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What would a Ron Paul 2012 campaign look like?

That’s the title of this post from the website Political Lore.  Given all the attention Paul has received since Election Day of 2008, from cable news networks to Lindsay Graham, given the fact he faces a primary challenge for re-election next year in Texas and now with his son Rand Paul poised to enter the U.S. […]

That’s the title of this post from the website Political Lore.  Given all the attention Paul has received since Election Day of 2008, from cable news networks to Lindsay Graham, given the fact he faces a primary challenge for re-election next year in Texas and now with his son Rand Paul poised to enter the U.S. Senate race in Kentucky, Paul faces a summer where choices will need to be made about his political future.

Where I disagree with the Political Lore article is the fact that Rep. Paul needs to start much earlier than 2011 to build a nationwide political infrastructure, especially among Republican activists. For that reason I believe he needs to decide by Labor Day this year whether he wants to run or not. If he doesn’t that will give Gary Johnson and Mark Sanford the time they need to build their own White House bids. But if he does decide to run I believe he needs to give up his House seat and run full time.

In 2010 he can camapaign for Rand or Ron Paul Republicans or Paul-like Republicans or for any kind of endorsed candidates nationwide. This will introduce him to many Republican activists and they can see for themselves that he’s worthy to carry the party’s banner for 2012. Hopefully some of those candidates will win and increase Paul’s prowess even more.

By the start of 2011, the infrastructure of a campaign should already be in place and Paul can spend the year campaigning for the nomination in the important early states he MUST win: New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina along with big states like California, New Yorkand his home state of Texas. As modern primary politics goes, winning the early builds the momentum to winning the big states, especially all those on Super Tuesday.

And more importantly, by starting early and campaigning on a set of ideas gives Rep. Paul a powerful advantage in a party right now where there is a vacumn of ideas.  He can also exploit what is now a gap between Obama and his more liberal supporters over the war, torture, the war crimes of the Bush Administration and civil liberties that will only grow over time as Obama’s pragamtic nature becomes evident and disappoints his more idealistic followers.

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