Ron Paul’s Baby Boom
The Politico’s Alex Isenstadt has some observations on how Ron Paul has inspired others to run for office in his piece “Ron Paul’s Baby Boom:”
There’s no exact way of measuring how many Paul-inspired candidates are running this year. But Jared Paine, a Paul supporter who operates a website that tracks the campaigns of libertarian-minded candidates, said he counted around two dozen active Paul backers who are running for House or Senate seats and another 200 or so who are seeking local offices — almost all of them running as Republicans.
It’s a measure of the depth of the passion Paul inspires from his supporters, which is marked by a ferocity and commitment to the cause that few other pols can command…
To hear those aligned with the GOP presidential candidate tell it, the proliferation of Paul-affiliated candidates underscores a simple truth: Paul, once regarded as a fringe candidate, has gone mainstream. Despite the fact that he has announced he is not running for reelection to Congress, his ideas have established him as an important figure in American politics.
I would add that his ideas have established Ron Paul as THE MOST important figure in American politics. Both parties continue to field establishment candidates who do not represent any departure from the status quo. Seriously–what is President Obama doing, or what will he do, that is different from what a President Hillary Clinton or John Kerry would have done? What separates Romney, Santorum and Gingrich apart in any substantive manner from what George W. Bush represented? How different, really, are Bush and Obama?
Only Ron Paul represents a markedly different direction in American politics and this is precisely what continues to make him the most important figure on the national stage.
