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From 414-1 to 270 Co-Sponsors: Audit the Fed in Context
From Politico:
On Wednesday afternoon, a small piece of (Ron Paul’s) grand vision will hit prime time, when a great majority of the House will vote to pass his Audit the Fed bill. To understand how remarkable this moment is — coming near the end of Paul’s congressional career — consider this: When Paul first introduced his bill a decade ago, it was written off as another piece of his far-flung libertarian worldview. For a long time, Paul was a lawmaker who was largely ignored by Washington — that guy on the losing end of 414-1 votes.
And now his Fed transparency bill has 270 co-sponsors — including the great majority of the Republican lawmakers and a good number of Democrats. It’s a sign that this issue has moved into the mainstream…
Paul’s relentless pursuit is backed by an energetic grass-roots movement, and he has made transparency of the Federal Reserve a national issue, not just some quirky back-burner debate.
During a floor debate on the bill, lawmaker after lawmaker gave kudos to Paul for his efforts.
“I want to appreciate and congratulate Dr. Ron Paul for his tireless pursuit of openness and transparency,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). “Without his leadership, we wouldn’t be at this point today.”
Even presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney tweeted earlier in the week: “Ron Paul’s Audit The Fed bill is a reminder of his tireless efforts to promote sound money and a more transparent Federal Reserve.”
“I’m pleased. It’s something I’ve worked on for a long time, and it’s a good first step,” Paul told POLITICO. “It’s coming to the floor as a response to the American people, because I don’t have a whole lot of clout around here…”
“I like to think of it more as verifying that my approach is a little bit different than just becoming a powerful player and having an influence, versus really changing people’s minds,” he said. “Events have also brought it about because these last five years have been so important to the economy. If the crisis hadn’t hit, I don’t think I could have gotten as much attention.
“Government reflects the people, sometimes that happens slowly,” he said. “When the American people get upset, Congress listens…”
But the audit the Fed movement won’t end with the House vote if Paul’s son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), has his way. He said he couldn’t be happier for his dad’s efforts and said he hoped to announce Democratic co-sponsors for the bill in the Senate later this week.
“I think people came around to him. I also think over time, people have become more worried about Fed policies,” the younger Paul said. “Many conservatives who won’t go quite as far as my father would like to take them, have begun to question them. We think it’s not that controversial that the people through their representatives deserve to know what the Federal Reserve is doing, and I think if it came up for a vote in the Senate tomorrow, it would pass.”
From 414-1 to 270 Co-Sponsors: Audit the Fed in Context*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign CommitteeRon Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee