Assessing the Future of the Ron Paul Revolution

The Politico's entry in the "Ron Paul Revolution" marches on category:

Paul's son Rand is running competitively in the Kentucky Senate race to succeed Republican Jim Bunning, even though the GOP establishment has lined up behind Secretary of State Trey Grayson. Peter Schiff, an economic adviser to Paul's presidential campaign, has raised $1 million in his bid to win the Republican nomination against Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). 

In Texas, a Ron Paul acolyte could have a decisive impact in the Republican gubernatorial primary between incumbent Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. In California, a businessman who backed Paul's presidential campaign has emerged as a serious contender against Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), who is a top GOP target. 

In total, Paul's political action committee — the Liberty PAC — will be unveiling a slate of 10 endorsed candidates this fall and is currently in the process of interviewing candidates to determine their electability.  

While I first predicted such a movement of Paulite politicians back in my February 2008 Reason magazine cover story on Ron Paul, and am thrilled to see it seeming to come true, we should remember that so far the movement is a lot of promise and a lot of interesting possibilities on the horizon and no actual electoral victories. Still, it still seems possible that Ron Paul 2008 will read in the future like Barry Goldwater 1960 (that is, the year he first achieved widespread national attention and began inspiring acolytes, not the year he won the presidential nomination).