RSDavis
03-10-2008, 03:05 PM
http://laceylibertarian.us/wp-images/rPaulRev.jpg
Ron Paul Roundup (03-10-08)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=365661687&Mytoken=B390961C-8668-486B-A70E89E95B38D27E40023098)
Hello Freedomphiles! Well, the campaign may be effectively over, but the rEVOLution is not. We still have some important battles ahead of us - not the least of which are the remaining primaries. It is very important - perhaps now more than ever - that if you are in a state that has not held a primary yet, you get out and vote for Ron Paul.
It may still be mathematically impossible for the good doctor to get the nomination, but it is so important that we send a message to the establishment that we are still here, and not ready to give up. In the end, we want to log enough votes and send enough delegates to the convention that it is impossible for them to ignore us.
The new mission is to show the establishment that there are enough of us to give them some real problems in the general election and in future elections. We must show them that our resolve is as strong as ever, and that it shows no sign of weakining now or in the future.
It will only be when they realize that we are as motivated and organized as the Religious Right, that they will start taking us as seriously as they take them. Remember, evangelicals make up only 23% (http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=103) of the electorate. And look how much control they have in the GOP.
As Melissa told me about her state of Indiana, "I need my delegates to stay involved so we can make it to State in June so we can put people in Place in Nationals." That is, indeed, the site of the next battle in the rEVOLution.
Right-libertarian Jahfre Fire Eater writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3110.html) on The Nolan Chart about just why it is so important that we keep campaigning as though there's a chance Paul will be president:
I have no illusions about Ron's chances of winning the nomination. My goal to take enough delegates to the GOP convention to have a voice in the proceedings. There are still 5 months before any delegates are counted. The media can proclaim McCain the victor and he can make all the acceptance speeches he wants but he is not the nominee until the delegates are counted. Every time he opens his mouth another delegate switches to Ron Paul. I think John McCain is fully capable of blowing the nomination. I think constant visibility of the Ron Paul revolution could greatly help McCain to unravel...not that he really needs help in that like Rudy did. I think the man is not psychologically or mentally fit for office and I expect him to prove it all on his own.
When the choice is so black and white; a man of principle and conviction versus a man without a shred of principle and conviction only to inflating his own ego, people for whom those things matter are standing up for Dr. Paul. Of course it is too little, too late for this election but that's ok. These things should happen slowly and deliberately. It has been so long since Republicans have had a candidate who stood for conservative principles that it will take time for them to remember why those principles are so valuable to our nature as individual human beings and essential to our prosperity and peace. One way or another we will re-learn these things, we always do...until we forget them again, round and round we go.
Top-diamond libertarian Melinda Pillsbury-Foster elaborates (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3102.html) on The Nolan Chart:
On the 6th of March Ron Paul spoke on a video that produced dismay among his supporters and delight in the conventional media. In each case the reaction was wrong. The real message came here, "Elections are short term efforts, revolutions are long term projects." Dr. Paul went on to point to his campaign as a first step in a long process. The next phase, he said, would be an entirely grass roots effort, not yet another top down organization. He made it clear that he will attend, he will be part of that process. At the same time he said a quiet NO to centralized control of all kinds, including his own campaign. In one short statement he therefore endorsed his supporters efforts to extend the Revolution into new arenas, taking it home to America. When you really love something you show that love by setting it free. Ron Paul loves liberty. He has set us free to continue the Revolution.
Ron Paul Activists look at politics from a very different direction. Drawn from every part of society, from every walk of life, they came together to work for freedom, much like the original revolutionaries who paid for their own guns and bullets. Freedom is personal and they know that.
Ron Paul Revolutionaries are united by their common vision for a return to the original Constitution and local control of government. In that they are finding coalition across boundaries that once divided us. As the Revolution has continued they have found themselves working with others from every point on the political spectrum. Out of many they are becoming one in a curious resonance with that traditional phrase, also echoed in early Christianity and in the fervor that drew Puritans to these shores nearly 400 years ago.
The conventional media do not know just how wrong they are. They will learn. Over and over again they have attempted to reframe the Ron Paul Revolution as quirky, marginal, irrelevant. But it is actually the future not just of America but of the world.
Of course, many are reporting (gleefully and sadly) of the end of the campaign. The Huffington Post reports (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/08/ron-paul-hecks-the-delega_n_90557.html):
Today, three days after John McCain locked up the Republican nomination for president, GOP-Libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul announced that his campaign for president will be "winding down." In a speech delivered on his website, Paul warned each and every American, saying, "Elections are short-term efforts; revolutions are long-term projects."
He also plugs his latest book that could very well have been written by Karl Marx, The Revolution: A Manifesto.
Yes, it totally could have been written by Karl Marx, and you only have to ignore everything after the title page to believe that. Excellent observation.
PressTV reports (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=46579§i..3510203) on it, too:
"We are acknowledging that Ron will not be the nominee and that we are winding down the campaign," said Jesse Benton, Paul campaign's communication manager.
The announcement came as Senator John McCain clinched the Tuesday's primaries and became the presumptive GOP nominee.
However, Benton said the campaign encourages supporters to participate in the primary process adding that Paul would appreciate requests from supporters to speak, CNN reported.
"We still think we can influence the debate and build an organization moving forward that brings the GOP back to its roots," Benton said.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram comments (http://www.star-telegram.com/national_news/story/518611.html):
Although Paul did not specifically say he is quitting the race, he hinted that his run for the presidency might be over.
"Though victory in the conventional political sense is not available in the presidential race, many victories have been achieved due to your hard work and enthusiasm," he told supporters.
He said he hoped that one day he and his supporters could look back and say his campaign was a significant first step that signaled a change in direction for the country.
The Washington Post elaborated (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030703061.html):
"Winding down" is how Benton described the next phase of the campaign. "Dr. Paul acknowledges that he will not be the nominee but will continue to travel to address supporters and encourage grass-roots activism to influence the process and return the Republican Party to its traditions of limited government and personal freedom," Benton said.
So, what's this next phase going to look like? A book tour, of course. Paul tells supporters in his video that the message of liberty that suffused his bid for president will soon be available for study at home. "A more detailed outline of this message has now been put into book form, titled 'The Revolution: A Manifesto,' and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com," he said.
Paul also noted that he will continue to raise money -- something he did better than just about any other Republican during the past year -- for his political action committee and his educational nonprofit, the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE).
His final words to supporters: "Let us all stick together in this great cause of liberty and show the love that we all share for our country and the Constitution. Thank you for joining in."
CNNMoney has a eulogy (http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/07/smbusiness/ron_paul.fsb/) for the campaign:
"Imagine what it would be like if we had no income tax in the country?" says Donald Huffines, co-founder of Dallas residential development company Huffines Communities and a Ron Paul donor and fundraiser. "I don't think anyone would do more for business - small or large - than Ron Paul. He would eliminate the role of government in our business lives, and the GDP growth of the country would skyrocket as a result."
(...)
Paul's popularity among entrepreneurs was always based more on philosophical kinship than pragmatism. A passionate believer in free markets, Paul opposed both government regulations and government handouts - he would do away with the IRS, but also with corporate bailouts and assistance programs. In his 10 Congressional terms, Paul earned the nickname Dr. No for voting against almost every bill raised in the House of Representatives.
That laissez-faire streak appealed to business owners who dreamed of life with no governmental fetters or safety net.
"I was raised to believe that there was boundless opportunity for me if I worked hard and played by the rules, but over time the regulations have moved to where it's the straw that breaks this camel's back," said Paul supporter Jim Ross, founder of the Talisman Group commercial real-estate firm in Austin. "We want to be left alone by government."
From a libertarian perspective, less government intervention creates a more level playing field for smaller companies. "In many cases, larger businesses are the benefactors of corporate welfare and are beneficiaries of government aid," said Libertarian Party of Texas Chairman Pat Dixon.
Paul's departure from the presidential field leaves the "keep your cold, dead hands off my business" crowd without a standard bearer - though in his farewell message, Paul pledged to help lead whatever movement his supporters keep alive.
Right-libertarian Michael writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3120.html) on The Nolan Chart that the next few months ought to be interesting:
Our democracy has passed beyond the historically demonstrated phase of apathy and on into dependancy--beyond this, history teaches, lies a dictatorship and a return to bondage (this time in the form of Globalism and the forfeiture of our national sovereignty)--let's at least hope to change it up this time around...
...but hey, it ain't over until it's over (and I haven't heard that yet) so until Ron Paul announces formally that he is throwing in the towel I'll be supporting him to the end (just this week I ordered my first "Ron Paul" bumper stickers--guess I wanted to make a "statement")...and the Revolution beyond even this...
Even though his campaign has shifted gears, it will still be interesting to see what happens between now and the convention and at the convention itself and how it all plays out--heck, old man McCain could croak in the midst of a temper tantrum between now and then--who knows...
waldopaper writes (http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=6493) on Op-Ed News a piece about the rEVOLutionistas and what he believes are the misconceptions they held:
The Paulites and Paulitos have been kinda quiet lately. Perhaps they are bitter, disillusioned... or maybe they will write-in their avitar, clinging to the illusion that the "elections" are real. Maybe they will pile up firewood and stock up on canned goods... firm in their Ayn Rand conviction that they don't need no steenking "collective." But they DID form their own "collective," whether they realized it or not... and it was fun... even kind of inspiring to watch... while it lasted.
Maybe the self-proclaimed "libertarians" have learned something many of us realized thirty years ago: sure, the "system" is "rigged," (assuming there is a "system" at all)... but the larger truth is this: to most of the US population, "elections" are entertainment... like everything else. It's no different than American Idol or the Sooper Bowl. They wouldn't back your boy because he couldn't "win." Win what? That's waaayyy too abstract. As crappy as the Matrix is getting to be... it's all we know. It's not only too scary to imagine anything else... it's nearly impossible.
Self-identified statist Logical Premise writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3119.html) on The Nolan Chart about how he thinks we could do better:
[1]A platform that doesn't scare the shit out of people: If you're really determined to roll back the changes in government, you are going up against literally everyone else. So sweeping changes are probably going to turn people away. Remember -- just becuase everything is wrong and horrid to you doesn't mean everyone else sees it that way. Most people see government as needing to be adjusted slightly , with "better people" in power -- not "renovated". If you move your platform slowly over time so people can see the results, then you can prove you were right. (Or, if your platform actually makes things worse, well, you have time to correct. That gold standard thing is not going to go well at first).
[2]A canidate that people besides Libertarians can get excited about: I certainly don't mean to insult anybody, but only a small fraction of the population gives a shit about Ron Paul. You need someone younger, a charismatic speaker, someone handsome, married to a goodlooking woman, someone very Christian, a veteran, and who has a track record slightly less extreme than Dr. Paul. He has to be able to compromise. If you insist on playing it with guys like Ron Paul, the slick criminals like McCain and the messianic pretenders like Obama will beat you and keep beating you.
[3]A campaign that can at least find it's own ass if it put it's hands in it's back pockets: C'mon, folks. I wouldn't trust those people to lead starving wolves to fresh meat, much less leading the electorate to unite behind a canidate. If the people you've got running this mess are the best you can do, HIRE someone. Pay that evil demon that's running Obama's campaign, or hell, hire an ad agency. Anything. The grassroots element is already working perfectly, but you need a national level to coordinate it, to be the contact point for media inquries, and to leverage the money into something useful.
YBKO out of Bowling Green, Kentucky spoke (http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/16437101.html) with Rand Paul about the new video:
It's a message that made many think Ron Paul had dropped from the Presidential race.
But according to Paul's son and Bowling Green ophthalmologist Dr. Rand Paul, this campaign isn't over.
"He has made an announcement, basically, that he cannot get the nomination at the same time saying, we will continue to have our name on the ballot. We will continue to contest the remaining primaries," says Dr. Rand Paul.
Dr. Paul adds the reason for this is to send a message to the Republican party.
The Sacramento Bee wrote (http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/771482.html) a piece on Paul followers and resolve:
The 100-plus members of the Roseville group (and the 400-plus members of the Sacramento group who met Saturday evening) have waved banners over freeways, gone door-to-door with campaign literature, and held protests and marches.
They've talked up Paul at restaurants, on light-rail trains and at grocery stores.
After the news of his swan song Thursday, there was some talk of ways Paul might "miraculously" end up as the Republican presidential candidate. Something could happen to McCain a scandal, maybe, or a revolt by disenchanted party members.
"He could slip on a banana peel," joked Hudson.
Most, like Chuck Armour, 57, a regional sales representative for a transmission company, put Paul's chances at "realistically, very, very slim."
That pointed to the real question of the hour: Was the momentum centered on one man, or could it be refocused on a larger ideological struggle?
The Pennsylvania Times-Leader reports (http://www.timesleader.com/news/20080308_08_Ronpaul_as_ART.html) of more Paul supporters who are not yet ready to give up:
In a 7 minute video message released on his Web site Thursday night, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul acknowledged to supporters that his long-shot campaign for the presidency is virtually over. Local supporters, however, aren't giving up the fight and say Paul's platform is more important than the campaign itself.
Joshua Rosenblatt, of Mountain Top, one of the local organizers of a Ron Paul Meetup.com group, said the fight will go on for local supporters up to the April 22 Pennsylvania primary and beyond.
The will is there, clearly, and this battle is far from over. But we would be misguided and myopic if we didn't recognize reality and readjust our goals. We must remain firm in our resolve, yet flexible in our mission. That is the strength of this kind of decentralized movement - we can adapt and overcome obstacles much quicker than our enemies in the Statist leviathan. We need to recognize and embrace that strength.
Centrist-libertarian Scott from Oregon writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3121.html) on The Nolan Chart some prescient words:
Minds change the way ships turn around. Perceptions and ideals are slow to turn, as well. The important thing to realize is that the wheel of the ship has been cranked, and the rudder has been adjusted. The important thing to realize is that the current that was once heading in one direction, has been roiled.
Ron Paul is right in that he recognizes his mathematical inevitability AND in that he recognizes the certainty in which momentum will carry his ideas forward, gathering volume and adherences and turning America back toward saner and purer practices. In other words, Ron Paul knows the ding dang deelio, and all of his supporters should be aware of this.
Try this mind experiment out if it pleases you. Imagine fifteen or twenty Ron Paulesque Congressman and Senators elected in the upcoming election cycle. Imagine another twenty or so in the cycle after that. The lesson here is, if you gave a hundred bucks and are disappointed in your return, you haven't been around long enough to figure out what your money is worth. Ron Paul stepped forward not so much to be president, but to take over the government.
Ian Brockwell writes (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/54715) on American Chronicle his own ideas for the future of the movement:
So what can you do? Petitions donīt work, neither do phone calls or emails. Even if by some miracle you were to remove Bush and Cheney, the problem lies much deeper. You canīt even vote the person you want into power because the voting system is rigged. And just to make sure all the odds are stacked in their (the Eliteīs) favor, the MSM make Ron Paul "Mr. Invisible" so that you are forced to pick the person they want in power. Just look at the presidential "race" at the moment, do you really think the result is undecided? McCain will not become president, and the phony race between Obama and Clinton was decided long ago (in Clintonīs favor). Did you think it was just a coincidence that Bill Clinton is so friendly with George Bush Snr?
The only way to get results (without Ron Paul as president), is to forget the political system completely and use tactics that hit the target more directly. This requires a large group of people who are prepared to support each other as one, not fighting in individual units as they are now.
Now, what is to become of the Ron Paul Roundups? I am thinking I'd like to keep them going, maybe even rename them Revolution Roundups. I'd like to highlight local, state, and federal candidates who embrace the free market, limited government ethos of the rEVOLution.
Do you guys have any suggestions as to which questions you'd like to see me ask potential Pauls? Or any additional types of things you'd like to see featured?
Top blogs since the last Roundup:
Scourge of Scientology Commits Suicide...I BeLIEve That... (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=365612263&Mytoken=B390961C-8668-486B-A70E89E95B38D27E40023098)
http://www.brendangates.com/forumlogo.jpg
Ron Paul Roundup (03-10-08)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=365661687&Mytoken=B390961C-8668-486B-A70E89E95B38D27E40023098)
Hello Freedomphiles! Well, the campaign may be effectively over, but the rEVOLution is not. We still have some important battles ahead of us - not the least of which are the remaining primaries. It is very important - perhaps now more than ever - that if you are in a state that has not held a primary yet, you get out and vote for Ron Paul.
It may still be mathematically impossible for the good doctor to get the nomination, but it is so important that we send a message to the establishment that we are still here, and not ready to give up. In the end, we want to log enough votes and send enough delegates to the convention that it is impossible for them to ignore us.
The new mission is to show the establishment that there are enough of us to give them some real problems in the general election and in future elections. We must show them that our resolve is as strong as ever, and that it shows no sign of weakining now or in the future.
It will only be when they realize that we are as motivated and organized as the Religious Right, that they will start taking us as seriously as they take them. Remember, evangelicals make up only 23% (http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=103) of the electorate. And look how much control they have in the GOP.
As Melissa told me about her state of Indiana, "I need my delegates to stay involved so we can make it to State in June so we can put people in Place in Nationals." That is, indeed, the site of the next battle in the rEVOLution.
Right-libertarian Jahfre Fire Eater writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3110.html) on The Nolan Chart about just why it is so important that we keep campaigning as though there's a chance Paul will be president:
I have no illusions about Ron's chances of winning the nomination. My goal to take enough delegates to the GOP convention to have a voice in the proceedings. There are still 5 months before any delegates are counted. The media can proclaim McCain the victor and he can make all the acceptance speeches he wants but he is not the nominee until the delegates are counted. Every time he opens his mouth another delegate switches to Ron Paul. I think John McCain is fully capable of blowing the nomination. I think constant visibility of the Ron Paul revolution could greatly help McCain to unravel...not that he really needs help in that like Rudy did. I think the man is not psychologically or mentally fit for office and I expect him to prove it all on his own.
When the choice is so black and white; a man of principle and conviction versus a man without a shred of principle and conviction only to inflating his own ego, people for whom those things matter are standing up for Dr. Paul. Of course it is too little, too late for this election but that's ok. These things should happen slowly and deliberately. It has been so long since Republicans have had a candidate who stood for conservative principles that it will take time for them to remember why those principles are so valuable to our nature as individual human beings and essential to our prosperity and peace. One way or another we will re-learn these things, we always do...until we forget them again, round and round we go.
Top-diamond libertarian Melinda Pillsbury-Foster elaborates (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3102.html) on The Nolan Chart:
On the 6th of March Ron Paul spoke on a video that produced dismay among his supporters and delight in the conventional media. In each case the reaction was wrong. The real message came here, "Elections are short term efforts, revolutions are long term projects." Dr. Paul went on to point to his campaign as a first step in a long process. The next phase, he said, would be an entirely grass roots effort, not yet another top down organization. He made it clear that he will attend, he will be part of that process. At the same time he said a quiet NO to centralized control of all kinds, including his own campaign. In one short statement he therefore endorsed his supporters efforts to extend the Revolution into new arenas, taking it home to America. When you really love something you show that love by setting it free. Ron Paul loves liberty. He has set us free to continue the Revolution.
Ron Paul Activists look at politics from a very different direction. Drawn from every part of society, from every walk of life, they came together to work for freedom, much like the original revolutionaries who paid for their own guns and bullets. Freedom is personal and they know that.
Ron Paul Revolutionaries are united by their common vision for a return to the original Constitution and local control of government. In that they are finding coalition across boundaries that once divided us. As the Revolution has continued they have found themselves working with others from every point on the political spectrum. Out of many they are becoming one in a curious resonance with that traditional phrase, also echoed in early Christianity and in the fervor that drew Puritans to these shores nearly 400 years ago.
The conventional media do not know just how wrong they are. They will learn. Over and over again they have attempted to reframe the Ron Paul Revolution as quirky, marginal, irrelevant. But it is actually the future not just of America but of the world.
Of course, many are reporting (gleefully and sadly) of the end of the campaign. The Huffington Post reports (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/08/ron-paul-hecks-the-delega_n_90557.html):
Today, three days after John McCain locked up the Republican nomination for president, GOP-Libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul announced that his campaign for president will be "winding down." In a speech delivered on his website, Paul warned each and every American, saying, "Elections are short-term efforts; revolutions are long-term projects."
He also plugs his latest book that could very well have been written by Karl Marx, The Revolution: A Manifesto.
Yes, it totally could have been written by Karl Marx, and you only have to ignore everything after the title page to believe that. Excellent observation.
PressTV reports (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=46579§i..3510203) on it, too:
"We are acknowledging that Ron will not be the nominee and that we are winding down the campaign," said Jesse Benton, Paul campaign's communication manager.
The announcement came as Senator John McCain clinched the Tuesday's primaries and became the presumptive GOP nominee.
However, Benton said the campaign encourages supporters to participate in the primary process adding that Paul would appreciate requests from supporters to speak, CNN reported.
"We still think we can influence the debate and build an organization moving forward that brings the GOP back to its roots," Benton said.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram comments (http://www.star-telegram.com/national_news/story/518611.html):
Although Paul did not specifically say he is quitting the race, he hinted that his run for the presidency might be over.
"Though victory in the conventional political sense is not available in the presidential race, many victories have been achieved due to your hard work and enthusiasm," he told supporters.
He said he hoped that one day he and his supporters could look back and say his campaign was a significant first step that signaled a change in direction for the country.
The Washington Post elaborated (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030703061.html):
"Winding down" is how Benton described the next phase of the campaign. "Dr. Paul acknowledges that he will not be the nominee but will continue to travel to address supporters and encourage grass-roots activism to influence the process and return the Republican Party to its traditions of limited government and personal freedom," Benton said.
So, what's this next phase going to look like? A book tour, of course. Paul tells supporters in his video that the message of liberty that suffused his bid for president will soon be available for study at home. "A more detailed outline of this message has now been put into book form, titled 'The Revolution: A Manifesto,' and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com," he said.
Paul also noted that he will continue to raise money -- something he did better than just about any other Republican during the past year -- for his political action committee and his educational nonprofit, the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE).
His final words to supporters: "Let us all stick together in this great cause of liberty and show the love that we all share for our country and the Constitution. Thank you for joining in."
CNNMoney has a eulogy (http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/07/smbusiness/ron_paul.fsb/) for the campaign:
"Imagine what it would be like if we had no income tax in the country?" says Donald Huffines, co-founder of Dallas residential development company Huffines Communities and a Ron Paul donor and fundraiser. "I don't think anyone would do more for business - small or large - than Ron Paul. He would eliminate the role of government in our business lives, and the GDP growth of the country would skyrocket as a result."
(...)
Paul's popularity among entrepreneurs was always based more on philosophical kinship than pragmatism. A passionate believer in free markets, Paul opposed both government regulations and government handouts - he would do away with the IRS, but also with corporate bailouts and assistance programs. In his 10 Congressional terms, Paul earned the nickname Dr. No for voting against almost every bill raised in the House of Representatives.
That laissez-faire streak appealed to business owners who dreamed of life with no governmental fetters or safety net.
"I was raised to believe that there was boundless opportunity for me if I worked hard and played by the rules, but over time the regulations have moved to where it's the straw that breaks this camel's back," said Paul supporter Jim Ross, founder of the Talisman Group commercial real-estate firm in Austin. "We want to be left alone by government."
From a libertarian perspective, less government intervention creates a more level playing field for smaller companies. "In many cases, larger businesses are the benefactors of corporate welfare and are beneficiaries of government aid," said Libertarian Party of Texas Chairman Pat Dixon.
Paul's departure from the presidential field leaves the "keep your cold, dead hands off my business" crowd without a standard bearer - though in his farewell message, Paul pledged to help lead whatever movement his supporters keep alive.
Right-libertarian Michael writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3120.html) on The Nolan Chart that the next few months ought to be interesting:
Our democracy has passed beyond the historically demonstrated phase of apathy and on into dependancy--beyond this, history teaches, lies a dictatorship and a return to bondage (this time in the form of Globalism and the forfeiture of our national sovereignty)--let's at least hope to change it up this time around...
...but hey, it ain't over until it's over (and I haven't heard that yet) so until Ron Paul announces formally that he is throwing in the towel I'll be supporting him to the end (just this week I ordered my first "Ron Paul" bumper stickers--guess I wanted to make a "statement")...and the Revolution beyond even this...
Even though his campaign has shifted gears, it will still be interesting to see what happens between now and the convention and at the convention itself and how it all plays out--heck, old man McCain could croak in the midst of a temper tantrum between now and then--who knows...
waldopaper writes (http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=6493) on Op-Ed News a piece about the rEVOLutionistas and what he believes are the misconceptions they held:
The Paulites and Paulitos have been kinda quiet lately. Perhaps they are bitter, disillusioned... or maybe they will write-in their avitar, clinging to the illusion that the "elections" are real. Maybe they will pile up firewood and stock up on canned goods... firm in their Ayn Rand conviction that they don't need no steenking "collective." But they DID form their own "collective," whether they realized it or not... and it was fun... even kind of inspiring to watch... while it lasted.
Maybe the self-proclaimed "libertarians" have learned something many of us realized thirty years ago: sure, the "system" is "rigged," (assuming there is a "system" at all)... but the larger truth is this: to most of the US population, "elections" are entertainment... like everything else. It's no different than American Idol or the Sooper Bowl. They wouldn't back your boy because he couldn't "win." Win what? That's waaayyy too abstract. As crappy as the Matrix is getting to be... it's all we know. It's not only too scary to imagine anything else... it's nearly impossible.
Self-identified statist Logical Premise writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3119.html) on The Nolan Chart about how he thinks we could do better:
[1]A platform that doesn't scare the shit out of people: If you're really determined to roll back the changes in government, you are going up against literally everyone else. So sweeping changes are probably going to turn people away. Remember -- just becuase everything is wrong and horrid to you doesn't mean everyone else sees it that way. Most people see government as needing to be adjusted slightly , with "better people" in power -- not "renovated". If you move your platform slowly over time so people can see the results, then you can prove you were right. (Or, if your platform actually makes things worse, well, you have time to correct. That gold standard thing is not going to go well at first).
[2]A canidate that people besides Libertarians can get excited about: I certainly don't mean to insult anybody, but only a small fraction of the population gives a shit about Ron Paul. You need someone younger, a charismatic speaker, someone handsome, married to a goodlooking woman, someone very Christian, a veteran, and who has a track record slightly less extreme than Dr. Paul. He has to be able to compromise. If you insist on playing it with guys like Ron Paul, the slick criminals like McCain and the messianic pretenders like Obama will beat you and keep beating you.
[3]A campaign that can at least find it's own ass if it put it's hands in it's back pockets: C'mon, folks. I wouldn't trust those people to lead starving wolves to fresh meat, much less leading the electorate to unite behind a canidate. If the people you've got running this mess are the best you can do, HIRE someone. Pay that evil demon that's running Obama's campaign, or hell, hire an ad agency. Anything. The grassroots element is already working perfectly, but you need a national level to coordinate it, to be the contact point for media inquries, and to leverage the money into something useful.
YBKO out of Bowling Green, Kentucky spoke (http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/16437101.html) with Rand Paul about the new video:
It's a message that made many think Ron Paul had dropped from the Presidential race.
But according to Paul's son and Bowling Green ophthalmologist Dr. Rand Paul, this campaign isn't over.
"He has made an announcement, basically, that he cannot get the nomination at the same time saying, we will continue to have our name on the ballot. We will continue to contest the remaining primaries," says Dr. Rand Paul.
Dr. Paul adds the reason for this is to send a message to the Republican party.
The Sacramento Bee wrote (http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/771482.html) a piece on Paul followers and resolve:
The 100-plus members of the Roseville group (and the 400-plus members of the Sacramento group who met Saturday evening) have waved banners over freeways, gone door-to-door with campaign literature, and held protests and marches.
They've talked up Paul at restaurants, on light-rail trains and at grocery stores.
After the news of his swan song Thursday, there was some talk of ways Paul might "miraculously" end up as the Republican presidential candidate. Something could happen to McCain a scandal, maybe, or a revolt by disenchanted party members.
"He could slip on a banana peel," joked Hudson.
Most, like Chuck Armour, 57, a regional sales representative for a transmission company, put Paul's chances at "realistically, very, very slim."
That pointed to the real question of the hour: Was the momentum centered on one man, or could it be refocused on a larger ideological struggle?
The Pennsylvania Times-Leader reports (http://www.timesleader.com/news/20080308_08_Ronpaul_as_ART.html) of more Paul supporters who are not yet ready to give up:
In a 7 minute video message released on his Web site Thursday night, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul acknowledged to supporters that his long-shot campaign for the presidency is virtually over. Local supporters, however, aren't giving up the fight and say Paul's platform is more important than the campaign itself.
Joshua Rosenblatt, of Mountain Top, one of the local organizers of a Ron Paul Meetup.com group, said the fight will go on for local supporters up to the April 22 Pennsylvania primary and beyond.
The will is there, clearly, and this battle is far from over. But we would be misguided and myopic if we didn't recognize reality and readjust our goals. We must remain firm in our resolve, yet flexible in our mission. That is the strength of this kind of decentralized movement - we can adapt and overcome obstacles much quicker than our enemies in the Statist leviathan. We need to recognize and embrace that strength.
Centrist-libertarian Scott from Oregon writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article3121.html) on The Nolan Chart some prescient words:
Minds change the way ships turn around. Perceptions and ideals are slow to turn, as well. The important thing to realize is that the wheel of the ship has been cranked, and the rudder has been adjusted. The important thing to realize is that the current that was once heading in one direction, has been roiled.
Ron Paul is right in that he recognizes his mathematical inevitability AND in that he recognizes the certainty in which momentum will carry his ideas forward, gathering volume and adherences and turning America back toward saner and purer practices. In other words, Ron Paul knows the ding dang deelio, and all of his supporters should be aware of this.
Try this mind experiment out if it pleases you. Imagine fifteen or twenty Ron Paulesque Congressman and Senators elected in the upcoming election cycle. Imagine another twenty or so in the cycle after that. The lesson here is, if you gave a hundred bucks and are disappointed in your return, you haven't been around long enough to figure out what your money is worth. Ron Paul stepped forward not so much to be president, but to take over the government.
Ian Brockwell writes (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/54715) on American Chronicle his own ideas for the future of the movement:
So what can you do? Petitions donīt work, neither do phone calls or emails. Even if by some miracle you were to remove Bush and Cheney, the problem lies much deeper. You canīt even vote the person you want into power because the voting system is rigged. And just to make sure all the odds are stacked in their (the Eliteīs) favor, the MSM make Ron Paul "Mr. Invisible" so that you are forced to pick the person they want in power. Just look at the presidential "race" at the moment, do you really think the result is undecided? McCain will not become president, and the phony race between Obama and Clinton was decided long ago (in Clintonīs favor). Did you think it was just a coincidence that Bill Clinton is so friendly with George Bush Snr?
The only way to get results (without Ron Paul as president), is to forget the political system completely and use tactics that hit the target more directly. This requires a large group of people who are prepared to support each other as one, not fighting in individual units as they are now.
Now, what is to become of the Ron Paul Roundups? I am thinking I'd like to keep them going, maybe even rename them Revolution Roundups. I'd like to highlight local, state, and federal candidates who embrace the free market, limited government ethos of the rEVOLution.
Do you guys have any suggestions as to which questions you'd like to see me ask potential Pauls? Or any additional types of things you'd like to see featured?
Top blogs since the last Roundup:
Scourge of Scientology Commits Suicide...I BeLIEve That... (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=365612263&Mytoken=B390961C-8668-486B-A70E89E95B38D27E40023098)
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