Ron Paul forces Mitt Romney out of the GOP race

Clearly spooked by a few of Rep. Ron Paul's second-place finishes kind of close behind him, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Romney was so flustered in his dropout speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee in Washington Thursday, that he didn't even mention Ron Paul.

That's not unusual, actually. Hardly any other candidate and virtually no major media, especially CNN, has mentioned his name for the last year, so terrified are they of his stare and his libertarian-like views, including downsizing the federal government, bringing American troops home and abolishing the Federal Reserve.

Sometimes it seems almost like a media conspiracy to ignore the former ob-gyn. Except for not one....

but two Jay Leno appearances. They even give Paul less speaking time in the debates, if they don't ban him altogether.

Despite spending some $35 million of his own money and $55 million more that once belonged to other people, the 60-year-old Romney youngster was forced to give way to the 72-year-old, 10-term congressman from Texas, who has fired up thousands of dedicated and determined and very vocal and frustrated followers, young and old, across the country and permeating the Internet. He's even got one big-name donor, one big-name endorser and another perhaps maybe.

Ron Paul signs are still flapping in the prairie winds across Iowa, where Paul's caucus finish ahead of Rudy Giuliani launched the former New York mayor's eventual political decline. Then, in New Hampshire despite being barred from the nationally-televised Fox News debate, Paul beat former Sen. Fred Thompson, which began his inevitable political death spiral.

In the face of Paul's relentless campaigning here and there and his successful fundraising -- he raised nearly $20 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, more than any other Republican -- Romney, who only has an estimated $165 million of his personal fortune left, had no choice really but to quit.

Romney's exit follows the similar Paul-forced departures of other far more famous GOP candidates -- Giuliani, Thompson, Tommy Thompson, Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore. Jeb Bush didn't even consider trying.

That leaves only Pittsburgh-native Paul, somebody named John McCain and this Mike Huckabee fellow from Arkansas, who seems to have had considerable trouble keeping a job. He's been a radio talk host, a Baptist preacher, lieutenant governor and governor. And Huckabee's had trouble raising money. He got only $1 million in the third quarter compared to Paul's $5 million.

So Huckabee can't last much longer.

That will leave only McMaverick, a former Navy squadron commander and POW who endured nearly six years of solitary confinement in Vietnam and then, worse, 25 years of listening to congressional speeches. He didn't get around to mentioning Paul either in his speech Thursday, but he was probably afraid.

Paul's website reports he's raised another $5.3 million just since Jan.1, which is more than Hillary Clinton can loan herself in one week.

Paul has given the Democrats until early August to choose between Clinton and Barack Obama, who's so young he can't remember life without color TV.

According to an authoritative Ron Paul campaign news release, with all of his accumulated fifth, fourth, third and second places, Paul claims to have 42 delegates to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul come September.

That puts him only about 660 delegates behind McCain and barely 1,149 shy of the number necessary to seize the party nomination in the name of the Ron Paul Revolution.

And Texas doesn't vote until March 4!

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Chad_Underdonk]

Bless you Malcolm, you have been a friend to the rEVOLution for some time. We thank you for showing us some love and not siding with those who would tell us what to think.

[Edward Plant]

Heheh - Andrew Malcolm's no longer afraid to say just what he feels :D !

Great article... let's wait and see whether Paul can push Huckabee out of the race.

[Beau]

Good article. I thought the most interesting part was the title. Go Ron Paul!

[redking]

Thank you for covering candidates CNN and FOX ignore. Here is my open letter to Christiane Amanpour of CNN:
=========
I was a loyal FOX News viewer until recently. I switched off FOX News and turned on CNN to learn about the Presidential campaign in the US. The hypocrisy of FOX in stating that it is fair and balanced when it discriminates against Presidential candidates in its news coverage - promoting some and ignoring or/and villifying others - is what finally made me decide to 'watch FOX no more'.

So I came to CNN. Not so bad I thought. They seem earnest enough. Saying they are the 'best political team' on TV. On TV. Yes, TV.

I watched CNN with growing disquiet as I noticed that they seemed to be doing what FOX News had been doing - ignoring some Presidential candidates while promoting others - putting up charts that did not contain information about all the candidates. Giving unequal time in debates. Cutting off answers from some candidates while asking many questions of some and almost none of others. I now am at the point of turning CNN off too.

Perhaps all TV News will be next. Maybe I'll just tune in for the weather. Because the truth is not to be found on FOX News or CNN it seems. What is there appears to be an agenda and I will not be part of someone else's agenda.

So I turn to Google and the internet. So I am finding the truth about things. Why did I not find these facts on CNN? Or FOX? Why was I shocked at their obvious bias and heavy-handed disregard for democracy, fairness and truth?

Well you know the reasons Christiane. I've seen your reports at times. But now I wonder about you and your reports. You work for CNN. How much of what you say is true?

You work for a network that hides the truth. Do you? You've lost this viewer CNN. The truth is far more valuable to me than it is to you apparently. So good-bye. I'm just one guy.

Or is it just me? Are the floodgates opening and the crowds eyeing the exits? Is your ballgame coming to an end? Elvis is leaving the building Christiane. Whose reporting that?

[underground]

Haha excellent use of humor. Even with the high sarcasm density, you're making me wonder how much Ron Paul's early victories over Thompson and Giuliani influenced their enthusiasm to stay in the campaign. If anyone can benefit from Romney's withdrawal, it would be Paul, but can he pull it off this late in the game?

[Rick Toone]

With tongue firmly in cheek.

John McCain, thank you for your service to our nation. Now please learn from Mitt Romney's example, and step aside for the good of the cause: the fight against socialism.

Take a week to read from Dr. Paul's suggested reading list of books about non-interventionism, blowback, and why occupying other nations for decades leads them (strangely) to resist us. Retract your remark about committing our troops for 100 years.

Then come out in full support of Ron Paul. It's the right thing to do. Thank you, in advance.

And thank you, Andrew, for the continued coverage and humor.

[Jon]

Wow, I think the sarcasm dripping off this blog failed to land in the first few comments.

I am a Ron Paul supporter (surprise!), and a delegate to the next level convention in Minnesota.

Still, I found this blog fairly hilarious.

Anyway, I did want to thank you for your fair coverage earlier in the campaign. Hopefully it wasn't all just unperceived sarcasm :)

If nothing else, Ron Paul made this race more interesting. And he made Republicans think about some things they would have rather ignored.

But they must not have thought about it very long, because now they are riding McWar towards annihilation in the general election. Any Republican who doesn't realize that is just as far out there as the Ron Paul supporters who think he knocked out Mitt Romney.

(I think we did land a blow or two to Giuliani's campaign. But he knocked himself out with his "brilliant" big states strategy.)

[Lars]

Thanks - great article!

We are collecting links to articles like yours at www.WhatTheySayAboutRonPaul.com for all the latest reporting about Ron Paul.

At this time it is even more important to show that the support for Ron Paul is still growing.

Did you know that you can go to www.WhatTheySayAboutRonPaul.com and post links to your own articles about Ron Paul as soon as you make them available online?

(Thanks for the tip. But you guys seem pretty sharp already finding stuff online. Thanks for reading and leaving the nice comment.)

[Jose Castillo]

What?! This is a real article? Are you sure the LA Times Blog hasn't been hijacked?

Great article. As I turn on the network news today and not hear a peep about Ron, I will at least know that there is still one true journalist out there that is not listening to his/her marching orders to "blackout" Ron Paul.

(Thanks for reading us. Spread the word about this blog. We're open 24 hours a day.)

[Linda Inveninato]

Sirs,

The following site shows how the media is choosing our candidates for us:

http://www.paulunteer.com/news-stories/ron-paul-now-blacked-out-of-media-blackout-coverage/

Enjoy being sheep?

[Ford Smith]

YEAH YEAH YEAH! FINALLY A TRUE RON PAUL ARTICLE IN THE LA TIMES ! (blog)

[Bruce Lawrence]

How refreshing it is to see not all of the reporters and main stream media has lost its sense of values and patriotism.

Excellent article sir. If I had 3 thumbs they would go WAY UP.

[Marla]

I used to be a liberal. Now I hate them. Especially those in the biased media.

[Terri K]

Hilarious and very well done! While satire, it's still filled with truth. I am most grateful that you've bothered to notice that Ron Paul is still in the race and that it's not over just yet.
Thank you very much!

[Mair]

Kudos!
It appears the LA Times is about the only 'major' to call the rest of the MSM on their biasness which has cost Dr. Paul and others on both tickets......not to mention the American people who haven't been given all of the information they are entitled to.
THANK YOU LA Times!

[tsoldrin]

The real questions are... where will Romney supporters go? They're conservatives, social and fiscal, so McCain is a very unlikely move. Huckabee has attacked Romney, so he's probably out. Paul is the last conservative standing. He'll probably soak up a little over half of Romney's supporters.

Then there's the delegates... McCain is unlikely to double his current crop, which is what he'd need to do to clinch it, so we're off to the convention. Huckabee has already taken all of his bible belt wins and there's nothing left for him out there (possibly but unlikely Texas) so he'll settle for vice under McCain. Still not enough delegates. Perhaps the super delegates and Giuliani's will push McCain over, but it's really up in the air. The now uncommited delegates held but dropped out conservatives will never go with McCain... so... who's left?

[martin]

The rEVOLution is REVOlution.

[Jason]

Mr. Malcolm,

With all due respect, and I know you have illustrated the fact that at least YOU are writing articles about Ron Paul, blogs will not cut it in the media blackout. The media figured out they could appease us by having people write blogs and do interviews that were only posted online (Larry King, John Stossel, et al), and that was insulting to say the least. At least the local media networks are paying attention to him.

[andre]

It's nice to think Andrew speaks his mind and not that of a controlled puppet in faux media. I'm going to check out his books sometime. (His biography reads well too). Thank you.

[Michael Christenson II]

So, how many people didn't get the sarcasm? Lovely sarcasm, but sarcasm nonetheless. Apparently not the first commenters.

Great article though. Coming from a Ron Paul Supporter here. Who knows. Maybe it is true and making a joke about it makes it more palatable to you :). Time will tell ...

[Sunshinysmile]

Ron Paul gave me a new way of seeing things about this country, and you, sir, have given me a new ay of seeing this race! The positivity is greatly apprecuated!

Go Ron Paul!

[lauren]

This is excellent!!

thankyou for fair coverage of Dr. Paul

[John Howard]

Unfortunately, since most Americans were educated by the government, they don't read or think very well and will get all their ideas from watching TV. The election boils down to a simple question: will it be Fox or Oprah? Ron Paul does not exist. Just ask your neighbors (during a commercial) if they've ever heard of him. America is not about philosophy, it's about obesity.

[Scott Berkey]

Perfectly balanced piece. Mike Royko would be proud.

[oliver]

dm dm dm...another one bites the dust, d d dm dm dm another one bites the dust , and another one's gone and another one's gone..another one bites the dust!

in case you didn't know, queen was singing a song about the ron paul rEVOLution.

[CD]

This is sarcasm. I read people pretty well. I don't think it's mean-spirited, but I do believe you are getting a good chuckle Malcolm. That's OK. I am ready to trudge through the PA snow and get some more delegate signatures. I'm young, and I have many years ahead to spread the conservative movement.

[Lamb Cannon]

Comments roughly what I would expect from supporters of a pseudo-libertarian nut, who has obviously spent way too many years staring up diseased vaginas.

[RPliberty]

Thank you Mr. Malcolm for yet another great article. I wasn't aware of Barry Manilow's support for Ron Paul. It's great to know not everyone is riding the Washington gravy train.

[Judy]

Thank you Andrew. We needed a good laugh about now. Sometimes it's feels like living in the Twilight Zone - rooting for a candidate who apparently (in the media) does not exist.

[TTexas]

Andrew,

When Ron Paul becomes POTUS, he should pick you as his press secretary. Your kindness will not go unnoticed among the Paul army.

[Ryan]

Guys, he's being sarcastic. Please reread it.

We know Paul didn't knock everyone else out-- give us all some credit. You make all of us sound crazy when we're just proud of how far we've come.

[Butch]

The Ron Paul message lives!!!! and will FOREVER !

[Dave H]

Andrew, that is one beautifully funny piece of writing. Thank you.

[Eric]

You're a bunch of idiots. Ron Paul is insignificant. You're all clueless. Go McCain/Romney 2008!!!!!!

[Patricia]

Ron Paul wants to end the War on Drugs.

Are you not allowed to mention this at the Times?

Seriously -- have you guys been censoring his platform?

This is really bad when candidates opposed to the War on Drugs aren't even allowed to be accurately described in the media.

SHAME on you.

[Gmartine]

Thanks for such a great article! Great morning read :)

oh, and I am a Ron Paul delegate in Nevada.

[deralaand]

Ron Paul supporters need to realize that complaining about the obvious media bias will do absolutely no good.

Ron Paul conservatives need to seek out McCain supporters . On a one to one basis, find out why they support McCain and listen to them. Talk to them and find out what they might not know about McCain.
Introduce them to a common sense point that Ron Paul speaks about.
They will at least walk away with a sense that they might need to do some research.
Be careful not to try to "convert" them. Simply appeal to the common sense that 99% of people possess.

[Marcia]

Well past past middle age, with s son in Iraq, I am tearing up here. No sarcasm. Thank you for rising to the occasion, Andrew. You are one of a precious few Americans with any power at all. May God protect your job, and your paper. It has only been since November 5 that I knew Paul had a chance, and got Real excited. Look what one man and a few patriots have done. I can't wait to see what happens next. Ron Paul Forever!

[Jay Seidler]

Andrew, you are a bright light in what seems a dark nation of deception now. I have been one to shun any ideas of conspiracy, but the treatment of Ron Paul by the MSM has really made me start to think that something very odd is going on. The most remarkable was how most of the major news media companies said little or nothing about Fox's refusal to include Paul in the NH debate. Keep up the good reporting.

[Josh]

Thanks Andrew,

There is not an a lot to smile about with respect to being a Ron Paul supporter but you did it I'm smiling :-)

[Josef]

I will be turning in my *cable* also, I have no more need for so called news from the glowing box. I get all of my information from the Internet. Good-bye CNN, FOX, CBS, NBC and ABC not to mention others.

The R3volution will not be televised.

[Sophie]

Thank you Andrew Malcolm. I am not a Ron Paul supporter, but I am sick of the mainstream media deciding which candidates deserve attention. Because of them, Obama and Clinton don't even need to buy their media time. And my favorites, Kucinich and Edwards were ubiquitously ignored. The corporations don't find their populist message interesting. I sympathize with and admire Ron Paul supporters. They've been able to sustain him, even without Billary and Obamania media coverage.

[Kathy from PA]

Thanks again, Malcolm. This is wonderful. At a time when I could be screaming at the top of my lungs about this mess, you make me laugh every time you post a Ron Paul article. We need more.

[David]

It wasn't Ron Paul, it was Mike Huckabee who doomed Romney. Paul was an irritant, Huckabee was the spoiler who took enough delegates and would continue to do so, that made Romney realize the end was inevitable. Had Huckabee dropped out, Romney would've stayed in. Had Paul dropped out, Romney still would've bailed.
The blogster clearly got swept up in Ron Paul dreamland.

[business gurus have failed us]

that was a fun article! Here in Minneapolis, 4000+ folks came to see Ron Paul at the U of M and he was visibly moved! Mitt Romney, on the other hand, only drew a few hundred and could only be ashamed.

i.e. capturing hearts is much more satisfying than capturing lobbyists.

[Dan in B-more, hon.]

Great blog. Obviously, it's drenched in hyperbole. But it does underscore an important set of points: Ron Paul continues onward, gaining more money, more votes, more delegates, and less competition.

The mainstream media (especially the Associated Press) want to anoint McCain and move on. I don't think the Republican Party is ready to give up on its values just yet.

[Brian]

Ron Paul. I think he's a great candidate and has a lot to say to America. I'm not sure how he will come out in the Republican convention, since many of the delegates get their information from the media, and the media is biased against anyone who cannot build a large delegate base. As we all know, too many citizens in this country make their decisions based on who is popular in the media and not on who is the right person for the job. Anyway, Ron Paul will be able to get his message out at the convention, which might make some people think for themselves, at least I hope so.

[Brian]

Wait a second! Huckabee will eventually run out of money and be out of the race and when everyone finds out that McCain is not a natural born citizen of the US and he's out, that would leave only Ron Paul left for the GOP. wow! Good job Ron Paul!

[Jim]

Paul has double the number of delegates Lincoln had when he went to convention, so who knows what that means.

[warispeace]

Andrew,
Your sarcasm overwhelms me. The fact is, Romney DID suspend his campaign because of Ron Paul. The powers-that-be are terrified of the possibility of a brokered convention, where Ron Paul might pull off a stealth victory, and that is the reason Romney was told to pull out. Now they can crown Mr. 100-years-in-Iraq-and-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-Iran the presumptive nominee. According to Pat Buchanan, John McCain ‘Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi’ - scary!

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2008/070208McCain.htm

I say, not so fast! We're still here and we're not going away anytime soon. Ron Paul is the only voice of reason in this entire crazy race for the White House, at this critical time in history. He is the only one who has the solutions to the very serious problems we face as a country. That is why we Ron Paul supporters do not have a second choice. Ron Paul is the only choice. Unlike all the others, he is not doing this for himself. He is doing it for all of us. He is doing it for future generations. He is doing it for the whole world.

IMO, Ron Paul is the best presidential candidate this country has ever seen. Let's give him the chance to be the best President we've ever had.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com