February 6, 2008
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – With the results of many of the “Super Tuesday” primaries and caucuses now finalized, the Ron Paul campaign is now projecting that it has at least 42 delegates to the national convention secured.
While much of the focus in yesterday’s Super Tuesday contests focused on preference poll numbers, Ron Paul caucus-goers were focused on securing delegates to the national convention. With dedicated supporters and an organization focused purely on securing delegates, the campaign has secured more delegates to the national convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul than caucus straw polls might otherwise suggest.
According to campaign projections, a minimum of 24 delegates were won in yesterday’s contests. When added to projected delegates coming from strong showings in Iowa (4), Nevada (8), Louisiana (3) and Maine (3), that brings the total delegate count to 42 delegates or more.
“Our goal has always been to walk into the national GOP convention with as many delegates as possible,” said Ron Paul 2008 campaign manager Lew Moore. “The number of delegates we won yesterday could very well be the difference in a Convention where no one has a first-ballot majority. With Dr. Paul’s home state of Texas coming up, we feel we can enter the convention with a substantial number of delegates.”
In an agreement first reported by West Virginia television station WSAZ, three Ron Paul delegates were secured through an agreement with the Mike Huckabee campaign at the West Virginia state convention early Tuesday. Ron Paul delegates to the state convention swung their sizable support to Huckabee – putting Huckabee over the top – in exchange for the delegates.
According to campaign projections from last night’s results at least 3 delegates were won in Alaska, 5 delegates were won in North Dakota, 9 delegates were won in Minnesota, and 4 delegates were won in Colorado.
Additionally the results of the Louisiana Caucus may still change in favor of Ron Paul, where an ongoing legal challenge may result in most of that state’s delegates going towards Ron Paul after state GOP officials violated their own rules to improperly put delegates from other campaigns on the ballots.
www.ronpaul2008.com
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Constitutional Responses to Terrorism
Ron Pauls Texas straight talk
It has been over 6 years since the atrocities of September 11 were committed and there are still some very basic measures that need to be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and make America safer. I have proposed legislation to help with these efforts and will continue to fight in Congress for the safety and security of the American people.
My legislation entitled The Marque and Reprisal Act of 2007 (HR 3216) makes the surgical strike option available to the President in our mission to capture Bin Laden. Our military has been pursuing him without result for far too long now, and it is high time ALL constitutional tools were utilized in the hunt for this dangerous madman. As an American it sickens me to know that Bin Laden and top leaders of al Qaeda remain at large and thumbing their noses at us, while we unravel the sacred fabric of our constitution out of fear. It is Osama Bin Laden and the perpetrators of terrorist attacks that ought to be afraid of us, not the other way around. The answers are found in the Constitution. We should boldly root out the perpetrators and not let them get away with their crimes against us. As the home of the brave we should use Letters of Marque and Reprisal to bring Bin Laden to justice.
Also, we need to take serious steps to prevent terrorists from gaining easy access to targets on our soil. Quite alarmingly, even with the knowledge that the 19 terrorist hijackers entered our country legally, and that 15 of them were from Saudi Arabia , student visas from terrorist sponsoring countries are still far too easily obtained. In a baffling move President Bush struck a deal with Saudi King Abdullah in 2005 to allow 21,000 more Saudi young men into the US on student Visas. Of course, not all students from terror sponsoring countries are terrorists, but I place a higher premium on the security of the American people than the convenience of citizens of hostile countries. We should not be making the goals of would-be terrorists easier to accomplish, but rather should be vigilant about defending against enemies at every turn. They should not be slipping through our doors so easily, using our immigration laws against us, and that is why I proposed the Terror Immigration Elimination Act (HR 3217) to toughen standards for VISAS from countries on the State Department's list of terrorist sponsoring countries in addition to Saudi Arabia . Just as you decide who to invite to a dinner party in your home, we should be in charge of who we allow in this country, without apology.
A lot has been done to fight the War on Terror and much of it has been misdirected, but there are some tools still needed and more progress to be made. My bills The Marque and Reprisal Act of 2007 and The Terror Immigration Elimination Act are logical steps in the right direction.
www.house.gov/paul
It has been over 6 years since the atrocities of September 11 were committed and there are still some very basic measures that need to be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and make America safer. I have proposed legislation to help with these efforts and will continue to fight in Congress for the safety and security of the American people.
My legislation entitled The Marque and Reprisal Act of 2007 (HR 3216) makes the surgical strike option available to the President in our mission to capture Bin Laden. Our military has been pursuing him without result for far too long now, and it is high time ALL constitutional tools were utilized in the hunt for this dangerous madman. As an American it sickens me to know that Bin Laden and top leaders of al Qaeda remain at large and thumbing their noses at us, while we unravel the sacred fabric of our constitution out of fear. It is Osama Bin Laden and the perpetrators of terrorist attacks that ought to be afraid of us, not the other way around. The answers are found in the Constitution. We should boldly root out the perpetrators and not let them get away with their crimes against us. As the home of the brave we should use Letters of Marque and Reprisal to bring Bin Laden to justice.
Also, we need to take serious steps to prevent terrorists from gaining easy access to targets on our soil. Quite alarmingly, even with the knowledge that the 19 terrorist hijackers entered our country legally, and that 15 of them were from Saudi Arabia , student visas from terrorist sponsoring countries are still far too easily obtained. In a baffling move President Bush struck a deal with Saudi King Abdullah in 2005 to allow 21,000 more Saudi young men into the US on student Visas. Of course, not all students from terror sponsoring countries are terrorists, but I place a higher premium on the security of the American people than the convenience of citizens of hostile countries. We should not be making the goals of would-be terrorists easier to accomplish, but rather should be vigilant about defending against enemies at every turn. They should not be slipping through our doors so easily, using our immigration laws against us, and that is why I proposed the Terror Immigration Elimination Act (HR 3217) to toughen standards for VISAS from countries on the State Department's list of terrorist sponsoring countries in addition to Saudi Arabia . Just as you decide who to invite to a dinner party in your home, we should be in charge of who we allow in this country, without apology.
A lot has been done to fight the War on Terror and much of it has been misdirected, but there are some tools still needed and more progress to be made. My bills The Marque and Reprisal Act of 2007 and The Terror Immigration Elimination Act are logical steps in the right direction.
www.house.gov/paul
Monday, February 4, 2008
Ron Paul Beats McCain in Maine Caucus Primed to Win Over 1/3 of State Delegates
In the race for delegates, Ron Paul appears to closely trail Romney for first place
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2008
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – While most reports about this past weekend’s Maine Caucus focused on the purely symbolic presidential preference poll, in the meaningful race to secure delegates to the state convention Ron Paul is primed to finish second with likely 35 percent of the total delegates.
Delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis are elected by the state delegates. Internal results from 10 of 16 counties, including the largest cities of Portland, South Portland, Lewiston, Auburn, Augusta, Waterville, Bangor, and Brewer, show Ron Paul picking up 215 of 608 State Convention delegates so far reported, or 35%.
“Ron Paul’s strong second place finish in Maine, in which he beat John McCain, is proof that this race is far from over,” said Ron Paul campaign manager Lew Moore. “We’ll continue to battle for every delegate in this wide-open race for the Republican nomination.”
In the presidential preference poll, with 70 percent reporting, Ron Paul is in third place just two percentage points behind John McCain. However, the Maine preference poll is purely a beauty contest, and in the actual election of state delegates the so-called “frontrunner” McCain is far behind Ron Paul.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2008
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – While most reports about this past weekend’s Maine Caucus focused on the purely symbolic presidential preference poll, in the meaningful race to secure delegates to the state convention Ron Paul is primed to finish second with likely 35 percent of the total delegates.
Delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis are elected by the state delegates. Internal results from 10 of 16 counties, including the largest cities of Portland, South Portland, Lewiston, Auburn, Augusta, Waterville, Bangor, and Brewer, show Ron Paul picking up 215 of 608 State Convention delegates so far reported, or 35%.
“Ron Paul’s strong second place finish in Maine, in which he beat John McCain, is proof that this race is far from over,” said Ron Paul campaign manager Lew Moore. “We’ll continue to battle for every delegate in this wide-open race for the Republican nomination.”
In the presidential preference poll, with 70 percent reporting, Ron Paul is in third place just two percentage points behind John McCain. However, the Maine preference poll is purely a beauty contest, and in the actual election of state delegates the so-called “frontrunner” McCain is far behind Ron Paul.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
PA Constitution Party state meeting
The Constitution Party State Meeting and Banquet will be held:
March 1st 2008
at the
Hotel Carlisle in the Windsor Ball Room
1700 Harrisburg Pike
Carlisle, PA 17015
717-243-1717
Executive Meeting is from 10:00 am -12:00 pm
State Meeting is from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Banquet is from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Ticket Price
$40.00 per person
or
$70.00 per couple
Please R.S.V.P. 724-586-9739
Speakers to be announced at later date.
March 1st 2008
at the
Hotel Carlisle in the Windsor Ball Room
1700 Harrisburg Pike
Carlisle, PA 17015
717-243-1717
Executive Meeting is from 10:00 am -12:00 pm
State Meeting is from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Banquet is from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Ticket Price
$40.00 per person
or
$70.00 per couple
Please R.S.V.P. 724-586-9739
Speakers to be announced at later date.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
National Taxpayers Union: Only Ron Paul Would Cut Spending
NTU Report: Other Republicans would increase spending by billions
According to a report released Tuesday by the National Taxpayers Union, Texas Congressman Ron Paul is the only remaining presidential candidate who proposes net spending cuts.
According to the report, Congressman Paul’s proposals would cut government spending by over $150 billion, a conservative estimate of the spending reductions Dr. Paul has proposed. The report concludes that the other remaining Republican candidates, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, have proposed spending increases of $19.5 billion, $6.9 billion and $54 billion respectively.
“It should come as no surprise that when you crunch the numbers Ron Paul is the only Republican who would actually shrink the size and cost of the federal government,” said Ron Paul campaign economic advisor Don Luskin. “Romney, McCain and Huckabee don’t hold a candle to Ron Paul – the only true fiscal conservative running for President.”
In ten terms in Congress, Ron Paul has never voted for a tax increase or for an unbalanced budget.
www.ronpaul2008.com
According to a report released Tuesday by the National Taxpayers Union, Texas Congressman Ron Paul is the only remaining presidential candidate who proposes net spending cuts.
According to the report, Congressman Paul’s proposals would cut government spending by over $150 billion, a conservative estimate of the spending reductions Dr. Paul has proposed. The report concludes that the other remaining Republican candidates, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, have proposed spending increases of $19.5 billion, $6.9 billion and $54 billion respectively.
“It should come as no surprise that when you crunch the numbers Ron Paul is the only Republican who would actually shrink the size and cost of the federal government,” said Ron Paul campaign economic advisor Don Luskin. “Romney, McCain and Huckabee don’t hold a candle to Ron Paul – the only true fiscal conservative running for President.”
In ten terms in Congress, Ron Paul has never voted for a tax increase or for an unbalanced budget.
www.ronpaul2008.com
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Why should taxpayers fund closed primaries?
By Larry Reisman (Contact)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
BOCA RATON — I didn’t bother to ask how I got a front-row aisle seat in the media room for Thursday night’s GOP presidential debate at Florida Atlantic University, just in front of the columnist who generates the single most reader complaints for me: Maureen Dowd.
It’s clear the center of American political debate was here Thursday — Ron Paul fans lining Glades Road to New York City firefighters blasting Rudy Giuliani on the entryway to campus.
There were numerous TV satellite trucks, hordes of TV cameras and makeshift studios. Even NBC News anchor Brian Williams spent a few minutes on the other side of an interview while technicians set up the chilly debate hall.
Despite the fact the national parties claim they will severely punish Florida delegates because the state will hold its primary too early — Tuesday — the debate and primary have been made into big deals.
It’s too soon to tell whether that’s just media hype. Only 78 percent of Florida’s 10.2 million registered voters have an opportunity to tap a candidate Tuesday — the other 22 percent are not affiliated with the Republicans or Democrats.
Those independents — greenies, libertarians, reformers and more — will play a key role in the general election. Why? Even though there are more that 300,000 registered Democrats than Republicans, there are 2.2 million independents.
Unfortunately, they won’t have a say in who the final nominee is and — to add insult to injury — they’ll help pay the tens of millions of dollars counties will pay to hold the primary.
“Basically, each county is running an election for the parties,” noted Vicki Davis, Martin County’s supervisor of elections, who budgeted $145,640 for the election.
This is exactly the kind of unfunded mandate county officials are talking about when they complain about Legislature-imposed caps on local government spending. It was the Legislature, after all, that called the election.
In the case of Tuesday’s primary — based on the Democratic Party’s pledge not to seat delegates — counties will spend tens of millions of dollars for the benefit of only 37.5 percent of registered voters. Fiscal responsibility?
It’s about as wacky a system as the one in Washington state. Two decades ago, Washingtonians passed a referendum to hold and fund presidential primaries. Democratic leaders, though, still do their own thing. They select their delegates through caucuses while others vote.
“The interesting thing will be if party activists who attend the caucuses pick one candidate but the Democratic primary voters pick another,” said Kate Riley, an editorial writer for The Seattle Times. “It could happen. In 2000, only 60,000 attended the caucuses, while another 1.3 million voted in the primary (which reportedly cost $9.7 million).”
It begs the question of why pay for primaries of private organizations — some journalists refer to them as country clubs — anyway?
Publicly run primaries, said Kevin Wagner, assistant professor of political science at FAU, began to ensure the selection process was done in the “best interest of the public.” Nationwide, proponents of publicly run primaries say the government can ensure that all party members have access to the selection process.
There are options. This was the first year, for example, that South Carolina taxpayers have paid for a primary. Many other states, such as Kansas and Missouri, have debated whether to pay for a presidential primary, according to Kay Stimpson, spokeswoman for the National Association of Secretaries of State. These states opted not to, so parties will caucus to select delegates, much like what was done in Iowa.
North Carolina also is frugal. Its primary is May 6, the same time as other primaries for state and local races.
Another potential option — no states do it anymore — is to charge parties to hold primaries, as was done in South Carolina until this year. Given the fact that statehouses are dominated by party faithful, don’t expect this to happen anytime soon.
No matter which option you choose, Florida’s presidential primary (especially if the property tax amendment fails) likely will be a boondoggle in a state that already has financial problems. For 2012, the options ought to be: get the parties to pay for it, or stick it in the budget of the Florida Legislature.
No debate required.
laurence.reisman@scripps.com
Thursday, January 24, 2008
BOCA RATON — I didn’t bother to ask how I got a front-row aisle seat in the media room for Thursday night’s GOP presidential debate at Florida Atlantic University, just in front of the columnist who generates the single most reader complaints for me: Maureen Dowd.
It’s clear the center of American political debate was here Thursday — Ron Paul fans lining Glades Road to New York City firefighters blasting Rudy Giuliani on the entryway to campus.
There were numerous TV satellite trucks, hordes of TV cameras and makeshift studios. Even NBC News anchor Brian Williams spent a few minutes on the other side of an interview while technicians set up the chilly debate hall.
Despite the fact the national parties claim they will severely punish Florida delegates because the state will hold its primary too early — Tuesday — the debate and primary have been made into big deals.
It’s too soon to tell whether that’s just media hype. Only 78 percent of Florida’s 10.2 million registered voters have an opportunity to tap a candidate Tuesday — the other 22 percent are not affiliated with the Republicans or Democrats.
Those independents — greenies, libertarians, reformers and more — will play a key role in the general election. Why? Even though there are more that 300,000 registered Democrats than Republicans, there are 2.2 million independents.
Unfortunately, they won’t have a say in who the final nominee is and — to add insult to injury — they’ll help pay the tens of millions of dollars counties will pay to hold the primary.
“Basically, each county is running an election for the parties,” noted Vicki Davis, Martin County’s supervisor of elections, who budgeted $145,640 for the election.
This is exactly the kind of unfunded mandate county officials are talking about when they complain about Legislature-imposed caps on local government spending. It was the Legislature, after all, that called the election.
In the case of Tuesday’s primary — based on the Democratic Party’s pledge not to seat delegates — counties will spend tens of millions of dollars for the benefit of only 37.5 percent of registered voters. Fiscal responsibility?
It’s about as wacky a system as the one in Washington state. Two decades ago, Washingtonians passed a referendum to hold and fund presidential primaries. Democratic leaders, though, still do their own thing. They select their delegates through caucuses while others vote.
“The interesting thing will be if party activists who attend the caucuses pick one candidate but the Democratic primary voters pick another,” said Kate Riley, an editorial writer for The Seattle Times. “It could happen. In 2000, only 60,000 attended the caucuses, while another 1.3 million voted in the primary (which reportedly cost $9.7 million).”
It begs the question of why pay for primaries of private organizations — some journalists refer to them as country clubs — anyway?
Publicly run primaries, said Kevin Wagner, assistant professor of political science at FAU, began to ensure the selection process was done in the “best interest of the public.” Nationwide, proponents of publicly run primaries say the government can ensure that all party members have access to the selection process.
There are options. This was the first year, for example, that South Carolina taxpayers have paid for a primary. Many other states, such as Kansas and Missouri, have debated whether to pay for a presidential primary, according to Kay Stimpson, spokeswoman for the National Association of Secretaries of State. These states opted not to, so parties will caucus to select delegates, much like what was done in Iowa.
North Carolina also is frugal. Its primary is May 6, the same time as other primaries for state and local races.
Another potential option — no states do it anymore — is to charge parties to hold primaries, as was done in South Carolina until this year. Given the fact that statehouses are dominated by party faithful, don’t expect this to happen anytime soon.
No matter which option you choose, Florida’s presidential primary (especially if the property tax amendment fails) likely will be a boondoggle in a state that already has financial problems. For 2012, the options ought to be: get the parties to pay for it, or stick it in the budget of the Florida Legislature.
No debate required.
laurence.reisman@scripps.com
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