Ron Paul lives! So does Elizabeth Kucinich's husband!

Rep. Ron Paul, the 72-year-old libertarian-like, 10-term Texas congressman who's also running for the Republican presidential nomination, easily won his 14th District primary Tuesday and is set for easy re-election in November.

With about half the precincts counted (what's the rush -- it's Texas) Paul was thumping Friendswood City Councilman Chris Peden by two-to-one.

Now, Paul can set his sights on this other old-timer, 71-year-old Sen. John McCain, who claims to have won more than the 1,191 GOP delegates for the Republican presidential nomination this September at the National Convention in St. Paul (no relation to the congressman).

Actually, Paul hasn't really won any Republican primaries in the current political season, though he did take some fourths and fifths and a couple of second place caucus finishes. And he controls somewhere between 12 and 42 delegates, depending on who's counting as if that matters anymore.

But just Paul's powerful presence, eloquence and outspoken defense of the Constitution has forced every other Republican party luminary out of the 2007-08 race, including Rudy Giuliani, who's now reduced to doing bit parts on "Saturday Night Live," Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Sam who's-its from Kansas and that grumpy guy from Virginia. Tuesday night, faced with the prospect of a hard-charging Paul on his tail, even former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee gave up, although he directed his concession speech at McCain to save face.

Paul, the only Republican presidential candidate to oppose the Iraq war, is no longer the oldest presidential candidate since the 74-year-old Ralph Nader began his quadrennial quest for 3% of the vote. Paul has declined to endorse McCain, which pretty much dooms the Arizonan's candidacy in the eyes of thousands of Ron Paul Revolutionaries.

Although they have been largely ignored by a media that thought the race involved ...

so-called front-runners like Giuliani and Romney, Paul's army of earnest, dedicated volunteers have fueled the GOP's most successful and recent fundraising quarter, when Paul amassed nearly $20 million. This year so far, according to Paul's campaign website, they've donated an extra $6.14 million.

These volunteers, many of them new to the political process, have organized some 1,400+ meet-up groups that wrote thousands of letters and hand-painted countless signs to wave at motorists in intersections and passing beneath them on interstate bridges all over the country. Their chatrooms coach supporters on what to say and how to say it to encourage broader political support.

These fans fervently scour the Internet at all hours for stories like this to comment on or correct. Some websites refuse to accept their comments so, uh, fervent are they and sometimes trite -- "Ron Paul 2008" and "the Revolution will not be televised." But we've welcomed most of them on The Ticket because they're so eager for dialogue, involvement and follow the day's political events with admirable intensity.

These folks also devised some of the most imaginative fundraising schemes from mini-music concerts to Boston Tea Party re-enactments to music videos to pinup calendars showing female Ron Paul fans with very little clothing on, which only Ron Paul supporters are allowed to click here to see.

There was confusion after Paul knocked Romney out of the presidential contest about the congressman continuing his presidential race because he said he needed to focus on his House primary. But Paul vows to continue to run his hopeless campaign as long as his supporters support him and his ideas of strict constitutionalism. And now that he's waxed Peden, McCain had better watch out. Not by coincidence, McCain quickly left Texas after Paul's win, allegedly to visit the White House today.

Paul's supporters will explain below that if it wasn't for a vast media conspiracy, led by Fox News in cahoots with big banks and oil companies who tell newspapers what to print, their candidate might very well be the one celebrating 1,191 GOP delegates today. How Paul supporters know their candidate has been ignored when they claim to no longer read newspapers is unexplained.

Anyway, a few blogs such as The Ticket have explained Dr. Paul's plans to drastically downsize the federal government, bring all overseas American troops home and abolish the Federal Reserve because it does bad things. But apparently few voters read blogs or they don't care about Ron Paul.

Paul supporters explain now that winning elections isn't the only measure of success in politics and that they are driving a historic idea of restoring American freedoms whose time will come and actual contemporary votes are irrelevant. All of which is what candidates say about votes when they don't get many.

Speaking of votes and hopeless causes, another presidential contender and House member, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, was getting a sufficient number Tuesday night to beat back four primary challengers in his home Cleveland district. The main competitor was City Councilor Joe Cimperman, who trailed Kucinich 52% to 33% in early returns, despite several endorsements by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The liberal Kucinich dropped out of the Democratic presidential race and, using his list of national donors, most of whom don't live in Cleveland on purpose, Kucinich raised a reported $700,000 to protect his congressional seat.

Some political observers, who won't admit it now and also don't live in Cleveland by choice, thought Kucinich was in political trouble at home because he was always off somewhere else running for president and driving his hopeless agenda of impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney over starting the Iraq war. Cimperman ran ads parodying Kucinich's quixotic presidential campaign absences, but obviously they didn't work too well.

Now, Republican state Rep. Jim Trakas will have his turn to unseat the former Cleveland mayor in the general election Nov 4.

(UPDATE: Late returns indicate Kucinich won his primary by a 50:35 margin while Paul won his 70:30.)

Meanwhile, Kucinich is still married to his wife, Elizabeth, who looks a whole lot nicer than he does. So we're publishing her photo instead.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Elizabeth Kucinich (Mark Duncan / Associated Press)

Comments

[Dave]

McCain is looking under bus seats for loose change his campaign is so strapped for cash. Romney blew so much of his own money on his campaign, he ended up spending $1 million per delegate he won. Hillary is lending her campaign money and her staffers are working without pay. Ron Paul is the only candidate not in debt. So who's most qualified to lead this country out of the financial ruin in which the Bush Administration has sunk us?

[Greg]

I'm not voting for Ron Paul because he doesn't talk about "CHANGE." We need CHANGE! He's just an old white politician with the same old ideas. Freedom, Liberty, Privacy, our hard earned Dollars backed by gold. Man who wants that? We want hospitals that make us feel like we are at the DMV or Post Office at Christmas time. We want higher taxes so that we can pay the interest on every dollar printed by the "Federal" Reserve.

By the way, can you write in a vote on the Diebold electronic voting machines?

[Larry]

"abolish the Federal Reserve because it does bad things."

You say this sracastically? Check some financial news. The fed has TANKED the economy. Print and borrow, print and borrow. Completely unconstitutional all the way. Now the fed is colluding with privvate banks to "write down" or forgive mortgage debt? Can I skip a few payments and have the taxpayers pay off my house?

$168 billion stimulus package? There is no $168 billion dollars to stimulate anything with, it must be printed or borowed.

[DocMoose]

In a year or so we'll all look back on your tongue and cheek hilarity in fondness, as our dollar crashes and our people struggle for mere survival. When that happens, please remember Ron Paul and the truth he's been touting for the last 30 years. The man is a patriot, and a hero, and offers the only real solution to our inevitable woes.

DocMoose

[Lee]

"So does Elizabeth Kucinich's husband!"

- bwhahahahahahahahahaha!!! HIlarious!

[ellen]

"and let's get rid of the IRS" Did I actually hear that in Mr. Huckabee's concession speech last night? I would say Dr. Paul 's influence is mighty, indeed! Go, Ron, GO!!!

[MJ]

Our precinct went to Huckabee and most of the Non Paul people there thought Paul was not running. I don't know how they got that idea.

There were thousands of people at the UT rally. I am a property owner in the 14th district (Ron Paul district.) Most of the people who I have spoken with there supported Ron Paul for congress and president. These people love the Constitution and the ideas of freedom and prosperity. That is why these FEW BRAVE TEXANS WITH RON PAUL shirk governmental funding because we know it only diminishes our freedom and reduces our prosperity.

I am a veteran and do not see how any veteran could take an irreverant stance towards the Paul platform.

Go RON PAUL!!
The CONSTITUTION is the SOLUTION!
Ron Paul R3VOlUTION!

[Carol]

Would it be fair to say that the voters in the Texas district of Ron Paul are knowledgable about his candidacy -- and that the media there has been unable to squash his message...? I think so. And when people HEAR his message they tend to support it OVERWHELMINGLY....

Imagine how Ron Paul would have been received by the rest of the country if they only knew....

We need to press for a WRITE IN campaign. A REAL revolution!

[Dave E.]

Hey Andrew... Thanks for writing about RP, but the heavy sarcasm and snarkiness is getting old. What are you going to write about once the election is over and you no longer have all us RP supporters to drive up your page hits and the corresponding ad revenue?

[DX10]

I have been asking folks for over a year what they think of Dr. Ron Paul. At least 90% of the time they don't even know who he is. Got to be a reason.

I also ask them who owns the Federal Reserve. Almost 100% of the time they say the government.

We are in trouble, folks.

[Sam]

In support of the argument Ron Paul was sidelined, ridiculed and blacked out by MSM:
All major news outlets, electronic or printed, are dependent on the approval of the corporatocracy for their existence, either through ownership by multinational conglomerate corporations such as Disney and GE, or through advertising, and the major corporations' willingness to withhold their advertising if they don't like the content.
Ron Paul has made it clear he is the enemy of the corporate world in at least three major ways:
1. His declaration he would abolish the Federal Reserve Bank
2. His declaration he would abolish the IRS
3. His vow to stop the Iraq war and pull the US out of all foreign military entanglements.
To any multinational conglomerate with its fists in the war machine and/or the banking scheme, Ron Paul is anathema, and they will stop at nothing to stop him.
This tells us who our enemy truly is: the multinational corporate community, because it is intractably opposed to individual freedom. It's what Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex. We are now witnessing the early stages of "humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
Anyone who loves freedom and respects the Constitution should do whatever is possible to either support Ron Paul or find others like him to support. The hope expressed by many Ron Paul supporters - that this campaign may be the beginning of an awakening (the Revolution) - is a valid one, and not the kind of thing "every" candidate's supporters say when they're losing the vote race.

[Andrew]

Now that stealth liberal McCain is the annointed one - should we change the party mascot to a Rhinasserous?

[Mark Watson]

For Dan and Andrew:

I think you need to do a story on UNCOMMITTED DELEGATES and how many of them are actually RON PAUL DELEGATES but uncommitted so that they can cast their vote for Ron at convention.

The point is, according to the DailyPaul.com, that the MSM (mainstream media) is reporting these primary election wins by the Obama, Clinton, or McCain and throwing in all the uncommitted delegates into the totals. This is not correct.

If Ron Paul delegates (those who are officially Ron Paul Delegates, and those who are uncommtted delegates but became delegates to vote for Ron Paul) vote at convention for Ron Paul, you will see McCain DENIED the nomination.

Now that McCain and Romney have each conceded, that leaves 2 left: Paul and McCain. It also means, that now there is ONLY ONE ANTI-WAR CANDIDATE RUNNING IN THIS ELECTION ON EITHER SIDE: RON PAUL

Now if you have a delegate bound to a candidate- and if bound is to mean anything, a candidate cannot force his or her delegates to vote for someone else- for example- Huckabee cannot "give" his delegates to McCain. If that were the case, then there is no meaning to the word "bound" as in tied to the election of a candidate.

So we will see if McCain does get enough bound, committed candidates for the nomination. I doubt it. The fight is on. He has no idea what he is up against.

[FastTracker]

It's truly a sad day when Ron Paul, whose bottom line is to return this nation to the constitutional republic it was meant to be, is dismissed as a 'moonbeam' by those who think they know better.

Regarding 'Songbird' McCain, I'm waiting for the day that the foundation for his glorified status – being a heroic prisoner of war – receives scrutiny within the corporate media. Copy and paste this YouTube video for more information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFM1xqqTX_g

[Sam]

In support of the argument Ron Paul was sidelined, ridiculed and blacked out by MSM:
All major news outlets, electronic or printed, are dependent on the approval of the corporatocracy for their existence, either through ownership by multinational conglomerate corporations such as Disney and GE, or through advertising, and the major corporations' willingness to withhold their advertising if they don't like the content.
Ron Paul has made it clear he is the enemy of the corporate world in at least three major ways:
1. His declaration he would abolish the Federal Reserve Bank
2. His declaration he would abolish the IRS
3. His vow to stop the Iraq war and pull the US out of all foreign military entanglements.
To any multinational conglomerate with its fists in the war machine and/or the banking scheme, Ron Paul is anathema, and they will stop at nothing to stop him.
This tells us who our enemy truly is: the multinational corporate community, because it is intractably opposed to individual freedom. It's what Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex. We are now witnessing the early stages of "humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
Anyone who loves freedom and respects the Constitution should do whatever is possible to either support Ron Paul or find others like him to support. The hope expressed by many Ron Paul supporters - that this campaign may be the beginning of an awakening (the Revolution) - is a valid one, and not the kind of thing "every" candidate's supporters say when they're losing the vote race.

[Alan]

Mr. Malccolm,

At least this latest diatribe of yours was less demeaning to Ron Paul. Are you getting soft finally?

I have read previous rants of yours where you take it upon yourself to insult and bash a man about whom you really and most apparently do not know much. If it weren't for your handlers' obvious dislike and feeling threatened by what Paul represents, I would have to scratch my head and ponder WHY you choose such a meek, mild-mannered, sweet-tempered, and most decent human-being to be the receiver of such outright hatefulness and meaness. How anyone could go after Paul like you have in past writings is beyond me.

What has he done that makes him such a loser and such a bad person in your eyes? Has he been slinging mud and lying up a storm like the other candidates? No, Perhaps that is the reason he bothers you so much--the fact he is a genuine and decent person, the complete opposite of the establishment status-quo candidates you support?

Oh, and while you are going out of your way to slam Ron Paul, at least make sure you get your facts straight. He did come in second place in a couple fo States and you seem to have cenveniently overlooked this.

Media blackout? I think, kind Sir, you know it's a fact. Had he the coverage of the other candidates he'd have already won by now. I meet people every single day who ask, "Where has this guy been?! I've never heard of him until now and now it's too late to vote for him??"

Save your poison for someo else who deserves it like Obama, MCcain, and Hillary. No matter which one wins, we are all in the same boat. I personally am tired of voting for the lesser of two evils in every single election. This election could have been so much different, but now here we are stuck with the same old crap once again.

Perhaps one of your 'saviours' will save our economy? I doubt it and I hope you gat a hard lesson when it all tanks because the fiat dollar becomes totally worthless.

[Mike]

So now that it is down to Barrabas vs. Jesus, which do you think the Republicans will choose?

[Andrew]

You can mock the campaign all you want, erect strawmen of Dr. Paul's supporters and tear them down as if they are ignorant loons (and perhaps some are, but I assure you there are a lot more of those supporting the other candidates), but the fact still remains that Dr. Paul has gotten the shaft time and time again in the media by, frankly, not being supported by the media as the viable candidate that he is. The media praised and worshipped McCain, Romney, and even Huckabee, but refused to give Dr. Paul the time of day. Just because you write a sarcastic, sneering article today that basically is a slap in the face to those who have worked very hard in the Paul campaign by using the same words the rest of the media uses when they occasionally mention that Dr. Paul exists - words like "hopeless", "longshot", "quixotic" campaigns, ad nauseum - it really gets old Mr. Malcolm. I suppose ignorance is bliss, but there are a lot of true patriots who care about defending this country against the tides of evil, corruption, and mindlessness that are leading to its ruin. To mock the Paul campaign is to your own demise, to the demise of all of us and our country. When the economy collapses and martial law is declared, I hope you will remember these comments and remember that people cared and tried to do something before it was too late.

[Gary]

The only the comforting about McCain getting the nomination is that he will LOSE. At least Dr Paul will have the money and support to stay in the race long enough to go the convention. I hope that has McCain nervous. I like seeing him squirm.

Even the briefest opportunity to speak at the convention, Ron and his supporter's message will finally be heard and can be compared by the masses.

Thanks for you're articles. Thanks for the cynicism which is always fun no matter its direction.

[RPliberty]

Thanks again Andrew - this is not over but just beginning. Between McCain's skeletons and stagflation, the TV watchers will start to demand real change.

[PhilG]

It appears you guys HAVE really been following this untelevised revolution. This piece read like some of the posts on DailyPaul. Paul never had a chance because he couldn't give an eloquent speech/communicate his ideas effectively, was a Republican, and because his campaign was infiltrated by whacko code Pinkers who scared off average Repub. primary voters. But I still support and respect the hell out of Dr. Paul. That man there has INTEGRITY. Don't ever change Dr. Paul.

[Logic Lane]

The point isn't to focus on this year; we need to look forward to upcoming elections. In 2012, Paul can work to double his support to garner 42 delegates. And then he will have the momentum in 2016 to double that yet again to 84—which, if the trend of doubling by keeping his core group and attracting the young continues, means that by 2032, he will be the first centenarian candidate for president!

[Tannim]

No suprise there. Peden never had a chance and everybody in the know knew it.

Now back to the GOP main event.

Let's get this straight, once and for all: The Panamanchurain Candidate, John McCain, he of the scandals involving the Keating 5, Abramaoff, Black Mesa, Iseman, Renzi, POWS, and electon fraud; he of the short temper, ignorance of the economy, and "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran", the self-professed "liberal Republican", this piece of work has NOT clinched the nomination.

Let's repeat that for everyone to digest: McCain has NOT clinched the nomination.

The MSM delegate counts are fantasy league projections and have no basis in reality. Mosr delegates to St. Paul have not been selected sicne most states have not held their state conventions yet. Heck, the MSM gives Ohio's *unbound* delegates to McCain, so that should tell the tale right there--the MSM has no clue what is really going on in the inner workings of the GOP.

Meanwhile, look at the money. McCain is stuck in a bind with the FEC rules on matching funds. Dr. Paul is not and has $6M on hand with no debt compared to McCain's $5M in debt alone and little on-hand cash.

Somenody has the funds and the clean slate to go the distance. It's not John McCain, either.

It's Ron Paul.

And we told everyone this would happen months ago.

[Dave Gray]

"St. Paul (no relation to the congressman). "
Technically, they are brothers.

[Shawn]

This is not the most thorough explanation of how "Operation Mockingbird" controls everything 95% of Americans see, hear and think but it's a start for those that need psychological baby food. Mr Womack knows as well as the best how propaganda is pushed on Americans, while the hypocrits on capital hill point at foreign countries and smirk about dishonest elections and biased media. If you can't see the link YouTube: NORTH AMERICAN UNION & VCHIP TRUTH Then do something about it. Educate yourself beyond television and radio. You have to SEEK the TRUTH.