Is Ron Paul 2012 Trying To Upstage Mitt Romney In Tampa? Paul Festival 2012 Would End Day Before Convention Starts

Is Ron Paul 2012 trying to upstage presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa?

Ron Paul 2012 supporters are looking to create a three-day festival of music, entertainment and activism at the Florida State Fairgrounds known as Paul Festival 2012, which would end the day before the Tampa convention gets underway, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Ticket prices, musical acts and other information is not yet available, but San Diego organizer and Ron Paul supporter Deborah Robinet told the paper Paul Festival 2012 could command crowds of 20,000 people a day.

Ron Paul supporters are very enthusiastic, and there's going to be a bunch of them in Tampa, she said.

Supporters of Dr. Paul, the 76-year-old Texas congressman best known for his slamming of big government and his quest to end the Federal Reserve, are some of the most unwavering political loyalists around.

The timing of Paul Festival 2012, should the necessary permits be acquired, is sure to be a thorn in the side of the Romney camp.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who suspended his 2012 Republican presidential campaign earlier this month, said that the festival could undermine Romney's show of Republican Party unity to the country.

I think the biggest danger in the short run is that they not think through how they're going to handle the convention in Tampa and how they're going to handle the Ron Paul forces, Gingrich said on Sean Hannity's radio show, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Romney is close to acquiring the 1,144 delegates needed to shore up the Republican presidential nomination, with his tally currently at 1,076 delegates.

Paul has only 109 delegates, but his supporters are more likely to stick with him than to side with Romney during the convention, which means Paul can have a significant impact on the Republican Party platform when Republicans gather in Tampa from Aug. 27 to Aug. 30.