by
Andrew Kirell
Mediaite

Last night,
we reported on the Republican National ConventionÂ’s
tribute video for Rep. Ron Paul, full of praise for the outspoken
sorta-libertarian who has done an exceptional amount to change the
conversation in Washington. The video featured various Republicans
heaping praise on the outgoing congressman for his consistency,
his fiscal responsibility, and his dedication to never backing down
on his principles.

Let me be a
downer here and say: The GOP isnÂ’t fooling anyone.

ItÂ’s clear
the party is at least somewhat afraid of losing the Paulites to
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson (or Obama, or non-voting), and
this “tribute” video – much like the party’s
newfound “respect” for Paul – came off as an overproduced
attempt to save face with a group the stodgy, fickle GOP has mistreated,
ignored, and wished away over the last five years.

The video made
frequent mention of PaulÂ’s efforts to reduce the federal deficit
and added boilerplate praise for his “fiscal responsibility”
and “never back down”-ness, but it conveniently glossed
over the many important issues that have made Paul so attractive
to his followers – issues that the Republican Party seems entirely
unwilling to incorporate into their platform.

Read
the rest of the article

August
31, 2012

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© 2012 Mediaite