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Ron Paul
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3 1997
Preceded byGreg Laughlin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd district
In office
January 3 1979 – January 3 1985
Preceded byRobert Gammage
Succeeded byTom DeLay
In office
April 3 1976 – January 3 1977
Preceded byRobert R. Casey
Succeeded byRobert Gammage
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCarolyn "Carol" Paul
ChildrenRonald "Ronnie" Paul, Jr.
Lori Paul Pyeatt
Randall "Rand" Paul
Robert Paul
Joy Paul-LeBlanc
ProfessionPhysician, Politician
SignatureFile:Ronpaulsignature.png

Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul (b. August 20 1935) is a Republican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, and a 2008 U.S. presidential candidate. He has represented Texas's 14th Congressional district (1997–present) and its 22nd district (1976–1977, 1979–1985) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Paul placed a distant third in the 1988 presidential election, running as the Libertarian nominee while remaining a registered Republican. After his 1961 graduation from Duke University School of Medicine and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone.

Paul is a conservative, a Constitutionalist, and a libertarian.[2] He advocates non-interventionist foreign policy, having voted against actions like the Iraq War Resolution, but in favor of force against terrorists in Afghanistan. He favors withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations (UN); supports free trade, while rejecting NAFTA as "managed trade"; and opposes birthright citizenship and amnesty for illegal immigrants. Having pledged never to raise taxes, he has long advocated ending the federal income tax and reducing government spending by abolishing most federal agencies; he favors hard money and opposes the Federal Reserve. He also opposes the Patriot Act, the federal War on Drugs, and gun control. Paul is strongly pro-life, advocates overturning Roe v. Wade, and affirms states' rights to determine the legality of abortion.[3]

During his 2008 presidential campaign, Paul places in the top tier in Republican straw polls, but has substantially lower numbers in landline opinion polls. He has strong Internet support and had the largest one-day online fundraiser in political history.[4] Ron Paul is the top presidential candidate Web search term as measured by Hitwise, Alexa Internet, and Technorati; he has several times more YouTube subscribers than any other presidential candidate.

Early life and education

Paul was born in Green Tree, Pennsylvania, to Margaret "Peggy" Paul (née Dumont)[5] and Howard Caspar Paul,[6] son of a German immigrant.[7] With an eighth-grade education, Howard co-owned Green Tree Dairy with brothers Lewis and Arthur; the small-town farm stood just outside Pittsburgh. Paul was the third of five sons born during seven years in the Great Depression, and shared one bedroom of their four-room house with brothers William (the oldest), David, Jerrold, and Wayne. Paul began working at Harold's dairy at age five,[8] and later delivered newspapers, worked in a drugstore, and became a milkman on reaching driving age.[9] One customer on his milk route was baseball legend Honus Wagner.[10]

Excelling in track and field, he graduated from Dormont [Pennsylvania] High School in 1953 with honors. He ran the 100-yard dash in 9.7 seconds,[11] was state champion in the 220-yard dash, and placed second in the 440-yard dash.[12] He also was on the wrestling team, played football and baseball, and was student council president.[9][10] After surgery on a knee injury, he gave up track and took up swimming as therapy. A major university offered a prestigious full track scholarship, chancing he could regain his prior speed; he declined, refusing to endorse the risk.[13]

Rather, he paid for his first year at Gettysburg College with saved newspaper-delivery, lemonade-sale, and lawn-mowing money. He delivered mail and laundry in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; managed the college coffee shop one year; and joined the swim team. Inducted into the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity,[14] he served as pledge class president, house manager, and kitchen steward, planning and supervising cooks for all meals.[9][15] He received his bachelor's in 1957, majoring in biology.[16]

Family

While a Dormont schoolmate, Carol Wells had asked Paul to escort her to a sweet-16 Sadie Hawkins party, which was their first date. They kept in touch while attending colleges in different states. Over a 1956 park picnic before his senior year at Gettysburg, Paul proposed marriage to Wells; the couple were wedded on February 1 1957, at Dormont Presbyterian Church before 300 guests. Carol Paul, 20, wore a white Chantilly lace gown; Paul, 21, donned a black tux and white tie; the wedding also featured numerous red roses, a four-tiered cake, and the Lord's Prayer as sung by a Lambda Chi Alpha brother. The married couple first danced to Doris Day's When I Fall in Love and honeymooned in Durham, North Carolina.[17]

They have five children, who were baptized Episcopalian:[10] Ronnie, Lori, Rand, Robert, and Joy. There are eighteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.[12] Three children are also doctors:[18] Robert specializes in family practice, Joy in ob/gyn like her father, and Rand in eye surgery, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Rand is also founder of Kentucky Taxpayers United and often speaks as Paul's surrogate.[19][20] Paul supported his children during their undergraduate and medical school years, preventing their participation in federal student loans because the program was taxpayer-subsidized. He has rejected a Congressional pension for the same reason.[21][22]

Carol compiled recipes and photos from the large Paul family into a cookbook, originally for 14th district constituents.[18] The book reached five editions and inspired a family "Recipe of the Week" on Paul's Congressional campaign website.[23][24] While Paul is on the road, he frequently brings Carol's homemade chocolate chip cookies, and sometimes talks with her by phone two or three times a day.[11] He usually goes home to Lake Jackson on weekends to avoid "Potomac fever."[25]

Military service and medical career

Paul considered becoming a Lutheran minister like two of his brothers[12] (Jerrold has a doctorate in counseling and attended Princeton Seminary; David pastors Trinity Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan).[8][13] Instead he decided to pursue a medical doctorate at Duke University School of Medicine, attaining it in 1961. He interned and began residency training, both in internal medicine, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit (1961–1962);[26] Carol also ran a dance school in their basement.[9]

The training was soon interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Air Force during the Cuban Missile Crisis.[27] He remained in the military during the early years of the Vietnam War.[28] He served active duty as a flight surgeon from 1963 to 1965, attending to the ear, nose, and throat problems of pilots in South Korea, Iran, Ethiopia, and Turkey, but was never sent to Vietnam. Based out of Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Paul achieved the rank of captain[10][29] and obtained his private pilot's license.[15] The experience of performing physicals on helicopter pilot candidates, at a time when he saw many copters being shot down, deeply affected Paul; he later considered his indirect association with the Vietnam War as a catalyst for his rejection of isolationist foreign policies and political intervention.[30]

Paul received a higher wage from the Air Force than during his initial residency, $700 per month;[31] he joked that he was "fantastically rich."[15] While in San Antonio, Paul also moonlighted three nights a week in a local church hospital's emergency room for $3 per hour, and became involved with Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign.[13] He then served in the Air National Guard while completing his residency (1965–1968), having switched to ob/gyn at the University of Pittsburgh.[32] He moved to Surfside Beach, Texas, and eventually delivered more than 4,000 babies.[33]

Assuming the practice of a retiring doctor in Lake Jackson, Texas, in a single day, Paul became the only ob/gyn doctor in Brazoria County,[15] reportedly delivering 40–50 babies a month and frequently busy with surgery.[34] His practice refused Medicare and Medicaid payments; he worked pro bono, arranged discounted or custom-payment plans for needy patients,[22] or otherwise "just took care of them."[35]

Early Congressional career

During his early days, Paul was influenced by Friedrich Hayek’s Road to Serfdom, which led him to read many works of Ayn Rand and Ludwig von Mises while still a medical resident in the 1960s. He came to know economists Hans Sennholz and Murray Rothbard well and credits them with his fascination with the study of economics. On August 15 1971, when President Richard Nixon closed the "gold window" by implementing the U.S. dollar's complete departure from the gold standard, he realized what the Austrian school economists wrote was coming true.[30] That same day, the young physician decided to enter politics, saying later, "After that day, all money would be political money rather than money of real value. I was astounded."[34]

Campaigns

In 1974, alarmed at the turmoil he saw predicted by the Austrian school, Vietnam War funding, rampant inflation, and wholesale welfare,[15] Paul became a delegate to the Texas Republican convention and a Republican candidate for Congress. Incumbent Robert R. Casey defeated him in the 22nd district; Democrats won 1974 heavily. When President Gerald Ford appointed Casey to head the Federal Maritime Commission, Paul won an April 1976 special election to fill the empty seat. Paul lost 6 months later in the general election, to Democrat Robert Gammage, by fewer than 300 votes (0.2%), but defeated Gammage in a 1978 rematch and won new terms in 1980 and 1982.

Paul was the first Republican representative from the area;[36] his successful campaign against Gammage surprised local Democrats who had expected to retain the seat easily in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Gammage underestimated Paul's support among local mothers: "I had real difficulty down in Brazoria County, where he practiced, because he'd delivered half the babies in the county. There were only two obstetricians in the county, and the other one was his partner."[37]

File:Ron Paul and Ronald Reagan in 1976.jpg
Ron Paul led the Texas Delegation to nominate Ronald Reagan (left to right: Ron Paul, Jack Fields and Ronald Reagan).

Paul continued to deliver babies on Mondays and Saturdays during his entire term as the 22nd district representative.[34] Paul was also one of only four Republican Congressmen to endorse Ronald Reagan for president against Gerald Ford in 1976,[33] when Paul led the Texas Reagan delegation at the national Republican convention.[36]

House of Representatives

Paul was the first member of Congress, in the 1970s, to propose term limits legislation in the House,[38] where he also declined to attend junkets or register for a Congressional pension while serving four terms.[39] He proposed legislation to decrease Congressional pay by the rate of inflation. In 1980, when a majority of Republicans favored President Jimmy Carter's proposal to reinstate draft registration, he pointed out their views as inconsistent, stating they were more interested in registering their children than they were their guns.[38]

On the House Banking Committee, Paul blamed the Federal Reserve for inflation,[33] and spoke against banking deregulation that allowed for the 1980s savings and loan crisis.[10] The U.S. Gold Commission created by Congress in 1982 was his and Jesse Helms's idea, and Paul's conclusions from the commission were published by the Cato Institute as a book, The Case for Gold;[30] it is now available from the Mises Institute, to which Paul is a distinguished counselor.[40]

Paul's chief of staff from 1978 to 1982 was Lew Rockwell.[41] Paul was a regular participant in the annual Congressional baseball game.[36]

In 1984, Paul chose to run for the U.S. Senate instead of re-election to the House, but lost the Republican primary to Phil Gramm.[42] He returned to full-time medical practice[33] and was succeeded by Tom DeLay, formerly a Texas state representative.[43] In his House farewell address, Paul said, "Special interests have replaced the concern that the Founders had for general welfare. Vote trading is seen as good politics. The errand-boy mentality is ordinary, the defender of liberty is seen as bizarre. It's difficult for one who loves true liberty and utterly detests the power of the state to come to Washington for a period of time and not leave a true cynic."[41]

1988 presidential campaign

In the 1988 presidential election, Paul defeated activist Russell Means (an Oglala Sioux) to win the Libertarian nomination for U.S. president.[10] Though an early adopter of Reagan, Paul criticized the unprecedented deficits incurred under Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush, Paul's opponent.[39] On the ballot in 46 states and the District of Columbia,[44] Paul placed third in the popular vote with 431,750 votes (0.47%), behind Republican Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis.[45] Paul was kept off the ballot in Missouri, and received votes there only when written in, due to what the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called a "technicality".[46]

As the Libertarian Party standard bearer,[47][48] Paul gained supporters nationwide who agreed with him on many positions—gun rights, fiscal conservatism, homeschooling, and abortion—and won approval from many who thought the federal government was misdirected elsewhere. This nationwide support base encouraged and donated to his later campaigns.[34] 2008 campaign chair Kent Snyder first worked for Paul on the 1988 campaign—when U.S. Senator John McCain told him, "You're working for the most honest man in Congress."[13][18]

Paul said he sought more during his presidential run than reaching office—he spread his liberty-minded ideas, often to school and university groups regardless of vote eligibility: "We're just as interested in the future generation as this election. These kids will vote eventually, and maybe, just maybe, they'll go home and talk to their parents."[44] He traveled the country for a year speaking about issues such as free market economics and the rising government deficits:[47] "That's why we talk to a lot of young people. They're the ones who are paying these bills, they're the ones who are inheriting this debt, so it's most likely these young people who will move into this next generation in government."[49]

After the election, Paul had a coin business,[50] began his own think tank (the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education), published an investment newsletter,[47] and continued his medical practice until he returned to Congress.[10][50]

Later Congressional career

Paul's Congressional portrait

1996 campaign controversy

Further information: Texas's 14th Congressional district

In 1996, Paul was re-elected to Congress after a tougher battle than he had faced in the 1970s. Since the Republicans had taken over both houses of Congress in the 1994 election, Paul entered the race hopeful that his Constitutionalist goals of tax cuts, closing agencies, and curbing the UN would have more influence,[51] but he quickly concluded "there was no sincere effort" toward his goals.[15] The Republican National Committee focused instead on encouraging Democrats to switch parties, as Paul's primary opponent, incumbent Greg Laughlin, had done in 1995. The party threw its full weight behind Laughlin, including support from House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Governor George W. Bush, and the National Rifle Association. Paul responded by running newspaper ads quoting Gingrich's harsh criticisms of Laughlin's Democratic voting record 14 months earlier.[39] Paul won the primary with support from baseball pitcher, constituent, and friend Nolan Ryan (who served as honorary campaign chair and made ad appearances) and tax activist Steve Forbes.[10][34]

Paul's Democratic opponent in the fall election, trial lawyer Charles "Lefty" Morris, lost in a close margin, despite assistance from the AFL-CIO. Paul's large contributor base outraised Morris two-to-one, giving the third-highest amount of individual contributions received by any House member (behind Gingrich and Bob Dornan).[52] It became the third time Paul had been elected to Congress as a non-incumbent.[10]

Morris ran numerous attacks, including publicizing issues of the Ron Paul Survival Report (published by Paul since 1985) that included derogatory comments concerning race and other politicians.[53][54] Alluding to a 1992 study finding that "of black men in Washington ... about 85 percent are arrested at some point in their lives",[55][56] the newsletter proposed assuming that "95% of the black males in Washington DC are semi-criminal or entirely criminal", and stated that "the criminals who terrorize our cities ... largely are" young black males, who commit crimes "all out of proportion to their numbers".[57][58]

In 2001, Paul took "moral responsibility" for the comments printed in his newsletter under his name, telling Texas Monthly magazine that the comments were written by a ghostwriter and did not represent his views. He said newsletter remarks referring to U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan (calling her a "fraud" and a "half-educated victimologist") were "the saddest thing, because Barbara and I served together and actually she was a delightful lady."[59] The magazine defended Paul's decision to protect the writer's confidence in 1996, concluding, "In four terms as a U.S. congressman and one presidential race, Paul had never uttered anything remotely like this."[34] In 2007, with the quotes resurfacing, the New York Times Magazine concurred that Paul denied the allegations "quite believably, since the style diverges widely from his own."[10]

Campaigns as incumbent

Further information: Texas's 14th Congressional district

In 1998 and again in 2000, Paul defeated Loy Sneary, a Democratic rice farmer and former Matagorda County judge, by running ads warning voters to be "leery of Sneary."[25][34] Paul accused Sneary of voting to raise his pay by 5%, increasing his travel allotment by 400% in one year, and using increased taxes to start a new government bureaucracy to handle a license plate fee he enacted. Sneary's aides said he had voted to raise all county employees' pay by 5% in a cost-of-living increase. Paul countered that he had never voted to raise Congressional pay.[51][60]

Between 2001 and 2003, an online grassroots petition to draft Ron Paul for the 2004 presidential election garnered several thousand signatures.[61] On December 11 2001, Paul told the independent movement he was encouraged the petition had spread the message of Constitutionalism, but did not expect a White House win at that time.[62] Further prompting in early 2007 led Paul to enter the 2008 race.

Paul continued to be re-elected to Congress, entering his 10th term in 2007.[63] In the 2008 Congressional primary, he has been challenged by Chris Peden, a Friendswood city councilman,[64] and by NASA contractor Andy Mann.[65]

Relationship with district

Paul continued delivering many of his constituents' babies as an obstetrician in Brazoria County, even while serving in Congress. In 2001, he was one of only eight doctors in the House (including dentists); even fewer continued to practice while in office. He is occasionally approached by younger area residents to thank him for attending their births.[34]

After 2003 Texas redistricting, Paul oversees a district larger than Massachusetts,[66] with 675 miles (1,100 kilometers) of Gulf of Mexico coastline between Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, covering some 22 counties. Even so, Paul opposes programs like federally funded flood insurance, legislation typically supported by coastal and rural representatives: it requires those outside flood zones to subsidize those within, but prohibits those within flood zones from choosing their own insurers. In an overwhelmingly rural region known for ranching and rice farms,[30] Paul opposes farm subsidies because they are paid to large corporations rather than small farmers.[67] Despite voting against heavily supported legislation like farm bills, Paul's contrarian nature and devotion to lowering taxes continuously appeals to 14th district voters:[34] when he surveyed them, 54% of his constituency agreed with his goal of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.[68]

While Paul votes against most spending bills, he has diverted funds that have already been authorized by other bills into his own district.[69] Paul spends extra time in the district addressing constituents' concerns, to compensate for "violat[ing] almost every rule of political survival you can think of,"[34] sometimes three to four days a week, often accompanied by grandchildren. He attends graduations, civic ceremonies, and Boy Scouts of America honor ceremonies. In an expansive district, he often logs over 300 miles (500 kilometers) daily, visiting constituents or handling their concerns. He reaches out to 14th district voters on veterans' issues, such as procuring medals for war veterans who lost or never received their medals, and holding medal ceremonies for those whose medals are being presented. His staff has helped senior citizens of the district get free or low-cost prescription drugs through a little-known drug company program; is known for its effectiveness in tracking down Social Security checks; and sends out birthday cards to constituents, as well as condolence cards on the deaths of family members.[34][69]

Legislation

Main article: Legislation sponsored by Ron Paul

Paul sponsors many more bills than the average representative, such as those that would abolish the income tax[70] or the Federal Reserve; unsurprisingly many do not escape committee review. Nevertheless, he has been named one of the "50 Most Effective Members of Congress" by Congressional Quarterly.[71] He has sponsored successful legislation to prevent the Department of Housing and Urban Development from seizing a church in New York through eminent domain, and a bill transferring ownership of the Lake Texana dam project from the federal government to Texas.[34] By successfully amending other legislation, he has also barred International Criminal Court jurisdiction over the U.S. military (2002), American participation in any U.N. "global tax" (2005), and surveillance on peaceful First Amendment activities by citizens (2006).[72]

Paul has introduced bills that would apply a $5,000 tax credit per child towards spending on any type of children's education–related expenses, public, private, or homeschool. He has introduced the Family Education Freedom Act in every Congressional session since 1997; the bill currently has six co-sponsors.[73][74] He has also introduced companion legislation in the form of the Teacher Tax Cut Act, which would provide all elementary and secondary school teachers with a $1,000 tax cut, and the Professional Educators Tax Relief Act, which would give all K–12 school librarians, counselors, and other personnel the same $1,000 tax credit.[75] He has also introduced the Education Improvement Tax Cut Act, which would allow $5,000 deductions for any type of donations to scholarships or to benefit academics at any school.[76]

In March 2001, Paul introduced the "Constitutional War Powers Resolution of 2001," which would repeal the 1973 War Powers Resolution (WPR) and thus prohibit presidents from initiating a war without a formal declaration of war by Congress.[77] Later in 2001, Paul voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists, which authorized the president, pursuant to WPR, to respond to those responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks.[78] In order to prevent Congress from yielding its Constitutional authority to declare war to the executive branch, which does not Constitutionally hold that power, Paul introduced legislation in October 2002 giving Congress the opportunity to declare war on Iraq, rather than merely "authorizing" the president to deploy forces without a declaration of war. He said he would not vote for his own bill, but if his fellow members of Congress wished to go to war in Iraq, they should follow the Constitution and declare war. As one of six Republicans to vote against the Iraq War Resolution, Paul inspired the founding of a group called the National Peace Lobby Project to promote a resolution he and Oregon representative Peter DeFazio sponsored to repeal the war authorization in February 2003. His speech, 35 "Questions That Won't Be Asked About Iraq,"[79] was translated and published in German, French, Russian, Italian, and Swiss periodicals before the Iraq War began.[69]

Paul says his fellow members of Congress have increased government spending by 75% during George W. Bush's administration.[70] After a 2005 bill was touted as "slashing" government waste, Paul wrote that it decreased spending by a fraction of one percent and that "Congress couldn't slash spending if the members' lives depended on it."[80] Paul said that between 2001 and early 2004 he had voted against more than 700 bills intended to expand government.[81]

Paul charged his fellow legislators with voting for the Patriot Act without reading it first; more than 300 pages long, it was enacted into law less than 24 hours after being introduced. In response to such Congressional actions, Paul introduced "Sunlight Rule" legislation, which would not allow votes on legislation to occur until ten days after its introduction, with the intent of giving lawmakers enough time to read bills before voting on them. The bill requires allotting 72 hours for House members and staff to examine the contents of amendments.[82]

In 2005 and 2007, Paul introduced the Sanctity of Life Act, which would remove federal court jurisdiction over abortion cases arising from state laws and effectively negate Roe v. Wade as binding legal precedent. Also, for the purposes of statutory construction, the bill declares that "human life shall be deemed to exist from conception."[83][84] Paul has also introduced a Constitutional amendment with similar intent. Such laws would permit states to declare abortion to be murder and to outlaw new fetal stem cell research and some contraception and fertility treatments.[85][86] Also in 2005 and 2007, Paul introduced the We the People Act, which would forbid all federal courts from hearing cases on abortion, same-sex marriage, sexual practices, and government display of religious symbols, texts, and images. The Act would make federal court decisions on those subjects nonbinding as precedent in state courts,[3] and would forbid federal courts from spending money to enforce their judgments.[87]

On October 15 2007, Paul introduced the American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007, which would "bar the use of evidence obtained through torture; require that federal intelligence gathering is conducted in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA); create a mechanism for challenging presidential signing statements; repeal the Military Commissions Act, which, among other things, denies habeas corpus to certain detainees; prohibit kidnapping, detentions, and torture abroad; protect journalists who publish information received from the executive branch; and ensure that secret evidence is not used to designate individuals or organizations with a presence in the U.S. as foreign terrorists."[88]

Affiliations

Paul serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee (having been on the Western Hemisphere and the Asia and Pacific subcommittees); the Joint Economic Committee; and the Committee on Financial Services (as Ranking Member of the Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology subcommittee, and Vice-Chair of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee).[89]

Paul served as honorary chair of, and is a current member of, the Republican Liberty Caucus, a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party.[90] He also hosts a luncheon every Thursday for the Liberty Committee, a group of liberty-minded representatives from both sides of the aisle.[91][10] Paul is a founding member of the Congressional Rural Caucus, which deals with agricultural and rural issues,[71] and the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus.

Unlike many political candidates, Paul receives the overwhelming majority of his campaign contributions from individuals.[92] In 2005 and 2006, individuals contributed 96.8% of the funds he raised. Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show Paul accepts money from political action committees (PAC's), although much less than most of his counterparts in Congress. Paul received PAC money during the 1998 (5.7%), 2000 (4.5%), 2002 (1.8%), 2004 (5.8%), and 2006 (2.1%) Congressional electoral cycles.[93] In a special report, the group Clean Up Washington listed Paul as taking the seventh-lowest amount of PAC money of all House members, as well as accepting one of the lowest amounts of lobbyist money and taking the fourth-highest percentage of contributions from small donors. Their data studied contributions from the 2000 election cycle to midway through 2006.[94] Of the 2008 Republican presidential candidates, he has accepted the lowest percentage of PAC money.[95][96]

Paul remains on good terms with the Libertarian Party and addressed its 2004 convention.[97] He also was endorsed by the Constitution Party's 2004 presidential candidate, Michael Peroutka. Paul is a potential nominee of both parties, independent of the Republican National Convention's nomination.[98]

Actions in Congress

Paul was on a bipartisan coalition of 17 members of Congress that sued President Bill Clinton in 1999 over his conduct of the Kosovo war. They accused Clinton of failing to inform Congress of the action's status within 48 hours as required by WPR, and of failing to obtain Congressional declaration of war as specifically required in the Constitution. Congress had voted 427–2 against a declaration of war with Yugoslavia, and had voted to deny support for the air campaign in Kosovo. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that since Congress had voted for funding after Clinton had actively engaged troops in the war with Kosovo, legislators had sent a confusing message about whether they approved of the war. Paul said that the judge's decision attempted to circumvent the Constitution and to authorize the president to conduct a war without approval from Congress.[99]

2008 presidential campaign

Template:Future election candidate

Main article: Ron Paul presidential campaign, 2008

On February 19 2007, Paul formed an exploratory committee to gauge support for a run in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.[27] Saying he was "pleasantly surprised" by the committee's findings, Paul formally declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination on March 12 2007, as a guest on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.[27][100] Prior to his campaign, in a February 2007 CNN telephone poll, Paul was the candidate with the least name recognition besides John Cox.[101]

Campaign finances

By May 2007, Paul had come in second in fundraising in Montana and at the head of the pack of then–second-tier candidates in 14 other states.[102] As of July 6, Ron Paul had the third most cash on hand of the Republican candidates with $2.4 million, putting him ahead of John McCain.[103] Over 99% of Paul's funds had come from individuals,[104] with almost half (47%) raised from small contributions ($200 or less).[105]

FEC reports indicate that Ron Paul had topped all other presidential candidates in campaign contributions from employees of the armed services for the second and third quarters of 2007.[106][107] In the second quarter, Paul received 26.2% of military donations, roughly equal to the support received by all other Republican candidates combined.[108][109][110][111]

Fundraising strengthened in third quarter 2007, with an August competition among Paul's local volunteer meetup groups, then numbering over 700,[112][113] and a fundraising drive the last week of September with a goal of raising $500,000 online by midnight, September 30.[114] When the initial goal was well-surpassed after only three days, Paul raised the goal to $1 million,[115] telling supporters, "Frankly, I'm floored. And very, very grateful."[116] The drive raised $1.2 million in one week, and third-quarter total fundraising was $5.1 million coming from myriads of small donors, giving Paul a quarterly 114% fundraising increase (the top three second-quarter candidates each reported summer decreases);[117][118] Paul had $5.3 million cash on hand.[119][120][121] Paul's fourth-quarter goal was initially set at $12 million.[119]

Several online donation drives aim to coordinate donations to the Ron Paul campaign. Grassroots activists at ThisNovember5th.com hoped to get 100,000 subscribers to donate $100 each on November 5 2007, Guy Fawkes night: they raised contributions from over 37,000 donors in that 24-hour time period, netting over $4.2 million, the largest documented one-day online fundraising record in political history.[122][123] His daily average of $65,000 was reached in just under 20 minutes, with donation sizes hovering at $150 per person.[124] Three other popular donation drives are the RonPaulMoneyBomb.com, a longterm email list aiming to launch brief "moneybombs" with a goal of 40,000 people donating $25 every week; ThisNovember11th.com, a Veterans' Day fundraiser, brought in $230,000; and TeaParty07.com, planned for December 16 2007, the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, reprising the goal of $10 million. These moneybombs, and most of Paul's fundraising campaigns, are completely volunteer-based, with no coordination with the official Ron Paul campaign. Ken Bryan, a Democratic consultant to some of Paul's opponents, has said Paul "has one of the largest contributor bases in Congress, outside of the leadership." Most of Paul's contributions are given in small amounts by individuals.[34]

Ron Paul's official campaign site informs volunteers running donation drives of their need to comply with federal regulations and popular methods used by volunteers to raise money.[125]

Polling

Ron Paul at the Iowa State Straw Poll
Further information: Opinion polling for the Republican Party (United States) 2008 presidential candidates, and Straw polls for the 2008 United States presidential election

In a Zogby phone poll released on May 17, Paul drew 3% of the respondents determined as "likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters", fifth place among Republican contenders.[126] By October–November, Paul's support had risen to 7% in this early-primary state, according to three polls,[127][128] as well as 6% in his home state,[129] 5% in early-primary Michigan,[130] and 5% in super-Tuesday Arizona.[131] In November Rasmussen polled Paul at 6% nationwide among likely Republican voters,[132] affirming earlier polls putting Paul at 5% nationwide.[133][134][135]. In a November 13th CBS-New York Times poll, Paul polled at 8% within New Hamphshire, surpassing Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee[136], and this result was replicated by a CNN/WMUR poll, which placed him fourth among the contenders.[137]

In November 2007, Zogby International conducted a nationwide phone poll on behalf of Alex Jones, a radio host, which asked respondents to choose among blind biographies of four Republican candidates: Rudy Giuliani, Paul, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson. Paul's biography was favored by 33% of the 1,009 likely voters, first place among the four candidates. However, he received just 13% of the Republican subset of respondents (389 voters), for fourth place. [138][139]

Paul's support at local-event–based Republican straw polls consistently outstrips his landline poll performances. Nationwide, he is the most recent winner of a straw poll in fourteen states (and South Korea), in first place, ahead of Mitt Romney, who is the most recent winner in eight states (and D.C.). At the Utah GOP convention on June 9 2007, Paul placed second behind Romney.[140] On July 28, Paul received 18% and placed second only to then-undeclared candidate Thompson in a Georgetown County, South Carolina, Republican Party straw poll.[141][142] In the larger Iowa straw poll on August 11, Paul received 9% and fifth place.[143][144] In the Springfield, Illinois, Republican Straw Poll of August 16, Ron Paul won 19% of the vote, third behind Romney and Thompson.[145][146]

On August 18 2007, Paul appeared in two notably favorable straw polls, conducted by the Strafford County, New Hampshire, Republican Party, and by the West Alabama Republican Assembly. In New Hampshire, Paul received first place with 73% while his closest rival, Romney, received 9%.[147] In Alabama the same day, Paul also placed first with 81%, and Romney took second again with 5%.[148] Paul's overall head-to-head performance at Republican straw polls is comparable only to that of Romney or Thompson: the three politicans place similarly by the number of total wins and by the Condorcet method.[149]

Internet popularity

Paul has participated in seven 2008 GOP debates, six of which he won according to the sponsors' own online or text-message phone polls.[150] After the first debate, ABC News noted Paul's robust online presence: "His supporters have mastered the art of 'viral marketing,' using Internet savvy and blog postings to create at least the perception of momentum for his long-shot presidential bid."[151] U.S. News reported his increasing online popularity: "His supporters have flocked to the Internet with such enthusiasm that Paul is now showing up among the much richer candidates in various measures of Internet traffic".[152] USA Today calls Paul an "online natural", citing as one reason, "Libertarians love the web."[153]

Paul's Internet presence has been measured by his ranking as a top Web search term by Technorati,[152] Hitwise,[154] and Alexa Internet,[155] which compare popularity in the blogosphere. While Sean Hannity of Fox News claims a small number of supporters intentionally inflate Paul's rankings and skew the statistics,[156][157] Technorati spokesman Aaron Krane affirms his company's position that Paul's search popularity is genuine to the best of their knowledge.[152] Paul claims the most YouTube views of all presidential candidates, over 4.4 million,[158] and the most subscriptions of all candidates, having surpassed Barack Obama on May 20 2007.[159] Paul's YouTube channel is among the Top 40 most subscribed of all time, achieving 36,000 subscribers in October 2007.[160][161] The Ron Paul Girl is an internet video not originally generated from the campaign, but which has amounted to hundreds of thousands of viewings and is thought to have contributed materially to internet fundraising.[162]

Supporters "guard [Paul's] image against what they see as a purposeful marginalization by the media",[163][164] and cite his victories in 2008 GOP debate sponsors' online and phone text polls to argue he deserves more mainstream recognition.[165][166]

Political positions

Paul at the 2007 National Right to Life Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, June 15 2007
Main article: Political positions of Ron Paul

Paul's nickname "Dr. No"[34] reflects both his medical degree and his contrarian insistence[167] on "never vot[ing] for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution."[33][168] Paul adheres deeply to Austrian school economics and libertarian criticism of fractional-reserve banking, opposing fiat increases to money in circulation;[37] he has authored six books on the subjects, and has pictures of classical liberal economists Friedrich Hayek, Murray Rothbard, and Ludwig von Mises hanging on his office wall.[21][169]

Paul's foreign policy of nonintervention[170] made him the only 2008 Republican presidential candidate to have voted against the Iraq War Resolution in 2002.[171][172] He advocates withdrawal from the UN and NATO for reasons of maintaining strong national sovereignty.[170][173] He supports free trade, rejecting membership in NAFTA and the World Trade Organization as "managed trade". He supports tighter border security and ending welfare benefits for illegal aliens,[174] and opposes birthright citizenship and amnesty; he voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006. He voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks,[78] but suggested war alternatives such as authorizing the president to grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal targeting specific terrorists.

Paul regularly votes against almost all proposals for new government spending, initiatives, or taxes.[25] He has pledged never to raise taxes,[33][175] and states he has never voted to approve a deficit budget. Paul would abolish the individual income tax by scaling back the federal budget to its 2000 spending levels.[70][176] Rather than taxing personal income, which he says assumes that the government owns individuals' lives and labor, he prefers the federal government to be funded through excise taxes and/or uniform, non-protectionist tariffs.[177] He would eliminate most federal government agencies, calling them unnecessary bureaucracies.[178] Paul is also vocal in his opposition to inflation, arguing that the longterm erosion of the dollar's purchasing power arises from its lack of commodity (such as gold) backing, which would restrain excess "printing" of money and consequent devaluation. Paul says he "wouldn't exactly go back on the gold standard,"[179] but would push to legalize gold and silver as legal tender and remove the sales tax on them, so that gold-backed notes (or other types of hard money) and digital gold currencies[180] can compete on a level playing field with fiat Federal Reserve notes, allowing individuals a choice whether to use "sound money" to protect their purchasing power or to continue using fiat money.[181] He advocates gradual elimination of the Federal Reserve central bank for many reasons, believing that economic volatility is decreased when the free market determines interest rates and money supply.[182] He favors allowing workers to opt out of Social Security to protect the system for everyone.[183]

Paul strongly supports Constitutional rights, freedom of the Internet,[184] the right to bear arms, jury nullification,[185] and habeas corpus for political detainees.[186] Civil liberties concerns have led him to oppose the Patriot Act, a national ID card, federal government use of torture, domestic surveillance, presidential autonomy, and the draft. Paul defers to states' rights in areas not addressed by the Constitution. Paul calls himself "strongly pro-life,"[187] "an unshakable foe of abortion,"[84] and believes regulation of medical decisions about maternal or fetal health is "best handled at the state level."[188][189] (He says his years as an obstetrician lead him to believe life begins at conception;[190] his pro-life legislation, like the Sanctity of Life Act, is intended to negate Roe v. Wade for ethical reasons and to get "the federal government completely out of the business of regulating state matters.")[191][192] He also opposes federal regulation of the death penalty,[188] of education,[193] and of marriage. He has voted against federal funding of joint adoption by unmarried couples (including same-sex adoption); he also supports revising enforcement of the military "don't ask, don't tell" policy to focus on disruptive behavior and include members with heterosexual as well as homosexual behavior issues.[194][195] He defers to private property rights in relation to environmental protection and pollution prevention.[196] He also opposes the federal War on Drugs, wishing to leave the decision on whether to regulate or deregulate drugs, including medical marijuana, to the states. Paul advocates for the elimination of federal involvement and management of health care, which he argues would allow prices to drop due to the fundamental dynamics of a free market.

Books authored

File:Foreignpolicyofpeacebook.jpg
A Foreign Policy of Freedom
  • Paul, Ron (1981). Gold, Peace, and Prosperity: The Birth of a New Economy (PDF). Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
  • Paul, Ron, and Lehrman, Lewis (1982). The Case for Gold: a Minority Report of the U.S. Gold Commission (PDF). Washington, DC: Cato Institute, September 1982; Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2007. ISBN 0932790313. Retrieved 2007-07-30.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Paul, Ron (1983). Abortion and Liberty. Foundation for Rational Economics and Education. ISBN 0912453028.
  • Paul, Ron (1983). Ten Myths About Paper Money. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education. ISBN 11765863. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
  • Paul, Ron (1984). Mises and Austrian Economics: A Personal View (PDF). Auburn, Ala.: Ludwig von Mises Institute. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
  • Paul, Ron (1987). Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200 Years (PDF). Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education; Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-30. (Book distributed with permission from Ron Paul.)
  • Paul, Ron (1990). Challenge to Liberty: Coming to Grips with the Abortion Issue. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education.
  • Paul, Ron (1991). The Ron Paul Money Book. Plantation Publishing.
  • Paul, Ron (2000). A Republic, If You Can Keep It. House of Representatives.
  • Paul, Ron (2007). A Foreign Policy of Freedom. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education. ISBN 0912453001.

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  137. ^ "Thompson skids while Romney, Paul climb in N.H. poll". CNN. 2007-11-19. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
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  139. ^ "Ron Paul wins Latest Zogby Poll". Truth Seeds. 2007-11-19. Retrieved 2007-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  140. ^ Gammill, Powell (2007-06-08). "Utah State Republican Convention Straw Poll Results". Freedom's Phoenix. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  141. ^ Swatzel, Tom (2007-07-28). "Fred Thompson Wins Georgetown County Straw Poll". Georgetown County Republican Party. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  142. ^ "Paul Beats Romney, Giuliani and McCain". Ron Paul 2008. 2007-07-28. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
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  144. ^ Associated Press (2007-08-11). "Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll As Expected". Forbes.
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  150. ^ "Vote on the Michigan Republican Debate". MSNBC. 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  151. ^ "ABC analysis of "The Ron Paul Effect"".
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  153. ^ "Ron Paul's Web of support: He's an "online natural"". USA Today. 2007-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  154. ^ "Top 10 Presidential Candidate 2008 Search Terms". Hitwise. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  155. ^ "Alexa info for RonPaul2008.com, compared to other Republican candidates".
  156. ^ http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=50521
  157. ^ Hannity, Sean, and Colmes, Alan (2007-09-05). "You Decide: Results of "Hannity & Colmes" Text Messaging Poll". Hannity & Colmes. Fox News. Retrieved 2007-09-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  158. ^ "YouTube stats". Tech President.
  159. ^ "Paul #1, Obama #2". Ron Paul 2008. 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
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  161. ^ "Press Release: 30,000 YouTube Subscribers". Ron Paul 2008. 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
  162. ^ Tashi Singh, Ron Paul Girl Strip Video Online...Here We Go Again!, The Post Chronicle (2007)
  163. ^ Dvorak, Blake D (2007-09-28). "Ron Paul Country". Yahoo News. Yahoo. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  164. ^ Kuhnhenn, Jim (2007-10-03). "Ron Paul Raises $5 Million for Bid". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-10-05. Since he entered the campaign, he has operated with little media attention.
  165. ^ Woods, Jr., Thomas E (2007-05-10). "Defeat the Media Clones". Lew Rockwell. Retrieved 2007-09-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  166. ^ Wallenwein, A. (2007-05-12). "Media Blackout Boosts Paul Campaign". Op-Ed News.
  167. ^ Peterson, Liz Austin (2007-08-02). "Ron Paul remains longshot for GOP nom". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-11-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  168. ^ Memmott, Mark (2007-03-12). "Add Rep. Ron Paul - 'Dr. No' - to list of '08 hopefuls". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  169. ^ "Murray Rothbard". America: From Freedom to Fascism.
  170. ^ a b Paul, Ron (2007-05-22). "Patriotism". Congressional Record. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  171. ^ Paul, Ron (2002-09-04). "Arguments Against a War in Iraq". Congressional Record. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  172. ^ Paul, Ron (2002-10-08). "Statement Opposing the use of Military Force against Iraq". Congressional Record. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  173. ^ "Ron Paul's Libertarian Message Attracts Supporters". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. 2007-07-25. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  174. ^ Paul, Ron (2005-08-09). "Immigration and the Welfare State". Lew Rockwell. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  175. ^ Kartch, John (2007-04-24). "Rep. Ron Paul Signs Presidential Taxpayer Protection Pledge". Americans for Tax Freedom. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  176. ^ "Paul Want Less Government, Less Taxes, and Abolish IRS: Limit federal power, per the 10th Amendment". Antiwar President. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  177. ^ Interview with Ron Paul at Google headquarters, July 14, 2007 [1]
  178. ^ Maymin, Phil (2007-06-21). "The Book on Paul: Presidential candidate Ron Paul is the anti-war conscience of the Republican Party". Fairfield Weekly. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  179. ^ Interview with Ron Paul after New Hampshire presidential debate on June 5, 2007. Available on YouTube [2]
  180. ^ Ron Paul Talks About Digital Gold Currency, Digital Money World
  181. ^ Interview with Ron Paul on Fox Business Network 10/16/2007 [3] ; Interview with Ron Paul on CNBC, Kudlow & Company [4] [5]
  182. ^ Paul, Ron (2007-09-11). "Question and Answer session following Keynote speech at the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies forum "Foreign Policy: A View from a Presidential Candidate"". Ron Paul Audio. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  183. ^ "TRANSCRIPT: The Republican Debate on Fox News Channel". New York Times. 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-10-23. We need to allow the young people to just flat out get out of the system. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  184. ^ Paul, Ron (2006-07-11). "Paul on H.R. 4411, the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act". Congressional Record. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  185. ^ Paul, Ron (1987). Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200 Years (PDF). Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education. pp. 23–27. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  186. ^ Sullivan, Andrew (2007-05-11). "Taking Ron Paul Seriously". Daily Dish. Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  187. ^ "PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2260, PAIN RELIEF PROMOTION ACT OF 1999". Congressional Record. House of Representatives. 1999-10-27. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  188. ^ a b Lofton, John (August 2007). "Excerpts From Our Exclusive Ron Paul Interview". American View. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  189. ^ "Paul says merger plans must be derailed: 'You cannot amend the Constitution with a treaty'". Election 2008 Q&A. WorldNetDaily. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  190. ^ Murtagh, Joseph (2007-06-28). "An Interview with Presidential Candidate Congressman Ron Paul". Muckraker Report. Team Liberty. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  191. ^ Paul, Ron (2006-01-31). "Federalizing Social Policy". Lew Rockwell. Retrieved 2007-11-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  192. ^ Eddlem, Thomas R. (2005-05-02). "Who had the right to rule? Accusations about the abuses of constitutional authority in the Terri Schiavo case get cleared up". New American. American Opinion Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 2007-10-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  193. ^ "Ron Paul on Education: Republican Representative (TX-14)". On the Issues. 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  194. ^ "Candidates@Google: Ron Paul". Google. 2007-07-13. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  195. ^ "Transcript of June 5 "CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader" Republican presidential debate". CNN. 2007-06-05. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  196. ^ Miller, Dennis (2007-05-30). "Ron Paul Interview". Dennis Miller Radio. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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Ron Paul
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd congressional district
1976–1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd congressional district
1979–1985 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Libertarian Party presidential candidate
1988 (3rd) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 14th congressional district
1997–present 		Incumbent


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