Ron Paul tells Columbia crowd his campaign 'taking off'

Texas Rep. Ron Paul greeted several hundred enthusiastic supporters today in a West Columbia aircraft hangar and cited his second place showing in New Hampshire last night as proof his campaign is taking off.

“I think we sent out a pretty positive message last night in New Hampshire,” he said. “Now South Carolina is next on the list.”

Paul stressed two issues: how the United States must stop military interventions in overseas conflicts and how the Federal Reserve system needs to come to an end.

“We have to change what is happening,” he said. “We’re going after the status quo and the people in charge. We’re coming, and we’re going to deliver this message. It’s a message of peace and prosperity.”

The crowd, whose average age appeared younger than at most GOP campaign events, traveled from all over the state, from Anderson and Charleston and points in between. A few carried homemade signs with Paul’s quotes – such as, “Truth is treason in the empire of lies” – and they greeted him with a chant of “Ron! Ron! Ron!”

Paul said his campaign is about liberty and reversing at least a century of actions that have eroded the U.S. Constitution. He said the federal monetary system should be audited and reformed and predicted some will push for an international paper currency controlled by the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund.

“We’re on the move and it isn’t only because we have a candidate but we have an issue,” Paul said. “We have a set of principles that we’re going to defend, and this is what motivates people.”

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771.