MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 2, 2008
Ron Paul’s Counter Convention
CBSNews.com Reports: As Republicans Gathered At The RNC In Minnesota, The Faithful Rallied Around Their Own Saint Paul
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Ron Paul supporters outside the "Rally For The Republic," Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sept. 2, 2008. (CBS/Brian Montopoli)
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In-Depth GOP Convention Center Latest news and video from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
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Photos Convention Clicks Snapshots from the podium, the floor and host cities.
It was, Ron Paul allows, “a bit of a slight.”
Until this year, the longtime Texas Congressman and former presidential candidate has had no problem getting floor passes to the Republican National Convention. This time around, he said, all he could get was a “second class” pass. He was only allowed on the convention floor, he was told, with a chaperone; he could bring no staff with him; and when he left the hall, his credentials would be taken away.
As for a speaking slot - something traditionally offered to candidates who garnered support during the presidential primary - Paul said simply, “that wasn’t available to us.”
Not that Paul didn’t have other plans. On Tuesday, as Republican delegates gathered for the second night of the RNC in St. Paul, the Libertarian-leaning congressman was holding court at the Target Center in nearby Minneapolis, the 15,000-plus capacity home of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Paul faithful had gathered in Minneapolis for the “Rally For The Republic,” an effort to call the GOP “back to its roots.”
“I would only travel for him or my immediate family,” said Nancy Zverev, who had come to Minneapolis from Poughkeepsie, New York. “Ron Paul cured my apathy.”
Paul’s platform revolves around limited government, fiscal responsibility, and protection of individual liberties; he opposes the war in Iraq, wants the Patriot Act repealed, and says parents should be allowed to decide on how their children are schooled. At a morning press conference, Paul said he organized the rally “to satisfy the enthusiasm that was built for the message” during the Republican primary, when he attracted a relatively small but extremely fervent following of supporters disenchanted with the current Republican Party.
Many of those supporters are young men. Seventeen-year-old Conor Deloach, who traveled to the rally from Washington DC, said he wanted to see Republicans return to Constitutional ideals.
“The economic stimulus checks, I thought it was ridiculous,” said Deloach. “And the Republican Party came up with that idea?”
The John McCain campaign has reportedly been in talks with Paul for his backing; the campaign does not want Paul’s supporters, who showed unprecedented fundraising prowess during the GOP primaries, to line up behind Bob Barr, the former Georgia Congressman and current Libertarian presidential candidate. (Paul’s fundraising list, the Washington Times reports, runs to 180,000 people.)
At his press conference Tuesday, Paul said he didn’t “foresee giving any marching orders to the supporters.” He had kind words for Barr and Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin, and said he was not urging his delegates to back McCain.
Rick Michael, a history teacher from Virginia, is both a Paul supporter and an RNC delegate. He said he would support the Republican nominee in the general election - though, he noted, McCain’s selection of his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, “made it a lot easier to do that.”
Michael’s first allegiance, however, was clearly to the man he supported in the primary.
“If you look at what he said in 1988, it’s the same thing today as it was back then,” Michael said of Paul. “And there are so few politicians that are like that.”
Springfield, Missouri’s Charity Davis brought her four small children to the rally dressed in Colonial-era garb in an effort to illustrate her support for Paul’s call to a return to Constitutional ideals.
“We’re a very Constitutional family,” Davis said. “We home school our kids. The Constitution’s a part of our curriculum.” Davis, a self-described lifelong Republican, said she hadn’t decided who to support in November. What she did know, she said, was that it wouldn’t be McCain or Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
Political commentator Tucker Carlson, who introduced the event, said before he went onstage that he was drawn to Paul in part because of the congressman’s willingness to support other people’s choices even if he does not agree with them. Carlson pointed to Paul’s backing of responsible marijuana use - despite his personal avoidance of the drug - as an example.
“I just felt like, you know, I truly admire that,” Carlson said.
The Paul faithful became most enthusiastic when speakers railed against those things that many in the Libertarian-leaning crowd opposed, some of them obscure: The Lisbon Agreement, the North American Union, a National ID Card. (The last prompted cheers of “No ID.”) When the Constitution Party’s Howard Phillips mentioned ending US involvement in the United Nations, he got a huge cheer from the crowd; when he lauded Paul’s proposal to abolish the Federal Reserve, he got an even bigger one.
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura was one of the featured speakers at the rally; he got an enthusiastic response with a defense of the second amendment based on the notion that it is needed so that “if the government gets out of control…we have the ability to rise up and change it.” When Ventura questioned why Osama bin Laden has not been charged in the 9/11 attacks, some in the crowd chanted “inside job.”
Shortly before Paul went onstage, members of the audience were told there were about 500 seats newly available on the Target Center floor because the RNC delegates who had been in attendance had to go over to the Xcel center; at the Xcel center, meanwhile, floor organizers said their biggest task that evening was to keep Paul’s supporters from making a ruckus during speeches from more mainstream Republicans.
When Paul appeared at the podium after a long day of speakers, he was greeted with rapturous applause from the faithful; near the start of his remarks, he noted that he had said during the primary campaign that he wanted to be president because he didn’t want to run people’s lives, run the economy, or run the world.
“They said that sounds like a weak president,” he said. “I said, ‘well, I don’t think so.’”
“There’s an urgency in what we do, because we are carrying the banner, and we must act,” Paul said later, not long after his mention of the RNC prompted boos. “Once you become knowledgeable, you have an obligation to do something about it.”
“An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped by any army or any government,” he added.
At the morning press conference, Paul addressed the lingering question of the day: Whether Tuesday’s rally marked the culmination of a brief, if passionate, movement, or if it would ultimately be seen as one milestone in an effort that would last long after the 2008 campaign.
“If we’re worth our salt, and the philosophy is worth anything, and we are truly talking about revolutionary changes, this momentum will continue,” Paul said, “and we have a greater presence and a greater voice, not only in the Republican Party but in the policies of this country.”
By Brian Montopoli
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Add a Comment See all 89 Comments
- If Ron Paul is indeed a reactionary Republican (wanting to turn the clock back to 1915) his supporters would still be better off voting for McCain. Paul is not going to get even one electoral vote if he chooses to stand. If he splits the Republican vote he will help to elect Obama.
That means going against traditional Republican values - Obama would deliver an interventionist rather than a strict interpretation supreme court, more taxes and more regulation of people''s daily lives.
Paul''s people will have to decide if an isolationist foreign policy is worth the other sacrifices. - Reply to this comment
- Thank you for covering this. I was thoroughly impressed and will now CAMPAIGN for LIBERTY!!!!
- Reply to this comment
- McCain''s choice of Palin proves him incompetent and reckless. McCain had only met with Palin one time before he chose her to be his running mate. His staff had not vetted her. And yet he chose her to be a 72-76 year old heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States of America. McCain''s poor judgement mirrors that of Bush''s. Palin (and all republicans), continue to give big oil ownership of America, your wallet, and eventually your mortgage. Not to mention the fact that conservative republicans despise the Constitution of the United States, (not that Americans really care about small details like that - their main concern is being able to afford milk right now.)
- Reply to this comment
- McSame is going to wish he vetted her.
In a February interview with MTV, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin lavished praise on maverick Republican presidential contender Ron Paul.
She had a few nice things to say about another GOP candidate, Mitt Romney. But Palin made no mention of John McCain.
By the way she showed better judgement than McCain did supporting her. Ron Paul is 10 times the man McShame ever will be. - Reply to this comment
- Soooooo...Joe (which party?) Leiberman will be speaking at the RNC, but life-long Republican Ron Paul can barely get in the door?
To whom these days, does party loyalty apply?
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I agree in principle with this post. Only you mispronounced/mis-spelled Joe''s last name, it''s Liarmann.
I have to admit I like Ron Paul an anti-Iraq war Concervative. Great combo. - Reply to this comment
- There one was a man from Nantucket
Who tried to sell me a bucket
But he coulnt because there were too many laws
So he threw up his hands and said... VOTE LIBERTARIAN!
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I really like Ron Paul. He would get my vote. - Reply to this comment
- Those who don''t understand are laughing right now. And that''s exactly what the government wants them to do at this "ridiculous idea"- laugh and go back to life as if there were nothing to worry about. They''ll be the ones that they herd onto trains. Afterall, they are sheep.
- Reply to this comment
- Imagine the anarchy as millions of Americans, whose currency is now worthless as a result, riot in the streets, form regional mafia gangs with warlords, and fight to control all within their turf, and against each other as more than one emerges to try to become the leader.
Posted by brianbwb
Thank you for the clarification. Three years it is. All the more reason to accept it and prepare now. It is inevitable, McSame or Obama, both of them and all their piglets will shoot to kill when they don''t get what they want. - Reply to this comment
- Twenty years? My friend, If McSame is elected, and decides to expand military hostilities in the Middle East, we will see the dollar''''s value plummet to fractions of a current cent. The Chinese, who have a herd instinct you won''''t believe, will dump the dollar to cut the losses on their US debt holdings, pushing the dollar down to where even Opec will have no choice but to switch currencies.
Since the only reason the US$ has any value at all is because Nixon persuaded Opec to accept only dollars in payment for their oil. Once Opec switches to the Euro, the US dollar will become worthless within days.
Imagine the anarchy as millions of Americans, whose currency is now worthless as a result, riot in the streets, form regional mafia gangs with warlords, and fight to control all within their turf, and against each other as more than one emerges to try to become the leader.
No they won''''t be starving in the gutter in twenty years, as they will have been dead for at least seventeen.
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Posted by brianbwb at 02:42 PM : Sep 03, 2008
Thank you. Wake up people. Does the word Amero mean anything to anyone? - Reply to this comment
- Soooooo...Joe (which party?) Leiberman will be speaking at the RNC, but life-long Republican Ron Paul can barely get in the door?
To whom these days, does party loyalty apply? - Reply to this comment
- "We can only hope some of these political old people will realize the truth before they are starving in the gutter in twenty years. They had their chance. In 2008 they can read where the economy is going, can''''t they?"
Posted by Dan9111
Twenty years? My friend, If McSame is elected, and decides to expand military hostilities in the Middle East, we will see the dollar''s value plummet to fractions of a current cent. The Chinese, who have a herd instinct you won''t believe, will dump the dollar to cut the losses on their US debt holdings, pushing the dollar down to where even Opec will have no choice but to switch currencies.
Since the only reason the US$ has any value at all is because Nixon persuaded Opec to accept only dollars in payment for their oil. Once Opec switches to the Euro, the US dollar will become worthless within days.
Imagine the anarchy as millions of Americans, whose currency is now worthless as a result, riot in the streets, form regional mafia gangs with warlords, and fight to control all within their turf, and against each other as more than one emerges to try to become the leader.
No they won''t be starving in the gutter in twenty years, as they will have been dead for at least seventeen. - Reply to this comment
- Ron Paul the Republican Congressmen form Texas was not allowed to speak and ignored by the media. And you right wingers call this mess a DEMOCRACY. You can''t stand the truth and run to your wars when someone with some sense stands up.
- Reply to this comment
- GO RON PAUL................The best candidate out there.
When are the sheep going to wake up ??????????????????? - Reply to this comment
- I doubt that even Paul, Barr, or anyone else can resist taking the healthier of the two choices, so the real task if we are to survive as a country, is to wipe out the corrupt politicians and those who bribe them, and voting it out won''''t get the job done.
Posted by brianbwb
Excellent. Voting won''t just fail. It is counter-productive. To vote is to condone murder. When all of the candidates (except Paul) are keen on threatening or killing somebody, to participate is to make yourself responsible for their rampage.
We can only hope some of these political old people will realize the truth before they are starving in the gutter in twenty years. They had their chance. In 2008 they can read where the economy is going, can''t they? - Reply to this comment
- brianbwb, It''s good to know that there are others out there who know the truth. I feel that our only hope is a revolution with the help of Dr. Paul. JFK tried to warn us, but our country of sheep was and still is blind for the most part.
- Reply to this comment
- "Ron Paul is not a real republican so I applaud the RNC for shutiing this wack job up." Posted by gop_forever
When your memory is as long as mine, you will understand that not only is Paul closer to the traditional Republican, at one time those same positions would have qualified him as a Democrat.
It is actually the Democrat and Republican parties that have abandoned the concept of public service, and traded it for service by the public.
The saddest part is that no matter how good your intentions, there is enough corruption money out there to buy you off, and if you don''t even less can have your family killed, JFK and RFK bing prime examples.
I doubt that even Paul, Barr, or anyone else can resist taking the healthier of the two choices, so the real task if we are to survive as a country, is to wipe out the corrupt politicians and those who bribe them, and voting it out won''t get the job done. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by Imnotsur at 01:46 PM : Sep 03, 2008
ummm nancy,,,
of the keating 5,,, three were DEMONIC-RATS and were all found GUILTY,,,
two were GOP and were not found guilty,,,
GOT IT,,, - Reply to this comment
- Posted by fedupwithit1 at 01:14 PM : Sep 03, 2008
ummmm nancy,,,
it was DEMONIC-RAT bill,,,
and the GOP blocked it,,,
GOT IT,,, - Reply to this comment
- I saw in a comment that Mccain was honest....hummmmm
so quickly we forget
Did everyone forget the famous Keating 5 ? - Reply to this comment
- "Good question." Posted by likeitis5050
An even better one is why, when the Independents and Libertarian positions are more often in sync with the Democrat positions on the same subJects (see list below) are they only interested to speak at the RNC, and not both, as both parties have views that can be shared?
It seems that the ultra right wing extremist members are still a disproportionately prominent influence in the agenda. - Reply to this comment
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