Tom Rants

Update: I had interpreted the «We'll be involved in the workings of a well-kept Republican secret and every one of us have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the outcome of this election!...disgruntled supporters for other candidates who will be happy to join us in voting for «Anybody But McCain».» to indicate that the Paul campaign was intending to short circuit the Missouri primary and somehow send delegates pledged to Ron Paul from Missouri to Minneapolis. I got this back earlier in an email:

There is no plan to rig the Convention in any way. Our strategy is to make much-needed changes
to the 2008 Republican Platform, continue to speak to those around us about Ron Paul, and show our support for Dr. Paul at the Convention.

I'm not sure that the Missouri GOP platform needs much changing, but certainly the more conservative the delegates Missouri sends to the national convention the better whether they call themselves «Ron Paul delegates» or just «Republicans.»

The Ron Paul Presidential campaign, which I supported earlier in word, deed and cash, has lost all touch with reality. They are stealing a page from the Clinton campaign to attempt to rig the Missouri GOP Convention after losing miserably in the Missouri primary.

An email from the Paul campaign received March 3:

Your County Caucus is right around the corner! It's very important that you attend this short meeting on March 15 to vote for Ron Paul representatives (also called delegates) to get elected to the State and District Republican Conventions to make a lasting difference in Republican rules and procedures and alter the course of the General Election in November!

It's easy - all you have to do is show up and vote! Your vote makes far more of a difference in a caucus than it can ever make in a primary, and on top of that, with a strong showing, the rules (including the «winner-take-all» rules) could be changed forever!

Don't listen to the so-called pundits. We'll be involved in the workings of a well-kept Republican secret and every one of us have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the outcome of this election! You've seen the recent articles about the McCain scandals, the campaign financing issues, and now the FEC investigation - ANYTHING can happen between now and the Conventions, and we will be ready for anything by showing up in huge crowds at our COUNTY CAUCUSES on MARCH 15. Remember that there are disgruntled supporters for other candidates who will be happy to join us in voting for «Anybody But McCain».

My somewhat less than measured response to their letter and their «invitation» to put my name in as a «Ron Paul delegate»:

I've been a delegate to the Missouri GOP and 7th district GOP
conventions twice in a row and I will be putting my name in the hat on
March 15, in my own right. I'm fully supportive of Ron Paul's [Congressional]
re-election effort and I agree with him on almost every issue, but I
absolutely do not support an effort to to rig the Missouri GOP
convention after failing so miserably in the primary. Your campaign
staff started its ads in Missouri on Wednesday after the primary was
held on Tuesday. Perhaps starting the campaign BEFORE the election
would be a better idea. This latest effort is a page out of the
Hillary Clinton playbook.

I had written off the online polling discrepancies to good organizing (as also reflected in straw poll results) and written off the failure to disavow the 911truthers and neo-nazis to commitment to free speech. I was offended that commentators wanted to lump the thoughtful supporters of Ron Paul, including some of us who've been familiar with him and his principled stand on issues for literally decades, in with lunatics and malicious hackers. Now the campaign is officially endorsing these sorts of desperation tactics, a day before John McCain wins enough delegates to clinch the nomination absolutely, I'm left with no choice but to do some disavowing of my own. Congressman Paul, I hope you're in Congress next year, you're a great guy and a man of principle, but your campaign staff and volunteers leave much to be desired. In the '90s you didn't pay attention and let your name be used to further a racist agenda. Now your not paying attention and your name is being used to further an anti-American conspiracy theory. It's time - pay attention - concede - shut down the Presidential campaign and donate the leftover money to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund and similar causes.