Since I’ve made this a theme of sorts, I decided to bring up a true internet phenomenon today – the 2008 campaign of Presidential hopeful Ron Paul. The guy who used all the tricks of the internet to raise millions for a campaign which barely registered when it came to actual votes has moved on to form yet another net-based organization called the Campaign for Liberty. Their big opening event (the Rally for the Republic) could be construed as a thumb to the eye of the GOP establishment, seeing that it will be held in Minneapolis concurrently with the Republican convention.
I’m not saying this to disparage the effort – after all, I signed up to be a member of the Campaign for Liberty because there are a lot of Ron Paul’s ideas I do agree with. (He and I just don’t see eye-to-eye on combatting terrorism.) I do happen to think that the GOP is more amenable to these principles for the most part and it will be interesting to see what if any interaction occurs between the two sets of conventioneers.
But there are going to be some unique quirks about this Campaign for Liberty shindig, particularly as it will feature as much entertainment as political speeches. (It’s great if you’re into country music, to me not so much.) I had to chuckle when I saw the part about Ronvoys, though.
For those who are dying to go but can’t afford plane tickets or gas, they have come up with a low-budget way to get to Minneapolis via van or bus called a Ronvoy. There are ten Ronvoys which will stop in various cities to get to the Rally, with the closest one to us here on Delmarva starting in Washington, D.C. and stopping in Hagerstown, MD. So I wouldn’t expect these folks to be a strain on the limousine business in the Twin Cities, unlike the situation in Denver.
And with an eclectic guest list of speakers, I’m sure the participants in the Rally for the Republic will have plenty to think and talk about as they make their way back home. Certainly the C4L site will have an array of video and blogging from the event, and it may make for more interesting stuff than will come from that other convention in town. (Hey, I tried to liven things up at that one, but everyone probably assumed I was a Ron Paul supporter anyway.)
It’s yet another source of blogging fodder that I’ll be getting in the future, one of many such organizations trying to be like me and make a difference.
