Ron Paul at Texas Straw Poll this Weekend
by James Buchanan
There will be a Republican Texas straw poll event over the Labor Day weekend at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Details of the event can be found here. Ron Paul will be at the event, and it will be a great opportunity to meet with large numbers of other freedom-loving Ron Paul supporters. Many of the other Republican candidates have decided not to attend the event (probably fearing a poor showing in Texas). Ron Paul is the only Texan running in the 2008 primary so it will be interesting if the home state advantage will play a role.
The only negative is that only “party delegates” are allowed to vote, which could mean a bunch of party hacks. Still, the Labor Day event should be attended by all patriots who can drive out to the event. A strong turn out by Ron Paul supporters could potentially influence the delegates. The fact that Giuliani, McCain, Romney, Thompson and even Huckabee are snubbing this event should also influence the delegates, who want someone, who will represent the interests of Texas. And how representative is an east coast moderate, like Giuliani or Romney, who won’t even show up in Texas?
Mitt Romney may also be avoiding the Texas event because of the extremely embarrassing incident involving his campaign co-chairman Senator Larry Craig. An Idaho newspaper has recently published a report on Senator Craig’s long history of Gay behavior. The Idaho Statesmen reports “Rumors about the hidden life of Sen. Larry Craig had spread on the Web for months — including hints that a reporter for the Idaho Statesman was asking the same questions and was about to produce a shocking story at any moment. Today, after news emerged elsewhere of Craig’s June arrest in a men’s room in Minneapolis, the Statesman revealed its findings. ‘…a blogger accused Craig of homosexual sex in October. Over five months, the Statesman examined rumors about Craig dating to his college days and his 1982 pre-emptive denial that he had sex with underage congressional pages.’ The most serious finding by the Statesman was the report by a professional man with close ties to Republican officials. The 40-year-old man reported having oral sex with Craig at Washington’s Union Station, probably in 2004. The Statesman also spoke with a man who said Craig made a sexual advance toward him at the University of Idaho in 1967 and a man who said Craig ‘cruised’ him for sex in 1994 at the REI store in Boise. The Statesman also explored dozens of allegations that proved untrue, unclear or unverifiable.”
There is a significant chance that Romney hired Craig as a campaign co-chairman while being aware of his background or perhaps he just didn’t care. Is this the sort of judgment that a president should have? The fact that Craig was accused of an earlier incident in a public restroom should have been a clear warning that this could happen again –and it did!!! One additional thing that would trip up Romney among Texas Republicans is that Senator Craig had voted for the illegal alien Amnesty Bill. Romney’s close association with Craig makes his position on illegal aliens questionable at best.
One source reports ” ‘On immigration, like on so many other issues, not only does Romney not have a vision or a plan, but his blatant flip-flops have made it impossible for voters to know where the candidate really stands. That’s hardly a winning formula.’
November 2005: Romney Supports McCain-Bush Immigration Bill, Saying They Are “Quite Different” From Amnesty. According to the Boston Globe, in November 2005 Romney spoke “approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation’s immigration crisis…” [Boston Globe, 3/16/07]
March 2006: Romney Supports A “Path to Citizenship,” Opposes “Rounding Up” Undocumented Workers. “Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support yesterday for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship… ‘I don’t believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country,’ Romney said…
[Lowell Sun, 3/30/06]
…..
December 2006: Romney Caught Using Undocumented Workers At His Own Home. ‘A lawn service used for several years by Gov. Mitt Romney….’ ”
The absence of Romney and the other “system” candidates will give the Ron Paul supporters an excellent opportunity to dominate the Fort Worth event. Once again, anyone who wants to show his or her support for Ron Paul should show up at this event over this weekend. The details of the event can be found here.