This weekend, I will be a speaker at the giant “PAUL Festival” taking place in Tampa, Florida. Some of the most notable liberty-minded constitutionalists in the country will also be speaking. It is going to be quite a gathering. See the Paul Festival website here.

With the PAUL Festival fresh on my mind, I am reminded of a column written by Juan Williams at TheHill.com. Before referencing Mr. Williams’ fine column, it should be no surprise to readers of this column of my undying respect and support for the man who has inspired the PAUL Festival (and so much more): Congressman Ron Paul of Texas.

In 2008, I actively campaigned for Dr. Paul’s Presidential campaign in South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, and Iowa. I have written numerous columns in support of the man I call The Greatest Congressman In US History. I have spoken on the same platform with Congressman Paul on more than one occasion and consider him a true American statesman.

I was deeply honored when Dr. Paul endorsed me in 2008 after John McCain had won the GOP primary and I had become the Constitution Party candidate for President. Do I agree with Dr. Paul on every issue? Of course not. No two people are going to agree on everything. However, taken on the whole, Ron Paul has done more for the cause of liberty and constitutional government than any man in the 20th Century. In fact, as Juan Williams observes, America has now entered “The age of Ron Paul.”

Williams writes,

“Now he [Ron Paul] will leave the national political scene quietly, although he probably had a hand in getting a coveted convention speech slot for his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky).

“Sen. Paul may give his dad a final shout out from the podium.

“Ron Paul deserves more.

“In presidential debates, and until his last days in Congress, Paul has continued to stir revolution in the Republican Party by fighting the GOP establishment.”

Williams concludes his column saying, “As he leaves the political scene, there is no doubt that cranky Ron Paul has made his mark on American politics.

“We will be living in the age of Ron Paul for many years to come.”

See Juan Williams’ column here.

I believe Williams is spot on! Despite the fact that Ron Paul will not be the GOP nominee for President, despite the fact that he has been ignored, impugned, denigrated, and maligned by the national press corps, religious conservatives, and even his own party leadership, Dr. Paul is the one man whose influence will be felt long after he–and his detractors–have left the land of the living. Why? Because Dr. Paul’s consistent theme has been liberty, and liberty is bigger than any government scheme, policy, or program ever invented!

Think of it: Ron Paul was the only veteran running for President from either major party, and he was the only candidate against military adventurism and foreign interventionism. Ron Paul is a devout Christian, and he was the only candidate who recognized that political freedom must be granted to all men and that neither the hearts of men, nor their morals, can be changed via government dictation. The “Religious Right” often accused him of not being “pro-life,” yet Ron Paul was the only man running for President who had delivered over 4,000 babies and never performed a single abortion, and who wisely understood that the surest and quickest way to save the lives of unborn babies was not to rely on Supreme Court appointments, but to use the checks and balances granted to Congress by the Constitution under Article. III. Section. 2. Accordingly, he sponsored and re-sponsored the Sanctity of Life Act (which the GOP leadership constantly ignored).

In truth, Ron Paul’s indefatigable efforts to promote liberty, peace, and sound money principles have not even come close to reaching their zenith. The aforementioned PAUL Festival in Tampa this weekend will be more about the principles that Ron Paul has promoted for his entire political career than about Ron Paul the man. In fact, when one thinks about Ron Paul, he or she really isn’t thinking about a man; he or she is thinking about an idea. It is a truism to say that Ron Paul is bigger than Ron Paul. The ideas that Dr. Paul has championed will continue to swell well into the 21st Century. The PAUL Festival just might signal the unofficial beginning of “the age of Ron Paul.”

While some are trying to use Dr. Paul’s name and reputation to advance their own personal agendas, there are millions of Americans who have gravitated to the message he preaches, and, who now having tasted the sweet nectar of liberty, will never again be content to drink from the cup of oppression–no matter who is serving it!

Another thing about Ron Paul that has made him the iconic figure for liberty that he has become is his unwillingness to compromise. He isn’t called “Dr. No” on Capitol Hill for nothing!

For nearly a quarter of a century, Ron Paul cast vote after vote against unconstitutional bills–even when his was the only “No” vote recorded. He is probably the only congressman in US history who returned every paycheck he received back to the taxpayers. Even when he was campaigning for President, he refused to accept Secret Service protection, because of what it cost taxpayers.

Ron Paul was truly untouchable. He could not be bullied or bribed. He stood on principle regardless of the consequences. For example, he was still feeling the wrath of establishment republicans (and denunciation from the mainstream media) during this year’s Presidential campaign for endorsing me for President back in 2008. Was he not sagacious enough to not see that coming? Of course he was; and he did it anyway, because his conscious would not let him endorse the neocon RINO John McCain.

Ron Paul has raised the bar to a level this country hasn’t seen since the days of America’s founding. He has changed the debate in Washington, D.C., forever. He has put fear in the hearts of globalists on both sides of the Atlantic. His revolution is proliferating among the young and old, Republicans and Democrats, blue collar and white collar, Christians and unbelievers, veterans and non-veterans alike.

Juan Williams is absolutely right: regardless of who wins the White House in November or who takes control of Congress, we have entered “the age of Ron Paul.” I cannot express the gratitude of my heart to have been, and by God’s grace continue to be, part of it–no matter how small my part may have been or will yet be.

Therefore, I will take the platform this Saturday afternoon at the PAUL Festival in Tampa, Florida, with a sense of awe at the influence of this great man and the movement he has spawned.

Welcome to “the age of Ron Paul”.

Dr. Chuck Baldwin left the Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida to move to Montana. He hosts a weekly radio show. His website is here