Ron Paul today stopped campaigning in big State primaries. But he has not suspended his campaign and will still work to capture delegates. Nevertheless, reasonable people might confuse what he really said with what some might have wished he said.

What Ron Paul said

Ron Paul released these words on his official site:

Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process.  We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future.

Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted.  Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have.  I encourage all supporters of Liberty to make sure you get to the polls and make your voices heard, particularly in the local, state, and Congressional elections, where so many defenders of Freedom are fighting and need your support….

What this means

Representative Ron Paul (R-TX-14). Photo: US House of Representatives

The Washington Times correctly said that Ron Paul would not “hunt for votes” in primaries and large-scale caucuses. Ron Paul does not seem to have “hunted for votes” for a long time. He has instead spent his money hunting for delegates, not votes. The Times also noted that in many States, the primaries or caucuses do not bind the delegates, even on the first ballot.

Newsmax.com reprinted the Associated Press story. That story said that Ron Paul would not “campaign for the [Republican] nomination.” This is not correct. Furthermore, the AP story still gave Mitt Romney’s tally of delegates according to the “beauty contest” assignments. The AP said nothing about Ron Paul supporters becoming delegates to the convention.

New Jersey activist Nick Purpura repeated his call for New Jersey voters to vote for Ron Paul in the upcoming primary. He also said that what Ron Paul said, changes nothing, because Ron Paul is still hunting for delegates.

In fact, neither Rick Santorum nor Newt Gingrich have “released” their delegates to Mitt Romney. Furthermore, Rule 38 of the Rules of the Republican Party casts serious doubt on whether the law, or the national rules, oblige any, repeat any, delegates to vote for Mitt Romney or any other candidate on the first ballot. It reads:

No delegate or alternate delegate shall be bound by any attempt of any state or Congressional district to impose the unit rule.

Furthermore, Ben Swann, in one of the videos embedded below, cites a letter by the 2008 Republican National Committee lead counsel. That letter said that no State Party may bind delegates.

This makes John Philippe’s threatening letter to the Nevada Republican chairman unfounded, therefore inexplicable. But it also means that Ron Paul has not “dropped out of the race.” If Ben Swann correctly interprets that 2008 letter, then all primaries and public caucuses are beauty contests. So Ron Paul is smart to concentrate on winning delegates, and not to spend vast sums running in primaries that move him not a step closer to nomination.

Related:

• Oklahoma Republican delegates in dispute
• Ron Paul takes more delegates
• Ron Paul NV supporters threatened
• Ron Paul delegate strategy
• Ron Paul: surprise wins?
• Ron Paul: more delegates than guessed

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