Hey, Ron Paul folks, Rudy Giuliani pays tribute to your guy

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has been on the, uh, naughty list of all loyal, dedicated, fervent and vocal supporters of Rep. Ron Paul since he appeared to scoff at the Texan during one of the early Republican debates last year, gave a formal tip of the hat to the good doctor during his Florida concession speech last night.

As one result of that debate incident, which involved Giuliani taking offense at Paul's suggestion that Americans were at least partly responsible for 9/11 by their occupation and offensive actions against Arab countries, some Paulunteers have hounded many of Giuliani's public appearances with chants and sign-waving throngs. And they have often filled the comment section of The Ticket with scores of denunciations of the man who successfully turned life in New York City around.

These thousands have also reveled in the several times that Paul drew more primary or caucus votes than Giuliani in early states where the New Yorker did not seriously compete, starting with....

Iowa. Many will no doubt delight now in the expected end to Giuliani's campaign later today followed by his anticipated endorsement of Sen. John McCain. Ron Paul, on the other hand, has the endorsement of THE Jane Roe, is working on Tom McClintock. and has launched an eight-state ad blitz including California.

But Tuesday night as he was preparing to bow out, as first reported on the Ticket Monday noon, Giuliani gave a gracious concession speech in which he listed all of his Republican competitors and called them good men.

He added Ron Paul on the end, smiling, and said after all the debates he'd go back to his hotel room and watch television and how every time, according to the texted tallies, Ron Paul won all the debates, much, he did not say, thanks to the determined voting of his many busy-fingered followers. "Ron Paul won every debate!" Giuliani said.

Alas for Paul's followers, who have given many millions to his campaign treasury,--nearly $3.8 million so far this month, according to his website -- Ron Paul, a 72-year-old, 10-term House member who ran for president previously on the Libertarian ticket in 1988, did not win in Florida. In fact, Paul came in fifth, dead-last, well behind even Giuliani and Mike Huckabee.

In fact, the former ob-gyn received only about 3% of the vote, way less than 100,000 votes, which was about what pre-election polls measured as his support in the Sunshine State and what Paul supporters will argue was caused by a mainstream media conspiracy to run those fraudulent polls, to under-report Paul's support and to minimize his chances.

Under Florida winner-take-all rules, McCain now takes the state's 57 delegate votes at next summer's Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

So tonight's Republican debate at the Reagan Library near Simi Valley, co-sponsored by The Times and live-streamed here on this website at 5 p.m. Pacific, will likely have only four surviving Republicans -- McCain, Paul, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Paul will be the strict constitutionalist who opposes the Iraq war and proposes to slash the federal government. Chances are, he will be given less time to speak than the other three.

On CNN last evening Wolf Blitzer went way out on a limb about the future of the Republican race going into Super Tuesday, Feb. 5. He boldly predicted that the results next week were "anybody's guess."

And you can take that to the bank.

--Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Richard Sheinwald / Bloomberg News

Comments

[Dagny]

As a Paul supporter, I'm very pleased with his 3% showing in Florida!

When one considers the virtual media blackout of this Constitutionally-principled man, and add the fact that he did not concentrate great efforts in Florida but rather focused on several other upcoming States, we can all be satisfied!

For those who may not be aware of the media "blackout," every major TV news outlet, since the eve of Iowa's caucuses, has been quite careful to mention every other candidate, including those Dr. Paul had "bested," while avoiding his name and or his picture. They had given sparse coverage prior to Iowa, after Iowa: nothing.

Paul supporters combatted the initial poor coverage by setting new fundraising records; by giving lift to blimps, planes, etc.; by standing in knee-deep snow enthusiastically waving signs for the man who defends liberty, peace, and prosperity; renting billboards; paying for full-page ads in well-circulated newspapers; writing letters, etc., etc., etc.

News outlets were so perplexed! How exactly was Ron Paul doing it?! They could not fathom that he wasn't doing anything to "orchestrate" his supporters actions, that the support was being generated by concerned folks across the nation, inspired by the message Dr. Paul carries.

Ron Paul's media coverage was indirect at best and focused on his supporters. The next step was to demonize his supporters, and then, to "disappear" them as well.

In spite of all this incredibly well-orchestrated media "blackout" campaign, Dr. Paul garnered 3% in Florida!

Ron Paul's campaign is not only educating millions (through the Internet) about foreign policy, fiscal and monetary policy, the beauty of the founding documents, etc., it is accomplishing something else: it is exposing the mainstream "news" outlets for the corporate/government lackeys they have become. They will continue to lose viewership as the older generation fades. They have lost all credibility with anyone under 60. As "boomers" retire, televisions will go dark.

www.ronpaul2008.com/Prosperity. We are in serious financial straits, Ron Paul understands the situation and has the answers.

[Jim]

The standard ratio of supporters to contributors is about 20 to 1. RP has 200K donors which translates to somewhere around 4 million supporters, and that number is growing by the day. The Republican party cannot afford to alienate that many active, informed members and still win in November. They have a real problem here, and if the Libertarian party drafts him in May, as is expected, the LP will gain millions of new members overnight. In that scenario, the Republican nominee is simply done for. It is time for them to wake up and start looking at this with a clear eye and an open mind. It doesn't matter a damn how much they dislike him or disagree with him. If they continue to ignore and/or ridicule him, they will pay dearly and they'll put Hillary back into the White House. Pride goeth before a fall, as they say.

[Steve]

Andrew,

If you look at the total time Rudy spent in early states like New Hampshire, Nevada, etc., you will see Rudy spent more money and had more trips than Ron did. He only did less campaigning in the last weeks before the actual primaries when the polls showed he was not going to win. Same with Ron Paul in Florida. He campaigned in Maine instead of Florida.

[mnjrupp]

Just in from the Ron PAul campaign.

"Last night, over 60,000 people stood up and asked for an end to the runaway violation of our liberties. But contrary to the impression you may be getting from the mainstream media, no national delegates have yet been won in Florida. Those delegates will only be awarded between February 6 and April 30 at delegate selection caucuses, and many of those delegates will be supporters of Dr. Paul."

Matthew Hawes, Policy Assistant
Daniel McCarthy, Internet Communications Coordinator
Jonathan Bydlak, Fundraising Director
Ron Paul 2008

[bkusz]

When the "Best Political Anylist" (they all make that claim) on TV News reported from day one of the election, let me quote the most repeated" Cannot Win" Maverick" "Long shot" etc. and still repeat that mantra to this day, combine that with no reports of any of Pauls successes, NO newspaper print articles, etc.. is there any doubt the man has been blackballed by msm?

Nice article Andrew! Your one of the few who report, not trash. Keep up the good work!

Bkusz
Lbts, Fla.

[James D]

"Ron Paul won all the debates." - The first true thing I've ever heard from Rudy Giuliani.

Too bad Rudy dropped out of the race. With his nose so bright, Rudolph won't be leading this sleigh tonight.

I guess it will be up to Ron Paul to find a way through the growing darkness called McCain who is the man of eternal war, blood, bombs and the ruin of a once great nation.

[bkusz]

When the "Best Political Anylist" (they all make that claim) on TV News reported from day one of the election, let me quote the most repeated" Cannot Win" Maverick" "Long shot" etc. and still repeat that mantra to this day, combine that with no reports of any of Pauls successes, NO newspaper print articles, etc.. is there any doubt the man has been blackballed by msm?

Nice article Andrew! Your one of the few who report, not trash. Keep up the good work!

Bkusz
Lbts, Fla.

[Drew]

Andrew, please do some additional research on the Florida GOP and how it awards its delegates to the National Convention. At this time, no national delegates have been awarded to any candidate. Those delegates are selected at delegate selection caucuses held between February 6 and April 30 and are not bound to a single candidate.

[Amber]

Our media is controlled by the government. The government does not want us to know of Ron Paul, the government has been stealing from us, lying to us for over 50 years. We supposedly live in a country that is "free" and yet our constitutional rights have been taken away. Ron Paul is not going away. Ron Paul is the only "hope" for America. I learned about Ron Paul 3 months ago and I've contributed a lot of time learning about him. He stands for us "The People", not the government. He is the only candidate that wants to help our economy, and actually knows how to do this. All of the other candidates seem to change their minds after each debate. What does that show of their integrity and honesty?

[Doug]

Dead last or a close second amounts to the same number of delegates from Florida. It appears that Ron Paul knows how to pick his battles. There's no need to dump good money after bad into a failed battle. Now if our next president (no matter who that will be) could grasp that concept, we may be able to stop this economical bleeding.

[MJ]

Giuliani was attempting to portray that only a few committed Paul supporters were repeatedly calling in. Why don't the other candidates fare as well then? I guess being able to motivate people is one of Paul's stengths.
I have never called in to support him but if he does well in the debate tonight I will.
If you think he does well please text in on the CNN poll.
More importanly, VOTE IN THE PRIMARY.
If you believe in the Constitution and Dr. Paul PLEASE either donate or purchase from the campaign site. Others are dropping out as their warchests dry up. Dr. Paul knows how to manage money, money that was given to him by the people. This is true as a congressman (he sends money back from his budget every single year) and as a candidate.

GO PAUL!!!!!

[Tom Brown]

Look at Andrews picture...he writes for the L.A. Times and is part of the generation that allowed all of this to flourish. Does anyone really think he'll act, or write, like a true journalist? Objectivity? What a lofty expectation, let alone a joke. Navada & Louisiana cannot & must not flow from his fingertips regarding Paul. That would imply integrity and responsible journalism and that just cannot happen. Guliani's gone, Huckabee is next, and the MSM will try like a cornered tiger to keep McCain propped up as the fruntrunner. For they know Paul would wiipe the mat with Romney OR McCain, let alone the Democrats.
Why isn't he mentioning the fact that the issue most on Floridians minds is the economy, yet McCain, who admittedly doesn't know !@#$ about it, wins the primary? A couple big endorsements for the mindless? Just a guess.
Romney, from practical experience, knows more about the economy than McCain, but Paul knows the whys & hows of where we are today and where we are going. Something neither Romney or McCain are willing to address. Foridas primaries were a very good sign for Paul. We just need to realize this, not get caught up in the MSM rhetoric, and donate more NOW then ever before. If we keep him in this race, the others will drop out and his honesty, integrity, knowledge of the facts, sincerity and willingness to lead us in turning this country around, will prevail. A brokered convention is what we're seeking. Let's make it happen.

(Well, at least Andrew Malcolm uses his real name and photo with his writing and knows how to spell Nevada. Make no claim to objectivity here, Tom. And didn't hear any RP complaints when we noted he was doing better. But now he's not. And, alas, we note that too. This is a blog. Not a news story. We have a viewpoint and these comments are for you to obviously disagree or like some of your RP peers, agree. So welcome to the forum. And thanks for reading.)

[Peter Quinones]

"Under Florida winner-take-all rules, McCain now takes the state's 57 delegate votes at next summer's Republican National Convention in St. Paul."

Um, you may want to check your facts.

John McCain did not win all of the delegates in Florida.

Those delegates will be awarded between February 6 and April 30 at delegate selection caucuses, and many of those delegates will be supporters of Dr. Paul.

Thanks for proving the MSM bias for us.

[Tyranny]

Ron Paul had such a poor showing in Florida because of a couple of points. The main one being his objection to Amnesty. McCain got the latino vote and that made a major difference. Another reason is because of seniors. The seniors seen only one point in Paul's campaign and that was the end of social security. They failed to realize Paul's plan. Once the retired got wind of this they stopped listening to his message.

But, remember .... no delegates have yet been awarded. "Winner take all"? Sure, if the winner is awarded the delegates ... Let's see who's delegates get elected. Will the latino population turn out to precincts? Will the retired? I doubt it.

It's still a long road to the White House. Keep in mind how dedicated and active Paul's supporters are. You can bet we're going to be at those precincts come delegate election day.

[FGFM]

Thanks for feeding the obsession of the Paulbots. I am looking forward to him tanking in Illinois, although there was some rube handing out leaflets outside Union Station the other day. That's what we get for extending the commuter lines.

[Bob Pylant]

Ron Paul SECOND IN LOUISIANA AND NEVADA - ignored Florida as it was a lost cause - but wait til Maine and other states where he campaigned - wait til super Teusday and wait for the Western States....
GO RON GO....

[Eric]

Andrew,

Thank you so much for this article. At least there are a few people reporting the news.

[William T. Patton, Jr.]

Rudy was right, Ron Paul did win every debate. He won not just because of the support of his followers but because Paul actually spoke in deatil about the real issues.

Issues the others choose not to discuss such as the damage to our economy caused by deficit war spending. Those neo-con idiots do not realize the faltering economy and the disasterous war are the SAME ISSUE!

[Scott]

Thanks for the article, Andrew. Paul will do well in many states to come. Especially the ones that he can afford to advertise in, unlike McCain and Huck. There will be exponentially more delegates up for grabs next Tuesday than there was for Florida, and then that's only half the possible delegates so far. Only half way there AFTER Feb. 5! This is going to be the first brokered Republican convention since 1952. Hold on to your hats and glasses! It's going to be a bumpy ride.

[ShawnBoy]

Hey Mr. Malcom,

I am a fan of your articles, however I must say this is not one of your better pieces. I find it hard to believe that you really feel like Rudy gave a genuine "tip of that hat" to RP. He barely remembered to mention RP, as he mentioned him last and after a great pause after he mentioned the Huck's name. I also believe he was taking a shot a at RP with the whole "texting" thing (I quote texting because Rudy did not even use that term, he said "the thing where you push the buttons", as he clearly is not up to date on the new technologies). I think he said "Ron Paul won every debate!" in a real synical tone, meant to down play RP himself and his supporters as computer using, texting junkies.

But what ever, I guess we are each entitled to see it how we saw it. And this is not a crack at you in anyway, i actually respect your writing as non-biased (except may be by your own opinion, but that is acceptable in journalism). And at least you keep writing articles abotu RP, which is hinestly also why I like your writing, so I guess I am biased in my own way : )

[J. Cline]

I would say it is a bit early to pass final judgment on the Florida results. We won't know the final popular vote until all the absentee votes are factored in, and many of those will come in for Ron Paul from the substantial military voter community. I am one of those.

Also, it's proper to remember that no delegates were awarded based on the popular vote. Those will be apportioned when Florida GOP caucuses meet, and at that time, look for Ron Paul to make a stronger showing. Caucuses are won by those who show up, and if there's one thing that Paulites do best, it's show up! Even if he doesn't win outright, which I don't think anyone expects, he should pick some delegates to add to the 6 he already has.

As for Giuliani, he dug his grave. It wasn't cheering Paulistas who brought him down, but his own demons following him from NYC -- the Times, the firefighters, and everyone else he managed to alienate with his egomania and abuse of privilege. However, in fairness, there is a certain amount of Paulite schadenfreude in seeing the "President of 9/11" go down not with a bang, as it were, but with a whimper.

[Wupta]

I have always been nationalist when it came to the USA. Seeing this incredible manipulaiton of the elections by the MSM I came to the conclusion that are owned by the Republicans and Democrats. When this realization hit me I remembered the saying "to hide in plain sight". Off course they are owned by the parties. This ensures the control the minds of the people and ensures their message gets out as well as keeps out competitors. If I was the party leader I would have made that a stated party strategy. So now I am very mad at what they are perpetuating on this country. Everyday every chance I get I talk about Ron Paul and I a lot of people. When they quote to me nonsense that the pundits and the stooges of the party spew I feel disgusted and am more determined to challenge the status quo.

This is a revolution. Whether Ron Paul is elected or not he has started something which will not go away. I am not alone. The party and their stooges might win this battle but the war has only just begun. They either will loose or they will dramatically change.

[Iconoclast421]

Sure, Ron Paul hasnt been treated very fairly by the media, but that definately doesnt explain all of whats going on here. In a country where people care more about the super bowl than they do about their political system and their constitution.... what can you expect? In a country where people think more about american idol and desperate housewives than they think about 1% autism rates and fluoride in the water.... what can you expect? And in Florida... a state with a bunch of "warehoused" retirees sitting in front tv's watching Fox News telling them that mercury is good for them?... What can you expect? Does it matter that millions of retirees living on social security have seen the value of their fixed income decrease dramatically, through currency devaluation? Does it matter that Ron Paul has been speaking out against this THE WHOLE TIME? And that the media covered it up THE WHOLE TIME? People ought to know by now that this is how the mainstream media operates... NOT in the best interests of the public. Anyone with some programming experience knows what this phenomenon is called: GIGO - garbage in, garbage out

[JD]

It seems the only people that are poo-pooing the idea of media complicity in minimizing Dr. Paul are those in the media.

"...a mainstream media conspiracy to run those fraudulent polls, to under-report Paul's support and to minimize his chances."

"Chances are, he will be given less time to speak than the other three."

[Paul]

Girlie-annie didn't pay tribute to Ron Paul, that was yet another jab.

But look out people, we might still wind up with the Ghoul as VP...