In Tea Party rise, Ron Paul's legacy

Sarasota Herald-Tribune ^ | February 21, 2010 | Jeremy Wallace

[Brandonmark]

When Ron Paul lost his bid for president in 2008 many political observers expected that the movement he inspired would fade into obscurity.

Instead, followers of the quirky little Texan have emerged as a strident and growing opposition to everything from President Barack Obama's agenda to local tax issues.

Nationally, many of Paul's supporters are behind the Tea Party movement, which embraced Republican Scott Brown's Senate victory in Massachusetts. In Florida, Paul backers were influential in ousting state GOP chairman Jim Greer and have bolstered Republican Marco Rubio's run for Senate.

Locally, Paul's legacy is seen in the growing opposition to renewing the Sarasota schools tax.

While none of the events were driven solely by Paul's passionate followers, each had its beginning with what Paul's supporters call their "revolution."

"They have definitely played a big role," Sarasota Republican Party Chairman Joe Gruters said of the Paul faction.

Many of Paul's positions are on the political fringe. Paul calls global warming "an elaborate hoax." He wants to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid. He calls for abolishing the Federal Reserve and returning to the gold standard.

But the legacy of Paul's campaign may be the passion he unleashed in his followers.

[ElPatriota]

[Need4Truth]

Many of Paul's positions are on the political fringe. Paul calls global warming "an elaborate hoax.

LOL!

[manc]

this group are no conservatives.
they are the old log cabins republicans who got caught being funded by a liberal homosexual activist and found that the group voted Dem.

They are again trying to infiltrate the conservative movement and should have been kicked out of CPAC.

If one is fiscally conservative but socially liberal then they can join the liberterian party and conservatives need to make this clear to them. Ron paul doesn’t want Govt in anything and even wants to rid the country of the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc.

Let the homosexuals join Ron Paul , they’re suited for one another

[Kartographer]

There are only two things I can think of that I agree with Paul on an one is the Government spands way to much money on things it has no business spending money on and two:

Paul calls global warming "an elaborate hoax."

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

using Political Correctness, CPAC now has this GOProud glommed onto CPAC, in the same way as THIS bunch has done with the Republican party as a whole....and neither (CPAC or the Rep party) is capable or willing to show them the door...
http://online.logcabin.org/

[Road Warrior ‘04]

...quirky little Texan...

A bit of and understatement/description, don't ya think?

[dforest]

I hope we quit spending too much time on CPAC and straw polls which mean very little. I hope we focus like lasers on the 2010 midterms and stopping Obama on his agenda, like Obamacare getting rammed up our rear ends very soon. Else none of this will matter.

[Carley]

Ron Paul has Glenn Beck now.

[tirednvirginia]

Oh dear God, I hope not. I’m sorry but Ron Paul is not the ticket for conservatives.

[Vaduz]

First warning:Many of Paul’s positions are on the political fringe.

[CRBDeuce]

Paul calls global warming "an elaborate hoax." He wants to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid.

It all sounds so reasonable when you see it in writing....why does it sound so kooky when he says the same thing on TV! May be tis the claim that he started the Tea Party movement!

[antisocial]

“It was Paul who organized the first modern Tea Party event, holding one on Dec. 17, 2007, to coincide with the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Conservative groups have since co-opted the movement, but most political experts point to Paul’s campaign as the genesis for the idea.”

Do you know of one before that one?

[FrankR]

So the Ron Paul kool-aid drinkers are laying claim to "inventing" the Tea Party now, huh?

I would hope that everyone would stop, take a deep breath, and remember the last "quirky little Texan" we had in an election gave us bill clinton, on a silver platter...and then quietly disappeared into oblivion, leaving us to clean up the mess.

I understand that Paul is a Libertarian; Glenn Beck is a libertarian; Glenn Beck has - and shows - nothing but distain for both the democrat AND republican parties.

Beck is also cold-shouldered when it comes to Sarah Palin, a Republican.

Glenn Beck has been instrumental is hoo-rahing the Tea Parties, but again, the Tea Parties belong to the PEOPLE, not Glenn Beck, or O'Reilly, or Hannity, or anyone.

Can we therefore assume that Glenn Beck's real mission in life is to install the Libertarians into power?

He's preaching hard every day about the evils of both the existing parties, and hinting around about a "third party". I believe he will push for the Tea Party movement to become a "third party", and try to stealthfully edge in Ron Paul as the only one he thinks is qualified to lead it.

I think Ron Paul says some good thing regarding financial aspects, but to me his "quirkiness" is NOT presidential, it's too "Perot-like" and smacks of genuine obsessive nuttiness. Also, he has a temper that makes obama look like a neutered housecat.

I've been DVR'ing Beck ever since he moved to FOX, but my trust level on him has dropped from "wow" and "exciting", to "WTF is he railing about today" and "ho hum". His libertarianism has bubbled to the top several times, and he seems to be holding that agenda just under the radar, waiting for just the right "crisis" to warrant springing it on us.

Lately Beck routinely insults about half of the orginal audience he originally had by slamming people who don't share his every belief that some things about this pResident should be investigated, and regardless of what he says (and tries to laugh off), he DID ambush Sarah Palin in that first interview...even insulted her, IMHO.

I've moved him from everyday "must see", to whenever "fast-forward with a grain of salt". He's hanging right in there with his buddy O'Reilly, and is gaining the credibility of Geraldo.

I may be totally wrong, but his advice to us is "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst", so I'll do that by saying if he's trying to ram libertarianism down our throats, he'll suffer greatly in the ratings. Libertarians are the same sort that is in the White House, socially, with the exception being that they do want to balance the budget.

Glenn, I hardly knew ye.

[richardtavor]

The left is trying to give Ron Paul ownership of the Tea Party Movement. This is the fourth article that I have read that suggests it. He had nothing to do with it. It started with Rick Santori’s rant on CNBC. Paul invented the Tea Party Movement about like Gore invented the Internet.

[CRBDeuce]

He's preaching hard every day about the evils of both the existing parties

First, I agree w/ your conclusions, but on Beck, I can only agree if you qualify your assessment: He's preaching hard every day about the evils of both the existing parties progressive movement. His analysis of the Progressive movement is pretty much factual, and well researched. Facts are hard to deny, tho' they certainly get revised a lot by the progressives. That's why ya gotta go back to the original sources. On the 'party' thing, if the GOP changed its platform to put Constitutional Framework on the top line, along with a 'contract' to cut the # agencies in half, and cut 50% on the SSI/Medicare/Medicaid line, Beck would probably jump on board. That is what is needed, nothing short of that will do in the end.