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RON PAUL IN IT TO WIN IT
Won’t abandon GOP voters, supporters; wants more people to join his efforts
By Mark Anderson
HOUSTON—As his campaign forges ahead—amid media reports that try to list him in the political “obituaries” column—Ron Paul has accepted an invitation to a major presidential summit-debate in Texas, dispelling rumors that he has dropped out of the race.
Paul campaign spokesman Patrick Semmens confirmed on Feb. 11 that Paul is still a presidential candidate. He dismissed media reports that, because Paul also is running to retain his Texas congressional seat as a contingency plan, he will quit the presidential campaign.
Paul has said he will remain in the contest through the Republican convention but will not run as an independent. Throngs of patriots are urging him to run as a third-party candidate, if denied the nomination, so millions more Americans can be educated on the Constitution.
“With (Mitt) Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero,” Paul said, “But that 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. But, with so many primaries and caucuses now over, we do not now need so big a national campaign staff.”
So, Paul said, he would beef up his staff for his House reelection campaign.
“As long as there is still enthusiasm and more support and donations, he plans on sticking with it,” Semmens told AFP. Paul does not want to leave
Republican voters without a constitutionalist presidential candidate, he said.
AFP was in Austin, where hundreds vowed “Ron Paul for the Long Haul.” Paul’s eldest son, Ronnie, was there. He showed no sign of retreat.
More than 2,000 people jammed a Lake Jackson, Tex. rally Feb. 10 attended by Paul himself, according to Chad Creighton, a member of a large Houston Ron Paul Meetup group, who told AFP that the Lake Jackson 
Creighton and his Meetup associates will be out in force between now and the day of the summit/debate, when they will converge on the debate location in downtown Houston to make sure the media know that Paul’s supporters are more determined than ever.
Meanwhile, early voting is taking place, starting Feb. 19, in precincts across Texas in anticipation of the important March 4 open primary. On Feb. 28, MSNBC will conduct a nationally televised “Presidential Summit” at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Separate debates between candidates from both parties will be moderated
by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and Meet the Press host Tim Russert. The Greater Houston Partnership is hosting the event.
On the Republican side, all three remaining candidates—Paul, Sen. John McCain and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee—have been invited. The two remaining Democrats, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, were also invited.
An AFP writer will cover the debate and ask reporters from around the world their views on how the American media is handling this unusual presidential race. Virtually no questions have been asked of Mrs. Clinton about her illegal health care task force held behind closed doors when she was First Lady, among other serious scandals that sprang up during her husband Bill’s reign. Nor have the big American media asked McCain about his record—such as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill that critics insist infringes on freedom of political speech during elections.
Rep. Paul—dubbed the “long shot” and “underdog” by a media that often tries to predetermine his status rather than report it—is expected to fight hard in his home state at this critical juncture. Starting at 10 a.m. and running all day on Feb. 28, there is a forum at the Convention Center on energy issues that includes a number of oil company executives.
Accordingly, the debate will focus on energy issues and how they tie into national security. This is important in an oil town like Houston. AFP will work with those who monitor voting in Texas, focusing on at least one precinct to look for irregularities. Early voting here runs Feb. 19-29. There
are 140 delegates at stake in Texas.
Mark Anderson is the author of The Ron Paul Revolution, AFP’s special report we are encouraging everyone to distribute. For more on how you can help Ron Paul get elected, click here.
(Issue #8, February 25, 2008)
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