Former Texas congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul is celebrating his 90th birthday on Wednesday, August 20, with tributes arriving from across the liberty movement. Earlier this month, around 1,000 supporters gathered in Clute to commemorate the occasion.
According to the Durango Herald, supporters previously gathered at Brazosport College’s Dow Academic Center on August 9, including liberty activists, former staff, elected officials, and other figures connected to Paul’s long career in politics. The event was organized by Jeff Frazee of Young Americans for Liberty, the organization which grew out of Paul’s first Republican campaign in 2008, and doubled as a fundraiser for the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.
Paul, who served ten terms in the U.S. House as a Republican representing several districts along the Texas Gulf Coast, first ran for president in 1988 as the Libertarian Party nominee before seeking the Republican nomination in 2008 and 2012. While a member of Congress, he earned the nickname “Dr. No” for his voting habits, and his tenure was defined by opposition to the Federal Reserve, non-interventionist foreign policy, and a strict constitutionalist reading of federal power.
Speaking to attendees during the birthday event, Paul reportedly reprised some familiar themes, warning of the Federal Reserve’s service to “people who believe in big government” and the “dictatorship of the majority” in U.S. democracy. He was joined by other prominent voices in the liberty movement, including Reason editor Nick Gillespie, Fox Business host Kennedy, and Libertarian Institute director Scott Horton, along with allies from his past campaigns.
Several current and former officials also offered birthday tributes. Former Republican and Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan and Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas attended in person, while Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky gave pre-recorded remarks encouraging supporters to send greetings to his father. Former Democratic congresswoman and current Trump administration director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard likewise praised Paul as a “joyful warrior” for peace and freedom.
Paul has been credited by many Libertarians with inspiring their involvement in the party, including more recent prominent figures such as comedian Dave Smith, 2020 vice-presidential nominee Spike Cohen, and Mises Caucus founder Michael Heise. He has been a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party since 1987 and most recently delivered the keynote address at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention.
Paul has also found historic support from members of the Constitution Party, with the Montana state party opting to place him on the general election ballot during the 2008 presidential election alongside Constitution Party founder Michael Peroutka. That ticket ultimately received just over 10,000 votes in Montana, or 2.17% of the total. Notably, Paul had already endorsed the presidential campaigns of Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin, Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney, and independent candidate Ralph Nader that cycle.
NewFederalist: Yes, it is more than I normally do here.
That said, IMO, it’s all “earned.” On the newsletters, a lot of people have never really held Paul to account.
On fiat currency? I’ve long held exactly this idea. (Silicon is obviously way too cheap, even with its intrinsic value, to back currency.) This leftist has his own concerns about the Federal Reserve, but they’re not the same concerns as L/libertarians. (Beyond all of the above, Tang Dynasty China invented paper money more than 1,000 years ago.)
Scott Horton? A throw-in, but it’s true.
Rand? I’ve long called him Squirrel Hair.
So? Snarkier than normal. Sure. Unnecessarily so? Don’t think so.
Gadfly… your post seemed unnecessarily snarky. That’s not like you.
George… I did exactly the same thing!
Chase Oliver denouncing Ron Paul was a major reason why he didn’t get my vote last year. Ron Paul is one of my political heroes.
Congratulations to Ron Paul. I was glad to vote for him running as a Libertarian in 1988 and in the Republican primaries in 2008 and 2012. I registered as a Republican just long enough to vote for him in the primaries and then re-registered as a Libertarian Party member.
Was an honorary 90th anniversary racist newsletter sent out? Yes, I went there. And, I still have the receipts about that at my site, and don’t find the apologetics convincing.
On the goldbuggery? That soft yellow metal is actually fiat currency itself; it has little intrinsic value, with most its “value” coming from human greed. Why not use either petroleum or U235 as backing for our Federal Reserve notes instead?
Scott Horton? Still a WWII conspiracy theorist, claiming FDR “dragged us in.”
Maybe Rand bought his dad a squirrel hair just like he wears, though I don’t think Ron fully needs it.