Grace Wyler
Just one day after announcing that Ron Paul will not compete in the remaining Republican primaries, the campaign is outlining a convention strategy for a presidential campaign that is no longer running for the party's nomination.
In a memo this morning, Paul's political director Jesse Benton formally acknowledged that Paul will not have nearly enough delegates to challenge Mitt Romney at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
But in the memo, and on a conference call with reporters this morning, Benton stressed that the decision to pull out of the primaries does not mean Paul is dropping out of the race per se, and said that the campaign will continue to try and pick up delegates at district and state Republican conventions.
“We laid out a strategy that would have put us in a good position at a brokered convention, unfortunately the other candidates were unable to maintain their strength," Benton told reporters. But, he added, “Dr. Paul is not suspending his campaign and he is not dropping out of the race."
Benton's remarks formally acknowledge that the campaign is no longer about Ron Paul the Man, but about Ron Paul the Revolution. They also confirms that, in Paul's eyes at least, the movement is within, not against, the Republican Party.
According to Benton, the campaign is now focused on picking up delegates, winning party leadership positions at the state and national level, and influencing the party platform to include Paul-friendly positions on monetary form, Federal Reserve transparency, indefinite detentions, and Internet freedom.
“Leaders who cut their teeth in the Ron Paul movement are going to do the yeoman's work going forward," Benton said, adding that one of the campaign's goals is "opening up the party and prevent Establishment people from locking the party down.”
Whether Paul's army of loyal followers can be persuaded to vote for Romney, however, is still "up for grabs," Benton said. "A lot of that depends on the Republican National Committee, and on Mitt Romney as the nominee.”
He said that, at this point, it is unlikely that Paul will endorse his former rival, or a third-party candidate like Libertarian Gary Johnson.
But Benton assured that the campaign has no intention of embarrassing the Republican Party in Tampa. He told reporters — repeatedly — that the Paul campaign is "emphasizing decorum" among its delegates.
“Our supporters are going to get an excessive amount of blame for problems that arise during heated moments at conventions," he said. "We are going to emphasize respect and civility — our people are going to be under a microscope, and I have no doubt that they are up to the challenge.”
Read the full text of the memo below:
Memorandum
To: Supporters, Interested Parties
From: Jesse Benton, Chief Strategist
Date: May 15, 2012
Re: Paul Campaign Convention Strategy
Every day, I see firsthand how humbled and encouraged Dr. Paul is to have the enthusiastic support of so many who are committed to revitalizing our country.
Let me be very clear. Dr. Paul is NOT dropping out or suspending his campaign.
As Dr. Paul has previously stated, he is in this race all the way to the Republican National Convention in Tampa this August.
And he is deeply grateful for every resource he has been entrusted with to run an historic campaign that continues to defy all expectations.
Looking ahead, our campaign must honor that trust by maximizing our resources to ensure the greatest possible impact at the National Convention.
So while our campaign is no longer investing in the remaining primary states, we will continue to run strong programs at District and State Conventions to win more delegates and alternate delegates to the National Convention.
To this end, our campaign has several positive and realistic goals:
1) Having recently WON Maine, we believe we can win several more states.
2) We will win party leadership positions at both the state and national levels.
3) We will continue to grow our already substantial total of delegates.
We will head to Tampa with a solid group of delegates. Several hundred will be bound to Dr. Paul, and several hundred more, although bound to Governor Romney or other candidates, will be Ron Paul supporters.
Unfortunately, barring something very unforeseen, our delegate total will not be strong enough to win the nomination. Governor Romney is now within 200 delegates of securing the party’s nod. However, our delegates can still make a major impact at the National Convention and beyond.
All delegates will be able to vote on party rules and allow us to shape the process for future liberty candidates.
We are in an excellent position to make sure the Republican Party adds solid liberty issues to the GOP Platform, which our delegates will be directly positioned to approve. Our campaign is presently working to get several items up for consideration, including monetary policy reform, prohibitions on indefinite detention, and Internet freedom.
Finally, by sending a large, respectful, and professional delegation to Tampa, we will show the party and the country that not only is our movement growing and here to stay, but that the future belongs to us.
Dr. Paul will begin this new phase of the campaign this Friday by speaking and holding several events at the Minnesota State Convention. He has also recently accepted an invitation to speak at the Texas Convention, and we are busy scheduling appearances around other State Conventions later this month and into June.
As Dr. Paul stated in his message yesterday, this fight is NOT over. We will continue fighting and expanding, and “we will not stop until we have restored what once made America the greatest country in human history.”
But for Dr. Paul’s efforts in the remaining State Conventions to be successful, and to ensure we get as many Ron Paul delegates to Tampa as we can, he needs you to continue standing with him.
Along those lines, as you probably already know, the grassroots are holding a Money Bomb on Thursday, May 17. Any money raised from that Money Bomb will go toward winning delegates and finalizing our plans for Tampa.
As those plans for the National Convention come together, we will make sure all of our delegates, whether bound or unbound, get the information and aid they need.
Your support on May 17 will also help us reach more Americans with the solutions we know can restore our nation. Each person we add to our cause strengthens our movement for the critical work that awaits us beyond Tampa.
Dr. Paul, John Tate, myself, and the entire campaign staff know what incredible sacrifices have been made by each of our supporters.
Thank you for all of your hard work and your dedication to liberty. Together, we will champion Ron Paul and his message in Tampa, and we will lay the groundwork for future victories.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/ron-paul-campaign-outlines-delegate-strategy-2012-5#ixzz1uxgBAnnZ
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