The last remaining active campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is closing up shop. Ron Paul is ending his campaign in all future primaries, though he says he will still fight for delegates in the states that have already voted.
Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future. Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted. Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have.
I’m sure that there will soon be, if there isn’t already, a lot of negotiations between the RNC, the Romney campaign and the Paul campaign to keep him on the reservation. He’s never cared much about party loyalty; remember that in 2008, he held his own alternative Republican convention in Minneapolis, something I’m sure the party doesn’t want to see repeated in Tampa. I don’t think Paul ever really thought he could win the nomination. I think he’s been on a purely ideological crusade and he’ll do whatever he thinks it will take to advance that cause.
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D. C. Sessions
May 17, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The question to me is whether he’s angling for:
1) Naming the VP
2) Control of the platform committee
3) Control of the rules
I don’t think he’s likely to get complete carte blanche on any of those, but disproportionate influence is certainly possible. Especially since Romney’s interest in the platform is near nonexistent and he has no real stake in future elections.
jnorris
May 17, 2012 at 11:11 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I thought Ron Paul was building a base for his son Rand. Paul has organizers and followers in most states, contributors, and a mailing list. That’s everything Rand needs to run in 2016
d cwilson
May 17, 2012 at 11:22 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That may be part of it. Even though he runs nearly every election year, he must know that he’s getting up there in years. He’ll probably pass the fake libertarian baton to Randy in time for the 2016 race.
The other part is that he wants to be a major player in writing the platform. Look for a lot of “everything is unconstitutional” language being bandied about in Tampa.
StevoR
May 17, 2012 at 11:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
So, um, when did Mittens Rmoney end his campaign and admit defeat then? I hadn’t heard about that active campaign one shutting down. Must’ve missed it.
Still guess that’s for the best seeing as how Mittens was such a losuy non-conservative moderate, blatant liar and was generally heartily disliked by all.
Blondin
May 17, 2012 at 11:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Never stopped Newt…
tomh
May 17, 2012 at 11:34 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
millions of dollars we simply do not have.
Not sure he doesn’t have it. Paul raised more money — $36.7 million as of March 31– than that of any Republican candidate other than Mitt Romney.
matty1
May 17, 2012 at 12:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@4 Mitt is inactive or as we sometimes put it differently alive.
tacitus
May 17, 2012 at 12:16 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The question is, will the rabid Paul supporters find this comment thread?
I don’t think there’s been another candidate–even Obama–whose supporters have so single-mindedly infested every comment thread that’s even tangentially about their hero.
And typically, they blame the mainstream media for the “Ron Paul blackout”, claim that more voters support Ron Paul than Mitt Romeny (citing better crowds at events vs. suspicious voting machines and secretive ballot procedures), and that hijacking delegates is the purest form of democracy because it exploits the processes put in place by the founders to prevent the theft of elections.
pinkboi
May 17, 2012 at 1:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
If Ron Paul really cared about civil liberties, he’s get over himself and endorse Gary Johnson, but apparently that’s not going to happen. It’s good that he wants to move the Republican party more in that direction but it’s in the areas where the party needs to evolve the most where he’s unorthodox himself – gay rights, women’s rights, and open borders. Does anyone seriously think he’s going to convince Romney to come out against the Patriot Act?!
fifthdentist
May 17, 2012 at 1:46 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
pinkboi, I see absolutely nothing that would prevent Mittens from coming out against the Patriot Act.
And then reversing himself later in the same speech.
Homo Straminus
May 17, 2012 at 2:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“This Patriot Act is horrible, despicable, just an outrage! And that is why we, dear Americans, must keep it on the books and in sight at all times!”
joeina2
May 17, 2012 at 2:57 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I have to admit that Paul’s steadfast adherence to his beliefs and morals is a bit refreshing when held against many politicians.
Now if only I didn’t hate a majority of the morals and beliefs he steadfastly holds on too. That and the racism thing.
Area Man
May 17, 2012 at 3:12 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ron Paul reminds me of the fox vs. the hedgehog. As the story goes, the fox knows many things, while the hedgehog knows one big thing. In other words, foxes are nimble and adaptable, while hedgehogs see everything through the lens of a rigid worldview. Ron Paul is the ultimate hedgehog. He’s very, very consistent. Consistent to the point of never, ever changing his mind about anything no matter what reality says.
Not surprisingly, hedgehogs tend to be consistently worse at making predictions than foxes. Like, for example, predicting that hyperinflation is right around the corner for the last 30 years.
Michael Heath
May 17, 2012 at 6:32 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Area Man writes:
When we were in the deepest recesses of the recession, we had an occasional commenter here by the name of mroberts. He liked to comment about how stupid us liberals were where he then projected a flurry of stupidity.
During this time he was claiming the Fed and the Democrat-majority Congress of that time (2007 – 2009) was causing inflation which was soon to turn run-away. He was also convinced global warming was both a conspiracy and not a consensus view of the scientific community, citing the Oregon Petition as “proof”. He also really hated gays. In an increasingly odd twist he mainly argued a secular point of view, similar to Rush Limbaugh.
democommie
May 17, 2012 at 9:33 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Michael Heath:
Did you see “Betulgeuse”? Do not say the name of robertsmay more than twice in one sentence or else the burnin’ stoopit will consume the universe!
dingojack
May 18, 2012 at 1:40 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wait now – Ron Paul had a campaign?!?
:) Dingo
democommie
May 18, 2012 at 8:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Where did Mr. Paul’s warchest go? He had something like $25M left over after the 2008 “Campaign to nowhere”. Does anyone know if the scamster ever publishes numbers for the finances of the campaign?
dingojack
May 18, 2012 at 9:19 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“What if you held a campaign – and nobody came?”
Ron Paul 2012
:) Dingo
tomh
May 18, 2012 at 10:29 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@ #17
They all have to report their totals to the Federal Election Commission. Paul’s are here.
It’s interesting where the money came from. Almost half were small donors, under $200, whose identity doesn’t have to be disclosed. Donors over $200 do have to be disclosed. The top five organizations contributing to Paul’s campaign (meaning their employees contributed and/or their PACs did) were the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, Google, and the Department of Defense. Members of the Armed Forces seem to like his pacifist stance.
In constrast, the top organizations giving to Romney are Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse.
dingojack
May 18, 2012 at 10:38 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“In constrast, the top organizations giving to Romney are … JPMorgan Chase…”
So that’s where the 2 (or is it 3 or perhaps 4) billion went to!
:) Dingo