March of the Paulites

I'd missed this news from a few days ago: Ron Paul supporters staged a democratic coup at Minnesota Republican district meetings and left the party's leaders sputtering. Well, sputtering and dismissive.

Over the weekend, they captured six of a dozen GOP national convention delegates elected at congressional district meetings. The rebellion has left local party officials crying foul, even as state leaders downplay the importance of the unexpected result.

"They'll be national delegates, but at the end of the day, that doesn't change anything because John McCain is going to be our nominee," said party spokesman Mark Drake.

Well, they should have seen it coming. Ron Paul supporters nabbed 16 percent of the vote and four counties on the Feb. 5 caucuses, and as the organizers kept pointing out to me, they were ready to win delegates in the next stage of the process. McCain has a number of built-in advantages for the fall, but "a well-organized and motivated party" is not on his list.

This little victory raises a question: What is the Ron Paul campaign actually up to? What's the rEVOLution up to? The answers are "not much" and "a little more." Paul is doing a campaign swing in Pennsylvania on Friday, but he's turned down requests from local organizers (very, very active ones, whose Liberty Bell t-shirts were spotted many times in New Hampshire) to go and stump in their areas. He might go to Duke before the North Carolina primary, but his campaign is leaving the grunt work of the campaign to local organizers.

The minor-league rEVOLutionaries are doing a little better. There are no less than six "Ron Paul Republicans" running for office in Virginia and Maryland, and the four from Maryland have already won their primaries. On Friday I stopped by a fundraiser for Amit Singh, a 33-year old first-time candidate in the uber-Democratic suburbs in Virginia across the river from D.C. He's closing in on $40,000 in funds after less than a month of campaigning. Last night the Maryland GOP had a dinner for its congressional challengers, and Ron Paul Republicans got tips on how to campaign.

One thing I've heard from a number of Ron Paul-inspired candidates is speculation about what Ron Paul will do for them. Is he going to endorse? Is he going to share his donor list? So far he's only endorsed two non-incumbent candidates, Murray Sabrin for New Jersey's Senate seat and Jim Forsythe for New Hampshire's first congressional district. The New Jersey GOP is trying desparately to find a candidate to crush Sabrin, and it's coming up short. But Forsythe, running against a former congressman who lost the seat in the 2006 rout, is about to drop out of the race. The Paul campaign suggests that the candidate might start endorsing other candidates soon. "Ron will review them after staff vet them first," said a spokesman. "The criteria will be a combination of viability and commitment to limited government principles."

Comments

[Colin]

“We knew they were coming and they were willing to lie, cheat and steal — maybe not steal, but they were willing to say anything.”

[javier]

don’t forget murray sabrin in the senate. He’ll win the republican nomination and piss off the leadership in the process. He is actually good at debating.

[javier]

oh must of missed the last paragraph

[Taktix?]

Despite all the missteps and wrangling about Paultards, it’s still pretty depressing that limited government is so unpopular.

[Warren]

I FUCKING HATE WHEN NEW POSTS DON’T APPEAR AT THE TOP OF THE LIST

[David Weigel]

Sorry, Warren. Sometimes happens when I’m writing a post, have to run and do something else, and return to it a bit later.

[John C. Randolph]

The best thing any of us can do for any of the candidates who are running as Ron Paul Republicans, is get Eric Dondero to endorse their opponents.

-jcr

[Edward]

“The criteria will be a combination of viability and commitment to limited government principles.”

Membership in the John Birch Society or the 9/11 truther movment won’t hurt. Neither will the ability rake in a little Nazi money. Limited government isn’t everything. Goofball conspiracies and cash also help.

[rdkraus]

It really is pathetic what they’re doing in NJ to try to stop Sabrin. The newspapers are helping out (not Sabrin) too. The repub’s are TERRIFIED that Sabrin might get the nod. God forbid an actual tax cutting, small gov’t libertarian/conservative type got a chance to run as a major party candidate.

[Taktix?]

Speaking of ol’ Dondy, did he go on a tequila and hooker binge after all his favorites dropped out?

(psst. by “hookers” he meant goats.)

[Brian]

Weigel: The New Jersey GOP is trying desparately to find a candidate to crush Sabrin, and it’s coming up short.

Murray Sabrin isn’t a threat to the NJ GOP. What they’re looking for is a candidate who (1) has the ability to raise/self-fund enough money to take on Lautenberg and (2) might actually beat Lautenberg.

They are failing at doing so, but Sabrin isn’t going to win the nomination. His “Sabrin Promise” is a horrible move, and he is running a horribly negative campaign that has come off as childish and gives Sabrin an attack-dog persona that just doesn’t work.

[WhyMurray]

The Sabrin Promise: I, Muray Sabrin, a candidate for the United States Senate from New Jersey promise to resign from office if all combat troops are not removed from Iraq by September 2010.

Translation: Unless a huge number of politicians either change their mind or are not re-elected, I’m going to resign. This will leave the voters who asked me to represent them for a six year term hanging, and allow the NJ state government to replace me with a political appointee after I’ve only served one year in office. Frankly, I’m not that interested in this stuff, and want to get back to my cushy tenured faculty position at a state university.

[Edward]

Here’s the kind of stuff Ron Paul candidates can use to raise cash. Learn from the Master.

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=e2f15397-a3c7-4720-ac15-4532a7da84ca

In an undated solicitation letter for The Ron Paul Investment Letter and the Ron Paul Political Report, Paul writes: “I’ve been told not to talk, but these stooges don’t scare me. Threats or no threats, I’ve laid bare the coming race war in our big cities. The federal-homosexual cover-up on AIDS (my training as a physician helps me see through this one.) The Bohemian Grove–perverted, pagan playground of the powerful. Skull & Bones: the demonic fraternity that includes George Bush and leftist Senator John Kerry, Congress’s Mr. New Money. The Israeli lobby, which plays Congress like a cheap harmonica.”

[Edward]

The January 1995 issue of Ron Paul’s Survival Report–released just three months before the Oklahoma City bombing–cites an anti-government militia’s advice to other militias, including, “Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”

The October 1992 issue of Ron Paul’s Political Report paraphrases an “ex-cop” who offers this strategy for protecting against “urban youth”: “If you have to use a gun on a youth, you should leave the scene immediately, disposing of the wiped off gun as soon as possible. Such a gun cannot, of course, be registered to you, but one bought privately (through the classifieds, for example).”

[Brandybuck]

In California, a group of Ron Paul supporters is trying to take over the GOP. The “planning” for this came from the former state coordinators. We were supposed to secretly gather sigatures for petitions to force county central committee appointments to be public elections.

They of course, succeeded. GOP central committee elections are now going to be on the ballot. That’s where the planning started to fail. The also succeeded in pissing off a lot of Republicans. The chairman of my county GOP is friendly towards Paulites, but he still called me asking, “what the hell are you doing?!” We managed to smooth out some ruffled feathers, but it was still a tactless move by the ex-campaign leaders. Then the second shoe dropped. We had no one to run! The vast majority of us switched to Republican from other parties, and no one interested in serving is qualified to be on the central committees. So all we ended up doing was opening the committees to big government neocons, who are now going to running their own candidates to fill the slots. They called our bluff and we have no cards to show.

Sigh.

The Republican Party is not the enemy. It is instead a necessary vehicle we need to use. But we can’t use it when we are outsiders. Limited government supporters need to stop treating the GOP as an evil, and start working WITH Republicans to change things. Not the national leaders, who are a bunch of big government goons, but with the local rank and file who still believe the rhetoric of small government. There are only two parties that matter, and the Republican Party is the better hope for limited government. But why the hell should the local and state GOP give us any national delegates, when we won’t even help them with a local school board race?

[GILMORE]

What is the Ron Paul campaign actually up to? What’s the rEVOLution up to? The answers are “not much” and “a little more.”

DEAR GOD GIVE THIS STUPID THING UP

You keep asking these rhetorical questions when you (and most here) already know the answer is “it doesnt amount to a fart in Kansas during tornado season”

How about WHEN RP endorses someone, THEN you cover it? Like, when something HAPPENS that may actually MATTER.

[Edward]

Given all the racist, homophobic shit that was published under Ron Paul’s name, his endorsement should be the kiss of death. Either Weigel can’t fucking read or he thinks racist, homophobic diatribes are just fine. Which is it, asshole?

[ed]

I was going to suggest that a better title for this post would have been March of the Dwarves but that would be snarky and so insulting to Grieg.

[PC]

I have liked Ron for years now, but he is no longer running. Candidates like Amit are their own people, they are not Ron clones. Also they don’t have Ron’s cash and could use some help on the national level and since I have seen plenty of commenters lately stating that they have cancelled their Reason subscriptions many would appear to have some extra funds to give.

The congressional races is where its going to happen if at all.

[Edward]

PC

You’ve liked Ron paul for years, have you? Are you one of the slimy Nazi pricks who subscribed to his newsletters? Just wondering.

[svf]

since I have seen plenty of commenters lately stating that they have cancelled their Reason subscriptions many would appear to have some extra funds to give.

you just made my day. cheers.

[PC]

Edward | April 9, 2008, 3:45pm | #

By years I meant about three, many of the Paul supporters I talked to in my area haven’t heard of him until last year. I was going to write him in before he ever hinted at running. I knew nothing of the newsletters before April last year, but that was the single LA Riots article. I didn’t know about the other letters until I heard and saw it from Kirchick and TNR when everyone else did. Ron is cited in libertarian books from time to time, I learned of him from Vin Suprynowicz’s writings, who is Jewish by the way.

[Edward]

PC

If the newsletters don’t sink Ron Paul’s career, it’s only because he matters so little that nobody cares. Anyone who supports him despite the newsletters is either a Nazi, a moron or both, Jewish or not.

[ed]

I think the troll probably was not hugged as a child.

[tim, minnesota]

If the Ron Paul supporters are a pimple within the Republican Party then what is all the Republican fuss about. We are 30-year voting Republican supporters fed up with the poor quality of candidates made poster boys for us to support.

Not this year, we were delegates in Minnesota as part of the congressional group voting to send Ron Paul delegates to national. I have always been open of my support for Ron Paul and have received support from the local party leaders.

I ask why is the National Republican leadership trying to marginalize, dismiss, name call as kooks and nuts regular republicans like us. What happened to the big tent of the Republican Party? New folks are welcome if they have lobotomies.

[Doug Mataconis]

The New Jersey GOP is trying desparately to find a candidate to crush Sabrin, and it’s coming up short.

Are ya kidding me ?

First of all, the New Jersey GOP isn’t going to nominate Sabrin.

Second, if they did, he’d get crushed in the General Election even if the Democrats go with semi-comatose Lautenberg.

Trust me, I lived in New Jersey for nearly 30 years.

[PC]

If the Ron Paul supporters are a pimple within the Republican Party then what is all the Republican fuss about.

tim, minnesota | April 9, 2008, 4:11pm | #

Because non establishment Democrats make paper mache puppets and throw rocks through Starbucks windows, libertarians and Republicans become delegates.

[paultard]

Ron Paul is awesome. His people are awesome. They actually do stuff. You people just stew. Live with that.

[tippy]

Edward, you poor little shill, you make me feel so sad for you that you have to resort to such pathetic & self-humiliating means….

[Citizen Nothing]

Get with the program, Edward. Don’t you know Reason is a cosmotarian cabal that has done everything in its power to torpedo the Paul campaign?

[Citizen Nothing]

Oh, wait. Reason is a racist and homophobic front group shilling for that neo-Nazi Paul.

Oh, wait. Reason is a floor wax AND a desert topping!

[This is what you are doing to]

Although Gravel supports a version of the Fair Tax and is a subscriber to Reason magazine, he is usually thought of as a liberal rather than a libertarian. In fact, Libertarian party presidential candidate Wayne Allyn Root has argued: “Gravel is in no way, shape or form a Libertarian. He’s just a big government, big-spending, redistribute the wealth liberal – big difference.”

[Citizen Nothing]

and a DESSERT topping, too!

[Gabe Harris]

I encourage Joe and Gravel to start a democrat liberty caucus. I’d certainly vote for a Joe-Gravel ticket over any of the big three out there now. Nevertheless, they are not libertarians.

[D]

EDWARD

I sincerely want to congratulate you for making the superior minds on this forum realize that the undereducated outspoken morons of America really control the way the country is going. It’s people like you who validate the ‘stupid American’ phrase that is sopopular today. You are a genuine moron. 🙂

[terribly smart]

Racist newsletters, racist newsletters…

What a tool.

[Sean]

Edward:
My straw man, let me show you it.

[spinnikerca]

I can’t believe I’m seeing all of these news letter comments without one person citing what is well known to be the truth: Ron Paul never wrote them and doesn’t harbor those thoughts.

Outside editors selected volunteers for the investment newsletters and doubtless they were vetted on their investment views, but a crazy (or two?) got in during one period and wrote several nasty newsletter pieces. Ron Paul in 20 years of public life spread over 30 years has never once been quoted as saying anything in even the spirit of those newsletters, and in fact has sponsored and pushed a number of bills which would greatly benefit minorities. If you go onto youtube and put in ‘ron paul naacp’ you will see some radio shows from 15 years ago as well as a more recent video a 20+ year close friend who happens to be an NAACP division chief did saying that Ron Paul is not only not racist but is one of the least racist people you could know.

I suspect most of those who wrote about the newsletters in these posts are fully aware of that. Character assassination, much?

What is it about him that worries you, actually?

[crockman]

“March of the Paulites”

March of the Lemmings, is more accurate.

[Colonel_Angus]

I think Edward might be some kind of conspiracy schizoid. He keeps coming up with all kinds of half baked retarded shit and he reads the New Republic. What a douche.

[Colonel_Angus]

And everyone please stop calling dondero “Dondi”. This is Dondi:
http://www.subwayoutlaws.com/Burners/00__%20000%20__%20dondi%20cia.jpg

[wmb]

What is Paul doing? Laughing all the way to the bank. He continues to raise funds but for what? He accumulated cash under the guise of a campaign and when all this is over he’s free to donate those millions to his own “non-profit” outfit. A bit of slight of hand, a few well time libertarian sounding sentiments along with scores of xenophobic, bigoted positions on immigration and loads of socially conservative viewpoints to keep the Bible-thumpers on board, was all that was necessary. Now anyone can be a libertarian and they don’t even have to actually hold libertarian viewpoints to do it.

[Jeff W]

Angus, I think you are being unfair to Edward. Douche-bag is more appropriate.

[Seer]

Reason needs a block message option for its readers.

[mike]

David Weigel, I your article was pretty good but I don’t think it is accurate of you to make it seem like the Ron Paul campaign is just sputtering along like an old beat up car. I don’t know where you got you data to make that claim, i hope it wasn’t from fox or any other mainstream media. He’s makeing like 4 or so appearnces at universities this month, check out his webstite, and you must understand once a person such as my self truly understands what ron Paul is talking about, then you will relize that the movement can only get bigger and stronger becasue there is no other choice, it’s like forcing someone to watch someone else kick a baby and then expecting the person who is being forced to watch to not care as much or get used to it, not possible, currupt goverment is like kicked babies you just never get used to it or accepts it.

[GILMORE]

mike | April 9, 2008, 8:36pm | #

David Weigel, I your article was pretty good but I don’t think it is accurate of you to make it seem like the Ron Paul campaign is just sputtering along like an old beat up car…

Right.

It’s got all 4 tires blown out, the engine is kaput, and he’s standing on the side of the road trying to flag someone down, but 98% of the world ignores him

The ones who pull do over are weirdo kidnappers. Or really, really lonely

currupt goverment is like kicked babies you just never get used to it or accepts it.

We accepts it, yessssss, the precious, we acceptss it

Kidding man. People can agree with Paul’s themes and also think he’s a has-been who doesnt matter much at this point, newswise.

Acceptsss it…

[mccleary]

BJ Lawson is definitely a Ron Paul Republican.

He is running in the R primary in my Orange/Wake/Durham/Chatham district of North Carolina, challenging Orange Co. GOP leader Augustus Cho for the opportunity to lose to longtime D incumbent David Price.

http://www.lawsonforcongress.com/

Well worth supporting for you North Carolinians.

[Freddie L]

It sounds like a lot of sour grapes coming from the Liberatarian Party.

[Fudnutz]

I’m sure Ron Paul will regret for the rest of his life not giving more oversight to his newsletter and the advertising distributed in his name.

In a sense, he franchised his name to a bunch of promoters who tried to maximize distribution without regard for the possible consequences. This is not an unusual attitude for a newsletter copywriter and would never have caused a ripple had Ron Paul not run for president.

I have been a Ron Paul supporter for nearly as long as he has been in congress and never knew he had a newsletter. I formed my opinion based upon the speeches he gave in congress, his published position papers and the bills he has introduced. That tells me what the man will do if elected.

Try to figure out what the other candidates will do if elected. Those speeches are stirring but practically content free …

[terribly smart]

Gilmore,
if only your penis weren’t so small,
your gut so fat;
you could lick you own balls,
autofellatio would be a snap.

[paul_in_08]

As a MN Ron Paul supporter, gettting him into office was a fun possibility, but the more important issue is taking back the local GOP. Sure the republican platform isn’t perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the democratic platform which makes it a perfect jumping off point for promoting liberty in this two party system.

I learned something incredibly important by supporting Paul and meeting other Paul supporters, and that is the revelation that I can actually make a difference in something. By devoting some time to the local GOP instead of spending it complaining on blogs I can actually help change something. Ron Paul was far more popular than McCain in my local caucus and he brought out a ton of supporters who had never even considered going to a caucus.

Almost 40% of the 200 delegates at my congressional district convention were supporters of Ron Paul and his libertarian ideas. They didn’t get those delegate spots by cheating, they got there by agreeing with most of the Republican platform and enthusiastically trying to be involved with the party. What’s more important is that most of us weren’t there only to support Paul, we are dedicated to staying involved in the GOP, fixing it’s platform and endorsing candidates who will fight for liberty at state, local and national levels.

Try going to some Republican events and I think you’ll see that it’s not as bad as you think. Once you can get past a few of their dumb cultural views, you’ll see that they want government out of their lives just as badly as you do. In my experience, the people who actually run the local pieces of the party are smart fiscal conservatives who only disagree with libertarians on a handful of issues.

[blakmira]

I hesitate to throw my words into the cesspool majority here, but just wanted to ask the Ron Paul-haters — who is YOUR candidate? Do you even have one?

I find it quite pathetic that the only “dirt” you can find on the good, kind and wise Ron Paul is something he didn’t even do, say or think, from nearly 20 years ago! There’s no one less prejudiced and more devoted to equal rights for all American citizens than Dr. Paul, and he proves it by his words and actions every day.

I suggest you take a good look in the mirror. One day you’ll realize that the enemy you so despise is your own self.

Ron Paul is still here.
We are Ron Paul.
RON PAUL or BUST 2008

[Andrew Murphy]

Edward, thanks for quoting some of those RP newsletters. I didn’t realise he was into the Bohemian Grove conspiracy bullshit also. I still think the calling of MLK a “gay pediphile” still takes the cake .Why Paul allowed Lew Rockwell and/or that mysterious “former staff writer” to publish such crap under his name is beyond me.

[LevStrauss]

Anybody who is in touch with reality knows Ron is full of shit on his newsletter explanation and at least is covering up for Lew. He didn’t expect the campaign to take off like it did but he was at least realistic with his chances. The media treated him like shit so why should he fall on the sword for a campaign he was never going to win, this is the American public we are talking about. He has already been distorted and marginalized by the mainstream on so many other things, why should he screw up his future writing books and supplying other services such as speaking events and other media ventures? But some people have to realize the campaign is basically over, he is just visiting the people who donated money in the remaining states, they paid for it. It is all about statewide and local races for the time being. If people think taking back the Republican or at least pushing it in our direction is not the way to go you need to get in touch with reality. Until you solve ballot access and debate access issues you don’t really have a third party, just a symbolic act. Ballot access can only be solved from within the two party system.

[Akston]

To: paul_in_08 | April 9, 2008, 10:16pm

Thank you for your excellent post. Working within the Republican Party has been very rewarding for me as well. I’m surprised at how much common ground I have with most Republicans, having come from Libertarian beginnings.

Most importantly, I’m now far more connected to a process where things actually get done. Debate on the internet is good for an exchange of ideas (though I think the only people who might actually modify their views based on internet debate are the ones who don’t post). But any sense of accomplishment I feel writing what I think is a good post pales in comparison to concrete, real-world accomplishment. When I work with those same people I agreed with online – but in a real forum where the course of a party, its candidates, and government can change -internet discussions fade in importance.

I write this post partly for recreation. In a larger part, I write it for the people who read more than post. I suggest that if you value smaller government, fiscal restraint, personal responsibility, and liberty, you may want to consider participating even in a modest way. All the government you see around you now was implemented by people who decided at some point to participate. You’ll be surprised that all the people in the process are much like yourself, not some special caste of illuminati.

Over that past four months, I’ve moved from a party newcomer to State Delegate. Surprisingly, it’s as nearly easy to actually do something about an issue as it is to complain about it. And whether you succeed or fail at each step along the way, a real journey beats the hell out of watching a slide show about one.

[creech]

RP couldn’t be bothered to come to Phila. for a major fundraising banquet to support the Penna. primary delegates who gathered more than 200,000 signatures during a three week winter campaign to put his name and 60+ delegate names on the ballot. His supporters soldier on alone towards April 22.

[GrownFolk]

Libertarians are a bunch of petulant children. No wonder Ron Paul left this organization. Look at yourselves, how do you not vomit when looking at a mirror?

[Apaulogist]

“I encourage Joe and Gravel to start a democrat liberty caucus. I’d certainly vote for a Joe-Gravel ticket over any of the big three out there now. Nevertheless, they are not libertarians.”

Ditto.

http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/ron_paul_the_birchers_and_the_delicate_sensibilities_of_david_weigel/