Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul
(born August 20, 1935) is a Republican United States Congressman, physician, bestselling author, and two-time presidential candidate from Lake Jackson, Texas. He has an active base of supporters that has been coined the "Ron Paul Revolution." He is also the founder of the advocacy group Campaign for Liberty.
Originally from the Green Tree suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Gettysburg College in 1957, then studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone. He represented Texas districts in the U.S. House of Representatives (1976–1977, 1979–1985, and 1997–present). and entered the 1988 presidential election, running as the Libertarian nominee while remaining a registered Republican. He placed a distant third in the popular vote total. He was a candidate in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries, where he was placed fourth, and refused to endorse the candidate chosen by the 2008 Republican National Convention, John McCain.
Paul has been described as conservative, Constitutionalist, and libertarian.[2] He advocates a foreign policy of non-intervention, having voted against actions such as the Iraq War Resolution, but in favor of force against terrorists in Afghanistan. He favors withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, citing the dangers of foreign entanglements to national sovereignty. Having pledged never to raise taxes, he has long advocated ending the federal income tax, scaling back government spending, abolishing most federal agencies, and removing military bases and troops from foreign soil; he favors hard money and opposes the Federal Reserve. He also opposes the Patriot Act, the federal War on Drugs, No Child Left Behind, and gun regulation. Paul is strongly pro-life and has introduced bills to negate Roe v. Wade, as he believes the Supreme Court has usurped each state's right to allow, regulate, or ban abortion.[3]
His book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, became a bestseller immediately upon release and went on to be #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best sellers list.
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