Category Archives: Ron Paul

The United States will likely suffer a Greek-style economic collapse soon because, like Greece, its impossible for the U.S. to pay its debt, according to former congressman Dr. Ron Paul.

Dr. Paul pointed out that the U.S. is currently facing several financial bubbles of the same size and scope as the housing bubble which caused the Great Recession.

We still have another stock market bubble and another housing bubble going on, but the big bubble I think is in the bond bubble, he said Thursday on the Alex Jones Show. Its been going on for 35 years, taking interest rates from 21% down to actually negative.

[Central banks] have been getting away with it, so this means distortion, and not only is there money involved, but it also distorted all the investments made during this time.

And the biggest distortion this encouraged, Dr. Paul added, is debt.

It encouraged debt for a lot of people, but in particular government, he continued. As long as our government is able to print the reserve currency [the U.S. dollar], its going to limp along, even though our economy is limping along, but that will come to an end.

Right now were starting to see the whole thing coming apart; I mean we look at Detroit as an example, we see whats happening in Greece, theyre worrying about whats going to happen after Greece is actually recognized as totally bankrupt and there will be other countries.

Dr. Paul also warned that the central banks will keep trying to delay the inevitable by printing and spending even more money.

But thats coming to an end, he said. The day of reckoning is at hand.

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Ron Paul: It's All Coming Apart Alex Jones' Infowars: There ...

Americans inherit from our ancestors a glorious tradition of freedom and resistance to oppression. Our country has long been admired by the rest of the world for her great example of liberty and prosperitya light shining in the darkness of tyranny.

But many Americans today are frustrated. The political choices they are offered give them no real choice at all. For all their talk of "change," neither major political party as presently constituted challenges the status quo in any serious way. Neither treats the Constitution with anything but contempt. Neither offers any kind of change in monetary policy. Neither wants to make the reductions in government that our crushing debt burden demands. Neither talks about bringing American troops home not just from Iraq but from around the world. Our country is going bankrupt, and none of these sensible proposals are even on the table.

This destructive bipartisan consensus has suffocated American political life for many years. Anyone who tries to ask fundamental questions instead of cosmetic ones is ridiculed or ignored.

That is why the Campaign for Liberty was established: to highlight the neglected but common-sense principles we champion and reinsert them into the American political conversation.

The U.S. Constitution is at the heart of what the Campaign for Liberty stands for, since the very least we can demand of our government is fidelity to its own governing document. Claims that our Constitution was meant to be a "living document" that judges may interpret as they please are fraudulent, incompatible with republican government, and without foundation in the constitutional text or the thinking of the Framers. Thomas Jefferson spoke of binding our rulers down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution, and we are proud to follow in his distinguished lineage.

With our Founding Fathers, we also believe in a noninterventionist foreign policy. Inspired by the old Robert Taft wing of the Republican Party, we are convinced that the American people cannot remain free and prosperous with 700 military bases around the world, troops in 130 countries, and a steady diet of war propaganda. Our military overstretch is undermining our national defense and bankrupting our country.

We believe that the free market, reviled by people who do not understand it, is the most just and humane economic system and the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known.

We believe with Ludwig von Mises, Henry Hazlitt, and F.A. Hayek that central banking distorts economic decisionmaking and misleads entrepreneurs into making unsound investments. Hayek won the Nobel Prize for showing how central banks' interference with interest rates sets the stage for economic downturns. And the central bank's ability to create money out of thin air transfers wealth from the most vulnerable to those with political pull, since it is the latter who receive the new money before the price increases it brings in its wake have yet occurred. For economic and moral reasons, therefore, we join the great twentieth-century economists in opposing the Federal Reserve System, which has reduced the value of the dollar by 95 percent since it began in 1913.

We oppose the dehumanizing assumption that all issues that divide us must be settled at the federal level and forced on every American community, whether by activist judges, a power-hungry executive, or a meddling Congress. We believe in the humane alternative of local self-government, as called for in our Constitution.

We oppose the transfer of American sovereignty to supranational organizations in which the American people possess no elected representatives. Such compromises of our country's independence run counter to the principles of the American Revolution, which was fought on behalf of self-government and local control. Most of these organizations have a terrible track record even on their own terms: how much poverty have the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund actually alleviated, for example? The peoples of the world can interact with each other just fine in the absence of bureaucratic intermediaries that undermine their sovereignty.

We believe that freedom is an indivisible whole, and that it includes not only economic liberty but civil liberties and privacy rights as well, all of which are historic rights that our civilization has cherished from time immemorial.

Our stances on other issues can be deduced from these general principles.

Our country is ailing. That is the bad news. The good news is that the remedy is so simple and attractive: a return to the principles our Founders taught us. Respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, individual liberty, sound money, and a noninterventionist foreign policy constitute the foundation of the Campaign for Liberty.

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About Campaign for Liberty - Campaign for Liberty

04/14/2016 Sen. Rand Paul Introduces New Legislation To Protect Gun Owners Rights

I refuse to stand idly by while the Obama administration unilaterally strips away gun rights from our nations veterans and seniors. The Protecting Gun Rights and Due Process Act will provide necessary protection for gun-owning Americans, and ultimately ensure that the Second Amendment is not infringed upon, Sen. Paul said.

Paul said he has a plan to balance the national $19 trillion debt involving cutting some departments, such as education and commerce, and cutting the budget one percent per year for five years. He said the federal government spends $1 million each minute, and cited one misuse of money when the government spent $2.5 million studying online dating.

I am excited to be heading to Marion County to speak with the Lebanon community about the issues facing both Kentucky and our nation, I look forward to the opportunity to personally address the communitys concerns and share what Im doing in the Senate to fight for Kentuckys best interests

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Rand Paul for US Senate | Rand Paul Kentucky US Senator

Rep. Ron Paul entered the 2012 presidential campaign in April, making it his third run for the White House. When he ran for president in 2008, he lost every single Republican primary. For nearly a decade, he wasnt even a member of the GOP.

But a combination of timing, technology and four decades of political activism on the conservative fringe have turned Paul into a sort of icon with an activist networking and a fundraising list that puts those of his colleagues to shame. In July 2011, Paul announced he would not seek reelection in 2012 regardless of the outcome of the presidential race.

Current Position: U.S. Representative (since January 1997)

Career History: U.S. House (1997 to present); Libertarian Party presidential nominee (1987 to 1988); U.S. House (1976, 1979 to 1985); Ob/Gyn (1968 to 1996)

Birthday: August 20, 1935

Hometown: Green Tree, Penn.

Alma Mater: Gettysburg College, BA, 1957; Duke University, Md., 1961

Spouse: Carol

Religion: Protestant

DC Office: 329 Cannon Building, Washington DC, 20510, 202-225-2831

District Offices: Galveston, 409-766-7013; Lake Jackson, 979-285-0231; Victoria, 361-576-1231

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Ron Paul The Washington Post

Dear Visitor,

Welcome to the City of Crossville! We are located atop the beautiful Cumberland Plateau on Interstate 40, only a short drive to three metropolitan cities. Our 2,000 foot elevation offers a mild, four season climate year round. Our rural area offers an abundance of outdoor possibilities, with mountainous wildlife reserves, lakes, streams, and the Cumberland Mountain State Park.

We are known as the Golf Capital of Tennessee. With nine pristine courses in our community, Crossville has become a golfers' paradise of national recognition; however, the opportunities and activities are endless. Our Cumberland County Playhouse serves more than 165,000 visitors annually and the historic Palace Theatre on Main Street is always active. We are also the location of the United States Chess Federation headquarters, a restored railroad Depot & Caboose Visitor's Center, and part of the World's Largest Yard Sale on Highway 127 North.

Our youth opportunities abound with nine elementary schools and two high schools and we join the State of Tennessee promoting two years free post-secondary education at our Tennessee College of Applied Technology,

Please take time to navigate our website to find out more about us. The calendar of events is a good start to see what events are upcoming that you might be interested in. We have many civic groups that are in need of volunteers. We can put you in touch with any that you are either interested in or would like to know more about. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 931-484-5113.

"Crossville, Tennessee, it's just better here."

James Mayberry

Mayor

Discover the Upper Cumberland Featuring Crossville/Cumberland County

Produced by WCTE/PBS

From 1938 to 1978 the theatre provided a movie house to a small Tennessee community. It hosted entertainment events that featured Grand Ole Opry stars and was the site for scrap metal drives and the sale of War Bonds during World War II.

The doors of the Palace Theatre closed in 1978 and would have failed to open again had it not been for the effort of various citizens, fund raising and Federal Grant money that was provided. In 2001 the restored three story building was able to open featuring a design of both Art Deco and Art Moderne styles.

Award winning recreation. Crossville's parks offer tournament action for baseball, softball and soccer. Plus, relaxation at our beautiful Meadow Park Lake. Outdoor activities for the entire family.

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City of Crossville - Home

Origem: Wikipdia, a enciclopdia livre.

Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul (Pittsburgh, 20 de agosto de 1935) um mdico e poltico estadunidense, ex-membro da Cmara dos Representantes do Congresso dos Estados Unidos da Amrica. Ron Paul foi candidato presidncia dos Estados Unidos em 1988, 2008 e 2012.

Ron Paul pai do Senador Rand Paul, do estado de Kentucky, um dos lderes do movimento conservador Tea Party.

No Congresso, Ron Paul tem aderido a princpios libertrios, baseando suas posies polticas, frequentemente, no constitucionalismo e direitos dos estados. Ele nunca votou a favor do aumento de impostos ou do aumento do salrio de congressistas e se recusa a participar do sistema de penso do Congresso. Ele ganhou o apelido de "Dr. No" (Dr. No) por sempre votar contra propostas que ele considera estarem em violao da Constituio dos Estados Unidos da Amrica.

Ron Paul apoia a reduo nos gastos do Estado e nos impostos. Como congressista, sugeriu a abolio do imposto de renda. Ele tambm apoia a converso do sistema de sade dos Estados Unidos num sistema de livre mercado com maior competitividade e portanto se ope ao sistema de sade universal. Ron pr-vida, no entanto contrrio proibio federal do aborto, por defender que cada estado tenha sua legislao prpria sobre a questo, e se ope a qualquer controle sobre a educao a nvel federal, relegando tal responsabilidade tambm aos estados. Ele foi galardoado em 2012 com o que considerado o Prmio NobelNobel do conservadorismo, o Prmio Barry Goldwater.[2]

Ron Paul nasceu em Green Tree, Pensilvnia, (a sudoeste de Pittsburgh), filho de Howard Caspar Paul (1904-1997), que por sua vez era filho de um imigrante alemo luterano, e Margaret Paul (ne Dumont) (1908-2001), donos de uma fazenda nos arredores de Pittsburgh.[3] Ele era o terceiro de cinco filhos nascidos durante os sete anos da Grande Depresso.[4] O pai de Ron tinha educao de primeiro grau e era dono, junto com seus irmos Lewis e Arthur, da Green Tree Dairy. Em sua infncia, Ron comeou trabalhando na fazenda de seu pai aos cinco anos. Mais tarde, passou a entregar jornais e trabalhar numa drogaria, tornando-se entregador de leite ao atingir idade suficiente para dirigir.[4]

Ron completou o ensino secundrio em 1953 na Dormont High School, Pennsylvania, com honras. Obteve excelncia em atletismo,[5] ganhando o campeonato estadual da Pennsylvania na corrida dos 200 metros e alcanando o segundo lugar na corrida dos 400 metros. Ele tambm estava no time de luta greco-romana e era presidente do conselho estudantil.[4]

Ron pagou seu primeiro ano no Gettysburg College com dinheiro que poupou entregando jornais, vendendo limonada e cortando gramados. Ron entregava cartas e roupas por fora enquanto estudava em Gettysburg; por um ano, gerenciou a cafeteteria do colgio.[4] Renunciou ao atletismo aps uma leso no joelho e matriculou-se no time de natao aps t-la praticado, inicialmente, como terapia. Ron recusou uma bolsa que lhe foi oferecida para participar do time de atletismo, temendo no poder alcanar o desempenho de antes.[4] Afiliou-se fraternidade Lambda Chi Alpha,[6] e serviu como monitor e gerente de casa da fraternidade.[4] Ele recebeu seu bacharelado em 1957.

Embora tenha considerado tornar-se ministro luterano como dois de seus irmos,[5] Ron decidiu seguir a carreira mdica e foi aceito na Escola de Medicina da Universidade de Duke, onde recebeu seu diploma de Medicina em 1961. Ele conduziu seu internato e um ano de residncia em Clnica mdica no Hospital Henry Ford em Detroit de 1961 at 1962 e residncia em Obstetrcia e Ginecologia na Universidade de Pittsburgh de 1965 at 1968.[7]

Ron Paul bem versado em filosofia econmica da Escola Austraca de Economia, sendo autor de vrios livros sobre o assunto. Ele tem retratos de Friedrich von Hayek, Ludwig von Mises e Murray Rothbard pendurados na parede de seu escritrio.[8][9]

Ron Paul e sua esposa, Carol Wells, casaram-se em 1 de fevereiro de 1957. Carol convidou Ron para seu primeiro encontro numa dana Sadie Hawkins (um evento onde as mulheres convidam os homens).[4] Eles partiram para colgios em estados diferentes, mas mantiveram contato e casaram-se no ltimo ano escolar de Ron no Gettysburg College.[4]

Eles tm cinco filhos:[10] Ronnie, Lori, Rand, Robert e Joy, alm de dezoito netos e um bisneto.[5] Enquanto viviam em Detroit durante a residncia mdica de Ron, Carol tocava uma escola de dana no poro de casa.[4] Trs dos filhos de Ron, Robert, Rand e Joy tambm tornaram-se mdicos.[10] Rand especializou-se em Oftalmologia e Robert em Medicina de famlia. Assim como o congressista, sua filha Joy especializou-se em Obstetrcia e Ginecologia.[11] Ron Paul financiou o estudo de seus filhos durante seus anos de bacharelado e escola mdica, no permitindo que participassem em programas federais subsidiados de bolsa estudantil. Ele no aceita penso de congressista pelo mesmo motivo.[12]

Quando seu marido fazia campanha no 14 distrito, Carol Paul decidiu ajudar compilando receitas de famlia num livro de receitas e enviando cpias aos constituintes.[10] O livro recheado de fotos da grande famlia de Paul. Cinco edies j foram escritas desde sua publicao original. Ela e outros membros da famlia mantm uma coluna intitulada Recipe of the Week (Receita da semana) no website da campanha de seu marido.

Paul costuma visitar Lake Jackson nos fins-de-semana.

O treinamento mdico de Ron Paul foi interrompido quando foi recrutado pela Fora Area durante a crise dos msseis de Cuba. Ele permaneceu nas foras armadas durante os primeiros anos da guerra do Vietn.[13] Paul nunca foi enviado ao Vietn. Em vez disso, serviu em pases como a Coria do Sul, Ir, Etipia e Turquia. Tambm serviu como cirurgio de voo na base area de Kelly, em San Antonio, no Texas de 1963 at 1965. Ele, ento, passou a servir na Guarda Nacional Area, de 1965 at 1968, enquanto completava sua residncia mdica em Pittsburgh.[14] Alcanou a patente de capito durante seu servio na Fora Area.[15]

Dois anos aps terminar a escola de medicina, Ron Paul trabalhou no setor de emergncia de uma igreja-hospital em San Antonio, por um salrio de US$3 por hora. Mais tarde, Paul se especializou em Obstetrcia e Ginecologia onde realizou o parto de 4000 bebs. Ele assumiu a clnica de um mdico que se aposentou em Lake Jackson no Texas, onde se manteve ocupado como o nico obstetra e ginecologista do condado de Brazoria. Ron Paul afirmou sobre sua poca como doutor, "eu assistia entre quarenta e quarenta e cinco partos por ms e realizava muitas cirurgias.".[16] Dr. Paul no aceitava pagamentos do Medicare ou Medicaid como mdico, preferindo trabalhar pro bono ou combinando planos de pagamento personalizados e com desconto para pacientes carentes.[12][17]

Sua campanha pela presidncia dos Estados Unidos comeou em 12 de maro de 2007 quando se candidatou nominao do Partido Republicano. A partir de 6 de julho, Ron Paul arrecadou US$2,4 milhes em dinheiro, ultrapassando o candidato John McCain. 100% das contribuies de Ron Paul so de pessoas fsicas, sendo quase metade (47%) das contribuies abaixo de US$200.

Ron participou de todos os trs debates de candidatos republicanos transmitidos em rede nacional nos Estados Unidos. Seu momento mais proeminente ocorreu no debate do dia 15 de maio na seguinte discusso com o candidato Rudy Giuliani:

PAUL: Voc j leu sobre os motivos pelos quais nos atacaram? Eles nos atacaram porque estivemos l. Estivemos bombardeando o Iraque por 10 anos. Estivemos no Oriente Mdio [durante anos]. Eu acho que [Ronald Reagan]] estava certo. Ns no entendemos a irracionalidade da poltica do Oriente Mdio. Agora mesmo, estamos construindo uma embaixada no Iraque que maior que o Vaticano. Estamos construindo 14 bases permanentes. O que diramos se a China estivesse fazendo isso em nosso pas ou no Golfo do Mxico? Ns estaramos protestando. Precisamos olhar para o que fazemos sob a perspectiva do que aconteceria se algum fizesse isso conosco.

MODERADOR: O Sr. est sugerindo que convidamos os ataques de 11 de setembro?

PAUL: Estou sugerindo ouvirmos as pessoas que nos atacaram e as razes que os motivaram, e eles esto felizes por estarmos l pois Osama bin Laden disse, "Estou contente por vocs estarem em nossa areia porque podemos ating-los muito mais facilmente." Eles desde ento j mataram 3400 de nossos homens, e eu acho que isso foi desnecessrio.

GIULIANI: Essa uma afirmao extraordinria. Essa uma afirmao extraordinria, para algum que sobreviveu ao ataque de 11 de setembro, que ns convidamos o ataque porque atacamos o Iraque. Eu acho que nunca ouvi essa explicao antes e eu j ouvi explicaes bem absurdas para o 11 de setembro. E eu pediria ao congressista que retirasse seu comentrio e se retratasse.

PAUL: Eu acredito muito sinceramente que a CIA est correta quando ensinam e falam sobre blowback. Quando fomos ao Ir em 1953 e instauramos o X, sim, houve blowback. A reao a isso foi a tomada de refns, e isso persiste. E se ns ignorarmos isso, fazemo-lo sob nosso prprio risco. Se acharmos que podemos fazer o que quisermos pelo mundo sem incitar o dio, ento temos um problema. Eles no vm aqui nos atacar porque somos ricos e livres, eles vm e nos atacam porque estivemos l.

Ron apoia uma poltica externa no-intervencionista para os Estados Unidos e defende o retorno imediato das tropas americanas que se encontram no Iraque. Em julho de 2007, sua campanha recebeu mais doaes de empregados das foras armadas do que as de todos os outros candidatos.

A campanha de Ron Paul recebe grande parte de seu apoio pela Internet. Ele continua com altos ndices de trfego e buscas em sites como Technorati, Youtube, Facebook, MySpace, Eventful, de visitaes ao site oficial de sua campanha e em pesquisas de opinio realizadas por redes de notcias.

Ele foi uma unanimidade entre os grandes movimentos sociais da atualidade nos Estados Unidos, tanto entre o teabaggers quanto entre os membros do Occupy Wall Street.[18]

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Ron Paul Wikipdia, a enciclopdia livre

Randal Howard "Rand" Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician and physician. Since 2011, Paul has served in the United States Senate as a member of the Republican Party representing Kentucky. He is the son of former U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Paul attended Baylor University and is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine. Paul began practicing ophthalmology in 1993 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and established his own clinic in December 2007. Throughout Paul's life, he volunteered for his father's campaigns. In 2010, Paul entered politics by running for a seat in the United States Senate. Paul has described himself as a Constitutional conservative and a supporter of the Tea Party movement and has advocated for a balanced budget amendment, term limits, and privacy reform.

On April 7, 2015, Paul officially announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination at the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He suspended his campaign on February 3, 2016, shortly after the Iowa caucus.

Randal Howard Paul was born on January 7, 1963, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Carol (ne Wells) and Ron Paul, who is also a politician and physician. The elder Paul was a U.S. Representative from Texas and ran for President three times.[1] The middle child of five, his siblings are Ronald "Ronnie" Paul Jr., Lori Paul Pyeatt, Robert Paul, and Joy Paul-LeBlanc.[2] Paul was baptized in the Episcopal Church[3] and identified as a practicing Christian as a teenager.[4] Despite his father's libertarian views and strong support for individual rights,[4][5] the novelist Ayn Rand was not the inspiration for his first name. Growing up, he went by "Randy",[6] but his wife shortened it to "Rand."[4][7][8]

The Paul family moved to Lake Jackson, Texas, in 1968,[6][9] where he was raised[10][11] and where his father began a medical practice and for an extent of time was the only obstetrician in Brazoria County.[6][9] When he was 13, his father was elected to the United States House of Representatives.[12] That same year, Paul attended the 1976 Republican National Convention, where his father headed Ronald Reagan's Texas delegation.[13] The younger Paul often spent summer vacations interning in his father's congressional office.[14] In his teenage years, Paul studied the Austrian economists that his father respected, as well as the writings of Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand.[6] Paul went to Brazoswood High School and was on the swimming team and played defensive back on the football team.[4][10] Paul attended Baylor University from fall 1981to summer 1984 and was enrolled in the honors program. During the time he spent at Baylor, he was involved in the swim team and the Young Conservatives of Texas and was a member of a secret organization known as the NoZe Brotherhood.[15] Paul also regularly contributed to The Baylor Lariat student newspaper.[13] Paul dropped out of Baylor without completing his Bachelor's degree in either biology or English,[16] when he was accepted into his father's alma mater, the Duke University School of Medicine. At the time, Duke did not require an undergraduate degree for admission to its graduate school. He earned an M.D. degree in 1988 and completed his residency in 1993.[17]

After completing his residency in ophthalmology, Paul moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky. He has held a state-issued medical license since moving there in 1993.[18] He received his first job from John Downing of Downing McPeak Vision Centers, which brought him to Bowling Green after completing his residency. Paul worked for Downing for about five years before parting ways. Afterwards, he went to work at the Graves Gilbert Clinic, a private medical group in Bowling Green, for 10years before creating his own practice in a converted one-story house across the street from Downing's office.[19] After his election to the U.S. Senate, he merged his practice with Downing's medical practice.[20] Paul has faced two malpractice lawsuits between 1993 and 2010; he was cleared in one case while the other was settled for $50,000.[19] His medical work has been praised by Downing and he has medical privileges at two Bowling Green hospitals.[18][19] Paul specializes in cataract and glaucoma surgeries, LASIK procedures, and corneal transplants.[7] As a member of the Bowling Green Noon Lions Club, Paul founded the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic in 2009 to help provide eye surgery and exams for those who cannot afford to pay.[21] Paul won the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services from the Lions Club International Foundation for his work establishing the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic.[22]

In 1995, Paul passed the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) boards on his first attempt and earned board-certification under the ABO for 10 years.

Prior to this, in 1992, the ABO had changed their certification program, which had previously awarded lifetime certifications, instead requiring doctors to recertify every 10 years. Those who had already been given lifetime certification were allowed to keep it (according to the ABO, they would not legally have been able to rescind these certifications).[23] Shortly after this change, Paul began a campaign to protest it. This effort culminated in 1997 with him creating, "along with 200 other young ophthalmologists", the National Board of Ophthalmology (NBO) to offer an alternative certification system, at a cost substantially lower than that of the ABO.[23][24][25] Its certification exam, an open book take-home test, was described by one taker as "probably harder" and "more clinically relevant" than the ABO's exam.[23]

Named board members were Paul, his wife, and his father-in-law.[26] The NBO was never itself accepted as an accrediting entity by organizations such as the American Board of Medical Specialities,[18] and its certification was considered invalid by many hospitals and insurance companies.[23] Paul let his own ABO certification lapse in 2005, which did not affect his practice in Kentucky, since the state does not require board certification.[23]

By Paul's estimate, about 50 or 60 doctors were certified by the NBO.[23] The NBO was incorporated in 1999, but Paul allowed it to be dissolved in 2000 when he did not file the required paperwork with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office. He later recreated the board in 2005, but it was again dissolved in 2011.[27]

Paul served as the head of the local chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas during his time at Baylor University.[13] In 1984, Paul took a semester off to aid his father's primary challenge to Republican Senator Phil Gramm.[13] While attending Duke Medical School, Paul volunteered for his father's 1988 Libertarian presidential campaign.[14] In response to President Bush breaking his election promise to not raise taxes, Paul founded the North Carolina Taxpayers Union in 1991.[14] In 1994, Paul founded the anti-tax organization Kentucky Taxpayers United (KTU), serving as chair of the organization from its inception. He has often cited his involvement with KTU as the foundation of his involvement with state politics.[28] Described as "ideological and conservative" by the Lexington Herald-Leader, the group considered itself nonpartisan,[29][30] examining Kentucky legislators' records on taxation and spending and encouraging politicians to publicly pledge to vote uniformly against tax increases.[31][32] Paul managed his father's successful 1996 Congressional campaign, in which the elder Paul returned to the House after a twelve-year absence.[13] The elder Paul defeated incumbent Democrat-turned-Republican Greg Laughlin in the Republican primary, despite Laughlin's support from the NRCC and Republican leaders such as Newt Gingrich and George W. Bush.[13]

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2010 that although Paul had told a Kentucky television audience as recently as September 2009 that KTU published ratings each year on state legislators' tax positions and that "we've done that for about 15 years", the group had stopped issuing its ratings and report cards after 2002 and had been legally dissolved by the state in 2000 after failing to file registration documents.[28]

Paul spoke on his father's behalf when his father was campaigning for office,[33] including throughout the elder Paul's run in the 2008 presidential election, during which Rand campaigned door-to-door in New Hampshire[34] and spoke in Boston at a fundraising rally for his father on the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.[35]

In February 2014, Paul joined the Tea Party-affiliated conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks in filing a class-action lawsuit charging that the federal government's bulk collection of Americans' phone records metadata is a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.[36][37][38] Commenting on the lawsuit at a press conference, Paul said, "I'm not against the NSA, I'm not against spying, I'm not against looking at phone records.... I just want you to go to a judge, have an individual's name and [get] a warrant. That's what the Fourth Amendment says."[36] He also said there was no evidence the surveillance of phone metadata had stopped terrorism.[36] Critics, including Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz[39] and Steven Aftergood, the director of the American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy,[38] called the lawsuit a political "stunt". Paul's political campaign organization said that the names of members of the public who went to Paul's websites and signed on as potential class-action participants would be available in the organization's database for future campaign use.[36][40] On the announcement of the filing of the lawsuit, Mattie Fein, the spokeswoman for and former wife of attorney Bruce Fein, complained that Fein's intellectual contribution to the lawsuit had been stolen and that he had not been properly paid for his work.[41] Paul's representatives denied the charge, and Fein issued a statement saying that Mattie Fein had not been authorized to speak for him on the matter and that he had in fact been paid for his work on the lawsuit.[41]

Paul is co-author of a book entitled The Tea Party Goes to Washington (2011)[42][43] and also the author of Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds (2012).[44] Paul was included in Time magazine's world's 100 most influential people, for 2013 and 2014.[45][46]

At the beginning of 2009, there was movement by political supporters of his father to draft Paul in a bid to replace beleaguered Republican Kentucky senator Jim Bunning. Paul's potential candidacy was discussed in the Los Angeles Times[47] and locally in the Kentucky press.[48] Paul's father said, "Should Senator Bunning decide not to run, I think Rand would make a great U.S. Senator."[49] On April 15, 2009, Paul gave his first political speech as a potential candidate at a Tea Party rally held in his town of Bowling Green, Kentucky, where more than 700 people had gathered in support of the Tea Party movement.[50]

On May 1, 2009, Paul said that if Bunning, whose fundraising in 2009 matched his poor numbers in opinion polling for the 2010 election,[51] declined to seek a third term, he would almost certainly run in the Republican Party primary to succeed him,[52] and formed an exploratory committee soon after, while still promising to stay out of the race if Bunning ultimately decided to run for reelection. Paul made this announcement on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, though a Kentucky news site first broke the news.[53]

On July 28, 2009, Bunning announced that he would not run for reelection in the face of insufficient fundraising. The announcement left only Paul and Secretary of State Trey Grayson as the remaining candidates for the Republican nomination,[54] with Paul announcing on August 5, 2009, that he would officially run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican. The announcement was made through a series of national TV events, radio, and other programs, as well as newspapers in Kentucky.[55][56][57]

On August 20, 2009, Paul's supporters planned a moneybomb to kick off his campaign. The official campaign took in $433,509 in 24 hours. His website reported that this set a new record in Kentucky's political fundraising history in a 24-hour period.[58] A second "moneybomb" was held on September 23, 2009, to counter a D.C. fundraiser being held for primary opponent Trey Grayson, by 23 Republican United States Senators.[59] The theme was a UFC "fight" between "We the People" and the "D.C. Insiders".[60] Later in the campaign, Paul claimed his pledge to not take money from lobbyists and Senators who had voted for the bailout was only a "primary pledge";[61] he subsequently held a DC fundraiser with the same Senators who had been the target of the September 23, 2009, "moneybomb". Paul ended up raising some $3 million during the primary period. Paul's fundraising was aided by his father's network of supporters.[13]

Although Grayson was considered the frontrunner in July 2009,[62] Paul found success characterizing Grayson as a "career politician" and challenging Grayson's conservatism. Paul ran an ad in February that made an issue out of Grayson's September 2008 admission that he voted for Bill Clinton when he was 20 years old.[63]James Dobson, a Christian evangelical figure, endorsed Grayson on April 26 based on the advice of what Dobson described as "senior members of the GOP", but on May 3 the Paul campaign announced that Dobson had changed his endorsement to Paul[64] after Paul and some Paul supporters had lobbied Dobson insisting on Paul's social conservative bona fides.[65]

On May 18, Paul won the Republican Senatorial primary by a 23% margin,[66][67] meaning he would face the Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, in the November 2 general election.[68]

In the 2010 general election, Paul faced Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway. The campaign attracted $8.5 million in contributions from outside groups, of which $6 million was spent to help Paul and $2.5 million to help Conway. This money influx was in addition to the money spent by the candidates themselves: $6 million by Paul and $4.7 million by Conway.[69][70] On June 28, 2010, Paul supporters held their first post-primary online fundraising drive, this time promoted as a "money blast".[71][72]

Paul's campaign got off to a rough start after his comments on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stirred controversy.[73] Paul stated that he favored 9 out of 10 titles of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but that had he been a senator during the 1960s, he would have raised some questions on the constitutionality of Title II of the Act.[74] Paul said that he abhors racism, and that he would have marched with Martin Luther King Jr. to repeal Jim Crow Laws. He later released a statement declaring that he would have voted for the Act and stated "unequivocally ... that I will not support any efforts to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964".[75][76] Later he generated more controversy by characterizing statements made by Obama Administration officials regarding the BP oil spill cleanup as sounding "un-American".[77]

Paul defeated Conway in the general election with 56% of the vote to 44% for Conway.

Paul was sworn in on January 5, 2011, along with his father, who simultaneously served in the House of Representatives.[78]

Paul was assigned to serve on the Energy and Natural Resources, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Small Business committees.[79] Paul also formed the Senate Tea Party Caucus with Jim DeMint and Mike Lee as its inaugural members.[80] His first legislative proposal was to cut $500billion from federal spending in one year. This proposal included cutting the Department of Education by 83percent and the Department of Homeland Security by 43percent, as well as folding the Department of Energy into the Department of Defense and eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Seven independent agencies would be eliminated and food stamps would be cut by 30percent. Under Paul's proposal, defense spending would be reduced by 6.5percent and international aid would be eliminated.[81] He later proposed a five-year budget plan intended to balance the budget.[82]

In February, Paul was one of two Republicans to vote against extending three key provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act (roving wiretaps, searches of business records, and conducting surveillance of "lone wolves"individuals not linked to terrorist groups).[83][84]

On March 2, Paul was one of nine senators to vote against a stopgap bill that cut $4billion from the budget and temporarily prevent a government shutdown, saying that it did not cut enough from the budget.[85] One week later, he voted against the Democratic and Republican budget proposals to keep funding the federal government, saying that both bills did not cut enough spending. Both bills failed to pass the Senate.[86] He later voted against stopgap measures on March 17 and April 8, both of which passed the senate.[87] On April 14, He was one of 19 senators to vote against a budget that cut $38.5billion from the budget and fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year.[88] Paul voiced opposition to U.S. intervention in the Libyan civil war and has criticized President Obama for not gaining congressional consent for Operation Odyssey Dawn.[89] During the debt ceiling crisis, the Senator stated that he would only support raising the debt ceiling if a balanced budget amendment was enacted.[90] Paul was a supporter of the Cut, Cap and Balance Act, which was tabled by Democratic opposition.[91] On August 3, Paul voted against a bill that would raise the debt ceiling.[92]

On September 7, Paul called for a vote of no confidence in U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.[93] Later that month, Paul blocked legislation that would strengthen safety rules for oil and gas pipelines because he stated the bill was not strong enough.[94] In October, Paul blocked a bill that would provide $36million in benefits for elderly and disabled refugees, saying that he was concerned that it could be used to aid domestic terrorists. This was in response to two alleged terrorists who came to the United States through a refugee program and were receiving welfare benefits when they were arrested in 2011 in Paul's hometown of Bowling Green.[95] Paul lifted his hold on the bill after Democratic leaders promised to hold a Congressional hearing into how individuals are selected for refugee status and request an investigation on how the two suspects were admitted in the country through a refugee program.[96]

For the 113th Congress, Paul was added to the Foreign Relations committee and retained his spot on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Small Business committees.[97]

On March 67, 2013, Paul engaged in a filibuster to delay voting on the nomination of John O. Brennan as the Director of the CIA. Paul questioned the Obama administration's use of drones and the stated legal justification for their potential use within the United States. Paul held the floor for 12 hours and 52 minutes.[98] He ceded to several Republican senators and Democratic senator, Ron Wyden, who generally also questioned drone usage.[99][100] Paul said his purpose was to challenge drone policy in general and specifically as it related to noncombatants on U.S. soil. He requested a pledge from the Administration that noncombatants would not be targeted on U.S. soil.[101] Attorney General Eric Holder responded that the President is not authorized to deploy extrajudicial punishment without due process, against non-combatant citizens. Paul answered that he was "quite happy" with the response.[102] The filibuster was ended with a cloture vote of 81 to 16, and Brennan was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 63 to 34.[103]

In March 2013, Paul, with Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, threatened another filibuster, this one opposing any legislative proposals to expand federal gun control measures.[104] The filibuster was attempted on April 11, 2013, but was dismissed by cloture, in a 6831 vote.[105] Also in March 2013, Paul endorsed fellow Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's 2014 re-election campaign.[106] McConnell had previously hired Paul's 2010 campaign manager, Jesse Benton, as his own campaign manager.[107] Paul's endorsement was seen as a major win for McConnell in avoiding a challenge in the Republican primary.[106]

In response to Detroit's declaration of bankruptcy, Paul stated he would not allow the government to attempt to bail out Detroit. In a phone interview with Breitbart.com on July 19, 2013, Paul said, "I basically say he is bailing them out over my dead body because we don't have any money in Washington." Paul said he thought a federal bailout would send the wrong message to other cities with financial problems.[108]

In September, Paul stated that the United States should avoid military intervention in the ongoing Syrian civil war.[109] In an op-ed, Paul disputed the Obama administration's claims that the threat of military force caused Syria's government to consider turning over its chemical weapons, instead arguing that the opposition to military action in Syria, and the delay that it caused, led to diplomatic progress.[110]

In October 2013, Paul was the subject of some controversy when it was discovered that he had plagiarized from Wikipedia part of a speech in support of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli. Referencing the movie Gattaca, Paul quoted almost verbatim from the Wikipedia article about the film without citing the source.[111][112][113] Evidence soon surfaced that Paul had copied sentences in a number of his other speeches nearly verbatim from other authors without giving credit to the original sources,[114][115] including in the speech he had given as the Tea Party rebuttal to the president's 2013 State of the Union address. In addition, a three-page-long passage of Paul's book Government Bullies was taken directly from an article by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation.[116][117] When it became apparent that Paul's Washington Times op-ed on mandatory minimums and related testimony he had given before the Senate Judiciary Committee both contained material that was virtually identical to an article that had been published by another author in The Week a few days earlier,[118] the Washington Times said that the newspaper would no longer publish the weekly column Paul had been contributing to the paper.[119] After a week of almost daily news reports of new allegations of plagiarism, Paul said that he was being held to an "unfair standard", but would restructure his office in order to prevent mistakes in the future, if that would be what it would take "to make people leave me the hell alone."[120]

In response to political turmoil in Ukraine in early 2014, Paul initially said that the US should remain mindful of the fact that although the Cold War is over, Russia remains a military power with long-range nuclear missiles. He said that the US should try to maintain a "respectful relationship with Russia" and avoid taking actions that the Russians might view as a provocation, such as seeking to have Ukraine join NATO or otherwise interfering in Russia's relationship with Ukraine.[121] Two weeks later, after the Russian parliament authorized the use of military force in Ukraine[122] and Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military exercises along Russia's border with Ukraine,[123] Paul began taking a different tone.[124] He wrote: "Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine is a gross violation of that nation's sovereignty and an affront to the international community.... Putin must be punished for violating the Budapest Memorandum, and Russia must learn that the U.S. will isolate it if it insists on acting like a rogue nation."[125] He said that the US and European allies could retaliate against Russia's military aggression without any need for military action. He urged that the US impose economic sanctions on Russia and resume an effort to build defensive anti-missile installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. He also called for the US to take steps as a counterweight to Russia's strategic influence on Europe's oil and gas supply, such as lifting restrictions on new exploration and drilling for fossil fuels in the United States along with immediate approval of the controversial Keystone Pipeline, which he said would allow the US to ship more oil and gas to Europe if Russia attempts to cut off its own supply to Europe.[125]

Paul played a leading role in blocking a treaty with Switzerland that would enable the IRS to conduct tax evasion probes, arguing that the treaty would infringe upon Americans' privacy.[126] Paul received the 2014 Distinguished Service Award from the Center for the National Interest (formally called the Nixon Center) for his public policy work.[127]

In response to reports that the CIA infiltrated the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Paul called for the firing of CIA Director John O. Brennan.[128] In December 2014, Paul supported the actions to change the US policy towards Cuba and trade with that country taken by the Obama administration.[129]

In the beginning of 2015, Senator Paul re-introduced the Federal Reserve Transparency Act.[130] Senator Paul also introduced the FAIR Act, or Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act, which would restrict civil forfeiture proceedings.[131]

On May 20, 2015, Paul spoke for ten and a half hours in opposition to the reauthorization of Section 215 of the Patriot Act.[132][133] Sections of the Patriot Act were prevented from being reauthorized on June 1.[134]

Paul was considered a potential candidate for the Republican nomination for the Presidency of the United States since at least January 2013.[135] He delivered the Tea Party response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on February 13, 2013,[136] while Marco Rubio gave the official Republican response. This prompted some pundits to call that date the start of the 2016 Republican primaries.[137] That year, he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C., where he won the 2016 Presidential straw poll. Paul went on to win the straw poll for the next two years as well, leading to some considering Paul to be a front runner for the nomination, although CPAC attendees are typically considered younger and more libertarian-minded than average Republican voters.[138][139][140]

In a speech at the GOP Freedom Summit in April 2014, Paul insisted that the GOP has to broaden its appeal in order to grow as a party. To do so, he said it cannot be the party of "fat cats, rich people and Wall Street" and that the conservative movement has never been about rich people or privilege, "we are the middle class", he said. Paul also said that conservatives must present a message of justice and concern for the unemployed and be against government surveillance to attract new people to the movement, including the young, Hispanics, and blacks[141] During the 2014 election, Paul launched a social media campaign titled "Hillary's Losers" which was meant to highlight many of the Democratic candidates that lost their bids for the U.S. Senate despite endorsements from Hillary Clinton. Clinton is also a candidate for President and is considered a front runner for the Democratic Party's nomination.[142]

Paul began to assemble his campaign team, setting up campaign offices and hiring his campaign manager at in the beginning of 2015, fueling speculation that he was preparing to enter the Presidential race.[143] In February 2015, Paul said he would make an announcement about whether or not he would be running in late March or early April.[144]

Paul officially announced his presidential candidacy on April 7, 2015. Within a day of his announcement, Paul raised $1 million.[145]

In April 2011, Paul filed to run for re-election to his Senate seat in 2016.[146] Had he become the Republican presidential (or vice-presidential) nominee, state law would prohibit him from simultaneously running for re-election.[147] In March 2014, the Republican-controlled Kentucky Senate passed a bill that would allow Paul to run for both offices, but the Democratic-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives declined to take it up.[148][149][150] Paul spent his own campaign money in the 2014 legislative elections, helping Republican candidates for the State House in the hopes of flipping the chamber, thus allowing the legislature to pass the bill (Democratic Governor Steve Beshear's veto can be overridden with a simple majority).[151][152] However, the Democrats retained their 5446 majority in the State House.[153][154][155] Paul has since given his support to the idea that the Kentucky Republican Party could decide to hold a caucus rather than a primary, potentially giving Paul more time to decide whether he should run for U.S. Senator or continue a potential bid for President.[156]

Paul announced the suspension of his presidential campaign on February 3, 2016, shortly after the Iowa caucus.[157]

A supporter of the Tea Party movement,[158][159] Paul has described himself as a "constitutional conservative".[160] He is generally described as a libertarian, a term he both embraced[161] and rejected[162] during his first Senate campaign. He supports term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and the Read the Bills Act, in addition to the widespread reduction of federal spending and taxation.[163] He favors a flat tax rate of 14.5% for individuals and business, while eliminating the FICA payroll taxes, as well as taxes on inheritance, gifts, capital gains, dividends, and interest.[164]

On social issues, Paul describes himself as "100% pro life", believing that legal personhood begins at fertilization.[165][166][167] In 2009, his position was to ban abortion under all circumstances.[168][169] Since 2010, he has said he would allow for a doctor's discretion in life-threatening cases such as ectopic pregnancies.[170] Concerning same-sex marriage, Paul has made a distinction between his personal beliefs and how he feels the government should handle it. He has stated that he personally feels same-sex marriage "offends [himself] and a lot of people", and said there is a "crisis that allows people to think there would be some other sorts of marriage."[171][172] However, he believes the issue should be left to the states to decide, and would not support a federal ban.[173][174]

Concerning drugs, Paul has criticized mandatory minimums that he believes have led to unreasonably harsh sentences for repeat offenders. He has highlighted the case of Timothy L. Tyler as particularly unfair.[175] Paul does not believe in legalizing the recreational use of drugs like marijuana and cocaine,[162] but does not support jailing marijuana users.[176] He supports state laws to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.[177] Paul was one of three U.S. senators in 2015 to introduce a bipartisan bill, CARERS, that would legalize medical marijuana under federal law.[178]

Paul opposes all forms of gun control as a violation of Second Amendment rights, including provisions of the Patriot Act.[179] His advocacy of personal property rights includes introducing House Bill S. 890, the Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2012. Provisions of the bill include restricting the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal agencies to "impinge upon states' power over land and water use." The bill holds requires Federal agencies to reimburse private property owners double the amount of any economic losses arising from new Federal regulations "that relate to the definition of navigable waters or waters of the United States", and holds the enforcement of any such regulation in abeyance until such payments are complete.[180]

Unlike his more stridently "non-interventionist" father, Paul concedes a role for American armed forces abroad, including permanent foreign military bases.[181] He has said that he blames supporters of the Iraq War and not President Obama for the growth in violence that occurred in 2014, and that the Iraq War "emboldened" Iran.[182]Dick Cheney, John McCain and Rick Perry have responded by calling Paul an isolationist,[183][184] but Paul has pointed to opinion polls of likely GOP primary voters as support for his position.[185] Paul also stated: "I personally believe that this group [ISIS] would not be in Iraq and would not be as powerful had we not been supplying their allies in the war [against Syrian Bashar al-Assad's government]."[186] Paul then supported airstrikes against ISIS, but questioned the constitutionality of Obama's unilateral actions without a clear congressional mandate.[187][188] Paul has stated concerns about arms sent to Syrian rebels that wind up in unfriendly hands.[189] In 2015, Paul called for a defense budget of $697 billion in 2016. In 2011, shortly after being elected, he proposed a budget which specified $542 billion in defense spending.[190]

On February 2, 2015, Paul generated controversy by suggesting that states should not require parents to vaccinate their children because parents should have the freedom to make that decision for their children. In an interview with CNBC on February 2, Paul clarified this statement, commenting "I'm not arguing vaccines are a bad idea. I think they are a good thing. But I think the parent should have some input. The state doesn't own your children. Parents own the children, and it is an issue of freedom."[191] On February 3, he posted a photograph to Twitter of himself being vaccinated.[192]

Paul is married to Kelley Paul (ne Ashby), a freelance writer. They and their three sons reside in Bowling Green, Kentucky.[193]

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Contact - Ron Paul

The GOP's "Rule 40(b)" requires candidates win the "support of a majority of the delegates from each of eight or more states" in order to have their named placed on the nominating ballot. The raised threshold -- it had previously been a plurality from five states -- helped to prevent Paul's supporters from upstaging or distracting from the presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, on national television.

"They did not want my name to come up and so they changed the rules because we had the votes," Paul told CNN "At This Hour" anchors Kate Bolduan and John Berman. "We had the numbers to allow my name to be put into nomination, but they wouldn't do it."

Four years later, the same establishment figures who spearheaded the 2012 rules changes are facing a different kind of challenge: Donald Trump. But this time around, the requirement threatens to undermine a late effort to derail the billionaire front-runner.

"I think it's a bit of an irony and they deserve the problem," Paul said. "They're terrified of competition, and now the establishment has competition that really looks strong and there's a lot of people behind Trump. So this is a big problem for them."

The issue could come to the fore if Trump fails to win the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the nomination before the July convention in Cleveland. But with Ted Cruz and John Kasich at risk of not meeting the eight-state majority minimum, the first fight of the 2016 convention could turn on a decision whether to scale back or remove the rule.

Former Arkansas GOP rules chairman Tom Lundstrum sat on the committee four years ago and opposed the changes. He is running to be a state delegate for Cruz in 2016.

READ: Is the GOP's stop Trump campaign too late?

"I don't spend a lot of my time trying to finagle outcomes and screw people," he told CNN. "But there are apparently a lot of people out there who do. In 2012, the Romney campaign had a Washington attorney down there trying to make all sorts of changes that were not necessary. And several of them were quite offensive to what I'd call the grassroots electorate. ... They were trying to blunt any gains made by Ron Paul. It was ridiculous."

Paul said he took no pleasure in the GOP's current conundrum, but did suggest their eventual nominee could face a third-party general election challenge.

"It will probably go to the floor, but I think Trump is going to win and I wouldn't be surprised, if that happens, that you're going to see another individual running, a third-party candidate," he said. "Somebody that's going to be supported by the establishment-type Republicans and those who can't control Trump."

Link:
Ron Paul says GOP deserves convention rule controversy ...

Former President Bill Clinton. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In the year that will pass before the 2016 campaign for president formally kicks off with the votes in the Iowa Caucus, any number of candidates, donors, political operatives - and people who have nothing to do with American politics - will shape the race for the White House. Here's a look at 10 people (OK, 12 people) who will be worth watching in the next year.

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If you look back and watch footage from the first Presidential debate all the way back in 1992, maybe Ross Perot wasn't nuts like everyone thought.

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By: Irene Lenhart

How can Ron Paul be so accurate in his predictions on the cause and effect of U.S intervention on economics, foreign affairs, and individual freedoms, yet still be widely ignored...

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BY: Irene Lenhart

Were you at Independence Mall in Philadelphia on Sunday 4/22/12 for the Ron Paul Rally? Did you see me? I was the person in the raincoat with an umbrella....oh never mind.

Kidding aside,4300-plus heard the weather report, dragged out their parkas, umbrellas, and rain boots, packed up their enthusiasm and headed

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Republican presidential contender Ron Paul says he's friendly with GOP front-runner Mitt Romney but that he's not planning to endorse Romney anytime soon.

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Fresh off victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, Mitt Romney has a clear lead in South Carolinas upcoming primary and is poised to go 3-for-3 according to Monmouth University poll released this morning. The former Massachusetts governor registers 33% support among likely Republican voters in Saturdays primary. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich places second at 22%. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (14%) and Texas Congressman Ron Paul (12%) are in a close contest for third place. Rick Perry trails with 6%. Jon Huntsman earned 4% before he pulled out of the race yesterday.

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At least $12.5 million in ads have blanketed Iowa's airwaves ahead of Tuesday's Republican presidential caucuses, with hard-hitting spots awash in ghoulish images and startling claims.

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Ron Paul - New Jersey 101.5