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http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/022769.html
Reports the Houston Chronicle:
Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning, Houston-area congressman who waged a feisty Republican primary campaign for president, is expected on Wednesday to urge supporters to reject the two major-party candidates and vote for any of the four minor-party contenders on the November ballot.
"The two parties and their candidates have no real disagreements on foreign policy, monetary policy, privacy issues, or the welfare state," Paul is expected to say at a news conference in Washington, according to an advance copy of his remarks obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
"They both are willing to abuse the Rule of Law and ignore constitutional restraint on executive powers. Neither major party champions free markets and private property ownership."
Although he serves in Congress as a Republican, Paul has had strong disagreements with his party's presidential nominee, John McCain, over the wisdom of the war in Iraq and the use of American military force around the world. Although Democratic contender Barack Obama, like Paul, has opposed the war, he also espouses expanding government programs that Paul has criticized.
In his speech, Paul is planning to say that voters can send a message to the major parties by voting for the non-establishment candidates: Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, Green Party contender Cynthia McKinney, independent Ralph Nader or Constitution Party standard-bearer Chuck Baldwin.
Barr announced Tuesday afternoon that he will attend Paul's news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. All four minor-party candidates are expected to appear with Paul.
While Paul will say these individuals have strong philosophical differences on various issues, "they all stand for challenging the status quo — those special interests who control our federal government."
"People will waste their time in voting for the lesser of two evils," according to Paul's prepared remarks. "Reject the two candidates who demand perpetuation of the status quo and pick one of the alternatives that you have the greatest affinity to, based on the issues."
In remarks made on Fox News on Tuesday, Paul ruled out waging a third-party bid himself.
"The system is biased against us," he said. "It is too late. You've got to be Ross Perot to be able to do that."
Nathan Gonzales, a political analyst with the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, said that while Paul did have a following in the primary, he doubted the Texas congressman has the ability to tip the general election one way or the other.
"A majority of his support comes from voters dissatisfied with both political parties," he said."I don't think he (Paul) draws disproportionately from McCain or Obama."
However, Paul has done well in states such as Nevada, where polls show the race is close and a small movement could affect the November contest.
With his proposals to reduce the federal government, his opposition to the Iraq war, the Texas maverick has drawn an intense following around the nation, particularly among young, computer-savvy males.
During his primary bid, Paul made a splash with an online fundraising juggernaut that at times exceeded his GOP rivals. The Lake Jackson Republican also waged an aggressive campaign in the early primary states, with paid television and radio spots.
Although he officially ended his campaign in June, Paul said he wanted to build an organization to elect libertarian-leaning Republicans at all levels.
During the recent GOP convention in St. Paul, the congressman staged his own "Campaign for Liberty's Rally for the Republic" in nearby Minneapolis, attended by almost 10,000 supporters. At the time, Paul criticized both parties for being too eager to send taxpayer money abroad.
Paul also has broken with his party by opposing the Patriot Act, a law spearheaded by the Bush administration that allows government wiretapping without search warrants.
A mild-mannered obstetrician from outside Houston who was first elected to Congress in 1976, Paul has charted his own course for years, breaking from the Republican Party in 1988 to run as a Libertarian Party candidate for president.
After a break from Washington, Paul returned to Congress in 1996, although he never fit in with his fellow Republicans, regularly voting against appropriations bills.
He has also sparked controversy with some of his positions, such as his support for legalizing drugs. And some of the writings that appeared in a newsletter under his name have also drawn scrutiny, particularly statements criticizing some blacks and Israel lobby in Washington.
Although he entered the 2008 presidential race a distant underdog, the candidate appeared to quickly resonate with voters who did not like Republicans' pro-war stance, but were also wary of Democrats' embrace of big government.
In the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, Paul surprised skeptics by garnering 10 percent of the vote, beating out former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. But he came in a disappointing fifth in New Hampshire, a state that Paul and his advisers believed was fertile ground with its "Don't Tread on Me" motto.
Nevertheless, Paul soldiered on with a strong performance in Nevada caucuses, where he placed second ahead of John McCain, who went on to become the party's presidential nominee.
Reports the Houston Chronicle:
Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning, Houston-area congressman who waged a feisty Republican primary campaign for president, is expected on Wednesday to urge supporters to reject the two major-party candidates and vote for any of the four minor-party contenders on the November ballot.
"The two parties and their candidates have no real disagreements on foreign policy, monetary policy, privacy issues, or the welfare state," Paul is expected to say at a news conference in Washington, according to an advance copy of his remarks obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
"They both are willing to abuse the Rule of Law and ignore constitutional restraint on executive powers. Neither major party champions free markets and private property ownership."
Although he serves in Congress as a Republican, Paul has had strong disagreements with his party's presidential nominee, John McCain, over the wisdom of the war in Iraq and the use of American military force around the world. Although Democratic contender Barack Obama, like Paul, has opposed the war, he also espouses expanding government programs that Paul has criticized.
In his speech, Paul is planning to say that voters can send a message to the major parties by voting for the non-establishment candidates: Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, Green Party contender Cynthia McKinney, independent Ralph Nader or Constitution Party standard-bearer Chuck Baldwin.
Barr announced Tuesday afternoon that he will attend Paul's news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. All four minor-party candidates are expected to appear with Paul.
While Paul will say these individuals have strong philosophical differences on various issues, "they all stand for challenging the status quo — those special interests who control our federal government."
"People will waste their time in voting for the lesser of two evils," according to Paul's prepared remarks. "Reject the two candidates who demand perpetuation of the status quo and pick one of the alternatives that you have the greatest affinity to, based on the issues."
In remarks made on Fox News on Tuesday, Paul ruled out waging a third-party bid himself.
"The system is biased against us," he said. "It is too late. You've got to be Ross Perot to be able to do that."
Nathan Gonzales, a political analyst with the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, said that while Paul did have a following in the primary, he doubted the Texas congressman has the ability to tip the general election one way or the other.
"A majority of his support comes from voters dissatisfied with both political parties," he said."I don't think he (Paul) draws disproportionately from McCain or Obama."
However, Paul has done well in states such as Nevada, where polls show the race is close and a small movement could affect the November contest.
With his proposals to reduce the federal government, his opposition to the Iraq war, the Texas maverick has drawn an intense following around the nation, particularly among young, computer-savvy males.
During his primary bid, Paul made a splash with an online fundraising juggernaut that at times exceeded his GOP rivals. The Lake Jackson Republican also waged an aggressive campaign in the early primary states, with paid television and radio spots.
Although he officially ended his campaign in June, Paul said he wanted to build an organization to elect libertarian-leaning Republicans at all levels.
During the recent GOP convention in St. Paul, the congressman staged his own "Campaign for Liberty's Rally for the Republic" in nearby Minneapolis, attended by almost 10,000 supporters. At the time, Paul criticized both parties for being too eager to send taxpayer money abroad.
Paul also has broken with his party by opposing the Patriot Act, a law spearheaded by the Bush administration that allows government wiretapping without search warrants.
A mild-mannered obstetrician from outside Houston who was first elected to Congress in 1976, Paul has charted his own course for years, breaking from the Republican Party in 1988 to run as a Libertarian Party candidate for president.
After a break from Washington, Paul returned to Congress in 1996, although he never fit in with his fellow Republicans, regularly voting against appropriations bills.
He has also sparked controversy with some of his positions, such as his support for legalizing drugs. And some of the writings that appeared in a newsletter under his name have also drawn scrutiny, particularly statements criticizing some blacks and Israel lobby in Washington.
Although he entered the 2008 presidential race a distant underdog, the candidate appeared to quickly resonate with voters who did not like Republicans' pro-war stance, but were also wary of Democrats' embrace of big government.
In the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, Paul surprised skeptics by garnering 10 percent of the vote, beating out former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. But he came in a disappointing fifth in New Hampshire, a state that Paul and his advisers believed was fertile ground with its "Don't Tread on Me" motto.
Nevertheless, Paul soldiered on with a strong performance in Nevada caucuses, where he placed second ahead of John McCain, who went on to become the party's presidential nominee.
