Whatever you might think about his political views, you've got to admire Ron Paul: he is perhaps one of the most steadfast, unwavering, honest politicians around (no pandering, under-the-table deals, or bipartisan compromising for this guy!). His hardcore libertarian committments often inspire -- er, how shall I put this -- duly unflagging devotion from many of his more avid supporters, who are rarely shy about making themselves heard in their quest to cut through mainstream politicians' disenchanting blather and achieve a smaller government that fully adheres to the Constitution. The Ron Paul camp is at least aware that his disciples can be a rather rowdy bunch, and are taking steps to mitigate their delegates' rambunctiousness before the GOP convention in August. Just take it down a notch, guys:
Ron Paul's campaign, concerned about recent state conventions sent into an uproar by its supporters, has made it clear that they'll expect their delegates to behave at the Republican National Convention. Insiders tell BuzzFeed the delegates will be prepared for Tampa with phone calls and training programs. …
Paul will have more than 100 bound delegates to the convention in Tampa and hundreds more Paul supporters have won slots as pledged Romney delegates at the convention, forcing them to support Romney — but freeing them to cheer for the libertarian and his cause. …Republicans fear they could turn what is usually a carefully-staged infomercial into a chaotic zoo.
Paul's campaign, which hopes to give him a platform and to install his son, Rand, as a major figure in the party, aims to restrain his rowdiest supporers. Training the delegates hasn't started yet, though the campaign expects to begin communicating with them later this spring. …
Paul supporters came to blows with Romney supporters at the Oklahoma state convention recently, and Paul supporters at the Arizona convention booed Mitt Romney's son Josh off the stage in another incident.
The campaign knows that its delegates can't behave this way at the national convention if it wants its issues considered for the party platform. "One of the best ways to be respected is to be respectful," the strategist said.
I'm glad Ron Paul's team is preparing to ensure they have a serious voice at the convention -- I for one think that Rep. Paul's ideas add an extremely valuable element to the national dialogue, and I'd hate for them to be discounted because of some of his supporters' kookier tendencies.
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