Ron Paul's 'Audit-The-Fed' Swan Song Passes House, Unlikely To Pass Senate

When Paul first introduced his bill a decade ago, it was written off as another piece of his far-flung libertarian worldview is how Politico juxtaposes today's (now successful) vote on Ron Paul's Fed Transparency Bill. "I want to appreciate and congratulate Dr. Ron Paul for his tireless pursuit of openness and transparency," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). "Without his leadership, we wouldn’t be at this point today." Via Bloomberg:

•*FED AUDIT BILL OPPOSED BY BERNANKE GAINS APPROVAL BY U.S. HOUSE
•*FED AUDIT BILL NEEDS SENATE APPROVAL, PRESIDENT'S SIGNATURE
•*FED AUDIT BILL SPONSORED BY REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL OF TEXAS

The House passed H.R. 459, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012, in a 327-98 vote. pic.twitter.com/TDWNNabf

“I’m pleased. It’s something I’ve worked on for a long time, and it’s a good first step,” Paul told POLITICO. “It’s coming to the floor as a response to the American people, because I don’t have a whole lot of clout around here.”

Paul really doesn’t want this bill to be treated as his swan song in Congress, but to some extent this vote represents a coda to an eccentric congressional career. Paul’s movement has always been stronger outside the Capitol than inside it, yet the fact that at least one of his ideas is starting to break through shows that he may still have some clout on the national stage, even if he’s leaving the congressional payroll and ditching his presidential runs.