The LNC Officially Embraces Ron Paul

Steve Gordon reports the Libertarian National Committee just adopted a resolution encouraging Ron Paul to seek the Libertarian Party presidential nomination. I must say this was hardly unexpected, especially given the last mailing I received from the LNC. What was unexpected, however, is that the LNC has authorized the use of their database application for the Ron paul campaign in NH.

As a dues paying of the LP in good standing, I am fully in support of both resolutions. My preferred candidate in the LP is Steve Kubby anyways and he is on record for supporting Paul as well. My take from fellow rank and file LP members is that they overhwelming support Paul. While it is true I don't see eye to eye with Paul on every issue(abortion, for example), he is a Life member of the LP and falls within the paleo-libertarian sphere. He is a legitimate libertarian, notwithstanding the criticisms by a minority in the blogosphere.

Of course, I have made no secret my desire for Ron Paul to run on a 3rd party Libertarian Ticket. The GOP has long ago given up any valid claim as a proper vehicle for limited government, libertarian ideas(Paul, notwithstanding). An increasingly shrinking GOP has pushed out the Goldwater wing for Neocon war mongers, in your face, bible totting cultural warriors, and sappy big government "compassionate" spenders. Independents now outnumber the self-identified republicans. If the GOP follows through with their apparent suicidal pact with Mike Huckabee, the future relevance of the GOP will be only further mitigated. As Ron Paul has demonstrated, even the MSM is waking up from their redstate/bluestate stupor and are realizing that libertarians are woefully underrepresented in government. It's time for our under-representing 2 party stranglehold to end. It is my hope that Ron Paul will do the right thing and make his 3rd party run as a Libertarian, in the process eviscerating the GOP, and serving as a wake-up call to the Democratic party that Clintonian triangulation of the GOP on social issues, war, the police state, and corporatism will have consequences. In participating on Ron Paul Forums, I've noticed quite a bit of formerly liberal democrats who are converting to libertarianism.

Unfortunately, that puts an end to that. It does confirm what I've heard before, that Paul would only consider a run as a true independent, not as a nominee of any 3rd party. Looking at Paul's meetup demographics, he probably would have a grassroots organization that could manage to get him on the ballot in most states.

In other related news,
Frank Gonzalez is mentioned on cbsnews.com for hounding Rudy down at the Univision debate.

Sell-outs! Got to war, you hypocrites! Cowards! Where’s your support? You don’t have anybody!” one protestor continued.

That man was Frank Gonzalez, who noticed Giuliani’s “suits” at the hotel entrance earlier while he and others picketed along the South Dixie Highway in Miami. Gonzalez, a self-proclaimed "Ron Paul Democrat" has unsuccessfully run for Congress three times.

What’s the difference between a Ron Paul Democrat and a Ron Paul Republican? If there’s no difference, is Ron Paul a Republican?

“Good question. What addresses that more than anything is the underlying philosophy,” explained Gonzalez. “Ron Paul is, what they were calling until now, a Goldwater conservative, or a Ronald Reagan conservative, but the real definition of what Ron Paul is all about is libertarianism... By that definition, anyone can run, really, in either party – Ron Paul can run as a Republican, I ran as a Democrat, but our issues are identical, with very, very, very few exceptions.” He listed abortion as one area of difference, although that could be resolved because Ron Paul believes the federal government “has no business” deciding whether abortion is legal or illegal.

Ron Paul running as independent will not help the cause of the LP but would it help the cause of libertarianism in the GOP or Democratic Party?