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Ron Paul Moneybombs Give Way to Fire Sale

May 29, 2008 11:05 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: If there was one overriding principle of the presidential campaign of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, it might be this: markets work.

But if you are going to trust the government, healthcare, and everything else to markets -- do the same principles of supply and demand apply to presidential campaigns?

What then to make of the first email by Ron Paul's campaign to supporters in a month -- not announcing a rally of seeking campaign fundraising, but advertising a fire sale of "Ron Paul '08" merchandise.

For a mere $25, Ron Paulians can order a grab bag of magnets, buttons, stickers, mouse pads, key chains, hats, wrist bands "and more!." The package will also include a single t-shirt. And if that's not enough to sway you, the $25 includes shipping.

Paul's spokesman, Jesse Benton, said not to infer anything from the sale.

"We're just trying to clear some stuff out because we're getting a little low on storage space," Benton said, pointing out there is less need for yard signs that say Ron Paul Iowa now that the Iowa primary is over.

Benton said the Paul campaign still gets anywhere from 20 to 50 orders per day for t-shirts and other items in the Ron Paul online store, although he admits there were "many times that" number of orders earlier in the campaign.

While Paul is trying to get rid of merchandise, other campaigns that may or may not be on their last legs are trying to jazz up their base with t-shirt contests.

To be fair, the market is also giving Paul mixed messages. He may have a glut of mouse pads and magnets, but the book he released last month, "The Revolution: A Manifesto," is still in the top 20 as far as sales on Amazon.com, the best selling book by a presidential candidate at the moment.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is next, at just outside the top 50, with "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream."

Paul made a career in the House of opposing the more paternalist nature of Washington and he made a splash early on in the Republican presidential campaign when his small-government, market-based, anti-interventionist, laissez-faire principles led to millions raised in an Internet groundswell.

Read more about that HERE and HERE.

But now that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, is the presumptive Republican nominee, it is a fine line that Paul is walking. He says he is winding down his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination (in large part because he is mathematically unable to win it).

He does not want to follow many of his most ardent supporters to the Libertarian party. He ran for President as a Libertarian once before, in 1988, and now says the American political system is too weighted against third parties. Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia won the Libertarian nomination this week.

But while he realizes he can't win, Paul is still encouraging people to vote for him. His plan is to take delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September and demonstrate that the libertarian wing of the Republican party is not going away.

Benton said Paul is holding out hope for an invitation from the national party to speak in Minneapolis, but "we aren't holding our breath."

If snubbed, Paul's supporters and however many delegates he has amassed by then (the current ABC News scorecard gives Paul 14 delegates to McCain's 1267), Benton said, will make themselves seen in Minneapolis and Paul will speak at his own shadow events there in Minneapolis.

And moving on, Paul still plans to turn his vocal support into a permanent campaign to reclaim the Republican party for his small government ethos. And as Republicans find themselves with less power in Washington, DC, you can admittedly see the rank and file of the party start to adopt some of those very ideals as they oppose spending bills proposed by the Democrats who have run Congress since 2006.

May 29, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (59) | TrackBack (0)

Ron Paul Tops Amazon List at #1

April 30, 2008 4:38 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Texas Congressman Ron Paul has "wound down" his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, although his supporters continue to make a showing at state conventions from Missouri to Nevada - even even causing a ruckus that required the Nevada convention to be temporarily shut down.

His fans also catapulted Paul's latest manifesto, released today and titled appropriately, The Revolution: A Manifesto, to number one on the Amazon bestseller list.

That makes not just an erstwhile presidential candidate who cedes he can't win the race but is encouraging voters to support him at the polls, but a bestselling one at that. The next nearest candidate is Sen. Barack Obama, whose Audacity of Hope is at #113 on the Amazon list and whose Dreams of My Father is at #278. Things don't look as good in the cold hard online reality of Amazon for Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton.  McCain's Faith of My Fathers is way down at #4,758 this hour and Clinton's Living History is at 21,380, although those two books are years old.

The Amazon list is updated hourly and Paul's supporters, who have been waiting for the book, also know how to make their point online. So, it's unclear if Paul's one-day showing will catapult him into The New York Times Bestseller list, where Obama is currently at #4 and #8 on the paperback nonfiction list.

Paul says in Revolution: A Manifesto that campaign books have deservedly short shelf lives, but he wrote his more as an entrée to his revolution of freedom, peace and small government, notions which he says are on the rebound and are going, eventually, to unite Americans.

April 30, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (101) | TrackBack (0)

In PA, Paul Records Best Showing of Campaign

April 23, 2008 11:42 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: It was John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, who won Pennsylvania's Republican presidential primary. But he was not the only Republican on the ballot and he didn't get 100 percent of the vote.

In second place -- even though he announced earlier this year that his campaign was winding down and that he would focus on the next chapter of the revolution to take the Republican party back to its libertarian roots -- was Texas congressman Ron Paul.

In fact, with nearly 126,000 votes (16 percent of those cast), Paul recorded his best showing of the presidential campaign in a closed primary. He has gotten higher percentages in some caucus states, but never in a state with voters in a closed primary.

Paul, who was born and raised in Pennsylvania, attended four rallies in the state, including one at his alma mater, Gettysburg College.

"Dr. Paul's grassroots supporters in Pennsylvania and across the country are doing a tremendous job spreading our message, winning votes and laying a strong foundation for the future," said Paul's spokesman, Jesse Benton, who hopes the campaign will take up to 50 delegates to the Republican convention in Minneapolis in September. Currently, they have somewhere in the neighborhood of 21.

Granted, McCain has more than the 1,191 delegates needed to win and with the Republican nomination sewn up, turnout was down in Pennsylvania. While Democrats saw record-breaking turnout and more than 2.2 million votes cast, with 99.4 percent of the precincts reporting, fewer than 800,000 Republicans voted in the primary -- that's slightly worse turnout than when President Bush ran unopposed in 2004.

This year, McCain got just under 73 percent in Pennsylvania.

Coming in third in the race -- there were three names on the ballot -- was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who suspended his campaign back in March, but got 11 percent in Pennsylvania.

April 23, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (22) | TrackBack (0)

He's In, He's Out...He's IN!

March 11, 2008 2:35 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: For Ron Paul supporters disheartened at a March 6 web video the candidate posted on his website announcing that he was moving on to the "next phase" of his grand revolution to recast the Republican party as a small-government, non-interventionist and committed to civil liberties, Paul has clarified what the "next phase" is.

Even as he enjoined supporters to continue to cast votes for him, Paul said then that he was moving on and referred to his candidacy in the past tense, as something he would look back on.

He clarified his cryptic admission that he won't be President a bit on CNN's American Morning on Monday, telling anchor John Roberts' he's still in the race technically, but realizes he can't win nominally.
"The true revolution, the change in party and the change in the country is ongoing and we feel very good about it, which means I'm still in the race, but certainly in a manner that is less energetic than it was six months ago."

Roberts pushed a bit further, asking for a clarification of the clarification.

"So when people say Ron Paul is out of the Presidential race, that's true, not true, partly true, how would you describe it?" Roberts asked.

"I would think in the nominal sense, what are the odds of us overcoming delegates of John McCain or his delegates deserting, in that way it's over. But the campaign to get the maximum number of votes the max amount of delegates to participate in writing platforms and talking about the future, I think we're very much involved and very much alive," Paul said, arguing that so many people had worked on his campaign and "I don't feel good about walking away from them."

It does not appear Paul will ever make a Shermanesque statement about ending his candidacy because it would spell the end of the first leg of his revolution. And don't hold your breath waiting for Paul's endorsement of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, the Republican nominee.

Paul pointed out that McCain is anathema to pretty much everything Paul has been fighting for the past 30 years and he probably won't throw his support behind McCain, even at the Republican National Convention in September.

"Unity might be secondary to principle," he said.

Nor does it mean that Paul is going to endorse a Democrat. He pointed out that Sen. Obama, one of the Democrats still in contention for the nomination, says he wants to pull out of Iraq, but continues to vote to fund the war and wants to send more troops into Afghanistan, where the Taliban has seen a resurgence.

"His rhetoric is playing to the people that come my way, but he is every bit as much of an interventionist. He wants to send more troops into Afghanistan. He wants to broaden the military. I think it’s a fraud when he talks about how he wants to really get out of Iraq, but I think that's politics," Paul said.

March 11, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)

Ron Paul Moves on From Presidential Campaign

March 06, 2008 7:33 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: "Elections are short-term efforts," Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, told supporters in a Web video tonight. "Revolutions are long-term projects."

Paul indicated that the 2008 presidential campaign portion of his revolution is over.

An earlier version of this report indicated that Paul would "drop out" of the race. In the video, Paul did not use the words "drop out," opting instead to say the campaign is "winding down," and he encourages supporters to still cast votes for him. But he referred to his campaign in the past tense.

"We are still in the early stages of bringing about the changes that this revolution is all about," Paul said in the video. "Let us hope that we can one day look back and say that this campaign was a significant first step that signaled a change in direction for our country. Our job now is to plan for the next phase."

For Paul, that phase will mean spreading his message beyond the campaign trail. He hopes to create an umbrella organization to stoke some of the grassroots support that made his presidential campaign notable.

The video was briefly available on Paul's Web site and YouTube before being pulled for what the campaign termed "technical difficulties." Officials promised it would be reposted on YouTube. In the meantime, the video could be seen by clicking HERE.

Paul said his revolution is about more than his campaign and more than just him. He also put in a plug for his forthcoming book -- "The Revolution: A Manifesto."

It was a spirited run for Paul, whose followers called their support for him a "revolution" of non-interventionism and small government.

In recent weeks, Paul's campaign had already taken a back seat to his simultaneous bid for re-election to his congressional seat.

Despite a concerned-seeming fundraising blitz toward the end of the Republican primary in Texas, Paul won the party primary for the 14th Texas congressional district by more than 2 to 1. He did not fare so well in the Republican presidential primary in Texas, getting less than 5 percent of the vote and no delegates.

Paul has amassed 14 delegates that he can take to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September -- miles short of what was needed to be seen as a contender for the nomination.

Paul ran well outside his party on issues as central as the war in Iraq and civil liberties. His contention that his views were closer to the roots of the Republican Party got some people thinking, but ultimately did not get enough votes.

The Texas congressman, an OB-GYN by trade, can rightly claim his presidential bid, which enjoyed a visible -- if apparently non-voting -- following, and enjoyed several quarters of impressive fundraising, was successful at giving Republicans some pause.

Echoes of his pledge to shut down the IRS could be heard in the campaign of Mike Huckabee, who ran closer to the Republican mainstream on other issues. And as the U.S. economy dips, some may see new light in Paul's criticism of the Department of Treasury and the Federal Reserve for the role they play in inflation.

Ultimately, however, Paul wanted to campaign as a Republican and be, as one aide put it recently, "not entirely quixotic."

Paul has shied away from calls by supporters to run a third party campaign for the presidency. He mounted such a campaign in 1988 when he left the Republican Party to run for president as a Libertarian. But this time, Paul has said that the U.S. political system is too tough a nut to crack for third parties. It takes too much money and organization, he has said, to get on the ballot.

Plus, as he wrote to supporters after trouncing his congressional primary opponent, his job in the Congress is a pretty good one and allows him a soap box from which to preach his small government, libertarian gospel.

"The message of freedom is popular," he wrote on Tuesday night. "And I will continue to trumpet it in Congress and across America as I fight on behalf of the conservative, common-sense values which made our country so great. In conclusion, I would like to offer my thanks and gratitude to all of the wonderful people who supported me in this campaign. I look forward to representing all of the good people of the 14th District of Texas in Congress in the years to come."

March 6, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (154) | TrackBack (0)

Election Results Don't Stop Paul Revolution

March 05, 2008 3:12 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: It's done. There is now no way for Republican Texas Congressman Ron Paul to become President.

Sen. John McCain, the Republican from Arizona, clinched the Republican nomination with delegates won in Paul's home state.

Paul won a resounding victory in a separate bid to stay on the Republican ticket for his Congressional seat, which in his heavily Republican district almost assures him his day job next year. But he got less than 5 percent in the primary vote for President in Texas.

Now that Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has dropped out of the race and McCain has sewn up the nomination, Paul's presidential campaign - at least as long as he stays a Republican and there is no indication that he would leave the party - is now star-crossed and in limbo.

For his part, Paul has not yet officially dropped out of the presidential race. For the moment, he has no plans even though he is the only Republican, other than McCain, remaining in the race.

"There are decisions being made," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said on Wednesday. "Whether carrying on the campaign or starting an organization, no decision has been made."

Benton said the benefit of carrying on the campaign even though it can't be successful is carrying Paul's message across the country to people who have not yet heard it.

Paul's supporters will tell you that they never harbored illusions that he could be elected, but now that the election is over, questions are rising about what to do with the money and infrastructure of independent and libertarian-minded Republicans who coalesced around Paul and put him on the national stage earlier in the campaign.

Some Paul supporters envision creating a lasting umbrella organization to harness some of that energy and push Paul's message of a non-interventionist limited government that respects personal rights beyond 2008.

"We will be heard at the Republican national convention in Minneapolis and beyond. A substantial minority of Americans in all parties, not to speak of Independents, agree with you and me." Paul vowed in an email to supporters last week. "Until November and beyond, I want to work to turn that minority into a majority, with your help."

March 5, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (17) | TrackBack (0)

Paul: Stand & Be Counted...or Not

February 12, 2008 11:32 AM

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Texas Congressman Ron Paul, despite his remarkable run of fundraising and vocal supporters, has not amassed a cache of delegates for the Republican National Convention.

He all but admitted in a Feb. 8th message to supporters that he would not be the nominee and was going to pare down his campaign staff and focus on getting reelected to his Congressional seat.

But the Paul campaign has never really been about getting Paul into the Oval Office.

It has been, as supporters will tell you, about his limited government message, which, in a nutshell, is something like a, "keep-your-darn-hands-out-of-my-life and bring the troops home" revolution.

Now that Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., seems poised to sew up the Republican ticket, Paul is entreating his supporters into what he calls a "risky" endeavor to blast that message to the masses.

Specifically, he's asking his supporters to come offline and out of the shadows and "be counted" in a march on Washington.

Paul, in a 14-minute video message the campaign posted this morning on YouTube says he is "throwing this out as an idea."

"We ought to have a grand display. We ought to have a true march," he says toward the end of the video, from a wood-paneled office.

But there is the chance, he says, that if Paul supporters try to stand and be counted, if no one shows up to be counted, they will lose some credibility.

"It could be very, very valuable. It could send a powerful message where the where the media could not ignore us. At the same time, if nobody shows up it might mean maybe there weren't enough of us, maybe we didn't have enough energy, maybe we didn't want to go to Washington," he admitted.

When will the grand march Paul is suggesting into the ether on Youtube take place?

No date is set and Paul, who does not coordinate supporters so much as it joins their stampede, says it should, if supporters want to organize it, should happen before the Republican convention this summer in Minneapolis.

February 12, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Viva Ron Paul Revolution (But With Fewer Staffers)

February 09, 2008 12:31 PM

Late on a Friday night comes a tacit admission from Ron Paul that he will not be President. Sort of.

In an emailed message to supporters, Paul says, "Let me tell you my thoughts with Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero." From Paul this is about as close as we can get to an admission there there is no possible way he can get the nomination.

Indeed, Paul is not ending or suspending his campaign. The fact there won't be a brokered convention, "does not affect my determination to fight on, in every caucus and primary remaining, and at the convention for our ideas, with just as many delegates as I can get," he declares.

He's just going to do it with even fewer resources than he already has. "With so many primaries and caucuses now over," writes Paul, "We do not now need so big a national campaign staff, and so I am making it leaner and tighter."

Paul also, for the umpteenth time, rules out a third party run and says he will refocus on keeping his Congressional seat. He faces a primary challenge in Texas.

"I have constituents in my home district that I must serve. I cannot and will not let them down. And I have another battle I must face here as well. If I were to lose the primary for my congressional seat, all our opponents would react with glee, and pretend it was a rejection of our ideas. I cannot and will not let that happen," he says.

Paul's next campaign event comes this weekend and it is for his Congressional campaign in Lake Jackson, Texas. The next event listed on his website is not until Feb. 28th -- the next Republican Presidential debate, where there will already probably be a lonely stage.

February 9, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (32) | TrackBack (0)

Senate Leader Writes Off Huckabee, Paul

February 07, 2008 4:12 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: The Presidential race came up on Capitol Hill for the second time in two days after former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney withdrew from the race for the Republican nomination.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not use the "E" (for endorsement) word today, but he essentially wrote off the Presidential campaigns of Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul when asked about the Mitt Romney withdrawing from the race.

"It's clear the Republican nomination is over," said McConnell. He went on to say there is "widespread pride" on Capitol Hill for Senator John McCain, who McConnell said, "is certainly going to be the nominee."

McCain has in the past fashioned himself as a maverick and can be prickly when he does not agree with someone (and often does not agree with his fellow Republicans on policy).

But today, McConnell said, "I think in the Republican conference we are particularly proud of Senator McCain and his accomplishment."

He also said he looks forward to correcting the adage that Senators can't be elected President.

Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., jokingly took credit for Mitt Romney dropping out of the race.

"He met me in Salt Lake last Saturday," Reid said of Romney. Both Reid, who is a Democrat and the Senate Majority Leader and Romney, a Republican and the former Massachusetts governor are Mormon. "We hadn't met before then. That was the beginning of the end for him," Reid said.

February 7, 2008 in Huckabee, Mike, McCain, John, Paul, Ron, Romney, Mitt, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

Ron Paul - Looking Forward To Texas

February 06, 2008 11:55 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Texas Congressman Ron Paul did not have a stellar showing on Super Tuesday. But it was good enough for him to stay in the race.

In most states with primaries where Republican voters voted for their Republican nominee preference, he got no more than 5 or six percent of the vote. He runs a distant fourth in the all-important delegate count.

Paul did better in the Northern Midwest caucus states, placing second in Montana, third in North Dakota and fourth, but with 15 percent of the vote in Minnesota. He also placed third with 17 percent at the Alaska Republican caucus and, despite a fourth place finish in initial voting, got 3 national convention votes in a backroom deal with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in West Virginia.

Those finishes, while they won't secure Paul a huge chunk of votes at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis this summer, are enough for him to stay in the race, according to his campaign spokesman, Jesse Benton, who yesterday said Paul would reevaluate after Super Tuesday and described Paul's quest for the White House as "not completely quixotic."

Paul had said earlier in the campaign that he would look at Super Tuesday as a gauge for his presence in the race. As long as the support and the fundraising remained, he said he would stay in it. Paul is over $5 million in fundraising this year.

But Paul was the only candidate not to host a party for supporters to rally after the Super Tuesday results. his campaign schedule is light in the near future. On Thursday Paul speaks to the conservative CPAC convention link: http://www.cpac.org/. He will stay in Washington for the rest of the week to vote in the House of Representatives and he has a rally for his Congressional campaign, being run concurrently with his Presidential one, scheduled in his hometown this weekend.

Today, Benton said Paul has no plans to drop out yet and looks forward to the Texas, his home state, where he ran second only to the departed candidacy of Rudy Giuliani in 4th quarter 2007 fundraising and hopes he will do well with the state's large military population. Paul gets more donations from military service members than any other candidate.

February 6, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

Paul Alleges Boondoggle on the Bayou

January 24, 2008 6:08 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf: Not too many people paid too much attention to the Louisiana Caucus on Wednesday. John McCain won and Ron Paul logged his second second place finish of the primarycaucus season after his showing at the Nevada caucus last Saturday.

For Paul, R-Tex., Louisiana is really more of a third place finish since finishing ahead of the winner, John McCain, was "uncommitted pro-life."

But the Paul campaign says they got second place and maybe should have gotten first.

In a statement this afternoon, they allege that Paul supporters were forced to file provisional ballots even when they were pre-registered as delegates for Paul and they accuse the Louisiana Republican party of changing the rules at the last minute.

Paul campaign statement:

The failure of the Louisiana GOP to properly determine who was and wasn't eligible to vote threw this entire process into disarray," said Ron Paul campaign manager Lew Moore. "The party needs to correct this mistake by counting all the votes immediately, and releasing the results."

Due to mistakes by the Louisiana GOP, hundreds of voters were forced to file provisional ballots, including nearly 500 that could change the outcome of the election. According to party officials, caucus locations relied on a voter list from November 1, 2007 despite the fact that under caucus rules, voters must have registered Republican by November 30, 2007.

In multiple instances, state-certified Ron Paul delegates that were on the ballot were forced to file a provisional ballot despite the fact they were pre-approved as delegates.

The Louisiana State GOP also changed the rules at the last minute to allow other candidates to file more delegates. At the time of the original January 10 deadline, Ron Paul had the largest number of delegates pledged to him. The party then changed the rules to give other candidates until January 12 to file more delegates.

It's a confusing process in Louisiana and a trip to the Louisiana Republican Party does not clear things up. They don't even assign numerical totals to show how big the gap between places one and two and three were. In fact, at the website, a statement from party chairman Roger Villere Jr. only says Paul "appear to have captured the next highest number of delegate positions."

But Villere did praise Paul's supporters for having dash.

"I applaud the supporters of Congressman Paul for their enthusiasm and superior organizational ability. Our Party needs the infusion of new activists who have both political skill and a passion for protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us by the Constitution," he said. "I left the caucus with a renewed commitment to promote our core Republican principles of limited government and individual freedom, thanks to the zeal displayed by Congressman Paul's Louisiana supporters," Villere says on the website.

According to the website, more than 10,000 Louisana Republicans met yesterday to elect delegates to their state convention. Those delegates, led by those currently lobbying for uncommitted, will ultimately award delegates to candidates for the Republican National Convention.

ABC News tried to speak to an official representative of the Louisiana Republican party, but the phone number listed on the website http://www.lagop.com rings busy.

January 24, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (288) | TrackBack (0)

Abortion Opponent "Roe" From Roe v. Wade Endorses Paul

January 21, 2008 4:49 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports:  It's not as well-known as his anti-war stance, but Ron Paul - an OB-GYN by trade - is also pro-life.

This is a fact he has highlighted in Republican early primaries as he has tried to sell his libertarian, anti-establishment ethos to the Republican rank and file.

He will get a boost at an event in Washington tomorrow when the "Roe" in the Roe v. Wade 1973 court case, Norma McCorvey, endorses his bid for the presidency.

McCorvey has famously changed her mind about abortion and now the woman whose court case created current abortion law crusades against the practice. Paul is McCorvey's current choice for President, but he was not her first.

Back when the Presidential campaign was getting going, before the summer, McCorvey endorsed Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. She even campaigned for him at the Iowa straw poll in August, which is an early test of a campaign's organization in that state.

At the outset of the 2008 campaign, Brownback was seen as the pro-life candidate of choice. But his star fell with the rise of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who eventually won in Iowa at the January caucus.

It's interesting that McCorvey is now going to go with Paul, although, with Brownback as evidence, don't expect her endorsement to turn the public tide in Paul's favor.

January 21, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (33) | TrackBack (0)

S.C. GOP Primary: Why McCain Won

January 19, 2008 9:33 PM

ABC News' Gary Langer Reports: A competitive showing among conservatives and mainline Republicans worked to Arizona Sen. John McCain's benefit in South Carolina, with his customary broad support from moderates and independents putting him over the top. His fellow veterans helped, as well.

But it was close: Big turnout among evangelicals and strong conservatives nearly tipped the day to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Indeed McCain didn't do much better in core Republican groups this year than in 2000. The difference was that last time these groups coalesced around his only opponent, George W. Bush, while this year they divided among a greater choice of candidates - Huckabee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Fred Thompson.

McCain won 30 percent of party regulars voting in the state, similar to his 26 percent in 2000; and he won 26 percent of conservatives, compared with his 29 percent in 2000. That was good enough to open the door; McCain closed it by easily winning moderates, with 47 percent to Mike Huckabee's 18 percent; and independents, 39-22 percent.

If all the conservatives and mainline Republicans who didn't support McCain had lined up behind a single alternative, he'd have had trouble – as happened in 2000, when Bush won six in 10 voters in both those core GOP groups. Their fragmentation this time made the difference.

Nonetheless, Huckabee ran evenly with McCain among mainline Republicans, and beat him by 2-1 among "very conservative" voters, who accounted for a third of the turnout, up from a quarter in 2000. Huckabee was strong among evangelicals - a big majority of voters, 59 percent - winning them by 40-27 percent over Romney. That was a bit softer than Huckabee's 46-19 percent win among evangelicals in Iowa (where they also accounted for 6 in 10 voters), but better for Huckabee than in Michigan, where he lost this group to Romney, and New Hampshire, where he split them with Romney and McCain.

Indeed the non-evangelical vote in South Carolina was more emphatically against Huckabee than the evangelical vote was for him. He won just 12 percent of non-evangelicals, to McCain's 40 percent, Romney's 21 percent and Thompson's 15.

McCain also was assisted by veterans; a quarter of voters (their customary turnout) they supported him over Huckabee by 37-26 percent; he and Huckabee split non-veterans, 30-29 percent. And McCain won by a substantial margin among senior citizens, while Huckabee did better with those under 40.

Huckabee won easily on the No. 1. candidate attribute, someone who "shares my values," with 45 percent support from people who called it tops in their vote, to Thompson's 19 percent and McCain's 14 percent. McCain came back very strongly among voters more concerned with experience, and narrowly beat Huckabee among voters most concerned with the candidate who "says what he believes."

A narrow majority of voters, 52 percent, said they cared most about their candidate's position on the issues rather than his personal qualities; and this group went to Huckabee over McCain by an 8-point margin. McCain came back with a 17-point margin among those more concerned about personal qualities. That made the difference - but it underscores how close the race was. On issues themselves, just one sharply differentiated the field: McCain won very widely among the nearly two in 10 who called the war in Iraq the top issue in their vote, 49-22 percent over Huckabee.

January 19, 2008 in Huckabee, Mike, McCain, John, Paul, Ron, Thompson, Fred, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Paul: Nevada Caucuses in Chaos, Should Be Postponed

January 18, 2008 4:10 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., argues tomorrow's Nevada GOP caucuses are in chaos, and is suggesting the Nevada State Republican Party postpone Saturday's caucuses until it can get its act together.

"The inconsistencies, errors and multiple changes in the rules reek of playing politics with the what should be a neutral process," said Paul's campaign manager Lew Moore in a press release sent to reporters Friday. 

"The people of Nevada deserve to know exactly what the rules are and to know that those rules are being fairly enforced.  This has not happened up to this point, and the caucus appears to be in chaos."

The Paul campaign argued many Nevada Republicans have received postcards with incorrect information about their caucus location, and suggested some counties have received an insufficient number of ballots.

"Given the caucus location confusion – with potential caucus participants not knowing where to go – and the new rule effectively allowing anyone to get a ballot, the Ron Paul campaign is concerned that the confusion surrounding the caucus will both disenfranchise voters and make the election particularly susceptible to vote fraud," says the Paul campaign press release.

January 18, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)

Despite Controversy, Paul Supporters Have a Dream

January 17, 2008 1:07 PM

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf Reports: The biggest -- really the only -- major controversy to embroil Ron Paul's spirited, grassroots and libertarian-minded campaign for the Republican presidential nomination arose last week when allegations of bigotry surfaced.

But you would never know it by judging how the Texas Congressman's supporters are plotting their latest fundraising explosion.

As voters in New Hampshire went to the polls and gave Paul 8-percent of their vote January 8th, a reporter for the New Republic reported on old newsletters he had unearthed.

Published with Paul's name on the masthead, unattributed writing in one newsletter spewed some vitriol in the direction of perhaps the most deified American of the last hundred years, civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,  who according to the newsletter, which Paul has now denounced, was a "world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours" and "seduced underage girls and boys."

Paul responded immediately to the New Republic story by distancing himself from passages in the newsletters from 1992 that argued against enshrining Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday.

"It's in there, it's bad, I recognize that, and I had a moral responsibility. But that doesn't mean you can indirectly charge me as being a racist," Paul told CNN's Wolf Blitzer of the newsletters.

"Everybody knows I'm not involved in that kind of language," he added, before disavowing the writing in the reports, which he says he often did not read.

"That's not my language. That's not my life," he said. "I honor and respect the civil right movement."

Paul compared himself to a publisher of the reports and asked Blitzer if publisher always know every word in their magazines.

But his supporters have gone a step further on a pair of new websites.

"Please join us this January 21st as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, by acting together to support Dr. Ron Paul, a new hero who fights for the same American principles of liberty and justice for all," reads a banner on the site.

Two previous websites helped raise half of Paul's nearly $20 million net for the last quarter of 2007.

Supporters commemorated November 5th, the so-called "Gunpowder Plot," a failed attempt in the 17th century by Guy Fawkes to blow up Parliament in England, by raising more than $4 million for Paul.

On December 15th, Paul supporters commemorated the Boston Tea Party at with yet another online fundraising drive hauling in more than $6 million.

January 17, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (55) | TrackBack (0)

Paul to Continue With "Grand Revolution"

January 09, 2008 12:31 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports from Constitution Street in Concord, N.H.: Results are not finalized, but Texas congressman and libertarian Republican dark horse Ron Paul appears to have gotten only 8 or so percent in the presidential primary here -- a poorer showing than last week, when Paul got 10 percent of the support at caucuses in Iowa. Paul finished fifth in both contests.

But Paul's supporters, 500 or more, at a rally in Concord Tuesday night, were anything but deterred.

In fact, where supporters in Iowa seemed disappointed by the finish, supporters in New Hampshire were deafening in the Grappone Conference Center, located on Constitution Street here.

"Let us wish every one of us well, and let us continue this grand revolution," Paul exclaimed to cheers and repeated chants of "Ron Paul!"

The crowd alternated from chants of "Ron Paul!" to "No more war!" to, at the point in his speech when he talked about U.S. monetary policy, "End the Fed!"

At that point, Paul, who seemed buoyant and energized at the rally, made the "raise the roof" motion with his arms.

Paul said early Tuesday that he would continue through Feb. 5, regardless of the outcome of the New Hampshire primary, though he also said he expected to improve his standing in the Republican field, a prediction that did not come true.

"I think February 5th certainly is a good target point, because the enthusiasm of the supporters, and the spontaneity of them sending money, means we have the cash to do that, and it would be disappointing if you just dropped out, even though they're voting support and contributing money, regardless, to continue the campaign. We're in pretty good shape to go through February 5th, so I think we'll continue," Paul said.

At the rally, he told his supporters not to be buoyed by the fact that the campaign, which has never caught traction in polls, despite strong online fundraising, has already, he argued, effected change in the presidential race.

"There is a significant change in tone. There's a change in the economy, already. There's a better understanding of monetary policy than there has been in a hundred years.

"Greater interest. And people are alert to it. Don't let your guard down. Be encouraged. Let everybody know. Go out and spread this message. We are diverse and different, we have something that brings us together… this is what's been so great about this campaign. We don't have one or two people in an office sending out directives. This has been truly a freedom-loving group that has done truly whatever they wanted," he said.

January 9, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)

Paul Campaign Responds to Bigotry Allegations

January 08, 2008 5:41 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: On the night of the New Hampshire primary, the New Republic is leading its website with a story entitled "Angry White Man: The Bigoted Past of Ron Paul."

The writer, James Kirchick, dug up copies of old newsletters published with regularity since 1978 and all with some iteration of Paul's name on the banner…."Ron Paul's Freedom Report," "Ron Paul Political Report" and "The Ron Paul Survival Report."

Some of the passages are quite shocking, attacking Martin Luther King, Jr. and several social and ethnic groups.

The campaign, which has been trying to appeal to Democrats and Independents on the strength of Paul's opposition to the Iraq war, issued a statement this afternoon disavowing Paul from the newsletters which bear his name.

But there is no denying that Paul's brand of Libertarianism reaches beyond the political mainstream. Speaking at the Liberty Forum conference in Nashua, N.H. yesterday, Paul took the stage after a speech from John Birch Society President John McManus.

In the article, Kirchick asserts that the older, pre-1999 newsletters, "reveal they are decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays. In short, they suggest that Ron Paul is not the plain-speaking antiwar activist his supporters believe they are backing--but rather a member in good standing of some of the oldest and ugliest traditions in American politics."

And, with copies he retrieved from the University of Kansas library and the Wisconsin historical society, Kirchick has some pretty damning quotes to back the assertion up.

Some of the newsletters are archived back to 1999 here.

Here are just two excerpts from the article on the treatment of African Americans in the older newsletters:

On Martin Luther King Jr.: Martin Luther King Jr. earned special ire from Paul's newsletters, which attacked the civil rights leader frequently, often to justify opposition to the federal holiday named after him.

"What an infamy Ronald Reagan approved it!" one newsletter complained in 1990. "We can thank him for our annual Hate Whitey Day."

In the early 1990s, a newsletter attacked the "X-Rated Martin Luther King" as a "world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours," "seduced underage girls and boys," and "made a pass at" fellow civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy. Another ridiculed black activists who wanted to rename New York City after King, suggesting that "Welfaria," "Zooville," "Rapetown," "Dirtburg," and "Lazyopolis" were better alternatives.

The same year, King was described in the newsletter as "a comsymp, if not an actual party member, and the man who replaced the evil of forced segregation with the evil of forced integration."

On the 1992 Los Angeles riots: "Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks three days after rioting began," reads one passage.

According to the newsletter, the looting was a natural byproduct of government indulging the black community with "'civil rights,' quotas, mandated hiring preferences, set-asides for government contracts, gerrymandered voting districts, black bureaucracies, black mayors, black curricula in schools, black TV shows, black TV anchors, hate crime laws, and public humiliation for anyone who dares question the black agenda."

It also denounced "the media" for believing that "America's number one need is an unlimited white checking account for underclass blacks."

To be fair, the newsletter did praise Asian merchants in L.A., but only because they had the gumption to resist political correctness and fight back. Koreans were "the only people to act like real Americans," it explained, "mainly because they have not yet been assimilated into our rotten liberal culture, which admonishes whites faced by raging blacks to lie back and think of England."

Gays and Jews don't fare much better. When the subject of the newsletters has come up in the past, as it did in a New York Times profile last year, the campaign has said Paul had a laisez-faire attitude to editing -- or even reading -- submissions to the newsletters published with his name on them.

His campaign, with its varied, raucous and sometimes crackpot supporters, is run the same way. But that does not change the fact that the newsletters include the words "Ron" and "Paul" in the title.

The Paul campaign issued a preemptive statement from the Republican Congressman from Texas, disavowing some of the more sensational passages:

"The quotations in The New Republic article are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts.

"In fact, I have always agreed with Martin Luther King, Jr. that we should only be concerned with the content of a person's character, not the color of their skin. As I stated on the floor of the U.S. House on April 20, 1999: ‘I rise in great respect for the courage and high ideals of Rosa Parks who stood steadfastly for the rights of individuals against unjust laws and oppressive governmental policies.

"This story is old news and has been rehashed for over a decade. It's once again being resurrected for obvious political reasons on the day of the New Hampshire primary.

"When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have public ally taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name."

January 8, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Ron Paul's Security Detail -- Kane From WWE

January 06, 2008 8:25 PM

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports from Nashua, N.H.: Ron Paul does not have a security detail. The closest thing is a retired customs inspector who acts as Paul's driver and body man on the road.

So, it was a little odd to see an enormous -- truly, a well-muscled giant -- standing behind Paul in a red polo shirt, and looking menacing when the Texas congressman was mobbed by supporters after a speech to a meeting of the Liberty Forum in Nashua, N.H., today.

Turns out, it was not an addition to the small cadre of family and staff that travel with Paul, but a new supporter: Glen Jacobs, aka "Kane" from the WWE.  Jacobs was appearing at the Liberty Forum, independent of Paul, but has endorsed the congressman's bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

Another featured speaker at the Liberty Forum today: John Birch Society president John McManus.

It is unclear if Kane, who has made a career of looking menacing, meant to do so today, but it appeared like it would hurt if he body slammed you as he lumbered behind Paul, among supporters.

Appearances can be deceiving, however. When asked by reporters earlier if he ended up campaigning for Paul, would he ask people for their vote "nicely?" Jacobs said that "Libertarians oppose the use of force, of course." Asked how that jives with his wrestling career, Kane said that it's different because, "You know, the other guy steps in the ring with you."

January 6, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

Paul on Leno Tomorrow

January 06, 2008 7:45 PM

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports from Manchester, N.H.: Being spurned by Fox News and excluded from their forum tonight may be the best thing that ever happened to the Ron Paul campaign.

He will appear Monday night on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to talk to millions about his exclusion from the Fox event, which will be seen by far fewer.

Paul, who raised more in primary contributions than any other candidate last quarter, with $19.7 million, is chartering a plane out of the Manchester airport in an hour to fly to Los Angeles for the interview.

After appearing on the "Tonight Show" on the eve of the Iowa caucus, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee scored a convincing win. The same was not true for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who appeared that night on "The Late Show with David Letterman." She placed third.

Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said the invitation from Leno came on Saturday, when it became clear Fox would not let Paul take part in their debate.

Paul also waged his own protest against Fox when he hired a production company to tape his own town hall forum, which aired live this evening, just before the Fox debate, on both a New Hampshire public access station and the Internet.

This will be the Texas congressman and retired OB-GYN's second trip to Burbank to sit on Jay's couch since Halloween.

January 6, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)

Independent like Paul or Maverick like McCain?

January 06, 2008 1:30 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports from Milford, New Hampshire: It can be electric to see Ron Paul speak to reporters. Infused by a whooping crowd, the grandfatherly Texas Congressman becomes energetic and dynamic as a speaker.

But Ron Paul was not speaking to supporters at a brunch Sunday morning sponsored by the New Hampshire GOP. He was speaking to Republicans. And the audience of several hundred did not seem moved by Paul's entreaty to disengage militarily from the rest of the world.

Several supporters applauded and cheered when Paul pointed out that the Republican Party has strayed from its roots of non-interventionism, pointing to the platform President Bush ran on in 2000.

But the majority of the room showed no emotion when Paul said, "We were critical of the Clinton foreign policy," Paul said. "What happened to us?" he asked of his fellow Republicans.

Paul argued, as he always does, that instead of invading countries, he wants to trade with them and have open dialogue. The room stayed primarily flat.

There was a tangible shift in the mood when Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was at the brunch to speak on behalf of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Graham used Paul as a foil for McCain, who won the Republican nomination here in 2000 before ultimately losing to Bush.

"I don't think it's arrogant to want to fight people who would kill every one of us if they had the chance," Graham said.

"You’re not gonna trade with al Qaeda," he said. "They don’t have anything you want, unless you’re in the market for a burkha."

McCain had flagged earlier in the campaign as the Presidential candidate most vocally supportive of President Bush’s strategy to "surge" more troops into Iraq last winter.

But with the security situation in Iraq improved with all those additional troops, McCain’s popularity is again on he upswing.

"Anybody brave enough to fight for the war in spite of the polls needs to be our next president," Graham thundered.

The room of local Republican politicians and leaders erupted.

For Paul, this is the conundrum of his campaign. He has gained a campaign war chest from online donations and has an army of young, dedicated, independent-minded volunteers.

They have plastered New Hampshire with "Ron Paul 2008" signs and seem omnipresent to reporters.

New Hampshire is supposed to be Paul’s strongest state. After a disappointing finish in Iowa caucus this week, Paul found solace in the fact that he had done well among what he called "independent-minded" Republicans. And in this state, where the motto is "Live Free or Die," his message, he hopes, will find traction.

But certain key issues, particularly on the war in Iraq, put him at such a distance from the rest of the field that one wonders what will happen next Tuesday, when in the anonymity of the voting booth, New Hampshire voters choose their candidate.

And McCain, for standing stubbornly in favor of the war when things at their worst in Iraq, can still lay claim to his own, if very different, mantle of independence now that things in Iraq are only bad.

The danger for Paul is that the independent-minded Republicans of New Hampshire will see Paul’s pledge to bring the troops home not as independence but as ignorance.

January 6, 2008 in McCain, John, Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (19) | TrackBack (0)

Spin Room Paul Says Talk of Inflation Is a "Bold Step" for Other Candidates

January 05, 2008 11:12 PM

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports: Ron Paul was the only Republican debate participant to personally grace the spin room at the ABC News / Facebook / WMUR debate (at least when this reporter was present). As such, he was mobbed by reporters and TV cameras, still photographers and radio microphones.

He seemed to relish the attention, and said, if nothing else, he has brought the field incrementally toward his way of thinking in some important respects.

"If you listen carefully, you hear some of the language out there of some of the things I have been talking about," Paul said. A reporter asked him about the sniggers that seemed to bubble up around him from other candidates during the debate, when he talked about the gold standard.

"Well, I have a little more educating to do on that," Paul said. "They talk now about inflation. That was a great step, but they have to understand that it is the falling dollar that is the inflation. So, they've taken one bold step, and I think they're understanding that better," he argued. "But the American people understand it, the crowds I talk to understand it, but you have to go back to what I said about [how] the price of oil is steady in the last ten years, in terms of gold, and if gold were money, the price would not have gone up."

Despite any baby steps Paul sees in campaign rhetoric, there remain enormous differences between his pure, libertarian-style Republicanism, and every other candidate.

"It's not me being disconnected from our colleagues as much as it is them being disconnected from our platform," he said, starting to spin (metaphorically).

One thing he does not have to spin is how long he can stay In the race.

"I am in it as long as my supporters want me to be in it, and they finance the campaign, and they do that all spontaneously," he said, not overtly mentioning the $20 million his supporters donated in the final quarter of 2007, but making it clear he has political capital in a very literal sense.

"Their enthusiasm is growing every day, so now we just have to get FOX to let me in their debate so I can get that message out," he said, overtly alluding to a FOX News forum to be held here in New Hampshire tomorrow. Paul has been excluded for not polling at 10 percent support among Republicans, nationally.

Instead, he'll pay to produce a live town hall meeting of his own on public access in New Hampshire and the Internet worldwide.

January 5, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (92) | TrackBack (0)

New Hampshire GOP Ditches FOX Over Paul and Hunter Diss

January 05, 2008 4:44 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: The New Hampshire Republican Party is officially withdrawing itself as a sponsor of the FOX News Forum Sunday in New Hampshire.

Party leaders object to the network's exclusion of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex. -- who received 10 percent of the votes at the Iowa caucuses, and Duncan Hunter, who received none.

They had called earlier in the week for FOX to change its criteria and include Paul and Hunter.
Hunter does not register on national polls, but Paul does have support in the single digits.

Paul is expecting to do better in New Hampshire, where voters pride themselves on their independence.
"The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary serves a national purpose by giving all candidates an equal opportunity on a level playing field.

Only in New Hampshire do lesser known, lesser funded underdogs have a fighting chance to establish themselves as national figures," said New Hampshire Party Chairman Fergus Cullen in a written statement posted on the party's website and circulated to reporters  by the Paul campaign.

"Consistent with that tradition," Cullen said, "we believe all recognized major candidates should have an equal opportunity to participate in pre-primary debates and forums."

"This principle applies to tonight's debates on ABC as well as Sunday's planned forum on FOX. The New Hampshire Republican Party believes Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be included in the FOX forum on Sunday evening. Our mutual efforts to resolve this difference have failed."

"While we understand that FOX News continues to move forward it is with regret, the New Hampshire Republican Party hereby withdraws as a partner in this forum."

Paul's campaign spokesman applauded the move.

"The New Hampshire Republican Party did the right thing by pulling its sponsorship for Fox’s candidate forum," said Ron Paul 2008 spokesman Jesse Benton. "Fox News' decision to exclude Congressman Paul is unfair, but it won't stop Dr. Paul's message of freedom, peace and prosperity from resonating with the people of New Hampshire."

January 5, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (22) | TrackBack (0)

Paul Buys Media Time in Primary States, Campaigns in New Hampshire

January 04, 2008 10:26 PM

ABC News'  Z. Byron Wolf reports: Texas Rep. Ron Paul must have been a bit frustrated with his fifth-place finish at the Iowa Republican Caucus Thursday, but his campaign is showing no sign of slowing down.

Today he announced a media blitz throughout  the early primary states. For starters, Paul will air a new ad in New Hampshire to cast his opposition to the war in Iraq as support for the troops. Based on similar ads he ran in Iowa, the New Hampshire ad points to a study earlier in the campaign cycle that found members of the military gave more campaign contributions to Paul than any other Republican candidate.

In South Carolina, Paul will buy time for an ad called "Defender of Freedom."

“He defends our freedom, and his record shows it… Ron Paul," intones a narrator. “Answering our country’s call, Ron Paul became a flight surgeon in the Air Force. As a doctor, Ron Paul delivered over 4,000 babies and is a leading defender of life. In Congress, Ron Paul never voted to raise taxes, never voted for an unbalanced budget, never voted to restrict gun rights or raise congressional pay. Protecting our God-given freedom… Ron Paul for President," it ends.

The ads seem tailored to the early primary states where war supporters like Arizona Sen. John McCain appear to be doing well and to make Paul more attractive to traditional Republican voters.
Paul bought radio advertising in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Maine and North Dakota in anticipation of the states’ upcoming primaries and caucuses.

When Paul appeared tonight on a PBS program hosted by Bill Moyers  the  different tone was evident in his message. As a strict Constitutionalist, Paul has been dubbed "Dr. No" in Congress for opposing most legislation. When Moyers read a Chicago Tribune article that characterized Paul as saying "No to the federal reserve, No to the IRS…" and a litany of other federal or federally appointed agencies, Paul did not immediately agree. "I think all those no's could be viewed as yeses," Paul said. "Yes to freedom and yes to sound money."

He will round out the week in New Hampshire, campaigning in the "Live Free or Die" state, which his campaign hopes will be a redoubt of libertarian-minded Republicans.

Paul will take part in an ABC-sponsored debate on Saturday, but may be excluded from a FOX debate on Sunday. Plans to counter Fox's exclusion by purchasing an hour of TV time on a rival local affiliate in New Hampshire seem to have hit a snag; campaign staffers said the affiliate would not allow them to broadcast live, so they may be forced to put their forum on a public access channel and the Internet instead. But they would attempt to buy newspaper and radio ads to attract interest for it.

January 4, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (28) | TrackBack (0)

Paul Aims for Better Days in New Hampshire

January 04, 2008 12:54 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Despite a disappointing 5th place finish in the Iowa caucuses, Ron Paul told supporters at a rally Thursday night that he would carry forth with his campaign.

"We are individuals who believe in this country, who believe in the Constitution and we are not going to let it die," he said.

"This is not the end, this is the beginning," Paul declared to a raucous if smaller than expected group of supporters who gathered at the Marriott hotel in downtown Des Moines.

Paul clung to his victory in the caucus voting over former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who while he did not campaign in Iowa, has long been polling nationally as the Republican frontrunner.

Giuliani has lost ground in recent months to competitors like former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who won tonight in Iowa, and Arizona Senator John McCain, who got 13 percent of Republican votes in Iowa despite light campaigning in the state.

"I know we didn't come in at the bottom and I know that we beat that Giuliani guy," Paul said.

"Even with a lot of money and establishment credentials we the people who care abut the country and care about the constitution can win," he said to cheers from his supporters.

Paul's message of limited government, strict adherence to the text of the Constitution and a laissez faire foreign policy has never resounded in polls, but has garnered him a spirited following of supporters, who donated nearly $20 million to Paul in the 4th quarter of 2007, more than any other candidate, Republican or Democrat, raised for the primary in that quarter.

"We are et up to go through February 5th and that is half the states in the country," he said. And he indicated the campaign could fare better in New Hampshire, where primary voters make their choice next week.

"Among independent-minded people we came in first tonight," Paul said. And half the people in New Hampshire are independent-minded."

Paul will head straight to New Hampshire after a pit stop in New York to record an interview with Bill Moyers.

January 4, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (69) | TrackBack (0)

Paul Party: Loud Band, Quiet Room

January 03, 2008 9:28 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Results are not final, but with news organizations predicting Huckabee the winner, things are dismal and largely empty at the Ron Paul party at the Marriott in downtown Des Moines.

A local country band called Justice is playing loud music to an otherwise very quiet room.

A waste of the open bar if you were wondering where some of that $20 million is going.

Paul himself had scrambled to a large caucus site in Waterloo where both he and Huckabee were set to make final pleas to Republican caucus goers. He will be late to his own party as a result.

But the night is young and supporters hope he can gain some ground on Republicans John McCain and Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani, all clustered in the low double-digits with 41 percent reporting. The goal at this point is to finish closer to Huckabee.

January 3, 2008 in Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Paul: The Ground Game in Iowa

January 03, 2008 4:01 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: GOP campaigns are converging on Central Middle School in Waterloo, Iowa. Campaign staffers from Ron Paul's camp thinks this will be where they have their best shot to mount an upset victory or good showing in tonight's Iowa Caucus.

In Waterloo, 63 voting precinct meet at the school, more specifically this is about 2,000 caucus votes. Paul's Iowa staff believe they have strong support in Waterloo, which is not far from Cedar Rapids. Plus, they believe that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, though surging in Iowa, is weak there and may make an appearance at the caucus site to drum up support.

Paul, who had planned to spend the day in Des Moines and speak at some caucus sites just outside the city before heading back to his hotel, has chartered a plane to fly to Waterloo and dispatched volunteers up the highway in cars to answer whatever pitch Huckabee makes to the caucus-goers. Members of the Romney family are also expected to speak.

UPDATE at 4:51pm: The Paul campaign has reported they are having plane issues again. They'll drive the good doctor (as fast as possible without violating any Iowa state speed restrictions) the 120 miles from Des Moines up to Waterloo. This proves how important the campaign believe the Waterloo caucus is. However, Paul will be late for his caucus return party.

January 3, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Paul, Stephanopoulos and 'The Bet'

January 03, 2008 7:20 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: ABC News' George Stephanopoulos is still probably safe. At least his money is. But perhaps not as safe as he thought it was when he bet Ron Paul all the money in his pocket this summer that Paul would lose the Presidential election.

Watch Video of George Stephanopoulos betting Ron Paul HERE.

Since then, Paul has not skyrocketed in the polls, but he has become a fundraising phenom and gained a loyal following of supporters.

Paul's wife Carol was more than happy to make Stephanopoulos sweat (good-naturedly) when she and her husband ran into the This Week anchor in the basement of the convention center in Des Moines.

GS: How's it goin?
Carol Paul: I can't wait til he bet all the money…
GS -- I'm just glad I didn't have any money in my pocket. Yeah, well it was great television. Great for you. A million Youtube hits. Great for me.

Paul: You're on our list. You're on the list. Our supporters, they put you on it. And we only have ten million.

January 3, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (33) | TrackBack (0)

With Debate Snub Looming, Will Paul Fund His Own TV Forum?

January 02, 2008 4:18 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports:  What to do if you are Ron Paul and Fox News excludes you from its debate in New Hampshire?

You buy an hour of TV time on a rival network's New Hampshire affiliate for either just before or during the forum, that's what.

Ron Paul does not have double digit support in national or New Hampshire polls, and that is probably going to cost him a slot in a Fox News forum in New Hampshire on Sunday, January 6th -- one day after the ABC/Facebook debate cosponsored by ABC affiliate WMUR.

But while he lacks poll support, Paul has campaign coin in spades after raising nearly $20 million last quarter.

Spokesman Jesse Benton said the campaign has the money both to produce and air an hour-long town hall forum, and says they like the idea so much they might do it even if Fox eventually relents and includes Paul in the debate.

Benton said Fox News has not been returning phone cal