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

[-tsaw]

I keep reading how the Ron Paul supporters keep blaming the media for his non-existance.
The media doesn't make the news.. they report the news.
If Ron Paul would have received the most votes - that is what would be reported.

[Ronald L Paul]

Guys it's Uncle Ronny. Time to give up. It's over. Accept it. Move on. When Uncle Ronny didn't win a single state you kept saying 'NEXT STATE WE WILL WIN'. You didn't. It's down to pretty much just Uncle Ronny and John McCain in the primarys for months now and still Uncle Ronny get's 8% of the vote. American's have spoken. America is a free country where who people vote for should be elected regardless of if you agree with them or not.

[YT Cai]

The modern neo-Republicans on this thread need to wake up and smell the lost elections. Time and again GOP strongholds have been overrun by Democrats. Why? Ron Paul told you why but you won't listen. So keep on calling fellow Republicans kooks for wanting a rational party platform and you'll guarantee more of the same. Do yourself a favor and Google Neo-conned", a floor speech by Paul if you want to se the face of the idealogical scum that destroyed your party. A vote for McCain is a vote for the same. I'm hopingJSM wins and condemns his ilk and their backers to a generation of obscurity. The world will weep for the dead bodies that wash up in the wake. Republicans will scratch their heads and cheer to the very end.

[Eric Goodhart]

Several contributors represent the vast majority of the populice by demonstrating thier unabashed ignorance of the issues. I used say it was simply congnitive dissonance, now I say it is just plain stupidity.

Jason H.; Hosmanek; Daneman and others of a similar ilk, should read Dr. Paul's book with an open (not emptly) mind. If theiir is a single critical thinking brain cell left in the grey matter that makes up your brain, put it to work and when enough cells reproduce common sense and enlightment will, hopefully, be the result.

[Ag]

The last poster, Hal, wrote "Ron Paul has some good ideas, but he has some serious flaws that he has not resolved".

The same could be said of McCain. And therein lies the stalemate.

McCain is unwilling to acknowledge and promote publicly what Hal just wrote; that Ron Paul has some good ideas.

At the Jefferson City Armory, staunch McCain supporters, contested delegates the same as us, told me they wanted to solve our differences in order to unite the Republican Party.

The problem that prevents this from happening is McCain's organization. It's unwilling to adopt any of Paul's "good ideas". My feeling is you'll continue to witness this stalemate until McCain adopts and broadcasts publicly one or more of Paul's planks, as evidenced by the several enhanced Republican Party county caucus platforms across our nation.

McCain is viewed as digging in his heels and dismissing Paul's planks and, in turn, Paul's supporters.

If you want to do something constructive for the Republican Party at this point in time, then contact McCain and simply suggest he can have another million-plus Paul votes in November by meeting with Paul now and negotiating which planks he'll support and broadcast them publicly.

Frankly, I distrust McCain and his handlers so much I doubt he'd be willing to end this stalemate. But anything in politics is possible.

[Jim McClarin]

Malcolm, if you just repeat what everybody else says, you will never learn the truth. You should do a little research and see how many committed delegates John McCain actually has. Hint: it's a lot fewer than commonly reported and not enough to "cinch" the nomination.

[tom richards]

i can't take mccain. he's another big government schmoozer who is promoting more government solutions to every possible problem or dilemma with which people are confronted everyday, which in turn, translates into higher taxes, increased paperwork and more red meat for the trial lawyers. It’s really making me very ill!

[Tammi Moore]

Ron Paul is a nut. A true nut.
Besides, Hillary or Obama will make my life wonderful because I can continue to get welfare, free rent, money for anchor babies, and tons of free abortions if the free condoms rip.
Republicans stink because they expect me to work and quit producing babies with no fathers.

[Z]

Not over? What planet do you people live on? It's long been over and it's over for the foreseeable future for the Republican party.

At least Libertarians let people live how the f* they want instead of shoving "patriotism", church, abortion, "moral" blah blah blah down our throats. Today's incarnation of the Republican party is the most grandiose assembly of hypocrites (moral, ethical, fiscal, etc.) on the planet.

It'd be great if the Ron Pauls could take it back. Good luck with that -- I'm not holding my breath.

[Jackj]

Ron Paul? Give me a break! He's not living in the real world, but back in the era of the Monroe Doctrine, 1823. He wants the US to become isolationist! Resign from NATO and the UN, remove military bases on foreign soil, the whole trip? In other words, act like a tortoise with its head in its shell. Oh yeah? So if the US does that, and Iran takes over the ME and its oil, and Russia starts a new USSR in Europe, and China reigns over the Pacific and seizes Taiwan, and a few other countries besides, what then? Does he really think the US can survive if it ignores the world? If he does, he needs to go back to doctoring. This bloke has zero strategic understanding of geopolitics in the 21st Century! He's a crank, with eccentric ideas, and the GOP gave him his due, less than 10% of primary delegates. Adios, Mr Paul.

[zeromj]

Jesus people, he's getting LESS THAN 10% of votes meanwhile McCain is getting 7x that, sorry internet nerds Paul won't get the nomination

[Clique]

Republicans have a real problem. Many of them here dismiss Paul supporters and Paul. Some even propose we should keep the Federal Reserves system. Well, $9+ Trillion in national debt and $60+ Trillion in future entitlements isn't enough, thanks to the Fed....for whom? Republican Conservatism is incompatible with the Rockefeller/Jeff Gannon Republicanism practiced by the sitting President and John McCain. I 've voted almost straight-line for Republicans for more than 20 years, with the exception of twice voting for Ross Perot. Some of you Republicans condescend with the childish idea that we should follow the herd that selected McCain. You are crazy. And, I no longer call you Rockerfeller/Jeff Gannon Republicans. In polite conversations, I simply refer to you as "Whigs", soon to be a thing of the past. McCain will not win if 1 million Republicans who voted for Bush stay at home or vote for a Democrat. I am seriously considering voting for Obama, simply to send a message to the Whigs. I will never vote for John McCain or any other Establisment Republican candidate again. Your Republican part is simply going to die because we have more resolve to see change than you have the talent to convince us with the merit of your condescension. Plus, I am calling for a return to a full Death tax, higher income tax rates for everyone on Wall Street and everyone who makes more than $250K a year, and to make it a capital offense for a former government official to ever work in the employ of a foreign government. Just for starters. Its time for conservatives to punish the Establishment that took our votes for granted. PUNISH. Put that in your pipe Whig Republicans.

Clique

[Rexblade]

Ok not to be picking on you Hal but are you sure you don't work for Fox News? Non interventionism is not isolationist. Its actually the opposite. I don't see how this is that hard to grasp. It only takes a small amount of empathy to understand this though. What do you think would be more productive? Bombs, sanctions, invading. Or talking and trading helping your fellow man and not helping someones enemy just because you have some alterior motive (the cia trained Bin Laden to fight the soviets)? While the interventionist bully method might gain you power in a certain area, it wont last, and you can't let your guard down nor gain any respect by other countries for being arrogant warmongering fascists. Ever heard of "do unto others"? Im going to assume you have. Yes it's a simple philosophy but it works. You can test it for yourself. Go to the store be rude and demanding and see how far you get and how many friends you make. Go to another store and do the opposite. Wow its magic......
5) The war with Islamic Terrorism, (World War IV)
Now this one seems to have you terrified. Also a VERY simple solution. Want to know how to avoid this one? I bet youll never guess... QUIT BUILDING BASES AND PUTTING ARMED FORCES IN THE MIDDLE EAST!!! Just putting that out there. Sadly I don't think that will happen mostly because of the same exact attitude that you and many others have. If you are for real I doubt anything i (or documented history) can say will penetrate the Neo-conservative barrier you exhibit.:( I mean really is it that hard to grasp why these people are angry? Why do you think there is even terrorists in the first place? They don't hate usa "because were free" they hate us because weve been dropping bombs all over that region for 20+ years. Why don't they attack other "free" countries? They are closer and in some cases are more "free" then the United States? BUT THEY DON"T HAVE TANKS IN THEIR VILLAGES AND CITIES THATS THE DIFFERENCE.
MY GOD PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO TURN OFF THEIR T.V. and maybe start to come to terms with the fact that our country isnt on some mission from god to spread "democracy" to the world.through war. I could go on Hal but you seem to have all the talking points of the willfully ignorant. If im wrong I apologize. From your comments though you don't know much about Ron Paul. Or your a paid dis-info commentator. Which is something I wouldn't have even imagined could exist 2 years ago and a scary sign of the times to say the least.

[Dedicated]

Let me give you a bit of my personal history before I try to explain how I intend to vote this fall.

I grew up one of seven children. Because my father was a degenerate, my mother divorced him, and raised the remaining six children on her own. She REFUSED any public assistance, not even free lunches at school. Had she applied for any of these "entitlements" she would more than have qualified, instead, she got the best job she could get with her high school education.

She taught each of us that we had to be responsible for ourselves and our decisions. She made a poor choice for a husband...she did NOT expect anyone else to pay for her poor choice and dole out money to her.We grew up poor, but never lacked food, essentials, or a roof over our heads. I went on to get a college education. My siblings are all self supporting individuals.

My beliefs differ somewhat from my Mom's in that I do believe that SHORT TERM well fare can be beneficial for families that have hit a snag and need a hand up. It could assist them in getting a better education, thus, becoming a better bread winner.

I am a registered republican and have been for going on about 40 years. I have votead some years for democrats, other years republican....which ever seemed the best. However I am ashamed to say I never did much "investigation" into the candidates prior to voting.

This past year as the economy started its' rapid circling of the drain......I DID begin to do research. What I discovered in regard to Hillary...scary stuff (I had forgotten about many of her illegal activities). How does she expect to pay for all of the hand outs she promises? NAFTA...is she for it or against it? THe list goes on.

McCain....even scarrier (the only thing he has going for him is a "war hero" tag, but if you read the book "An Enormous Crime", you will probably think differently of him and ot the other presidents you may have voted for over the years. He keeps stepping more and more into the democratic policies. Plus he doesn't mind us being in Iraq for as "long as it takes" and he is eager to get us into Iran.

Obama....I just can't quite determine where he stands. I would feel better if his voting record showed more "decision making skills". He also has a wagon load of free handouts. (Yes, with a little research you can find the voting record of each of these candidates.)

Then I stumbled upon Ron Paul.

I do not agree on all of his policies. Does ANYONE agree on all of Clintons', Obamas", or McCains' ??? However the one thing about Dr. Paul that kept standing out was that he basically spoke the way my MOM spoke. Be responsible for yourself! Pretty much his 10 terms in Congress prove that he does what he says he will do.

Some here say that we can't go back....there are too many people on the "entitlement wagon" to eventually get rid of it. Folks, if our nation goes bankrupt....it will no longer be an option to discuss. It will be removed, pulled right out from under their feet.

His stance on the federal reserve.....get rid of it. I don't know if getting rid of it is the correct answer. My degree was not in economics, but I do think "The Fed" should be held accountable, with audits, etc....and they certainly don't need to be given an even broader power than they currently posess. Should the future of an entire nation be governed by a few "elite" bankers. Ron Paul is not the first to mention that this is NOT a good idea.

The war in Iraq. Most Americans agree that we should come home. Immediate withdrawal....probably NOT possible....because we have royally screwed up that country since our invasion....but certainly an organized withdrawal.

Close all overseas bases.....ummmmm. Ron Paul keeps repeating one thing that continues to make me "actively" think about this. What if other countries had military installations in the USA??? How would we as a natiion feel about that? Oh sure, we have been pretty much preached to that the guys at the top know best.....but do some research on the various wars we've thrust ourselves into in the past few decades. Then, decide if you think they corner the market on knowing what is best.

Quite frankly, I never thought Ron Paul would win the nomination. My hope was that by becoming a delegate I could affect the republican platform, and get the Republican Party to return to some of its' basic policies....such as listed below:

What is wrong with trying to have our representatives abide by the Constitution? Pull up a copy on the internet and read it. It was pretty amazing the men so long ago had such vision. Of course, it can and has been amended over the years. BUT WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BLATANTLY VIOLATE IT!

What is wrong in trying to raise the next generations to be more responsible for themselves?

What is wrong in wanting "habeus corpus" returned?

What is wrong in expecting your privacy protected?

The above items are "mainly" what I am trying to get back on the republican platform. These are not NOVEL ideas, they are "rights" we ONCED posessed.AND at one time in history we expected our representative to abide by theses ideas.

If more folks would do even half of the research I have completed in the past 9 - 12 months. You will discover that our rights under The Constitution are being eroded one by one. I was totally "unaware"....and I when I discovered what was and "is" going on .....by Bush especially (and I voted for him)...I was appalled. He basically thinks he is above the law and doesn't have to abide by the constitution. John McCain is lined up right behind him ready to fall in step.

Do some research on the Patriot Act, and on SPP, on the REAL ID,....the list goes on and on. Americans owe it to themselves to become more educated.

I wonder if back when the Declaration of Independence and The Constituions were being developed.......did the American public think the men involved in writing these wonderful documents ......did they think those men were kooks?

It is a known fact,.... that once a freedom or right is removed....it is extremely difficult to get it returned.

Please do some research. What I have found out in getting involved in "yucky" polictics this past year is that most people.....DON'T...read up on the candidates. THey do just like I used to do....listen to the "boob tube" and go by what is broadcast there as gospel.

So......who will I vote for in November. Well folks, I could vote for Clinton, Obama, or McCain.....there is not more than a dimes worth of difference between the three of them. They are all basically , what is the term being used now?......oh yes....Repubocrats.

I am so tired of voting for the lesser of the two or three evils......because anyway you look at it.....you;ve still voted for evil.

I will vote for Ron Paul and hope that millions and millions more Americans (of all affliations) will follow suit. (Refer to Republocrats as to why it will not be a wasted vote.) Perhaps, then and only then will the "powers that be" at the top will finally listen to our voice.

[Ralph]

Hope you sheep enjoy your new FEMA concentration camps that we will be sitting in this summer for questioning "Fearless Leader'. Only Ron Paul can save us.

[clifford]

Dont see there much of a choise. Ron paul is the one we need if we plan to sucseed.We get any of the other three .Hope of America is all but gone . im republican but if RonPaul was demacrat id still vote for him for the good of the country . No one is going to be just right for everyone. But if you value your freedom that is where you should cast your vote.Then pray that it wont be to late.Look around people are all ready getting thier rights violated .

[Rexblade]

-tsaw- Ever hear of a company called die bold? Maybe a cable channel called HBO? A film genre called a documentary? Google? Hacking democracy? Just wondering.

[Speaker73]

The level of misinformation in many of the anti-Paul posts should be proof enough to Malcolm that the media did a terrible job introducing Paul to America. Some of the claims about his views are utterly ludicrous.

To all those that think Paul and his supporters are "kooks", at least have the decency before throwing stones to understand his platform. Buy his book or get it from a library. It's short - 160-some pages. I finished it in a couple of evenings. At worst, you will have a some real ammunition to throw at the rest of us kooks. Or perhaps, like several people I know, you will decide that there are some great ideas in his writings, and the Republican party, rather than fearing him, should be assimiliating his agenda.

[Arthur Ringwalt]

Ron Paul got many of his ideas from the Ludwig von Mises Institute, www.mises.org. The Mises Institute is a think tank that espouses classical liberalism, libertarian political theory, and the Austrian School of economics.
Perhaps, the most interesting chapter in Dr. Paul's new bestseller, The Revolution: A Manifesto, delves into "Money: The Forbidden Issue in American Politics," which advocates a return to the gold monetary standard, resulting in an end to inflation and discouraging the warfare-welfare state. Both warfare and welfare tend to increase the national debt, devalue the dollar, and increase the price of gold.

[Ron Paul supporter]

I'm neither republican nor democrat my 1st choice in general election is Ron Paul. My 2nd is Nader

[RightWingKiller]

The fact the a whack jobs like Ron Paul and Ralph Nader are trumpeted as potential leaders by hordes of zealous worshipers is a terrifying indicator that we now have a population too stupid to maintain a viable democratic republic. I fear that this may be one of the last electiosn we have as a free nation.
America 2008
Too late to fix it...
Too early to shart shooting the bastards.

[Jason R.]

Since Ron Paul will be a write-in candidate on thousands of voting machines, there is simply no chance that McCain could ever win. The only possible Republican win would be with Ron Paul as candidate.

[cascade]

I would have prefered to vote for Kucinich but he had a tight congressional race towin...

The only other option?

Ron Paul.

And he got my vote last week.

It's a vote that I canfeel good about.

[jackie]

Enemies of the Republic. Are you so departmentalized you think you will not be affected? mindless. unAmerican. Your money will be worthless. You have no right to life, just like all of us. Inform yourselves on what is happening.

Andrew, you forgot the I N on "correctly".

[jediropemaster]

Well, who is winning? I think it must be the LA Times and the Democrats. Let's fight like hell and swear not to support our guys.....That'll show'em come election day. I am not a great McCain fan either. Actually, I'm a great Bob Barr fan and I really fantasize about the roles being reversed, but the reality is that if McCain goes down, we all go down.