Stupid "bet" by Thiel. If he was truly thinking of the future, he'd be better off supporting Rand Paul not Ron. But a fool and his money...
Witness how Santorum pulled Romney towards more socially conservative positions just by existing. Santorum didn't win, but as a result of his run he pulled the Republican centre towards him.
do you have any example to support this claim? Ron Paul isn't running for the first time. Which of his positions got anywhere close to mainstream candidate's agenda previously?
Witness how Santorum pulled Romney towards more socially conservative positions just by existing.
Santorum was Romney's runner-up if not outrunning him during several moments.
"In closing, Rick Perry said he has most learned from Ron Paul’s effort to end the Federal Reserve, and why it matters."
In later debates, Gingrich seemed to make similar moves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCC0vokYHnY
Not saying Paul was completely transformative, but his take on the Federal Reserve which I think was largely considered "extreme" started to become more of a mainstream GOP topic.
anyway, criticism of Fed from GOP is nothing new http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Federal_Reserve_...
I'm skeptical Ron Paul had any particular role in reigniting it.
Let's be honest, Ron Paul won't be around for much longer. If you are really trying to make any real difference, you need someone younger and who's got a better chance of doing something. That would be Rand Paul and not Ron.
Ron Paul had his run and it's over. To put money into him now is a losers bet. There's no real political future for Ron Paul while there is a hell of an upside for Rand Paul.