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Friday, December 7, 2007

A Blimp. A Blimp? A Blimp! The Return of the Ron Paul Zeppelin…

posted by on December 7 at 12:15 PM

Posted by Ryan S. Jackson

When last we left off on the exciting adventures of The Ron Paul Blimp, the anti-government airship was just a surprisingly well-funded twinkle in the eye of a group of people with a horribly designed website and a penchant for comically unhinged YouTube videos.

That was then. This is now (via The Politico):

The Ron Paul blimp is set to fly from North Carolina, over Washington, New York and Boston, before heading to New Hampshire, where the Jan. 8 primary offers the iconic libertarian perhaps his best chance of translating his zealous Internet support into votes.

And what would the exciting culmination of Ron Paul and the World of Tomorrow! be without this all ending in Paul’s supporters finding a new and innovative way to essentially gut campaign finance laws?

They shunned traditional mechanisms such as creating an independent non-profit group under section 527 of the IRS code — like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and the other groups that spent millions on ads in 2004 — or a political action committee — like EMILY’s List. Instead, they went an almost unheard of route, establishing a for-profit company: Liberty Political Advertising.

The name is a nod to Paul’s ideology and the website boasts the “legal arrangement offers the best of both worlds: no limits and virtually no regulations.” In other words, very libertarian.

As The Politico goes on to note, the blimp project is retaining Mitt Romney adviser Ben Smith as their legal counsel. Smith is willing to lend a helping hand because, strangely enough, he’s rather fond of this new strategy for funneling huge amounts of unregulated money into the campaign. What’s hilarious now may be a little less funny when the Romney campaign rolls out a competing (and almost certainly blimp-less) advertising campaign using the same methods.

But until that dark day comes, look to the skies!

RSS icon Comments

1

Reminds me of the movie poster for Black Sunday.

Posted by vigor finger | December 7, 2007 12:20 PM
2

How is it legal for a for-profit company to advertise for a candidate? Isn't that considered a donation? An ILLEGAL donation?

Posted by Fnarf | December 7, 2007 12:22 PM
3

Please, please, please tell me someone is already working on a Ron Paul parody using the climactic Superbowl disaster scene from Frankenheimer's BLACK SUNDAY...

Posted by andy niable | December 7, 2007 12:31 PM
4


It's the first campaign directly inspired by A View to A Kill.

I'll vote for the muthafucka if they let me be Grace Jones.

Posted by Original Andrew | December 7, 2007 12:32 PM
5

Ron Paul is an interesting candidate, and would make an interesting president. The American people are interested in the same ole norm, uninteresting type of stuff. Oh well.

Posted by he's making politics interesting | December 7, 2007 12:38 PM
6

@fnarf... it's actually just freedom of speech. There's nothing stopping you from buying a spot on the air to support your favorite candidate. If that company works with the candidate to design the ads, or their placement, then they're considered donations. But if they work separtely, it's kosher.

Posted by john | December 7, 2007 12:39 PM
7

With all that money they're spending, the least they could do is treat us to a flying banana.

Posted by keshmeshi | December 7, 2007 12:43 PM
8

"without this all ending in Paul’s supporters finding a new and innovative way to essentially gut campaign finance laws?"

Ah yes, we wouldn't want to make it too easy for the people to hear that they have a non-corrupt choice for president.

Posted by FZappa | December 7, 2007 12:45 PM
9

I thought it was going to be a clip from the Blimp-with-a-bomb-in-the-Superbowl movie. :(

Posted by NapoleonXIV | December 7, 2007 12:48 PM
10

Dirigables just don't look right without the well placed swastika.

and on one for paul...it just seems more apt.

Posted by truth in advertising | December 7, 2007 12:49 PM
11

10 - thing is, he'd probably opt for a Star of David. but not yet, one usually has to pander to the avg. dumb American first.

Posted by he's making politics interesting | December 7, 2007 12:57 PM
12

he is just sooo interesting, I am finding more and more that i heart the RP. Social services and government oversight are satans tools, used by the evil big govt. lib. jews against our founding fathers desires of no-regulation exploitation and hatred...go 'merica, go ron paul!

Posted by avg. dumb american | December 7, 2007 1:54 PM
13

Bummer. They cut out the clips of the Ron Paul blimp over the Shire. They've lost the hobbit vote, now.

Posted by SDA in SEA | December 7, 2007 1:54 PM
14
And what would the exciting culmination ... be without this all ending in Paul’s supporters finding a new and innovative way to essentially gut campaign finance laws?

Damn! I hate when Americans donate money to the candidate of their choice! There's something so un-American about having the freedom to support someone for political office.

Posted by torrentprime | December 7, 2007 1:54 PM
15

Oh the humanity!

Posted by Jake | December 7, 2007 1:57 PM
16
Damn! I hate when Americans donate money to the candidate of their choice! There's something so un-American about having the freedom to support someone for political office.

Which might be the best reason ever to vote for Ron Paul: he will eliminate corruption in politics. How? Just make it all legal.

What? It's the same argument we use for pot smokers. Get rid of prohibition, there will be no more illegal drug users. Get rid of anti-corruption laws, there will be no more political corruption.

Vote Ron Paul, the candidate who stands for traditional American values.

Like, corruption. And profiting off racism, even though he's "not a racist".

Remember: that's Ron Paul, a candidate America can be proud to call "Mr. President".

Posted by BD | December 7, 2007 2:16 PM
17

"First blimp in presidential history",

Um, that would of course have been William Howard Taft (1909 - 1913) who weighed in at over 300 lbs.

Although there is the famous story of him getting stuck in the White House bathtub, there is no verifiable account of him ever having flown over a major metropolitan area.

Posted by COMTE | December 7, 2007 2:44 PM
18

@10:

FWIW, there is a significant difference between blimps (non-rigid air frame) and dirigibles (rigid air frame), so slapping a swastika on a blimp would make about as much sense as slapping one on a hot-air balloon.

Posted by COMTE | December 7, 2007 2:49 PM
19

How about a Ron Paul Zepplin? Now THAT would be interesting. And Hydrogen is supposed to be a great alternative energy source!

Posted by catalina vel-duray | December 7, 2007 4:35 PM
20

@18, not all Nazi's can afford your fancy dirigibles, so fuck off, ok.

But three cheers for RonPaul. As far as I know he is the only joke candidate who fully embraces his crazy without restraint. Fly high my friend and may your dreams soar as high as your blimp.

Posted by giffy | December 7, 2007 4:47 PM
21

Might I respectfully suggest then Giffy that the Ron Paul Nazi's purchase some swastika emblazoned kites, which are not only more affordable, but probably more appropriate, since his supporters are apparently higher than them already.

Posted by COMTE | December 7, 2007 6:46 PM

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