Below The Beltway

Let’s say you are part of a political party facing the possibility of an electoral disaster in November.

Your supporters are demoralized and the numbers look worse by the day.

Along come a group of people who are committed and actually want to be involved in the Republican Party.

What do you do ?

You do the logical thing, of course, you turn them away:

St. Paul, Minn. — Tony VanDemark of Little Canada had dabbled in politics before. He volunteered a few times for Republican candidates. But this year, VanDemark fully immersed himself in the process. His inspiration came from Texas Rep. and GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul.

“This was the first person to actually come out and say these are my beliefs, take it or leave it,” he said. “This is the way I voted for the entire time I was in Congress take it or leave it. And it was just refreshing to see somebody who had that view.”

VanDemark, an IT consultant and parent of two young children, said Paul stood out in the GOP debates with his opposition to the Iraq war. Paul’s libertarian views on the economy, government and foreign policy also provided sharp contrasts.

VanDemark went to his precinct caucus to support Paul. He’s now headed to the state convention as a Paul delegate.

(…)

Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University, said the Republican establishment wants Paul out of the way as they unify the party behind John McCain. But Abramowitz said Republicans run a risk if they close the door on Paul supporters.

“I mean they’re obviously not a large group, but if you alienate them, shut them out of the process, I think there’s a real risk that those people would then look to a third party or independent candidate in November,” he said.

Large or not, one of the most important things you can have in politics at the state and local levels are warm bodies — people willing to do the grunt work of campaigning, willing to show up at local, county, and state conventions; in other words people who actually want to be involved. If there’s enough room in the GOP for the true-believer followers of the Huckster, then why not for Ron Paul supporters who actually want to be involved.

Say what you will about them, and I’ve had plenty to say that isn’t exactly positive, but there isn’t a single Republican candidate for President who was able to put together the kind of grassroots support that Ron Paul did. John McCain certainly didn’t, which is why his campaign against Obama is, I think, going to be harder than some GOP true believers think it will be.

Minnesota isn’t the only place that this has happened, which is why the GOP shouldn’t be surprised at all when something like this happens:

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Ron Paul continued his push for a speaking role at the Republican National Convention with an address Friday to supporters outside the Minnesota state convention.

Paul has continued his presidential bid despite Sen. John McCain’s status as the presumed nominee. With state GOP leaders refusing to allow him to speak inside the convention hall, Paul told about 400 supporters he was more concerned about spreading his libertarian message than preserving party unity.

“The campaign that is going on right now is the campaign for the freedom revolution, which is going to be going on for a very long time,” Paul told the crowd.

Translation — don’t feel obligated to support the GOP if they’re not going to respect you.

Even a small army can cost someone an election, and not just at the Presidential level.

And, more importantly, if there’s room in the GOP for the Huckster’s true believers, then why not Ron Paul’s if they want to be involved ?

And if there’s not room for those people, then that’s just another sign that when Republicans talk about individual liberty, the Constitution, and freedom, it’s really just so much hot air.

H/T: Marc Ambinder