Ron Paul Launches Presidential Campaign (Drudge: He's In!)

National Journal ^

[quesney]

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, whose outspoken libertarian views and folksy style made him a cult hero during two previous presidential campaigns, will announce on Tuesday that he's going to try a third time.

Sources close to Paul, who is in his 12th term in the House, said he will unveil an exploratory presidential committee, a key step in gearing up for a White House race. He will also unveil the campaign’s leadership team in Iowa, where the first votes of the presidential election will be cast in caucuses next year.

Meet the GOP's Potential Candidates

Paul, 75, ran as the Libertarian Party candidate in 1988, finishing with less than one half a percent of the vote. After more than a decade as a Republican congressman,

Paul gave it another shot in the 2008 presidential election, gaining attention for being the only Republican candidate calling for the end to the war in Iraq and for his “money bomb” fundraising strategy, which brought in millions of dollars from online donors in single-day pushes.

Paul took 10 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses and 8 percent in New Hampshire’s primary. He finished second, with 14 percent of the vote, in the Nevada caucuses, and eventually finished fourth in the Republican nominating process with 5.6 percent of the total vote. Paul’s campaign book, The Revolution: A Manifesto also reached No. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list in 2008.

This would seem to be an ideal year for Paul: Since the last election, the Republican Party has moved much closer to his view on deficit reduction, which made him an early tea party favorite. All of the party's top-tier presidential hopefuls are focusing on lowering debt, government spending, and tax rates, issues Paul has long advocated.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

It’s up to Ron Paul-haters to offer and support real alternatives that are not RINOs...or else.

Ask and ye shall receive...

[tsowellfan]

Looks like he’s going to have some competition...

http://t.co/zXKGUVO

[Huck]

I’ve never voted for him, but I’ll consider it, depending on how the primaries are looking when they reach NJ.

[traderrob6]

Oh Joy.

[Minus_The_Bear]

If Palin adopted some of Ron Paul's positions she could win 40+ states.

She has already come out strong against the FED.

Too bad she keeps praising John McCain & his "heroes" in Al Quaeda.

[tsowellfan]

I wish she would announce. Right now she’s our only hope. I was wanting Allen West but I hear he’s not running. Maybe that’s why there are rumors going around that she will not run.

Maybe those pundits claiming Sarah Palin will not run really want her to run but jump in the race now. They figure that if they start those rumors it will force her to jump in sooner rather than later.

[Defend Liberty]

He’s not in yet. He’s merely forming an exploratory committee to decide if he wants to run.

[tacticalogic]

Ron Paul is more aligned with the left than he is with the right.

Those lefties are such strict constitutionalists, aren't they? It's just awful.

[Minus_The_Bear]

If Palin wanted to win she should run to the right and cut out Ron Paul.

Take all of his voter and the conservatives who sat home because McCain was the nominee.

I doubt she will though.

[submarinerswife]

He believes that some of the things we do incites those of us who already hate us

Really? Do you agree with him?

[ncalburt]

This huge anti Semite , anti military, blame America for terrorism, and pro earmarks and a phony loon . This loon is used by young radical leftists to get acces to the GOP events in order to cause CHAOS at all GOP events for the TV networks . In 2008, they were planning to use this old fool to riot inside the GOP convention but were caught.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

The CIA record is not a good one now is it. How about the head of the CIA finding out about Egypt on TV??

So you think that the CIA has actually overthrown the US government?

Wow.

And BTW, it wasn't the head of the CIA (Leon Panetta) who was embarrassed on television but National Intelligence Director James Klapper, who's Panetta's (supposed) boss.

Big difference.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Ron Paul is more aligned with the left than he is with the right.

Actually he has a lot of social views lefties love and a lot of fiscal views righties love. Unfortunately with the policies they love they hate the opposite ones, which is why Libertarians will never get anywhere.

[McGruff]

Sorry. I don't vote for surrender monkeys.

[jboot]

I'm just positive the media will not find that photo and plaster it wall-to-wall in every news cycle for months before the election, juxtaposed with stock footage of grimy Aryan Nations knucleheads shouting anti-Semitic slogans and unconvincing and embarassing exculpatory soundbites from Paul himself.

Won't happen. Don't worry abut it.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

If Palin adopted some of Ron Paul's positions she could win 40+ states.

Ron Paul and Sarah Palin debate on Fox new libertarian Judge Napolitano's show

[tsowellfan]

I think Sarah Palin would do great in the debates among the other republican candidates. Hopefully there will be a lot of debates so that there will be much practice before she goes up against Obama with his ability to make words sound like he’s said something when in reality he’s said nothing at all.

[Minus_The_Bear]

So... is Palin a "crazy 9/11 truther anti-semite" for agreeing with Ron Paul?

Just trying to keep tract of how it works.

[ncalburt]

This old fool is a useful idiot of the radical left his so called youth following .

This idiot was on Hannity last night promoting the building of the Terrorist funded mosque near the twin towers.

Naturally he blamed us for 9-11 too .

He did not get a chance to trash Israel !

[mommya]

Please see my follow up post...I shouldn’t multitask I guess. Getting lunches and breakfast made while checking the weather and posting to FR is a challenge.

Should read “those who already hate us.”