Paul shakes up the vote...as a third party millennial-centric candidate

Paul needs to answer a decisive question before the media would anoint him the shake-of-the-vote candidate of 2012 (one who is poised to strengthen the nation's democratic process via the inclusion of a viable third-party candidate): If not the Republican nominee, does he promise to proceed onward as a non-GOP candidate?

Even if he doesn't truly want to be president, as many suspect was the case of Ross Perot's candidacy (including his '92 campaign manager Ed Rollins), Paul must demonstrate the sincerity, discipline and fighting spirit of a vigorous campaign.

For one, that means he has to declare that his campaign would continue unfettered if he deems it impossible for him to triumph in the delegate race. Second, he must also establish that he will embrace being a non-Republican-stamped candidate - instead, channeling his power through an independent movement. He would have to also embrace the prospect of being on the ballot as a Libertarian candidate.

There is one factor that could prevent this from becoming reality: Paul's son is a leading Tea Party Republican, and his father's non-GOP insurgency could jeopardize his son's standing within the party.

Right now, to much of the mainstream media, it's far from a guarantee he will choose to unify his support in a third-party effort. As I reported yesterday, his campaign manager is silent about those odds and instead seems to concentrate on impacting GOP party planks come convention time. I believe a third-party Paul candidacy is plausible, but I am also somewhat unconvinced.

Yet, as I asked a skeptic recently: If Paul does not want to, at a minimum, take his convictions to the general election - on stage with Obama and Romney (or Gingrich) - then why is he still in the campaign?  I'm curious how you would respond, Wes? He would probably prove more effective behind the scenes if he actually wanted to overhaul the GOP platform.

We will all soon learn what Ron Paul actually wants, as the Fourth Estate continues to wonder. One thing is apparent: Paul and President Obama will remain strange bedfellows in their capacity to court young voters (Paul with his message, and Obama, at least most recently, with his charm...in this case, a soulful partial rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at the Apollo Theatre in NYC.)

Let me raise one more question, too, before S.C. starts counting its ballots. If Gingrich wins today, how can he double down and sweep over young Floridians with his campaign message? Of course, how those over 50 vote may be more decisive in this retirement haven. But it's worth mentioning that, according to one recent academic study, young people are "woefully disengaged" with Sunshine State politics.