Monday, August 27, 2012

Ron Paul’s swan song rally advertises his supporters as GOP’s future

When the roll is called at the Republican National Convention this week, Ron Paul will not be nominated for president. But for a few hours on Sunday, his supporters got to celebrate as if the “revolution” was headed to the White House.
Thousands packed the University of South Florida Sun Dome for the “We Are the Future” rally, billed as an attempt to “assemble champions of constitutional conservatism.” Paul was introduced by his son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, capping an afternoon of political speeches, musical performances, and lessons in libertarianism with a passionate but meandering keynote address that clocked over an hour.
This is likely Paul’s last campaign. The Texas Republican is leaving the House after twelve terms and has signaled he won’t run for president again. But his parting message to supporters was they represent the future of the GOP. “Don’t beg to be let into the big tent,” he said. “We will become the tent.”
Paul’s campaign put out a statement describing the Sun Dome event in less Zen-like terms, promising “a bold sampling of a movement that’s already inextricably linked to today’s, tomorrow’s GOP.”
How inextricably appeared to be the subject of some internal debate among Paul supporters, even on the dais. Presidential historian Doug Wead, who served as master of ceremonies, asked all the Democrats and independents in the room to stand up.
“Commentators will say that this is the extreme wing of the Republican Party,” Wead said. “Their meeting starts tomorrow a few miles away.” He praised Paul for appealing to young people and Hispanics. Wead, a former special assistant to President George H.W. Bush, called Paul a “clean boat in a sea of garbage.”
Ashley Ryan, the 21-year-old elected to the Republican National Committee from Maine, blasted recently adopted party rules changes that will make the Paulites’ delegate accumulation strategy more difficult in the future. “We are all Republicans,” she said. “These rules changes will hurt all Republicans.”

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