Ron Paul scales back hopeless effort, refuses to back McCain

He's not really quitting. He's not really suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. He's not promising victory, just to keep on keeping on. But, in effect, Rep. Ron Paul, at 72 the oldest candidate for president and the only GOP candidate to oppose the Iraq war, is facing reality.

In a statement to supporters on his website, first mentioned here early Saturday, Paul admits, "With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero. But that does not affect my determination to fight on, in every caucus and primary remaining and at the convention for our ideas, with just as many delegates as I can get." In a new 14-minute campaign video, Paul says he wants to clarify some confusion

His campaign currently claims a total of 42, 1,149 shy of the total to win and some 650 behind the GOP leader, though other estimates give him only 16. He took third in Washington over the weekend and fourth in Kansas behind even Mitt Romney, who'd dropped out. Even if he won every delegate still available, Paul could not capture the party's nomination in September in St. Paul, which is no relation.

Despite ridicule by other GOP candidates, despite getting significantly less time to speak during debates and, in one instance, even being barred from a GOP debate by Fox News although....

he'd collected more votes than those included, Paul repeated his vow not to attempt a third-party bid, which would drain priceless conservative votes from the party's nominee. "I am a Republican," he said, "and I remain a Republican." He did say he'd be reducing staff and offices.

Now, whether the 10-term congressman with the libertarian ideals, actually endorses Sen. John McCain is something else. Paul has said we should bring overseas troops home and invest the saved money in fixing America; McCain has vowed to stay overseas, especially Iraq, as long as it takes for success.

This morning Paul told one of our sister newspapers, "I cannot support anybody with the foreign policy he advocates, you know, perpetual war," said Paul. "That is just so disturbing to me."

In his website statement, Paul then alludes to probably the largest factor for his refocused campaign: He's trying to run simultaneously for president and his House seat in Texas' 14th Congressional District and faces a challenger in the March 4 primary, Chris Peden, a city councilmen from Friendswood. So Paul will be on two ballots that day.

"If I were to lose the primary for my congressional seat," he said, "all our opponents would react with glee, and pretend it was a rejection of our ideas. I cannot and will not let that happen." In a new 14-minute campaign video, Paul says he needs to clarify confusion over his dropping out, that he is just altering his schedule to allow primary campaigning in his home district and he intends to compete fully in all remaining primaries and on to the convention.

Although largely ignored as irrelevant by many media outlets, though not The Ticket, the story of Ron Paul and his thousands of determined, sometimes aggressive, usually good-natured followers is one of the more interesting of the current election season.

Virtually spontaneously, disaffected Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and newcomers to the political process began gathering around the plain-spoken Paul last summer and with their nearly $20 million in smaller donations turned him into the most successful GOP fundraiser in the last quarter. On one day he raised $6 million online and was the only Republican to increase his contributions in every quarter of 2007.

With some 1,400 meet-up groups across the country, letter-writing and sign-waving campaigns and creative publicity stunts, they helped Paul to some second, fourth and fifth place finishes in states such as Nevada, Montana and Maine. He beat Rudy Giuliani in Iowa and Fred Thompson in New Hampshire and financed an eight-state advertising campaign.

His boosters, who worked the Internet assiduously to right wrongs and make Paul's case, maintain that a corporate-media conspiracy to ignore him prevented the former ob-gyn from getting his less-government message out to most Americans. He certainly was ignored and, only recently, included when providing poll results on TV. But additionally, his strict constitutionalist ideas for reducing the federal government and abolishing the IRS and Federal Reserve Bank and returning to the gold standard may be just too radical for a country today facing international terrorist threats and the current economic uncertainty.

Even the tone of hundreds of comments left here by Paul supporters changed in recent days from aggressive advocacy to reluctant acceptance of the disappointing reality of continued single-digit poll results.

It would be interesting if those supporters took the time here now to leave comments explaining why they think Paul never caught on to a wider audience (we already know about the media conspiracy) and what they think about his refocused campaign and their spent donations.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[David G]

First, let me share the facts:

**Democrat CFR member Candidates:**
Barack Obama: Also, his wife Michelle Obama is on the Board of Directors in the Chicago branch of the CFR.
Hillary Clinton
John Edwards
Chris Dodd
Bill Richardson

**Republican CFR member Candidates:**
Mitt Romney
Rudy Giuliani
John McCain
Fred Thompson
Newt Gingrich
Mike Huckabee: Huckabee is not a CFR member, though he named Richard Haas, president of the CFR, as his adviser on foreign policy. On Feb. 21, 2006, Hass wrote a column for the Taipei (China) Times titled, "State Sovereignty Must Be Altered in Globalized Era." This is an explicit solicitation for global government. Here is the article --http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2006/02/21/2003294021

So what is the "CFR" anyway?

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is David Rockefeller's private thinktank. This group has nothing to do with our government since it is entirely private. This group is pro-war and pro-North American Union (loss of American sovereignty and loss of Constitutional protections). You can read more about this group at --
http://www.infowars.com/articles/nwo/cfr_stacks_deck_with_dem_gop_presidential_candidates.htm

Here's a short video of a discussion between Dick Cheney (ex-director of CFR) and David Rockefeller, which reveals their close-knit ties --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbnpN07J_zg

The Money Masters (documentary, part 1)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6076118677860424204

The Money Masters (documentary, part 2)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7336845760512239683

Reviews of "The Money Masters" documentary from financial experts
http://www.themoneymasters.com/reviews.htm

America: Freedom to Fascism (documentary)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

About the director of "America: Freedom to Fascism," Aaron Russo
http://www.freedomtofascism.com/about_aaron/about_aaron.html

Spin (documentary)
Spin is a surreal expose of media-constructed reality
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7344181953466797353

About the creator of "Spin," Brian Springer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Springer

"Corporate Media Censorship (part 1)" by Daniel Estulin
http://www.danielestulin.com/?op=noticias&noticias=ver&id=349

"Corporate Media Censorship (part 2)" by Daniel Estulin
http://www.danielestulin.com/?op=noticias&noticias=ver&id=353&idioma=en

QUOTES OF INTEREST, RELATING TO CFR, TRILATERAL COMMISSION, AND BILDERBERG:

"The most powerful clique in these (CFR) groups have one objective in common: they want to bring about the surrender of the sovereignty and the national independence of the U.S. They want to end national boundaries and racial and ethnic loyalties supposedly to increase business and ensure world peace. What they strive for would inevitably lead to dictatorship and loss of freedoms by the people. The CFR was founded for "the purpose of promoting disarmament and submergence of U.S. sovereignty and national independence into an all-powerful one-world government." Harpers, July l958

"This present window of opportunity, during which a truly peaceful and interdependent world order might be built, will not be open for too long - We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order."
-David Rockefeller speaking at the UN, Sept. 14, 1994

"We are grateful to The Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years. But, the work is now much more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in past centuries." -- David Rockefeller, founder of the Trilateral Commission, in an address to a meeting of The Trilateral Commission, in June, 1991.

1973, August 10: The New York Times publishes "From a China Traveller" by David Rockefeller, who writes about Communist China: "One is impressed immediately by the sense of national harmony....There is a very real and pervasive dedication to chairman Mao and Maoist principles. Whatever the price of the Chinese Revolution, it has obviously succeeded not only in producing more efficient and dedicated administration, but also in fostering high morale and community purpose. General social and economic progress is no less impressive....The enormous social advances of China have benefited greatly from the singleness of ideology and purpose....The social experiment in China under Chairman Mao's leadership is one of the most important and successful in history."

1974 - Richard N. Gardner writing in Foreign Affairs (CFR's publication) April 1974 Article entitled The Hard Road to World Order, "In short, the "house of world order: will have to be built from the bottom up rather than from the top down. It will look like a great "booming, buzzing confusion," .......but an end run around national sovereignty, eroding it piece by piece, will accomplish much more than the old-fashioned frontal assault."

"We are not going to achieve a new world order without paying for it in blood as well as in words and money." Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., in Foreign Affairs (CFR publication) (July/August 1995)

"Today, America would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order [referring to the 1991 LA Riot]. Tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told that there were an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the World Government." Dr. Henry Kissinger, Bilderberger Conference, Evians, France, 1991

[brian]

We all know that Dr. Paul is not giving up the race. Andrew will be writing a new column within days when he also sees that is true.
Just watch his video message to supporters yesterday calling for a march on Washington!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryMliyeIDp4

[Morgan]

The system has successfully produced the outcome of what it wanted.... If the general public do not want to get informed about the process of even looking up a candidates’ record of voting - values & more...

The general public is so conditioned by the media into believing that this war is very necessary that any candidate that supports it seems to be the one that gets the nomination....

It’s not about supporting who can win... it’s about your vote supporting the candidate that supports your beliefs....(freedom of choice)....

I’m starting a new Ron Paul focus group in corona california at TDRGolf.com & at the physical address located on the web site....2/12/08
Anyone in the area is welcome to join & contact us through the web site.

We love this process - it's the juiciest part of the apple...

[jim]

Ron Paul is a great patriot and has done all of us a great service.
He may not "be the guy" but he has laid the road for that guy in the future.
In the end - after socialism has nearly wrecked the country it will be about men with ideas that will restore America to its glory not some empty suit buying votes with intitlements we can't and shouldn't afford.
Thank you for your support

[BilllL]

This passes for journalism at the LA Times? I wonder why this sort of biased nonsense doesn't sell more papers.

[Carlos Campos]

Voter fraud everywhere, as simple as that. This is why Ron Paul isn't winning. 70% of Americans want us out of the War so,.. how are so many people magicaly supporting McCain and "100 Years of War"?

VOTER FRAUD!

[spencer]

Why did "Paul never catch on to a wider audience"? By audience you are referring to G.O.P. primary voters.
Paul was running for the wrong party's nomination, so the results are what you would expect. The G.O.P. has gone too far towards being just a war party. Rank n File are just not going to vote for a Ron Paul. In primaries where only identified G.O.P. party members can vote, the libertarians, independents and disaffected Democrats who support him cannot cast votes.

I wish he were in the General Election, to get the message out that the Clinbama position on foreign policy is hopelessly muddled and not trustworthy.

[Yogi]

I certainly don't belong in any group that believes John McCain is their best member. The Republican Party has once again left me, so I am going back to the Libertarian Party. My voting record: 84 Reagan, 88 Ron Paul, 92 Perot, 96 Perot, 2000 W, 2004 W, 2008 certainly not comrades McCain, Obama or Klinton.

[michael kelly]

For the first time in my 63 years I donated and worked for a politician. I'm so grateful Dr Paul ran for President. Through his candidacy I learned much about myself and our government. I'm going to continue to work to install a government much different than what we've had for many years. A smaller government at home and certainly not an empire in the world. There's a growing number of Americans who think this way. Like Dr Paul, I am now a registered Republican who will not vote for John McCain. Nor the Clintons or Obama. So this year it'll be the Libertarian or Constitution party nominee. Next year who knows?

[Melissa J]

I'm a Ron Paul supporter and have donated to his cause. I must though contend that I think the race is over. I think the biggest reason he didn't fare better was because oh his appeal to members of several different parties (or no party). I'm an independent, one of my friends (also a Ron Paul supporter) is a Democrat (who was actually going to switch parties had the race been closer by the time we got to the primaries here in PA). I think he had ALOT more support than any of the Republican candidates, but the support came from many different places (not necessarily Republicans). I still think that if he runs as an Independent he could potentially win the election. But alas, it looks like he's not going to. I can keep hoping though! :-)

[Dan]

Ron Paul's message was largely ignored by America because, largely Americans hear only what they want to hear. Nobody likes to be told our national debt has 13 (soon to be 14) digits in it. Everybody just wants "free" goodies. One day, maybe in 2 years maybe in 20, the bill will come due for all of these entitlements and it will be fully realized what a mess we're in.

Good luck in the House primary Ron!
Dan

[s.l.d. cowen]

Using the term "conspiracy" within an article about a Libertarian is not exactly unbiased reporting. Certain words carry heavy negative connotations and stereotypical imagery, which can colour a reader’s perception. Libertarians are frequently (and ignorantly) assumed to be tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists by the so called “mainstream,” in an effort to discount their back to basics beliefs.

This country was founded by a bunch of liberty loving anti-establishment men, who today’s mainstream media, politicians, and other citizens revere in words, but not action. Most people want liberty, want to pay less taxes, and are familiar with how poorly any bloated federal government program or effort is run, but have become cynical that real change can be accomplished. Change is the battle cry for the Dems, but I am willing to bet few of those voters really think much change will happen. For the most part people just want someone who is not Bush ’43.

International “terror” has always been around, if you are at all familiar with history, sir. To suggest Americans are just too busy being afraid to think about such outlandish ideas as abolishing the IRS is metaphorically drinking the Bush administration’s koolaid. If the media accepts that we are supposed to begin reversing weather changes across the globe, we have the time to think about how our tax dollars are being spent and whether we should give the government a leaner allowance for its poor behavior. Act locally, think globally is a good policy for much of our problems, including government.

Media conspiracy? I am not so sure it is a concerted effort, but I am so saddened to see so many once idealistic Journalism majors become cynical followers. Considering the biased reporting is well-documented on YouTube and other internet outlets, I am pretty sure it is not in the imagination of only the Ron Paul fans. Ron Paul is out to protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights, which is largely ignored. You may remember this includes the precious first amendment, the most important document for those who are members of the press. Ron Paul is therefore the journalist’s best friend yet much of the media largely turns its ear to his message.

[ORIGINAL INTENT]

America didn't go to "hades in a handbasket" in one day and will not recover in one day..You made a good point that
following the Constitution is too"radical" of an idea in the 21st century,,and I think PUBLIK SKOOL(intentional misspelling) education plays a large role,,,plus people would rather hear what they want instead of the truth,and what RP had to say was too painful for most Americans to hear...We are no longer "people" but "sheeple"...and the election is just a popularity contest like voting for homecoming queen or king!! Take care of me Uncle Sam,and I'll send you my check :)!!! How pathetic we have become!!! What was it Sam Adams said about "bow down and lick the hand that feeds you"?? We are at that point in history...

[George A. Jocums]

I guess the Empire will have to go completely bankrupt - financially, culturally and morally - before a message like Paul's can get through to the average person. I wish he would run as an Independent. Otherwise there's absolutely no way to help him get his message out and keep it from simply being buried by the powers that be.

[Brent Smith]

Ron Paul may not be president but I've also noticed that in the last debate, all 3 candidates besides him mentioned borrowing money from China, and Huckabee is talking about recklessly printing money.

Ron Paul has added to the national debate, his followers have forced the talking heads to recognize the problems of irresponsible and bloated government.

Ron Paul at 72 is probably seeing his last hurrah, but I hope his followers continue his movement. Its a shame that a candidate preaching fiscal responsiblity and non inverventionism is treated as the crackpot, and intentionally left out in the national debate.

Its a sad time in our country.

[Carroll]

What's striking to me is that someone like Ron Paul, who speaks such profound substance and truth, could garner so little traction amongst the American people, while Obama's message is full of pure and utter nothingness...a bunch of feel-good bravado with no real explanation as to what he wants do or how he will accomplish it...and yet he is treated like a messiah. It just goes to show how hopelessly out of touch, undereducated, naive and downright stupid so many Americans are. We get so caught up in the gamesmanship and pageantry of the campaign process (thanks a lot big media) that we lose sight of what really matters...and since Paul refuses to play those little media games with the cutesy little quips and one-liners and posing with ordinary people in pancake houses or churches, he doesn't stand a chance. Ultimately, that was Paul's undoing--his commitment to his principle and refusal to cow tow to anyone. But at the same time, it's why I love him! God bless him!

[Daniel Peterson]

You say 'we already know about the media conspiracy', as if to downplay this factor. But this *is* the reason he hasn't garnered more votes. I don't claim conspiracy, exactly. In fact, I'm not sure why he hasn't gotten media attention. One thing I can say for sure - I am encouraged each and every time I spread the Ron Paul message to family, friends and acquaintences. Most people I speak with do not know who he is, or what he's all about. But when they find out - many, an I mean a majority, agree and are convinced. I have heard it said that Ron Paul polls at 6% nationally, but only 10% know of his message. So a better, and more intellectualy honest question could be: Why does the #1 fundraiser in 4Q 2007, and #1 fundraiser from active military personal get continually ignored by mainstream media outlets?

[Howie]

The Republican party is very insular and cliquish (the media knew this) and every time he got up to speak and decry the War, the Fed, the IRS etc. we all knew it would take a massive upheaval for the regular GOP voter to alter their thinking. Call it cognitive dissonance and the tendency for the human brain to retrench and defend even blatantly erroneous positions when confronted with the truth.

[JT]

I am retired and have some time on my hands. When I first heard about Ron Paul, I went to youtube and watched ALL of his interviews. In all the hours of film clips, the only thing that gave me pause was his seeming endorsement of Dennis Kucinich as a POSSIBLE running mate. Dennis is a fruitcake and a flake, and that quasi-endorsement may have turned off a lot of people

[Fred]

Ron Pauls campaign never caught on with non-Paul supporters because of several reasons:

1. Most people care only for themselves and not also considered the greater good. For whatever reason, they think that Obama/Clinton/McCain same old crap will work going forward. It wont.
2. People fear radical change, unless those people are very young, or young at heart, and deal with change constantly.
3. Majority of Americans are clueless about the Constitution. Pauls approach to Govt is Constitutional-all other candidates are not.
4. Majority of non Paul supporters are non thinkers..are fed what opinions they are to form from the MSM, using the blanket of 'as long as it doesnt affect me, its ok'.

However, most fortunately for Paul, if his ideas had been well received and he was the nominee and won the General election, he would no doubt have been assassinated with the first 12 months in office, so its good for him that he wont be the candidate.

The various domestic industrial complexes have too much to lose with a Constitutional government, and will kill all who oppose them.

Our corrupt, evil form of government, posing as democracy but in fact is facism, must fall. The only question is, when and at what cost?

[Lori]

Well, Mr. Malcolm,

Just look at your headline . . . "Ron Paul Scales Back HOPELESS Effort"

A reporter labeling the campaign as "Hopeless" sure adds to the conspiracy theories about the media influencing voters, doesn't it?

Who are you to decide his campaign is "hopeless". You wouldn't be trying to influence potential Ron Paul voters to look elsewhere would you?

[Peter W]

Unfortunately it took segregationist Governor Wallace to reveal the truth that "there's not a dime's worth of difference between" Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats willingly went along with the War in Iraq, suspension of Habeas Corpus, detaining protesters, banning books like "America Deceived' from Amazon, stealing private lands (Kelo decision), warrant-less wiretapping and refusing to investigate 9/11 properly. They are both guilty of treason.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save this great nation.
Last link (before Google Books bends to gov't Will and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

[ao]

we stand by our principles whether they are popular or not, as should RP! Why in the world would he suspend his principles??????????????????????
should I get crayons out and draw a picture for you to help you understand this?

i am holding my vote hostage and writing in RP.

[Bob]

I'm glad Ron Paul will not be the rep candidate. Now I can definitely vote for him in the election. The other 4 candidates are the same as what we've have for the last 16 yrs. I'm sick of both major parties and the direction they are leading this country.

[Bill J]

From his latest video sent to supporters:

"There may be alot of information on the other two candidates that will come out and change this election completely and totally."

And this summer, we march on the Capitol.

You can say we are quitting all you want, but the Revolution is beginning now. Your choices at this point are to hop on board with us, or get run over by us - but we are coming.