Paul
Ron Paul
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Ron Paul has scaled back his presidential run and is focusing on his congressional primary race, Paul spokesman Jesse Benton acknowledged.
Paul is being challenged by Republican Galveston City Councilman Chris Peden in the 14th congressional district for the March 4th Republican primary, the same day as the Texas presidential primary. Paul's name will appear on the ballot for both races in that district.
Paul has raised $400,000 for the TX-14 race, Benton said. Paul cannot use his presidential funds for congressional primary, since he has not withdrawn. The campaign has about $5 million on hand for the presidential race, Benton said.
Paul's goal, Benton added, is to get a substantial delegation to convention (they estimate they'll have about 42 delegates) get a good speaking spot, and "spread the conservative message."
On the $5 million, Benton said, "We're not looking to take any with us. We're going to spend it on what donors contributed it for." Even though he said they're "looking to spend every dime on the presidential race," he acknowledged that there is certainly an "organization that has been built out of this campaign" that they will use after the presidential race, including their more than 300,000-person e-mail list.
From NBC's Gabriel Herman
Ron Paul was the first Republican to speak this morning at the West Virginia GOP convention, which today awards 18 winner-take-all delegates. In his speech that stressed strict dedication to the US Constitution, Paul addressed limiting government and said, “If you are a true conservative, and a true constitutionalist, and understand the limited scope government should be, then we really don’t need the 16th Amendment. We really don’t need the IRS. We really don’t need the income Tax. That should be eliminated.”
Paul rejected US involvement with international organizations including the IMF, WTO, and NAFTA, and he labeled them “entangling alliances.” Of US involvement in foreign wars under United Nations’ mandate, Paul stated, “We are supposed to only go to war with a declaration of war. The purpose of the declaration of war is so that the people, the Congress, and everybody gets behind it. So if there is a need for war, and we agree to go to war, we go to war, we build up, we win it, and we get it over with. That is what we need to do."
From NBC's Gabe Herman
On the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, Norma McCorvey (a.k.a. "Jane Roe," who later changed her views on abortion in the mid-90s) gave Paul her official endorsement today.
"I support Ron Paul for president because we share the same goal, that of overturning Roe v. Wade. He has never wavered on the issue of being pro-life and has a voting record to prove it. He understands the importance of civil liberties for all, including the unborn," she said at a press conference in Washington this morning.
Paul accepted the pro-life activist's endorsement, saying of abortion: "It is still one of the most crucial issues of our day that we deal with this. As much as I talk about economic liberties, and civil liberties, and trying to avoid the killing overseas, I think the issue of life is paramount."
Paul and
McCain are running in a virtual tie for second place in the Nevada caucuses.
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli
KEENE, NH -- Several Ron Paul supporters shadowed a much larger Clinton entourage as Bill Clinton greeted supporters downtown. The former president later called them "nuts."
During his third stop of the day, the former president posed for pictures and shook hands as he strolled down Main Street on this unseasonably warm Primary Eve day. Across the street, a few Paul supporters shouted his name.
Eventually, Clinton stopped outside a bakery, offered some remarks, and took questions. As he was answering one on Iraq, one of the Paul backers interrupted and shouted that the Sept. 11 attacks were an inside job, and that the U.S. didn’t need to be in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When he dropped an F-bomb, the crowd booed. Clinton, who had tried to talk over the man, gave up.
"You wanna know what I think?” Clinton said. “You guys who think 9/11 was an inside job are crazy as hell. My wife was the senator from New York when that happened. I was down at Ground Zero. I saw the victims' families. You're nuts."
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Peace protestors mixed with Ron Paul supporters prevented Huckabee from entering his Des Moines headquarters through the front door. Three people were arrested and then reporters were allowed back in to shoot footage of Huckabee glad-handing volunteers in his headquarters. This was immediately following his 2:00 p.m. ET new s conference.
More info on this shortly...
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
On Meet the Press this morning, Paul called the American Civil War a mistake, criticized Ronald Reagan as a "failure," and refused to rule out a third party run.
Paul repeated his claim that Abraham Lincoln should not have started the Civil War to get rid of slavery. "Six-hundred-thousand Americans died in the senseless Civil War," he said. "No, he should not have gone to war. He did this just to enhance and get rid of the original tenet of the Republic," he told NBC's Tim Russert.
"Slavery was phased out in every other country in the world," Paul continued, responding to the question if America would still have slavery had there not been the Civil War. "The way I'm proposing that it should have been done is do it like the British Empire did -- you buy the slaves and release them. How much would that cost compared to killing 600,000 Americans?... I mean, that doesn't sound too radical to me. That sounds like a pretty reasonable approach."
Paul also criticized Reagan for not reducing the government to a "constitutional size." But Paul also is using Reagan's picture in his brochure. "He ran on a good program," Paul explained. "His idea was limited government ... and a strong national defense."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
BEDFORD, N.H. --
Ron Paul says he has a problem. Others, no doubt, wish they were so lucky.
Paul began his remarks at a Politics and Eggs breakfast by saying he is constantly asked about his fundraising. Earlier in the campaign, he said, there would be occasional bursts of attention and donations, usually after debates. “Back then, a burst was $50,000,” he said. “But now, it’s sort of gotten out of control, and I don’t know what to do about it. I mean, the money just keeps coming in.”
He said there is something “significant going on,” and attributed it to the message, not the man. “It’s not about me, as much as it is about this message, and the need for it to be heard,” he said. “I’m especially excited about the young people willing to look at this and say, this is a grand idea, and this is what we need to do.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
Some other news today... Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey (D) endorsed Clinton. Nebraska, of course, borders Iowa, so the endorsement could help Clinton in the western part of the Hawkeye State. On the other hand, the Kerrey endorsement was suggested by the New York Times a few weeks ago, and the endorsement will spur reporters to remember Kerrey's description of Bill Clinton in the 1990s as "an unusually good liar."
Also, the Ron Paul campaign today announced that it has already raised $13.5 million for this quarter, surpassing its $12 million goal.
And the Dodd camp is going up with a new radio in Iowa that features Iraq war vet and state Rep. Ray Zirkelbach, who has endorsed Dodd. "I want people to know that talking about Iraq, and doing this radio ad, is not easy for me,' Zirkelbach says in it. "But I'm doing it because I want my 20-month old daughter Claire, who was born while I was in Iraq, to live in a country with leaders who once again care about what's happening to average families like yours and mine."
"That's why I'll be caucusing for Chris Dodd for President. I trust him to bring the War in Iraq to an end. Chris Dodd served in the military, and I know he'll do right by the veterans who have fought for our country."
From NBC's Mark MurrayAUSTIN, TX -- Want
more proof that Ron Paul supporters are everywhere? Outside the
University of Texas football stadium here -- just an hour before
kickoff -- is a plane flying with a banner that reads: "Ron Paul for
President...Everyone wins." We're not kidding.
