Ron Paul Presidential Campaign Chicago Campaign Stop Pretty Well Ignored Again

Some of my libertarian friends let me know about Republican Ron Paul’s appearance at a rally in Chicago Saturday.

There was a demonstration in Millennium Park near the Bean afterwards.

And, wonder of wonders, it appears as if Chicago Tribune reporter Rick Pearson has actually written a 488 word story about the rally.

And, there are a bundle of comments under the article, which I found on the Baltimore Sun’s political blog. (The Baltimore Sun is owned by the Tribune, I believe.)

But in the print edition of Sunday’s Chicago Tribune, Ron Paul rated only a 174 word paragraph in the “Campaign Digest.”

No headline.

But there was a picture of his head.

Unlike his coverage of my 2002 Libertarian Party campaign for governor, Pearson even mentioned the candidate’s name and some of his issues. He did neither the Sunday before the election in 2002.

Here’s what a friend of McHenry County Blog described what happened Saturday:

”The dirty little secret in politics’ is that the illusion of ‘grassroots’ is more often than not very calculated and manufactured. ‘The best volunteers’ money can buy,’ a cynic would say.

“But there is a lively and very real spontaneity emerging around Ron Paul’s Freedom Movement as evidenced by the broad cross section of nearly 1500 disaffected voters who flocked to the Hyatt Regency Chicago Saturday afternoon for a barn burnin’ campaign rally.

“Congressman Ron Paul gave a fiery stump speech to his grassroots army as his bid to win the Republican nomination for the Presidency becomes more real each day.

“Recent Gallop polling puts his national support at 4%.

“Dr. Paul’s task is nothing less than returning the Republican Party back to its declared principles of downsizing government, protecting life and reinstating a traditional Republican foreign policy of non interventionism.

“The loudest ovation of the day however, was saved for Congressman Paul’s long held belief that ‘we can get rid of the IRS and replace it with. . .’ (this is the part where Dr. Paul taunts the audience to finish his thought.) ‘NOTHING !’ was the thunderous response given back.

“His forty minute speech talked about not only about getting rid of the 16th Amendment but also ending the Federal Reserve’s ability to counterfeit and issue money out of thin air, which is causing rampant but underreported inflation in many sectors of our fragile economy.

“The Ron Paul Revolution is attracting support form across the political spectrum as those on the left believe he is genuine in his desire to change our foreign policy and those on the right support him because they feel betrayed by the current Republican leadership’s addiction to massive spending and perpetual incumbency.

“(Satur)day’s rally was covered by ABC and Fox local affiliates and was also attended by WLS Radio’s Political pundit Tom Roeser. A ‘Private Briefing’ fundraiser for $1000 donors was held immediately following the nearly two hour rally.”

Can anyone tell me of any 2007 Republican presidential campaign stop in Illinois that drew 1,500 people?

Most presidential candidates just come to Chicago to raise money.

You can hear and see the rally and Dr. Ron Paul’s speech here at the Freeman’s Burden.

If you have been to as enthusiastic a rally as this in Illinois, I would like to hear about it.

All photographs can be enlarged by clicking on them.


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