Ron Paul's forces quietly plot GOP convention revolt against McCain

Virtually all the nation's political attention in recent weeks has focused on the compelling state-by-state presidential nomination struggle between two Democrats and the potential for party-splitting strife over there.

But in the meantime, quietly, largely under the radar of most people, the forces of Rep. Ron Paul have been organizing across the country to stage an embarrassing public revolt against Sen. John McCain when Republicans gather for their national convention in Minnesota at the beginning of September.

Paul's presidential candidacy has been correctly dismissed all along in terms of winning the nomination. He was even excluded as irrelevant by Fox News from a nationally-televised GOP debate in New Hampshire.

But what's been largely overlooked is Paul's candidacy as a reflection of a powerful lingering dissatisfaction with the Arizona senator among the party's most conservative conservatives. As anticipated in late March in The Ticket, that situation could be exacerbated by today's expected announcement from former Republican Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia for the Libertarian Party's presidential nod, a slot held by Paul in 1988.

Never mind Ralph Nader, Republican and Democratic parties both face ...

... potentially damaging internal splits that could cripple their chances for victory in a narrow vote on Nov. 4.

Just take a look at recent Republican primary results, largely overlooked because McCain locked up the necessary 1,191 delegates long ago. In Indiana, McCain got 77% of the recent Republican primary vote, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, who've each long ago quit and endorsed McCain, still got 10% and 5% respectively, while Paul took 8%.

On the same May 6 in North Carolina, McCain received less than three-quarters of Republican votes (74%), while Huckabee got 12%, Paul 7% and Alan Keyes and No Preference took a total of 7%.

Pennsylvania was even slightly worse for the GOP's presumptive nominee, who got only 73% to a combined 27% for Paul (16%) and Huckabee (11%).

As Politico.com's Jonathan Martin noted recently, at least some of these results are temporary protest votes in meaningless primaries built on lingering affection for Huckabee and suspicion of McCain.

Given the long-since settled GOP race, thousands of other Republicans in these states, who might have put up with a McCain vote, crossed over to vote in the more exciting Democratic primaries, on their own for Sen. Barack Obama or at the urging of talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who sought to support Hillary Clinton and prolong Democratic bloodletting.

According to a recent Boston Globe tally, Paul has a grand total of 19 Republican delegates to Romney's 260, Huckabee's 286 and McCain's 1,413.

In the last three months, Paul's forces, who donated $34.5 million to his White House effort and upward of a million total votes, have, as The Ticket has noted, been fighting a series of guerrilla battles with party establishment officials at county and state conventions from Washington and Missouri to Maine and Mississippi. Their goal: to take control of local committees, boost their delegate totals and influence platform debates.

Paul, for instance, favors a drastically reduced federal government, abolishing the Federal Reserve, ending the Iraq war immediately and withdrawing U.S. troops from abroad.

They hope to demonstrate their disagreements with McCain vocally at the convention through platform fights and an attempt to get Paul a prominent speaking slot. Paul, who's running unopposed in his home Texas district for an 11th House term, still has some $5 million in war funds and has instructed his followers that their struggle is not about a single election, but a long-term revolution for control of the Republican Party.

So eager are they to follow their leader's words, that Paul's supporters have driven his new book, "The Revolution: A Manifesto," to the top of several bestseller lists.

While Paul has consistently refused a third-party bid, he has vowed not to endorse McCain, a refusal mirrored by hundreds of his supporters who have left comments on The Ticket in recent weeks. And, no doubt, they'll flock back here today to spread the gospel below.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photos: Associated Press and RonPaul.com

Comments

[krzee]

See you on july 12th =]

[terribly smart]

Correctly dismissed? By Fox News in New Hampshire? I guess when a guy is getting 10% in the polls, before any primary has been conducted, it is okay to exclude them from the process.

Why don't you wake up?

[Regnad Kcin]

It makes some sense for the GOP to consider Dr. Paul as the eventual nominee instead of McCain. There are over one million Ron Paul Republicans who will never vote for McCain and will write in Paul or vote 3rd party for Libertarian Barr or Constitutionalist Chuck Baldwin if Ron Paul is not on the ticket. At least half of the Huckabee vote will not go for McCain. On the other hand, Ron Paul could get almost all the McCain GOPers plus the Huckabee vote and also get Independents and steal Democrat votes. The anti-war vote will go to Ron Paul. Its time to wake up to the Revolution.

[Neil Mathieson]

Too bad that Paul didn't get an equal amount of media attention as the other candidates. He had the best platform of anyone running.
It's not the first nor the last time the media has screwed with the process.

[terribly smart]

What's a million votes?

*twice what Bush lost by

* more than twice the victory margin this year--if MSM has its way.

[Neil]

...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security...

From The Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776

[free]

@ terribly smart

He has to say 'correctly dismissed' otherwise he will feel embarrassed for not following the herd.

[Joe Lawson]

Not sure if the author really understands pledged delegates, but thats all they are is pledged. By simply winning delegate slots to the National Convention Ron Paul supporters and Huckabee supporters only need to abstain in order for McCain not to get the required amount of votes.
These are the people showing up at the local caucuses and state conventions and are taking the national delegate spots. However it can go deeper - its estimated that Ron Paul has over 600 delegates to date that will either switch thier votes from McCain to Paul or just abstain. These are delegate votes that McCain will not get and put him back under the magic number. While Ron Paul may not have enough votes to win the Republican Nomination, he probably will have enough to broker the convention.

It really does not matter who wins the primaries, it matter's who shows up at the State Caucuses - because those are the people that end up going to the Republican National Convention and voting for the Republican nominee. So in your article when you say McCain locked it up long ago, you mean in theory, but the problem with McCain is that he has no ground support, he was a media made nominee that was basically voted in by people who have no idea how the system works and do whatever the media says like robots. They DO NOT show up at caucus because they think its all over, little do they know.

Abraham Lincoln went into his nominating convention with 32 delegates and came out the nominee.

Look out - its not over folks

[Ethan F]

According to AP, Obama camp has scheduled a meeting with Christie Todd Whitman, former Gov. NJ, frmr EPA sec. Additionally, the website obamawhitman2008.com was purchased just yesterday... might be an interesting wrinkle...

[Ray]

"He was even excluded as irrelevant by Fox News from a nationally-televised GOP debate in New Hampshire."

You say this as if Fox News was justified in excluding Ron Paul at such an early point in the race. They clearly were not justified. Or maybe you mean to imply that Fox News wouldn't treat a Republican unfairly. I'm not sure. Interpreting from newspeak to English can be tricky.

[southern]

I thought Ron Paul had some good points,mixed in with some that are absolutely idiotic.

But as I was sorting through all of this, it became apparent that Ron Paul and his backers are a bunch of spoiled brats.

They will gladly cut their noses off to spite their face.
If Ron Paul can't win, ain't no republican gonna win.
We will just take our ball and go home and cry. Ain't no adults gonna tell us how to vote.

I hope you Ron Paul backers like President Obama.
You will be the ones most responsible for his election.
Congratulations, you did make a difference.

[Soapboxgod]

Paul's biggest fault was placing far too much emphasis on the War(s) and its subsequent cost. He beat this drum incessantly to the point where it turned people off. Defense spending only accounts for about 20% of the Federal Budget. Had Dr. Paul been a stronger advocate of reigning in the entitlement costs and transfer payments (something he was hesitant to address in one of the debates when he backpeddled on cutting benefits) he might have been able to garner stronger support from a much broader base.

[French Tickler]

I'm an independent, leaning slightly left and slightly libertarian. I voted for Paul in Michigan since my vote supposedly wouldn't count in Michigan (oops, Hillary changed her mind ... maybe it *should* count). Anyway, more power to Paul - over 10% of the vote in many places certainly makes him legitimate in my mind. Furthermore, taking the Republicans back to their roots could actually cause me to vote for them again. Get rid of the religion BS and the warmongering BS, and you've got a pretty good party.

[OmboBombo]

This whole pre- election process has been a sham. Forcing a weak and elderly (unfit) McCain candidate on the Republicans while shunning Ron Paul and then giving 24-7 coverage to the "worse 2 candidates in history". If ever there was a sham election process (and there have been many), this is the Mother of All Deceptions.
Ron Paul is the only honest person who tells the truth and has a very large following the other candidates are liars and mis-leaders who will drive the final nail in the coffin of freedom we call America. VOTE FOR A REAL AMERICAN RON PAUL!!!!

[sean truitt]

this is an auto-generated response. please do not reply.

[Depeche]

Republicans will not vote for Paul.

Paul did not even get relatively close to winning any contest.

Thus he should not be considered for nominee

[kmne68]

I am not enamored of John McCain though I much prefer him to HRC or BHO. Ron Paul is not without his appeal, but once a majority of people hear his platform they will run him out of town. Abolish welfare? Abolish Social (In)Security? Abolish student loan programs? Abolish the IRS and the current tax code? And as a constitutionalist, he wouldn't dream of government sponsored universal healthcare or greenhouse gas taxes.

We could use a constitution-oriented president, but too many people eat out of the public trough for it to ever happen.

[Jason H]

I don't know what's crazier - A Scientologist or a Ron Paul supporter. Flooding on-line polls, buying multiple copies of books to drive up sales, and general harassment isn't the making of a popular revolution, but rather a sign that the Information Age has sapped all concept of realityfrom far too many people. Ron Paul's chances are about as equal to a cheesecake at a fat camp. Please do America a favor by taking your meds, staying away from firearms, and relocating to Easter Island.

[Jill]

The author states that Paul's candidacy was "correctly dismissed" by the media. Just another self fulfilling prophecy by arrogant media. I'm not a Paul supporter, but I hope conservatives and libertarians in the party kick out the socialist, one world order swine that have killed the party. That includes bigot Huckabee, the big spender.

[10010010101000010]

Yes, let's seal up our borders and bankrupt our country over night! YES! Dr. Ron Paul, he used to deliver babies, he used to make racist newsletters, now he wants to make our general government services privatized! I can't wait to call the local fire department and then find out that Local Fire Stoping Inc. won't put out my burning house because I can't afford their bill! I didn't need my house anyway, it was just forclosed on by the bank after we found out that there isn't enough gold on the planet to revert to a gold standard!

It's corportacular! It's Paulicious!

It's stupid and and so are the people who think a rich, racist white-man from Texas can lie his way into a seat of inscrutable power...oh...wait a minute...

[NoCheechako]

"Paul's presidential candidacy has been correctly dismissed all along in terms of winning the nomination."

Simply amazing that Mr. Malcolm feels arrogant enough to write such a line. Mr. Malcom like so many seems to think it is the media's job to provide us with a candidate.

[Artemis]

I am writing in Dr. Ron Paul for President in November. There is NO WAY I am going to waste my vote for Obama, Clinton, or McCain-they are a joke, and more of the same old same old.

Wake up, people! You know the saying, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results." Stop being insane!

[Leroy Jenkins]

I think if the Republican establishment had treated Ron Paul's candidacy in the same manner as those of the other candidates you would not be seeing this situation arise. When people are ignored they feel powerless. When people feel powerless they become more determined to make their voices heard. The Republicans, to their detriment, have ignored and mistreated the Paulites, and are now facing the consequences of that arrogant, condescending and elitist attitude. And if it costs the Republicans the White House in 2008, I, for one, am a Republican who will say, "So what?? Maybe next time they'll listen. Temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement."

[Robert]

You Ron Paul supporters scare me with your identical talking points and bizzare, absurd rantings about the constitution peppered with eccentric facts and figures.

He didn't win the primary despite all the money his donors were sending in, because people thought he was nuts with his dietribes during the debates on the constituation, like someone who forgot his meds. He even acknowledged that McCain was the winner, and that he was in the race to influence ideas.

So, all of you Ron Paul suppprters - he lost. Get over it. Time for YOU to wake up!

[Colin]

"So eager are they to follow their leader's words, that Paul's supporters have driven his new book..."

I bought one copy for myself and my fiance to read just for fun. Am I now a crazy fanatic? I guess so!