Posted on 01/11/2007 6:06:07 PM PST by Rodney King
Texas Congressman Ron Paul files for GOP presidential bid
HOUSTON -- Ron Paul, the iconoclastic nine-term congressman from southeast Texas, took the first step Thursday toward launching a second presidential bid in 2008, this time as a Republican.
Paul filed incorporation papers in Texas on Thursday to create a presidential exploratory committee that allows him and his supporters to collect money on behalf of his bid. This will be Paul's second try for the White House; he was the Libertarian nominee for president in 1988.
Kent Snyder, the chairman of Paul's exploratory committee and a former staffer on Paul's Libertarian campaign, said the congressman knows he's a long shot.
"There's no question that it's an uphill battle, and that Dr. Paul is an underdog," Snyder said. "But we think it's well worth doing and we'll let the voters decide."
Paul, of Lake Jackson, acknowledges that the national GOP has never fully embraced him despite his nine terms in office under its banner. He gets little money from the GOP's large traditional donors, but benefits from individual conservative and Libertarian donors outside Texas. He bills himself as "The Taxpayers' Best Friend," and is routinely ranked either first or second in the House of Representatives by the National Taxpayers Union, a national group advocating low taxes and limited government.
He describes himself as a lifelong Libertarian running as a Republican.
Paul was not available for comment Thursday, Snyder said.
But he said the campaign will test its ability to attract financial and political support before deciding whether to launch a full-fledged campaign. Snyder said Paul is not running just to make a point or to try to ensure that his issues are addressed, but to win.
Paul is expected to formally announce his bid in the next week or two, Snyder said.
Snyder said Paul and his supporters are not intimidated by the presence of nationally known and better-financed candidates such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona or former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.
"This is going to be a grassroots American campaign," he said. "For us, it's either going to happen at the grassroots level or it's not."
Paul limits his view of the role of the federal government to those duties laid out in the U.S. Constitution. As a result, he sometimes casts votes that appear at odds with his constituents and other Republicans. He was the only Republican congressman to vote against Department of Defense appropriations for fiscal year 2007.
The vote against the defense appropriations bill, he said, was because of his opposition to the war in Iraq, which he said was "not necessary for our actual security."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not b
Paul started out as a young Taft Republican -- not the former (recent) governor of OH, but that man's grandfather. currentyul
I want a urinal for my garage now.
It's a fun exercise in futility to ask the Paul haters for a domestic position which they disagree with Paul on. Without fail they always dodge the question and go back to his admittedly dumb views on the war.
In 1990, had you heard of Bill Clinton?
Dr. Paul, who is one of these, has some good ideas--he also has some bad.
We had better get serious folks, we only have a few months to get an electable candidate out there...
Useless.
Give us a quote in which Reagan says, I endorse Ron Paul's call to run from Iraq.
You say Reagan is gone, so he can't do that?
Exactly my point.
There is zero correlation between your old Reagan quote and the reality we face today.
Reagan also said, Do not speak ill of another Republican. Would you care to remind Paul of that before he goes on his next harangue against the Republican PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?
Thought not.
That's not setting the bar very high.
I'm sure he's better than Hitler, too, but so what? :p
Well, I appreciate you posting that. :p
*** DUNCAN HUNTER ***
Throughout this thread, any number of you have said you like Duncan Hunter, but you believe he cannot win and therefore, he should stay in the House of Representatives where he does such good work.
I support Duncan Hunter for President of the United States. I don't need to support him for Congress; he's already there.
The issue is, who do we desperately need to step up to the highest leadership position in America at this critical moment? Either you think Duncan Hunter rates that high, or you don't - you see him at a much lower, albeit important, level.
Those who say he should stay in the House obviously don't see him as a much-needed Reagan, or for the WOT as a George W Bush.
I do see him that way. Damn the torpedoes and go for it, then. That's my hope and advice to him.
The good thing is that he's conservative on domestic issues and is not carrying the domestic baggage of McCain or Rudy.
I'm flexible enough to support someone else in the long run, if I am forced to.
Only if forced. Because I think he's the one we desperately need.
And in no way does he deserve to be lumped in with Paul, Keyes, Buchanan and Tancredo.
Government spending has always been a big issue for Paul in the time he has served in the House of Representatives. Much of the nation’s spending problems would be solved if so much federal money was not spent overseas, Paul said. “If we didn’t have this war, we’d have half a trillion dollars” to spend here, he said.Sigh...yes but Rep. Paul, doesn't it just warm your heart to know Iraqis have purple fingers? Paul would be the right choice. Unfortunately in this day and age, when Republican faithful think they should receive just a few less government handouts than Democrats, a politician that would stand up and say you don't get squat is going to be a hard sale. Not that I won't vote for him if he's on the ballot. Otherwise, I'll have to do the write in thing or the Libertarian candidate again (not that the citizens of the respective states should have this of a direct effect on the Presidential election mind you)
I see the haters of everything Conservative came out early! Good. Ron Paul and a Duncan Hunter mix should put them in quite the fit. There are meds for this though, so I do wish them well in their RINO contortions. Blackbird.
Hi there, Ditter.
I appreciate your posts.
Supposedly (it was just stated by implication)) Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter are almost the Bobbsey Twins and anyone who dislikes either of them is a RINO lover and Conservative hater.
Beam me up, Scotty. Where's the intelligent life around here?
Duncan Hunter is great. I would put Ron Paul in a nut house if I could (but of course I can't). And on the WAR they could not be more opposite. Nothing is more important than THAT.
Thanks for the sanity.
And that applies in Iraq as well. The President went in believing he could fight a PC war and win. As we found out before, that is not possible. We either go in an overwhelm the country, civilian casualties be damed, or we get the heck out. As you build fear of your military strength, the rest fallas into place.
Nice attempt at diversion, now can you answer the question?.
Cutting and Running? Your President said "Mission Accomplished" three years ago, Seems like it's "Miller time" to me.
zzzzzz
Nice false dichotomy there. Any other logical fallacies you'd like to share?
As opposed to giving a half hearted effort that does nothing but cost American lives and piss off the grassroots Iraqis?
If we are going to fight a half hearted "war" then, yes most of America would like to see it ended. If Bush could sell the American people on a plan to ratchet up the war and explain to the people that innocents will die but that is the cost of war then I'd prefer that over anything.
Unfortunately, we both know that is not going to happen and we are basically stuck in a police action.
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