Ron Paul explores presidential bid
Sunday, 21 January 2007 20:08 | 
Written by Philip Blumel | 
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a former national chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus, has opened an exploratory committee and is considering a run for the Republican nomination for president of the United States.
Since he was first elected to the U.S. House in 1976, Rep. Paul has long been an icon of libertarian Republicanism, a mix of stubborn principle and successful electoral politics. In the RLC’s Liberty Index,
Mike VanDyk of Miami with Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) at a 1998 RLC-hosted event with Ron Paul at the home of Ray Flow in Palm Beach
Rep. Paul’s voting record consistently ranks at or near the top of the U.S. House and as a result Ron is the largest Congressional beneficiary of contributions from the RLC’s PAC.
In a Jan. 22 Reason Online interview with Brian Doherty, Rep. Paul was asked what his campaign theme would be. "I think the biggest thing for Republican primary voters is that most Republicans are turned off right now," Rep. Paul answered. "They’ve had a beating and are reassessing their values. They have to decide what they believe in. The
Now is the time to lay the groundwork for a Ron Paul campaign. Join the RLC and let's get to work!
Republican Party has become about big government conservatism, and Republicans need to hear the message they used to hear: [they] are supposed to be for small government."
This is a key message of the RLC, and if Rep. Paul officially declares his candidacy the national RLC will quite naturally consider an endorsement. According to national RLC bylaws, an endorsement
Rep. Ron Paul speaks to friends and supporters at a RLC-cohosted event in downtown West Palm Beach
requires a vote of the national executive committee of the RLC and ratification by a majority of chartered RLC state affiliates. In Florida, there is likely to be a non-binding vote of the membership to guide the state RLC’s decision.
The RLC has only endorsed one presidential candidate since its inception in 1990, magazine publisher Steve Forbes in his first primary attempt in 1996.
If endorsed, the RLC network -- with members in all 50 states who attend their local GOP meetings and many who serve on county GOP executive boards – can serve as a foundation for the Paul
Rep. Ron Paul meets with contributors at the Flow home in Palm Beach
campaign. To help lay the groundwork, all friends of Ron Paul are invited to join the RLC and all RLCers urged to start regularly attending their local Republican Club meetings. In a primary campaign, this direct connection with active and influential primary voters early in the campaign may make all the difference.Those who would like to see a 2008 Ron Paul for President campaign are encouraged to contact his exploratory committee. At the Jan. 27 Florida RLC excom meeting in Orlando, the current unofficial consensus was that the Florida RLC will jump on the Rep. Paul bandwagon if he officially announces, runs on traditional libertarian themes and does not face primary competition from another notable libertarian Republican candidate.
In preparation for a potential Paul campaign, RLCer Tom Walls set up a unofficial Ron Paul campaign news and blog site.The Florida RLC keep you up to date on how you can assist Ron’s campaign. Let’s be ready for what is likely to be the RLC’s biggest year ever in 2008!
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