Ticket Replay: Inside the shocking Ron Paul Republican conspiracy

The Ticket is occasionally republishing some of its favorite items from the recent political season. This one originally appeared here on Nov. 30, 2007:

Maybe you've heard rumors about an explosive newspaper expose on a major political figure that would rock the political world just as the presidential voting is about to begin.

We haven't either.

But we do know that today is when this newspaper blows the top off of the Ron Paul Conspiracy, that vast unorganized protest movement that has silently become one of the more interesting political phenomena of the current election season.

A Times reporter -- we'll call him James Rainey to protect his identity -- has managed to penetrate the Paul presidium.

In his story he recounts for the very first time the shockingly ordinary details of a movement of thousands of disparate, dissatisfied people, some of whom want an end to the Iraq war, an end to gun controls and the IRS, an end to laws banning marijuana and a return to the gold standard, whatever that means.

These Paulites believe the government has been hijacked by a bevy of big interests that threaten the freedoms of ordinary Americans. They're not going to take it anymore. Locally, they're even organizing a re-enactment of a brazenly defiant act, the BostonTea Party, except it'll be in Santa Monica and won't involve tea or white people dressed as Indians. And the protestors promise not to leave anything foreign floating in the water.

These committed partisans, bonded by their suspicion of authority and venal influences like the mainstream media that ignored them until they did something, have united behind a 72-year-old....

...Air Force vet and ob-gyn from Texas who has managed to win 10 elections (now, 11) to the House of Representatives as a Republican with two first names and strongly libertarian leanings.

This man believes that U.S. sovereignity is threatened by many things, especially including consistently ignoring the Constitution and by a planned mystery superhighway that would unite with a ribbon of inexorable cement all three North American countries--Mexico, the United States and that other larger one on top that can only afford to have three downs in its football games.

Apparently he's not talking about I-15, which already does that.

"Rainey's" account describes how this man's followers appear to be ordinary citizens with jobs and family by day. But at night they gather openly in chat rooms and living rooms to plot how to promote a tiny unassuming man whom they call reverently Dr. Paul. With little central direction but tons of commitment, idealism and passion, Dr. Paul's followers do everything they can think of to mobilize voter support.

They patrol the internet day and night seeking Paul slights to right. They stand on windy interstate bridges holding inflammatory signs saying: RonPaul2008.com.

Even as you sleep at night some of the 1,200 Paul meet-up groups are handwriting letters to all 700,000 independent Iowa voters urging them to consider their long-shot leader. A couple of weeks ago Paulites raised $4.2 million on the internet in one day, a near-record, and a sum they intend to more than double on Dec. 16, the anniversary of that rebellious tea party. How's that for insignificance?

As one result, the ultra-lean Paul organization has been able to buy advertising in New Hampshire and to pump its poll numbers up near double-digits in some places. Rainey's story describes the commitment of one Ron Paul meet-up group in Southern California and the regular folks who drive it with their political beliefs and energies.

Few professionals -- well, to tell the truth, no one -- actually gives Paul any chance of winning the Republican nomination. But then up until Yorktown back in the 1700s, all the smart Vegas money was on the British.

--Andrew Malcolm

Just register your cell here for free alerts of each new Ticket item. Register here for an RSS Ticket feed. Either way, it's a win.

Comments

[Jeff Balla]

This is one of the few places you could go to find a "fair and balanced" article about Ron Paul's campaign.

[Ben Straub]

I wish he would have stood a chance. He certainly was the most honorable amongst the candidates for president, and his warnings are now ringing true.

[terriblysmart]

He's been a great catalyst for the inevitable revolt. Thanks to him humanity might win out.

[esr]

I still say he's an old crank, an old coot and and old racist.

[DJ]

I'd prefer to say we bonded over Freedom and the Constitution of the United States of America -- "whatever that is" would be your snarky retort for that too? As for a gold standard, well, obviously somebody hasn't been paying attention! Try monetary competition. As for the NAFTA Super-duper-highway, it's semantics at this point. Although, ironicly it's interesting that Rick Warren has once spoke of a NAFTA Highway, not to mention wishing for a NAFTA Capital in Texas.

How funny the guy from NASCO would deny any kind of wrong doing. That's like asking Hank Paulson, when he was with Goldman Sachs, how his company is doing. Of course he's going to say, and has said, that everything is fine and dandy! We all know how that went down...

As Donald Rumsfeld has said, "Lots of people lie and get away with it." Makes me wonder how naive it is to think any part or mechanism of NAFTA is benign, especially considering all the denials and ad hominem attacks that are associated with researching this so-called "Free Trade" agreement -- managed trade, more like it.

Granted this is all old news, but hey, we're here to right wrongs!

[Regnad Kcin]

Thanks for remembering, Malcolm.

[Rafer Janders]

Andi nice one, Maybe you could have left out the Juvenile comment after the gold standard line, But hey I know that is just your way of doing things, People always critize things they don't understand, I guess sound money is something you need to read up on.
Peter Shiff is a great source of info, and he dumbs it down enough even writers for the LA times could understand! LOL Happy New Year Andi!

[Dr Ward Ciac II]

It ain't over 'til it's over. Ron Paul 2012.

[Douglas in Oakland]

Ending the Federal Reserve Bank was one of Ron Paul's central campaign issues. He was the ONLY candidate in the primaries to do so. Now we are seeing the results of the Fed creating fee money over the past several years: A bubble of EPIC proportions....Can we now begin to wake up and pay attention to policy platforms by the candidates? Instead of empty slogans like "Yes We Can!" cloaked in "Business As Usual?"

[chuckgeorge]

Thanks for running this; I missed it the first time around.

Your articles about the "old crank, old coot and... old racist" [per esr, supra] always have been fairly fair; increasingly so as the weeks went by.

If you take the time to check out the history in America, and the significance, of the 'gold standard' and how it's abandonment has contributed to the current inflationary mess we are in and will be increasingly [I guess I just like that word] in over the next many months and years you might just become a convert.

Chuck George
Fairhope, Alabama

[althusius]

Ron Paul was proved right again about your so-called "mysterious Nafta Superhighway" (Trans Texas Corridor). There is a big backlash in Texas. Gov Tolltag Perry has canceled the portion called TTC69 thru East Texas while retaining TTC35 thru Dallas. Gov Tolltag can not win re-election without East Texas.

[Jim]

Yup - I was one of the thousands that would post in favor of Ron Paul on any and every blog that mentioned his name that I could find.

I must say yours did a great job at balance, I didn’t always agree with you but to be fair - it was fair.

With that said and the fact this is an LA Times blog with emphasis on LA.... Its interesting to note that Republican Party of Los Angeles County has recently been taken over by Ron Paul style Republicans see below link...And for that I thank you for your coverage. Just imagine if Ron Paul could have received national cable news coverage during the primaries perhaps it wouldn’t just be a victory in LA we are celebrating today.

http://www.therightperspective.org/?p=740

[Joshua Frye]

That is funny. "Mr. Rainey" has infiltrated this secret organization of Paulites who want to do God knows what?

Oh My! What did he do? Go to Campaignforliberty.com and read their mission statement?