Well, this is a funny way for Ron Paul’s campaign to battle the (largely true) narrative that it’s working hand-in-glove with Mitt Romney. Days after concluding a small ad campaign attacking Romney in Washington, Paul’s team has announced the endorsements of five Romney family relatives in Montana, Washington, Utah, and Idaho – all will speak at Idaho caucuses, where a heavy Mormon vote is expected to boost Romney to a win.

There’s no one bit to excerpt. Just read it.



Ty Romney is an attorney handling property and liability claims for State Farm Mutual in Great Falls, Montana and received his Bachelors of Arts Degree from the University of Utah and his Juris Doctorate Degree from Seattle University School of Law. He is an active member of the Idaho State Bar Association.



Ty said, “Ron Paul is honest. It’s time to take a stand for honesty. It doesn’t matter whether the truth is popular or not, I know that Ron Paul will always maintain a true principle and I endorse that degree of integrity.”



Travis Romney is a chiropractor based in Spokane, Washington, and will be speaking at the Greyhound Park caucus location in Kootenai County. With his dad a second cousin to Mitt Romney, Travis is a second cousin once removed.



“I support Ron Paul because he defends the Constitution, loves America and understands what it means to be an American, including the right to live your life any way you want as long as you respect others,” said Travis. He continued, “I love his foreign policy of maintaining peace and trade while making a strong national defense a top priority, and that you only go to war legally through a declaration by the people through their elected representatives.”



Also sharing common ancestry, Chad Romney resides in the Boise area and will be speaking at the Glenns Ferry caucus location in Elmore County.



Jared Romney, out of Salt Lake City, said his grandfather is a first cousin with former Michigan Governor George Romney, the father of Mitt Romney, and stated, “It really comes down to Ron Paul championing the ideas of the Constitution, in how he lives it, understanding we must return to and follow its guiding principles. He also understands we must reign in the Federal Reserve System which is destroying our economy.”



Troy Romney also lives in Salt Lake City and is a University of Utah student, and will be speaking at the Montpelier caucus location in Bear Lake County. Troy’s grandfather and George Romney are cousins as well. Troy said he supports Ron Paul because “he stands for the values and principles America was founded upon.”



Chaser:

These family member endorsements are preceded by an announcement of support for Ron Paul by Rick Santorum’s nephew, John Garver.

None of this changes the fact that Paul has planned, and continues to plan, on Romney staying in front of the GOP race. As Jesse Benton put it to me (and a bunch of other hacks) in a spin room last year, “we’re not fishing from the same pond” for voters.