Ron Paul Calls Big News Conference Tomorrow To Make Announcement On Presidential Election

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Tue Sep-09-08 03:54 PM
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Ron Paul Calls Big News Conference Tomorrow To Make Announcement On Presidential Election

Wall Street Journal
September 9, 2008
Ron Paul Plans ‘Special Announcement’
Brad Haynes reports on the presidential race.

Rep. Ron Paul, the former Republican presidential candidate who excited a multitude of young voters during the primaries, announced a “major” news conference in Washington Wednesday.

With a range of third-party candidates at his side – including the Libertarian Party’s Bob Barr, independent candidate Ralph Nader, the Constitution Party’s Chuck Baldwin and the Green Party’s Cynthia McKinney – it’s unlikely that Paul will pick just one to support. But his spokesman said to expect “something of an endorsement,” with “a real effect on this fall’s election.”

Paul concluded his own presidential run with a “Rally for the Republic” in Minneapolis last week, drawing more than 12,000 supporters while the rest of the Republican Party gathered at the national convention across the river. Still, he didn’t garner many delegates’ votes. Paul and his grassroots backers have caused occasional trouble for the GOP and the Texas congressman has pointedly avoided an endorsement of Republican candidate John McCain. In 1988, Paul ran for president as the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/09/09/ron-paul-plans-special-announcement/

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Politex
September 9, 2008
What's Up With Ron Paul?
By Maria Recio

Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul, who redefines maverick (sorry John McCain), is up to something tomorrow with a big press conference at the National Press Club. Appearing with Paul will be four third party/independent presidential candidates -- Libertarian Bob Barr, Ralph Nader, Green Party's Cynthia McKinney and Constitution Party's Chuck Baldwin -- for a very unclear purpose. According to a Paul press release, "Dr. Paul will announce his intentions for the fall presidential election." Paul, who dropped out of the GOP presidential campaign in June, has not signaled a presidential preference to his enthusiastic followers, other than that it's pretty unlikely to be McCain. Coming off his raucous Rally for the Republic during the GOP convention, it's more likely Paul will say any of the four is better than McCain or Obama. As for Paul running himself, it's too far into ballot deadlines and the Texan, the Libertarian Party standard-bearer in 1988, has said he will stay with the Republican Party.

Informed observers say that Paul and the four candidates will issue a joint statement of issues they agree on, which they feel are not being given proper attention by the two major party candidates. The issues include civil liberties, the Iraq war and non-interventionism. "They've been speaking via telephone," said Nader national coordinator Jason Kafoury of Nader and Paul. "There are similar issues they feel aren't being covered by Obama or McCain." But beyond that, he won't say. "We don't want to say too much to steal Dr. Paul's thunder."

The early betting is on Paul making a big pitch to opening the debates -- a favorite theme of Nader and Barr. The Commission on Presidential Debates, created by the Republican and Democratic parties, sets participation criteria of 15% in national polls, which third parties say is prohibitive.

http://startelegram.typepad.com/politex/