After careful analysis of the available data, we are convinced that separating our grassroots website from RonPaul.com would be counterproductive. There are literally hundreds of thousands of inbound links directed to specific articles, videos and blog posts at RonPaul.com that would all be misdirected if you put up a new website at the domain.
Also, we have many email addresses, social media accounts, t-shirt designs etc. linked to the domain (in particular the popular Facebook page “RonPaul.com”) that we would have to change or abandon. In short, such an abrupt change would lead to chaos on the Internet and - at least temporarily - disrupt the message of liberty.
To avoid these complications we’d like to offer you an alternative domain name, RonPaul.org, for your new website at no cost whatsoever. Please don’t use a monstrosity such as “RonPaulsHomePage.com” as is being speculated on the forums. RonPaul.org is an attractive, high quality alternative, and it won’t cost you anything. (Other than the annual renewal fee; all domains have to be renewed each year and that costs about $10 per year.)
If you do insist on obtaining RonPaul.com (it is the best Ron Paul related domain name), we could relocate our grassroots site elsewhere and sell you the domain name at its current market price of $250,000. That would include a copy of our 170,000 strong RonPaul.com email list; these supporters proactively signed up for our email updates, they expect and welcome frequent communications, and they are completely “untapped” in terms of donations. This means that you (and/or Campaign for Liberty) could easily make back the purchase price in a matter of days. Only you can put this list to its best possible use, which is why we’d include it as a free bonus with RonPaul.com.
It’s worth noting that Paul hadn’t registered the domains in 2008, which is why the fans who built the current site bought them instead. Considering that they would’ve arguably been more valuable when he was running for president, it’s strange that he wants them now. What’s crazier about this situation — that his supporters are trying to charge him $250,000 to ensure some T-shirts don’t have broken links or that Paul, who generally is anti-government-intervention, is trying to get the UN involved?
Yes, he can! After failing to win the hearts of Republican primary voters, former New Mexico GovernorGary Johnson will appear as the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate on 47 states’ ballots this year. While we feel confident that Johnson won’t win the presidency, it’s not unfeasible that he could have an effect on the outcome. As Politico points out, 2008 Libertarian candidate Bob Barr received over 25,000 votes in North Carolina last cycle. John McCain lost the state by less than 15,000. (Photo credit: AP).
If you’re trying to win a presidential campaign and put on a show, you shouldn’t poke a sharp stick in the eye of conservative activists. That’s what happened.Dudley Brown, Colorado GOP delegate • Speaking on a feud between Ron Paul supporters and the rules committee at the Republican National Convention. Basically, one of the key methods the Paul campaign used to try to stay relevant in the race was to try to elect more of their own supporters as delegates, after the conclusion of a state’s vote. If this seems strange, you might not be alone in thinking so – the allegiances of the delegates weren’t actually bound to the outcome of the vote. There’s two ways to look at this, which encapsulate the fight between Paul’s backers and the party writ large. The first is that voters likely do believe that their primary vote has an iron-clad impact on who their state votes to nominate, and that to do otherwise is less truly democratic. The other view, which Paul supporters are understandably motivated by, is that the newly approved rules (which would indeed bind delegates to the primary vote) will make it much harder for long-shot candidates like their own, in the midst of a two-party system that already leaves those odds in the near-impossible range. source (via • follow)
It wouldn’t be my speech. That would undo everything I’ve done in the last 30 years. I don’t fully endorse him for president.Rep. Ron Paul • Explaining why, despite being given an opportunity to do so, he’s chosen to avoid speaking at the Republican National Convention. Paul would’ve been given the opportunity to speak as long as his words were a) vetted by Romney and b) in endorsement of the Republican nominee. No dice. Instead, Paul held an event of his own Sunday, bringing the true believers down to the University of South Florida to hear Paul’s final presidential campaign speech. This is likely Paul’s last big hurrah as an elected official — having just turned 77, he retires from Congress in January — but he leaves an army of supporters behind.
If they’re not willing to say that — that’s their prerogative — but clearly they’re not Mitt Romney delegates.A national Republican Party leader • Discussing an issue with Republican delegates in Massachusetts — sixteen Ron Paul backers who defeated Mitt Romney’s picks — who were disqualified after failing to file affidavits pledging their support to Romney. The delegates say the affidavits were a ploy, and they were received the forms less than a week before the set deadline. Republican leaders are reportedly concerned that the Paul-supporting delegates may cause trouble at the Tampa convention next month. Paul has officially stopped campaigning, but his supporters hope to make their presence known at the convention.
House Resolution 6134, also known as theThe Truth in Trials Act, was introduced Tuesday by Representative Sam Farr on behalf of himself and 18 other congressmen. The bill aims to overturn existing federal regulations which prevent medical marijuana patients from discussing state law, and their compliance with it, during federal prosecution of marijuana-related offenses. It also aims to crack down on federal raids of dispensaries and caregivers by declaring that “No plant may be seized under any federal law otherwise permitting such seizure if the plant is being grown or stored pursuant to a recommendation by a physician or an order of a state or municipal agency in accordance with state law.” (Photo via Dank Depot) source
Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future.
Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted. Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have. I encourage all supporters of Liberty to make sure you get to the polls and make your voices heard, particularly in the local, state, and Congressional elections, where so many defenders of Freedom are fighting and need your support.
This is not a total campaign suspension, because Paul’s actually had some success lately with the state convention strategy, stealing away some of Mitt Romney’s delegates in multiple states. And clearly he has to stay in the race at least until the Ron Paul video game comes out.
“The Paul folks couldn’t get their people turned out for the caucus,” said veteran Nevada political columnist Jon Ralston. “But they outmaneuvered the Nevada Romney people ever since and dominated the county conventions and this is the inevitable result. The question remains: To what end?”
Nevada delegates are bound by the state’s results on the first convention ballot, so Romney will still get their support. Paul’s Nevada supporters are not challenging that rule, for fear of losing their convention seats altogether. Delegates who abstain will be replaced with alternates.
But some Paul supporters are hoping for a brokered convention, at which they could back Paul on subsequent ballots. Given Romney’s massive delegate lead, that’s highly unlikely. At the very least, they can vocally cheer for their preferred nominee and pressure the party to give Paul a bigger voice.
Paul supporters, which pulled off a trick in Maine, won 22 of Nevada’s 25 delegates, whether or not they actually vote for Paul.
In a follow-up to our post from this morning, we should point out that nearly all of Maine’s delegates are going to Ron Paul supporters. 21 of 24, to be exact. In other news, this guy has a really awesome jacket — and a pretty cool mustache to boot. (photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
» Should Mitt be worried? Clearly, Paul’s attempt at building a campaign is a bit unorthodox — he only has 80 delegates, but he could end up stealing some of Romney’s if he keeps it up — but even if he can’t win outright, he could damage Romney’s campaign. As The Hill puts it: “National Republicans worry that if grassroots party loyalists aren’t supporting the presumptive nominee, the party could struggle against President Obama’s fundraising and organizational efforts.”
Follow ShortFormBlog • Find us on Twitter & Facebook
Hats off to Something Awful’s Jon Hendren for sniffing out a story suggesting, potentially, a crafty exploitation of a political base. Basically, a fellow named Daniel Williams launched a Kickstarter effort to fund his independently produced Ron Paul-themed platform game, ostensibly in the “style” of Super Mario Bros. You may have heard about it. Much of the art hitherto released from the effort, however, which has already netted nearly $10,000 in donations, is crudely cribbed from other games. As seen above — Ron Paul himself appears to be a simple re-skinning of Nintendo’s Waluigi, while the throng of Paul supporters are sprites taken from the endlessly charming SNES game Earthbound. And oh yeah, that weird, puffed up, ambulatory George W. Bush head? That’s ripped from the award-winning indie masterpiece Braid. Williams, for his part, has denounced the criticisms as “trolls” trying to “make some noise.” (EDIT to fix spelling of Jon Hendren’s name)
A sampling of some of Gage Skidmore’s photos, hand-picked by the photog. In case you missed it, earlier today we did a quick profile on the teenage photographer, who has kept Flickr awash in Creative Commons photos of GOP politicians — especially Ron and Rand Paul. Which one’s your favorite?
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
