Brian Doherty on How Ron Paul Is Not Ending His Campaign for Liberty
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) announced yesterday that he will no longer be actively campaigning in forthcoming primaries. While this announcement was widely played in the media as essentially "Ron Paul drops out"—as perhaps his team should have figured, especially with its injudicious use of past tense about "fought hard"—Paul in fact directly said his quest to rack up as many delegates as he can for the Republican presidential nomination will continue. In fact, writes Senior Editor Brian Doherty, the announcement was more or less merely a public declaration of what had been the campaign's style for the past few weeks, featuring few of the smaller public events that make up a full-fledged campaign and more giant campus rallies. Ron Paul is not ending his campaign for liberty.
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What's this about Ron Paul dropping out?
Really. I had mixed feelings about Santorum dropping out.
Better out than in, I always say!
If it drops out, you've got proctologist-level problems.
It's like deja vu all over again!
Now that he's dropped out, Ron Paul can now set to work on that book idea he had detailing the gruesome...yet interesting...ways to kill your unborn baby with household items.
nice pic of Ron Paul playing air guitar
"Won't you fly high, Free Bird, yeah."
Looks more like a Dylan tune...
How does it feeeeeeel...
When you run out of money and can't afford to actively campaign, that is what "dropping out" means.
As for the optimism over Ron Paul ushering in a libertarian future on the backs of the swelling movement coalescing around him, I've been hearing that song since 88. I've even been known to sing along myself from time to time. But it's all wishful thinking and not rational assessment.
I hope he can keep his delegates from migrating to Team Mitt. Anything to muck up the works.
He won't have enough delegates to stop the Mitt nomination, only slow it down. If you're a libertarian in the national spotlight, and can't win the nomination, your second best option is to get your message out. A delegate strategy does NOT do that.
Since Paul is more or less going ahead and doing what he has always done, I have to wonder why his campaign felt the necessity to issue a press release that can only be confusing. I can only conclude that they do indeed mean to be confusing. But whom do they mean to confuse? The mainsteream media? The GOP poobahs? The GOP rank and file? Anyone else? It's a puzzlement.
Let's see here, no more campaigning in states that have NOT yet voted, all funds to be directed at states that HAVE voted, to be used in efforts to eek out a few more delegates.
The campaign has essentially dropped out of the race. The goal is no longer to win the nomination, but to rack up enough delegates to have a voice at the convention. But the purpose of the convention is to nominate a candidate. I just doesn't make sense.
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