As a sort of counter-convention to the RNC, which begins on Monday, Ron Paul and his supporters held a rally at the University of South Florida on Sunday to advance what Paul calls the “liberty movement.”
Here is Ron Paul’s complete, unedited speech to the crowd on Sunday:
Report from ABC News:
TAMPA, Fla. — Rep. Ron Paul might have fallen short in his bid for the presidency, but this afternoon the libertarian leaning Texas congressman proclaimed his “liberty movement” alive and well.
Paul took center stage at his “We Are the Future” rally at the University of South Florida.
Animated and witty, he stuck to the message of limited government, the central theme of his presidential bid and a message he has been delivering all of his life.
“We want to get the government out of the business it’s not supposed to be doing,” Paul said.
Paul’s rally sometimes resembled a rock concert. Fans wearing shirts with his name and image stood under colorful lights drinking tap beer and listened to Blues Traveler frontman John Popper perform ahead of Paul’s remarks.
Many carried signs and shouted for the elimination of the I.R.S. and the Federal Reserve banking system. In an otherwise highly scripted week for the party, the event on the eve of the kickoff of the Republicans’ nominating convention, was seen as an unpredictable.
