Persistence and patriotism

This election year isn't an end. But it may be a beginning.

Just take a look at recent Republican primary results, largely overlooked because McCain locked up the necessary 1,191 delegates long ago. In Indiana, McCain got 77% of the recent Republican primary vote, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, who've each long ago quit and endorsed McCain, still got 10% and 5% respectively, while Paul took 8%.
On the same May 6 in North Carolina, McCain received less than three-quarters of Republican votes (74%), while Huckabee got 12%, Paul 7% and Alan Keyes and No Preference took a total of 7%. Pennsylvania was even slightly worse for the GOP's presumptive nominee, who got only 73% to a combined 27% for Paul (16%) and Huckabee (11%).

A number of state and local candidates are running as "Ron Paul Republicans." The adjective is noteworthy, indicating just how many people have concluded "republican" on its own does not stand for the limited, strict constructionist view of government the party once used to sell itself. In a way, the frustration of Paul's campaign for the presidency, followed by the emergence of a grass roots movement professing his vision, nicely befits the federalist ideal. It was never about one man, one office. It's about a way of life. Patriotism isn't defined by flag-waving during the latest war du jour. It's involves standing up for principles even when the rest of the country seems hell-bent on abandoning them.

If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine"