Was it deceptive? Only if you believed Ron still had a chance to win even late in the game. Those a little wiser or a little more cynical could see the outlines of what they were doing, from Adam Kokesh to Scott Horton to Justin Raimondo. While I thought it was rather fanciful, the campaign never completely discouraged such thinking or at least never discouraged persons from trying to gain delegate slots presumably to put Paul’s name in nomination. If they did, the RP would have dropped out but if he did that, the whole enterprise would have come to a screeching halt. No more money, no more effort.

If Paul campaign wants to congratulate themselves for being clever, they have the right to do so. But there’s a price to be paid down the line. There’s not going to be much of a grassroots left outside of the just as delusional people who now think Rand now has the inside track to the 2016 nomination. Yes several state parties were taken over this election cycle but just remember that was done because ordinary RP supporters gave up their time and money to attend precinct meetings and county conventions and state conventions. Will that control be maintained if such persons, believing they were part of a sacred cause, don’t show up anymore because they now know they were being used? I have my doubts.

Then again it may not matter. I’ve said before I don’t think Rand or his claque have any use for the grassoots of the Paul campaign. I believe they feel that such support is overrated, that they’re more trouble than their worth, that the party leadership holds a negative view towards said supporters and wishes they go away, so why not go along with them? Rand 2016 will be a campaign based on raising large amounts of cash, largely from the coal and energy sector, to use towards negative TV ads against his opponents. So long as he looks good in TV debates and the polls shows he’s a front runner, he doesn’t need people waving signs for him. And he won’t need people calling for him either, they have machines that do that sort of thing now. With an Iowa organization already in place and no New England/New Hampshire candidate on the horizon to call upon regional loyalties, they feel they’re in great shape for 2016.

So as we fast-forward from 2008 we find Ron Paul still on the outside looking in, giving a rally speech outside the convention hall; another pro-Paul rally altogether which the candidate and campaign are ignoring and with Rand Paul and the rest of the delegates on the inside. Being split in three is not exactly a unified situation. Not that the movement was unified to begin with. But it took someone with Ron Paul’s charisma and sincerity and honesty to bring such a diverse movement together. There are those who may feel the message alone is strong enough to keep it together. Unfortunately there are just as many ready to sacrifice the message for power.

Now granted power is what it’s all about. But power without principal is basically Sauron’s Ring. And what we speak of specifically is the attempt by trying to reach for power to water the message down or change it so it doesn’t mean anything. This is happening with many movement candidates who trying to hem in the message, especially when it comes to foreign policy. This is a key point because while many rank and file Republicans could agree with Paul on economics, they are repelled by his foreign policy. It’s affecting candidates who the movement helped win primaries and other elections and who now are flip-flopping on foreign policy not realizing why it is the essential part of the message.

After Tampa, some in the movement will devote the next four years of their lives to another Paul, others may grow apathetic and drop out and others may try their hand with non-major parties. But whatever happens, the fact remains that more education is needed on creating a foreign policy which reflects American’s interest and economic resources. The movement will go nowhere or go down dead ends until minds are changed on this point because so much of what take place with American economically and even socially does flow from foreign policy. This is what I personally learned from Ron Paul five years ago and will be his legacy to me now that he’s exiting the stage.


"Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact."