John Fund, editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal, has a short essay on the possibility that Ron Paul will run for president in the general election as the Libertarian nominee, should Paul fail to win the Republican nomination. See it here.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
I would think he could have the Libertarian and Constitution nominations for the asking. Perhaps others as well. Not that it would produce a victory but it might make political history. It would be a shame to lose him in the House, however.
DR> paul says he is a republican and will not run third party . he is a man of his word.
I believe that generally Ron Paul’s words have been that it is not his “intention” or his “plan” to run 3rd Party or independent. I believe him. I also believe that changes in circumstances can alter plans despite ones current intentions. (How else would one account for the high rate of divorce–how many people who get married did not intend for their word to be good when they said “I do?”)
My guess is that Ron Paul does currently intend to stay in the GOP and run for re-election for Congress from his district if lightening doesn’t strike in the primaries. But, I also think that Ron Paul is a patriot who could well decide that the 2008 DEM-GOP choice is so unpalatable and the time in our nation’s history so critical that he has a duty to the nation and to those who have supported him to carry his message further into the general election.
Time will tell, as always.
I think Paul will run in the general, with both the LP and CP behind him, but this article is just crazy, as anyone who knows Fund’s history in libertarianism could tell you.
“You’d think that with the success of the surge that Paul would be more charitable to the other Republicans” (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) This speaks for itself.
Also the presumption that Paul would only have claim to the 3-4% of “fringe” voters on either side. The Ron Paul Revolution is bigger than Nader or Buchanan (or for that matter, the LP) could ever have been, and many times more substantive than Perot could ever have been. Truly revolutionary!
I believe that Ron Paul has no intention to run as a third party candidate because he intends to win the Republican nomination.
Ron Paul has also mentioned that he could not support the Republican candidate if the candidate is pro-Iraq war. That leaves him open to running and I hope he does. Besides, he HAS to say he doesn’t plan on running as a third party candidate. If he said he was going to do that if he didn’t get the Republican nomination, then the Republicans wouldn’t let him in the debates so that he couldn’t get his message through.