AJ Antimony
06-28-2009, 11:33 PM
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000003155957
Ron Paul’s ‘Audit the Fed’ Bill Gathers Steam
By Emily Cadei, CQ Staff
He may have faded from the national political scene a year ago, after his dark-horse presidential run came to naught, but Rep. Ron Paul ’s influence is still being felt in campaigns and policy debates across the country. Indeed, the latest legislative priority of the libertarian Texas Republican — auditing the Federal Reserve — has gained support in unlikely quarters.
Paul’s legislation, popularly known as the “Audit the Fed” bill, has drawn 244 cosponsors, ranging from Ohio’s John A. Boehner , the conservative Republican floor leader, to Michigan’s John Conyers Jr. , the liberal Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Some Democrats have even picked up on Paul’s rhetoric. “It’s time to yank the shroud off the Fed and shine some light on these events,” New York Democrat Edolphus Towns , chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said at a hearing last week about the shotgun marriage between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch last fall to stave off the latter’s collapse.
Paul’s efforts have only gained in political significance since the Obama administration unveiled its proposal to give the Fed new powers over the financial regulatory system.
At the heart of Paul’s anti-Fed crusade, as well as his other ventures, is the grass-roots lobbying organization Campaign for Liberty, a home base for his fervent band of presidential supporters. The organization was launched just over a year ago with cash left over from his bid for the GOP nomination. The 501(c)4 non-profit group claims a quarter-million members and says it has 20 full-time employees and coordinators in all 50 states.
According to spokesman Jesse Benton, Campaign for Liberty has raised approximately $3 million so far this year and plans “to spend millions of dollars educating as many Americans as possible on monetary policy.”
Paul is the organization’s honorary chairman, and though he has no official day-to-day duties, “we consult with him on every major move that we make,” Benton said.
Paul’s imprint is also seen on the 2010 campaign: At least five prospective candidates for the House and Senate are being dubbed the next generation of the Ron Paul movement, including his son and fellow physician Rand Paul. The younger Paul is considering a run for the Senate in Kentucky if incumbent Republican Jim Bunning decides not to run again.
But the potential candidate generating the most interest among Paul’s followers is Peter Schiff, who might join the increasingly crowded filed of Republicans wanting to take on Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd in Connecticut.
Schiff, a financial commentator on cable news and president of the investment firm Euro Pacific Capital Inc., was an economic adviser to Paul’s presidential campaign and espouses many of Paul’s free-market principles.
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/06/-schiff.html
Schiff Polling for Potential Senate Run Against Dodd in Connecticut
By Emily Cadei | June 28, 2009 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Investor and financial commentator Peter Schiff is doing polling in Connecticut to gauge support for a potential Republican Senate run. Schiff has signed on prominent Republican polling firm Wilton Research Strategies to survey the state, his brother and spokesman Andrew Schiff told CQ Politics.
"Peter is a non-traditional candidate," said Andrew Schiff of his brother, an outspoken libertarian who has gained attention for correctly predicting the collapse of the mortgage industry despite mockery from other industry analysis. "We're attracting a lot of very fervent believers.The question is whether or not this will all resonate with the voters of Connecticut."
Indeed, Schiff was not considering a Senate run against five-term Sen. Christopher J. Dodd until he became the subject of an aggressive drafting campaign this past winter. Schiff's first brush with politics was as an economic adviser to Republican Ron Paul's presidential campaign. That role linked him into a network of Paul supporters who have urged Schiff to run for office -- Andrew Schiff said his brother has been "bombarded with emails and phone calls" over the last several months.
What remains unclear is whether Schiff has a legitimate shot of taking on more traditional politicians like former Rep. Rob Simmons and state Sen. Sam Caligiuri in the Republican primary and Dodd in a general election.
"We do think there's certainly room for the fiscally conservative, libertarian wing of the party to attract a lot of attention in the Northeast," Andrew said, adding that Peter is prepared to develop a policy portfolio not just on finance and monetary policy, his speciality, but also on hot-button issue like health care and energy. But economics will remain is major focus.
"We're leaning towards a run," he said, however, "Peter doesn't want to spend a lot of time and money if there's really no chance." emphasis mine
Ron Paul’s ‘Audit the Fed’ Bill Gathers Steam
By Emily Cadei, CQ Staff
He may have faded from the national political scene a year ago, after his dark-horse presidential run came to naught, but Rep. Ron Paul ’s influence is still being felt in campaigns and policy debates across the country. Indeed, the latest legislative priority of the libertarian Texas Republican — auditing the Federal Reserve — has gained support in unlikely quarters.
Paul’s legislation, popularly known as the “Audit the Fed” bill, has drawn 244 cosponsors, ranging from Ohio’s John A. Boehner , the conservative Republican floor leader, to Michigan’s John Conyers Jr. , the liberal Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Some Democrats have even picked up on Paul’s rhetoric. “It’s time to yank the shroud off the Fed and shine some light on these events,” New York Democrat Edolphus Towns , chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said at a hearing last week about the shotgun marriage between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch last fall to stave off the latter’s collapse.
Paul’s efforts have only gained in political significance since the Obama administration unveiled its proposal to give the Fed new powers over the financial regulatory system.
At the heart of Paul’s anti-Fed crusade, as well as his other ventures, is the grass-roots lobbying organization Campaign for Liberty, a home base for his fervent band of presidential supporters. The organization was launched just over a year ago with cash left over from his bid for the GOP nomination. The 501(c)4 non-profit group claims a quarter-million members and says it has 20 full-time employees and coordinators in all 50 states.
According to spokesman Jesse Benton, Campaign for Liberty has raised approximately $3 million so far this year and plans “to spend millions of dollars educating as many Americans as possible on monetary policy.”
Paul is the organization’s honorary chairman, and though he has no official day-to-day duties, “we consult with him on every major move that we make,” Benton said.
Paul’s imprint is also seen on the 2010 campaign: At least five prospective candidates for the House and Senate are being dubbed the next generation of the Ron Paul movement, including his son and fellow physician Rand Paul. The younger Paul is considering a run for the Senate in Kentucky if incumbent Republican Jim Bunning decides not to run again.
But the potential candidate generating the most interest among Paul’s followers is Peter Schiff, who might join the increasingly crowded filed of Republicans wanting to take on Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd in Connecticut.
Schiff, a financial commentator on cable news and president of the investment firm Euro Pacific Capital Inc., was an economic adviser to Paul’s presidential campaign and espouses many of Paul’s free-market principles.
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/06/-schiff.html
Schiff Polling for Potential Senate Run Against Dodd in Connecticut
By Emily Cadei | June 28, 2009 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Investor and financial commentator Peter Schiff is doing polling in Connecticut to gauge support for a potential Republican Senate run. Schiff has signed on prominent Republican polling firm Wilton Research Strategies to survey the state, his brother and spokesman Andrew Schiff told CQ Politics.
"Peter is a non-traditional candidate," said Andrew Schiff of his brother, an outspoken libertarian who has gained attention for correctly predicting the collapse of the mortgage industry despite mockery from other industry analysis. "We're attracting a lot of very fervent believers.The question is whether or not this will all resonate with the voters of Connecticut."
Indeed, Schiff was not considering a Senate run against five-term Sen. Christopher J. Dodd until he became the subject of an aggressive drafting campaign this past winter. Schiff's first brush with politics was as an economic adviser to Republican Ron Paul's presidential campaign. That role linked him into a network of Paul supporters who have urged Schiff to run for office -- Andrew Schiff said his brother has been "bombarded with emails and phone calls" over the last several months.
What remains unclear is whether Schiff has a legitimate shot of taking on more traditional politicians like former Rep. Rob Simmons and state Sen. Sam Caligiuri in the Republican primary and Dodd in a general election.
"We do think there's certainly room for the fiscally conservative, libertarian wing of the party to attract a lot of attention in the Northeast," Andrew said, adding that Peter is prepared to develop a policy portfolio not just on finance and monetary policy, his speciality, but also on hot-button issue like health care and energy. But economics will remain is major focus.
"We're leaning towards a run," he said, however, "Peter doesn't want to spend a lot of time and money if there's really no chance." emphasis mine