Ron Paul supporters are unhappy that Republican National Convention organizers aren't letting them throw a festival honoring the Texas congressman and presidential candidate the weekend before the gathering.
Spokesman Bryan Siemon said his group is organizing a three-day "PaulFest" at the Florida State Fairgrounds that would include music, comedians and speakers. But the Republicans control Tampa's public venues during the convention and haven't given PaulFest approval to use the fairgrounds.
Convention organizers say they aren't blocking anyone and that a decision will be made within a few weeks.
If Republicans can stop this PaulFest from happening, they will stop it—there's too much at stake for them to jeopardize the RNC with a bunch of off-message "Republicans" having a pot-friendly music festival that appears to be linked to the Republican National Convention. The thing that I don't understand is why Ron Paul fans continue to cling to the side of a Republican Party that so clearly wants nothing to do with them. If they had any common sense at all, they would make the jump now to the Libertarian Party.
