I have no idea whether Ron Paul can win the GOP nomination, but if he asked me how to do it, this is what I would tell him:

Take Back the GOP

Ron Paul's biggest problem with Republicans is that lay voters, who don't understand abstract ideological terms like libertarianism and conservatism don't see him as one of them. The press often mislabels Ron Paul as a Libertarian (capital "L") when in fact he is a libertarian Republican who adheres to a conservative theory of governance. Libertarianism is the ideal. Conservatism is the method. By the press' mislabeling, every famous conservative (including Goldwater) would be considered a libertarian today while conservatism itself suffers from association with constitutionally liberal agendas (social conservatism, free-spending neo-conservatism). This needs to end. As Reagan said, "I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism". Paul's platform occupies the place where libertarianism and conservatism converge if are any genuine differences at all.

For that reason, I would tell Ron Paul to turn the Ron Paul Revolution into a full scale "Take Back-the-GOP" movement. This would achieve several things. First, it would prompt Republicans to investigate the history of their Party as well as the theoretical underpinnings of conservatism generally. History and conservative theory is where Paul has the upper hand. Second, it would encourage small-government Republicans, who have no other political outlet to return to the Party and end neoconservative influence. It would afford them an opportunity to remain loyal to the party and simultaneously loathe what George W. Bush has done to it. Third, it would remind voters, especially young voters, that the distasteful neoconservative brand of Republicanism is not the only kind. They need not identify "Republican" with socially conservative agendas and half-baked theories on the consequences of war. Finally, it would set the stage for historians to identify the current Republican Party as an aberration in the greater history of the Party, which is clearly is. This may not only help Paul, but other liberty-minded Republicans in the future.

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Debates

Paul did an incredible job in the South Carolina Debate (Watch him handily combat offensive questions here?and this one was so embarrassing for Fox News/good for Paul that Fox cut it out of the rebroadcast altogether). That said, voters could use more of the calm, collected, and deliberate Paul from interviews like this and press conferences like this.

Ron Paul should never be defensive. After six debates where the best his opponents could muster were rhetorically empty terms like "absurd", he knows he has the best argument onstage and a monopoly on conservative theory. He should enter the debates with this is mind.

Moreover, I would tell him to press his opponents in the debates. He could shut down their demagogy and tough-guy talk by simply pointing out that their ideas make no fiscal sense. By asking them to reconcile money spent on the war with efforts to save entitlements, he pulls them into the realm of economics, where Paul upstages the entire field. Their criticisms of Paul are mocking, so his should be sharp.

-Take Back the GOP campaign.

I would tell Ron Paul to spend every remaining dollar on three types of "Take Back the GOP" advertisements. The first would highlight the historical greatness of the Republican Party and contrast it with the current Party: "We can be great again if we stop pushing people around and start pushing the government around".

The second advertisement would make a case for a "conservative withdrawal" from Iraq. There is no question that Paul wants to leave Iraq for fiscally conservative reasons and there is no question that we need to. Perhaps the problem is that so many Republicans want to remain in Iraq out of pride or a fear of terrorism. Ron Paul must give them the strength to finish what they started and to do it on conservative terms: "Other candidates would have you believe that we need protection from the dark forces of terrorism, but we don't need the state's 'protection' after all, we're Republicans."

The third advertisement would highlight Paul's unwavering integrity and dedication to the Republican principle of Constitutionalism. What more could Republicans ask for in this painful episode in the Party's history than a tested leader who can resist the temptations of power? "He will always run the country always with the taxpayer's interests at heart", the advertisements should state. This way he will rise above the petty squabbling of his opponents and advance the messages they overlook: liberty, honesty, and governmental transparency. On that note: most Paul supporters can trace their support back to a Youtube video with these several lines:

- Ron Paul has never voted to raise taxes.

- Ron Paul has never taken money from lobbyists

- Ron Paul has never voted to spend Social Security

- Ron Paul refuses to participate in the lucrative congressional pension plan so long your Social Security is owned by the Chinese (and even his wife wants him to give that up ).

Supporters

Supporters must concentrate on GOP appeal more than bipartisan appeal. They must be prepared to explain that the basic tenets of conservatism are constitutionalism and libertarianism. They must present Paul as the reason Republicans chose the GOP in the first place. They must remind voters that Paul overwhelmingly speaks for the troops (see the FEC data). Finally, they must explain how our economic projections could launch us into statism if they are not cured by a strict fiscal conservative.

"Ron Paul has been the most principled conservative of any of the candidates" ?Richard Viguerie.

That's the key: Republican, Conservative, Ron Paul.

In case you missed it the first time, here is Paul's best moment in the SC Debate, which Fox inexplicably removed from its rebroadcast.