Mark your calendars: Ron Paul is kicking off the GOP Convention with a rally in Tampa on Sunday, August 26. In an email to supporters, the Paul campaign said they are expecting "a wonderful crowd."
"The goal of this rally is to kick off the week for our delegates, set the proper and respectful tone, and prove to the GOP establishment is that you and I are the future of the Republican Party -- and that we stand behind our beliefs 100%."
Wearing a collared shirt and tie, Dr. Paul also recorded a 9 minute video message to supporters, telling them "an idea whose time has come cannot be stopped."
"Not winning every single battle is irrelevant if you can win the war of ideas. And that is where we are having our greatest success."
Paul said his supporters will have a presence at the convention and that the rules should be followed -- by both sides. "We should not be disruptive," Paul explained, "but we should not be pushed around."
The 76-year-old congressman also addressed former GOP presidential rival Rick Santorum's claims that Paul supporters are looking for a platform fight and called Santorum people "authoritarians."
"They want to use the government to impose their will on us as individuals."
Look for a struggle over the future of the GOP in the weeks ahead as the Paul campaign communicates with their delegates and continues to participate in state conventions across the country.
Post script: In a press release last night, the Paul campaign said it had won "a significant majority of Iowa's Republican delegates" to the national Republican convention: "Dr. Paul won 10 of 13 delegates elected at today's state convention in addition to having won 11 of 12 delegates elected at last night's district conventions, for a weekend total of 21 of 25 contestable delegates, all unbound."