While Ron Paul wasn’t granted a speaking position at the Republican National Convention (RNC) his son will be allowed to speak:
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will be among the top Republicans giving speeches at the Party’s National Convention in August, GOP officials announced Tuesday.
You see, Rand is willing to play the game. When he endorsed Mitt Romney, and proved his neocon tendencies, he was given a higher position within the party:
[Rand] Paul — unlike his father, who ran for president this year — endorsed Romney after he won the primary and is said to have higher political ambitions in carrying the Paul family mantle forward.
This is the catch-22 of politics, in order to get something one must be free of principles. Ron Paul is a man of principle, he was unwilling to give the Republican Party an inch and was thusly punished. The Republican Party maneuvered to ensure Paul wouldn’t be given a fair chance at the presidential nomination. Rand, being more concerned about power than principle, was more than happy to endorse Mitt as it would improve his position within the Republican Party and increase his chances of being granted a future presidential nomination (and I hope he negotiated an ironclad guarantee of a future presidential nomination, it would be such a shame to see his betrayal go unrewarded by the Republican Party).
Obviously this is a smart move on behalf of the Republican Party. The party doesn’t want to see Ron Paul’s supporters flee the sinking ship after their man was thrown under a bus. In the hopes of keeping Paul’s supporters onboard they are offering them Rand, who many of Ron’s supporters still support and is willing to play the political game. I find it unfortunate that this offering may actually be enough to prevent Ron Paul’s supporters from making a complete mockery of the RNC (but I still hold out hope).