PROTEST

Paul's Convention Draws Thousands

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008


Rep. Ron Paul's GOP presidential bid ran aground months ago, but on Tuesday, visitors to the Target Center--just across the Mississippi River from the Xcel Energy Center--might never have guessed. The Texan's "Rally for the Republic" had all the trappings of a traditional convention: an impressive list of speakers, boisterous supporters (including some dressed in Revolutionary War garb) chanting catchy slogans, and the proud candidate himself.

But there were no saccharine protestations of love of party or country at an event that emcee and MSNBC correspondent Tucker Carlson described as having "an aroma of libertarianism." Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura got some of the biggest cheers of the day when he interpreted the Second Amendment as the right to rise up in armed rebellion if government "gets out of control." In another crowd-pleasing declaration, the former pro wrestler known as "The Body" said, "The hell with this [USA] PATRIOT Act."

There was a palpable sense of excitement in the arena as more than 10,000 Paul followers began filing in seven hours before he was scheduled to speak. "There [are] more people here than at the Republican convention," said Colorado alternate delegate Joby Weeks. The McCain team, he quipped, "used the hurricane so they don't look too embarrassed when Ron Paul pulls a bigger crowd than they can."

"I wanted to see the extravaganza! This is big!" shouted Doug Jones of Colorado, who backed Paul in his state's primary but plans to vote for Libertarian Bob Barr in November.

Paul, a fiscal conservative who adamantly opposes the war in Iraq, insisted at a morning press conference that his Campaign for Liberty does not represent the dawning of a new political party. Rather, he labeled it "a plan to influence, if not have a lot of control of, the Republican Party--philosophically speaking." Philip Kourey, a 21-year-old alternate delegate from Pennsylvania, said GOP leaders should pay attention: "The party may not necessarily be as united as they think it is. There [are] tons of people here who are not very happy about" John McCain's nomination.

Rally-goers said they were jubilant that Paul is trying to turn his failed presidential campaign into a lasting movement of like-minded reformers. "What I'd like to see is moving beyond pure politics, being able to get a political action committee going, being able to get an educational organization founded, and being able to keep the movement together long after Ron has moved on," Twin Cities resident John Windsor said.

The Ron Paul revolution, Kourey said, is "just going to get bigger and bigger. And the message of freedom isn't going away any time soon."

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