I apologize I didn't take the time to read the whole thread, but I find just the title annoying to see every time visiting the forum.
"Failed?" You do realize, practically every politician secretly aspires to president some day - and scheme, deal and compromise to enable even the slightest possibility. Even with that, each of these politicians would be lucky to have a 1% (1-in-100) shot of becoming president. And of the ones who openly try, realize also that the establishment doesn't have a problem with 98% of them because they are compliant, cooperative and embrace horrible policies for power, so the special interest money, the media machine, etc. are not arrayed against them to make it even more difficult.
Yes, there are things that could've been improved, and a different result that was hoped for. But to have tried something with such low odds to begin with, and to take on the entire establishment at the same time is not "failure." Indeed - to assist a first-term senator through those odds, to have once been thought the frontrunner, to have rallied an ideological minority and have come close to breaking through the might of the status quo should rightly be considered quite an accomplishment, or at least the most heroic of attempts.
It used to be just one constitutionalist in Congress, Ron Paul. Now we've multiplied our forces to include Rand, Thomas, Justin, Walter Jones, Curt Clawson, and a host of other potential allies like Dave Brat and Mike Lee who kick the establishment's butt every election and bringing liberty viewpoints forward. We should strive to build on that success, build the movement, and stick together when worthy but low percentage plays like winning the presidency or bumping off incumbents are finished, and go all out in every battle to maximize our chances and fan the flames of liberty.
Onward and upward!
