On Fox News last night, serial candidate Ron Paul told Sean Hannity that he would be announcing an exploratory committee today to examine whether he should enter the 2012 GOP primary. Both Paul and his son Rand, whose libertarian politics have ignited fevered support from small-government voters, have been talked about as potential candidates with headline-grabbing appeal. Ron was the 1988 Libertarian Party nominee and made a run for the GOP nomination in 2008. Because of his outsider stance, he’s viewed as an underdog, but in 2008 he was able to raise money speedily, and this time around he’s probably the clearest face for a tea party concerned primarily with fiscal responsibility and less concerned with government meddling in social issues. In a wide-ranging interview on Hannity, Paul talked about how he’d like to eliminate the income tax and sparred with the conservative host about the Muslim community center in lower Manhattan. He’ll announce the committee today in Des Moines, Iowa, natch. Isn’t it fun to talk about candidates who actually intend to run once in a while?
Ron Paul moves toward White House campaign [Politico]
