It’s not merely about Ron Paul. It never was, and it won’t be in the future:
Whoa! What a year this has been. And what achievements we have had. If I may quote Trotsky of all people, this Revolution is permanent. It will not end at the Republican convention. It will not end in November. It will not end until we have won the great battle on which we have embarked. Not because of me, but because of you. Millions of Americans — and friends in many other countries — have dedicated themselves to the principles of liberty: to free enterprise, limited government, sound money, no income tax, and peace. We will not falter so long as there is one restriction on our persons, our property, our civil liberties. How much I owe you. I can never possibly repay your generous donations, hard work, whole-hearted dedication and love of freedom. How blessed I am to be associated with you. Carol, of course, sends her love as well.
Let me tell you my thoughts. With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero. But that does not affect my determination to fight on, in every caucus and primary remaining, and at the convention for our ideas, with just as many delegates as I can get. But with so many primaries and caucuses now over, we do not now need so big a national campaign staff, and so I am making it leaner and tighter. Of course, I am committed to fighting for our ideas within the Republican party, so there will be no third party run. I do not denigrate third parties — just the opposite, and I have long worked to remove the ballot-access restrictions on them. But I am a Republican, and I will remain a Republican….
I have plans to continue fighting for our ideas in politics and education that I will share with you when I can, for I will need you at my side. In the meantime, onward and upward! The neocons, the warmongers, the socialists, the advocates of inflation will be hearing much from you and me.
As I have stated from the very beginning, Ron Paul always had the proverbial snowball’s chance in Hell to win the Republican nomination. His campaign wasn’t, and isn’t, about that. That’s why he will formally stay in the race rather than lining up behind McCain like Romney and the others. Paul knows very well what the future is likely to bring – I’ve been expecting it since 2003 – and he knows that an organizational core is needed to help the nation recover from the economic and political chaos that lies ahead. That core now exists and millions of people now know about the alternative to the rescue-by-bigger government that is the solution that is now and will continue to be on offer.
No doubt some of you will be disappointed. Others will be angry. You shouldn’t be. The national debate has shifted because of Ron Paul and it will continue to shift further as the bankrupcty of the big government Republicans and the haplessness of the bigger government Democrats becomes ever more clear. Remember, Goldwater had to lose that Reagan might one day rise. As Paul is better than Goldwater, so too can we hope that the future Reagan will be better than the Great Communicator himself.
In the meantime, since my formal endorsement was rejected by the campaign due to my dangerous controversiality, I really do need to find a new candidate for the 2008 election… and while I wish our own David Caldwell the very best of luck, I’m currently leaning towards this guy.