Ron Paul Was Denied a Convention Speech Because He Wouldn't Endorse Mitt
Ron Paul was apparently offered a speaking spot at the Republican National Convention, but he turned it down because convention organizers would only let him speak under the stipulation that he would finally endorse Mitt for President.
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Paul disclosed the extortion plot to the New York Times in an interview leading up to Paul Fest, the Paul-focused convention in Florida happening this weekend, and he said he still doesn't "fully" endorse Romney:
Mr. Paul, in an interview, said convention planners had offered him an opportunity to speak under two conditions: that he deliver remarks vetted by the Romney campaign, and that he give a full-fledged endorsement of Mr. Romney. He declined.
“It wouldn’t be my speech,” Mr. Paul said. “That would undo everything I’ve done in the last 30 years. I don’t fully endorse him for president.”
The Ron Paul movement is at a weird impasse. His time in the federal spotlight is quickly coming to a close. Buzzfeed's Rosie Gray has a good report on the anxieties Paul supporters are having over what will happen once Paul isn't around to lead the libertarian movement. Will they rally around his son Rand, the most natural successor, despite their initial fury over Rand's Romney endorsement, or will it be someone else?
