Friday, June 28, 2013

RCP Exclusive: Ron Paul to Host Private Weekend Summit



He may be officially retired from public life, but Ron Paul apparently isn’t giving up the reins of the libertarian movement that made him a factor in the last two presidential campaigns and which could play a significant role in the 2016 Republican nominating contest.


RealClearPolitics has learned that the 77-year-old former congressman is hosting an afternoon barbeque Saturday at his home in Lake Jackson, Tex.; the event will function as an informal summit and feature many of the leading figures in the Paul-inspired “liberty movement.”


Hollywood actor Vince Vaughn, who was an active supporter of Paul’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, is among the invited guests, according to two sources with direct knowledge of planning for the event.


Approximately 100 likeminded organizers and activists are expected to attend the confab, which was organized by Paul’s wife, Carol.


“It’s very much a planned, calculated event,” an invited guest told RCP. “It’s supposedly a meeting of the philosophical leaders and writers of the movement and also the fundraisers — a lot of big donors will come in for it.”


Among the expected attendees are writers and longtime Paul supporters Thomas Woods — who is currently developing lectures for the Ron Paul home-school curriculum — and Jack Hunter, a libertarian radio host who co-authored Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s 2011 book, “The Tea Party Goes to Washington.”


The rapidly rising national profile of Paul’s ambitious son, Rand, will be among the major topics of interest during the weekend gathering.


Rand Paul has not been coy about his plans to run for president in 2016, and he is widely expected to be a leading candidate in the Republican field. The freshman senator had originally planned to attend the event at his parents’ home, but a scheduling conflict prohibited him from doing so, according to a source close to the Paul family.


On Friday, Sen. Paul was in South Carolina, where he held meetings and attended fundraisers with activists and officials who will be involved in the state’s first-in-the-South primary.




Scott Conroy is a national political reporter for RealClearPolitics. He can be reached at sconroy@realclearpolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealClearScott.




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RCP Exclusive: Ron Paul to Host Private Weekend Summit

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