscure blogs. But the presidency isn't decided on YouTube or Technorati. Paul didn't win any Republican primaries, and he recently conceded that "victory in the conventional sense is not available."
Of course, nothing in Paul's world is ever done in the conventional sense, so he has refused to drop out of the race and endorse the presumptive G.O.P. nominee, Senator John McCain. Instead he argues that all Republicans should have "the right to vote for someone that stands for traditional Republican principles." And he's got a point.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Of course, nothing in Paul’s world is ever done in the conventional sense, so he has refused to drop out of the race and endorse the presumptive G.O.P. nominee, Senator John McCain. Instead he argues that all Republicans should have “the right to vote for someone that stands for traditional Republican principles.” And he’s got a point.
No he doesn’t, RP is not a Republican.
Ok wait he does have a point but RP is not a Republican (registration aside).
He was on coast-to-coast am the other night with George Norrey, maybe he is a “shadow-man”.
We don’t have party registration in Texas.
Ron Paul WAS a Republican just like alot of us were until we were abandoned by the party in favor of left leaning, Big Government, open borders, RINOS. For the same reason Ronald Reagan was no longer a Democrat many of us are really no longer “Republicans”.
RP was and IS a Libertarian, period. He “moonlights” as a Republican, but he’s a Libertarian. He ran as the Libertarian Presidential nominee. He hasn’t changed his stripes!
Regarding his followers, many were leftists-turned-Indies who were on the completely opposite side of the conservatives who backed him. It WAS an odd paring!
What destroyed his candidacy for me wasn’t just that he never got out of the “teens” in % of votes, but it was his railing against one of our greatest Presidents, Lincoln using his Libertarian revisionist history or that of other revisionists. Slam Lincoln and you’re outta there!!
I suspect that Time and many on the Left are now praying for 3rd party “conservative” or independent candidate to toss the election, as with Perot.
So much easier to win with a third of the vote.
It’s certain to help those who want the ideas of limited government and strict constructionism relegated to the dustbin of history.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.