Ron Paul: Utah turnout wows candidate

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 9/16/07 | Sheena McFarland

[George W. Bush]

Ron Paul: Utah turnout wows candidate

Before a crowd of 1,000, Republican hopeful speaks about foreign policy, war

By Sheena McFarland
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated:09/16/2007 02:38:49 AM MDT

More than 1,000 people gathered Saturday at the Union Pacific Depot in Salt Lake City to rally behind U.S. Rep. Ron Paul in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

    Paul, an obstetrician from Texas, was impressed with the turnout.

    "Wow. If they only knew you existed over in Washington, they'd change things over there," he said as he greeted the cheering crowd.

    Paul spoke fervently of his support of smaller government, including the abolition of agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service, and of his support for strictly following the Constitution. He also spoke out against the war in Iraq and any pre-emptive military action.

    "Because of our careless attitude about foreign policy and how we go to war, we have allowed our government to build an American world empire," he said. "We are not an empire. We're a republic."

    Paul's stances on such topics are "clearly proven" in his voting record, which has earned him the nickname of "Dr. No" in the House of Representatives, said supporter Ronald Levine Saturday.

    "I tell people not to listen to what a candidate says before an election or what he does," he said. "I tell them to look at what he has consistently done for the past 20 years."

    That voting record is what drives his grass-roots supporters, said Mark Hudson of Syracuse.

    "He is the only candidate who attracts everyone from libertarians to constitutional conservatives to true conservatives," Hudson said.

    Paul visited Utah for the free rally and for a $1,000-a-plate brunch that drew fewer than 20 supporters and a $2,000-per-plate dinner. He is the eighth presidential candidate to visit Utah, the fourth Republican. Paul had raised about $13,000 in Utah as of the June 30 filing, according to the Federal Elections Commission.

    Though polls show Paul garnering an average of only 2 percent of potential voters, many of his supporters believe the polls don't accurately show how many people support him.

    "He's the only candidate I've seen homemade signs for," said Tom Salt, who is studying mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University.

    Salt sees many young people supporting Paul.

    "We look at his principles and we're too young to be cynical about his chances," Salt said.

    The mainstream media has not treated Paul fairly, said Jed Hardman of Springville, and neither have some of the other Republicans in the race, pointing to Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney "openly mocking" Paul after debates.

    "They're afraid because as soon as such a true conservative emerges, one who is anti-abortion and has conservative views on taxes, they're going to lose," he said.

    smcfarland@sltrib.com

[Oberon]

I feel really sorry for you Paulbots. To be for Isolationism in a post 09-11 world one has to be even more mentally incompetent then the American Firsters were in 1940.

Isolationism? Paul is a Non-Interventionist; he still advocates international trade and diplomacy. That's a far cry from being an isolationist.

Frankly, I think some good old-fashioned border security would help. It's silly to be all gung-ho about takin' it to Ali in Iraq, and at the same time letting every Tomas, Ricardo, and Geraldo walk over the border unmolested. Because you know if those guys can get in, so can Ali's cousin Fouad.

[Oberon]

If Paul cannot win here, he cannot win anywhere.

I would agree, were it not for the concerted anti-Paul propaganda campaign that is ongoing here on FR. That skews the numbers. There is no analogous campaign in the media at large.

[t_skoz]

When you address the baby killing, nanny state, tax and spend, war mongering globalists calling themselves Republicans and ruining the GOP, I will worry about a few smelly hippies at a peace rally supporting Ron Paul.

Get your priorities straight.

[Designer]

"Get your priorities straight."

Bump!

[lormand]

"When you address the baby killing, nanny state, tax and spend, war mongering globalists calling themselves Republicans and ruining the GOP, I will worry about a few smelly hippies at a peace rally supporting Ron Paul."

Responding to "baby killers" and "war mongering globalists" would only lower myself to the same kook and suicidal paranoia that is the standard state of mind of the Paulistinian.

So the Ron Paul movement is about Conservatives who are discontent with the GOP right?

Wrong!!!

Here is another gem from one of your fellow Paulistinians

Barry to Elisabeth: Your "View" is Dangerous

Actual post from a Ron Paul Supporter

Barry go back on and promote Ron Paul!
Barry, since you support Paul, please go on TV somewhere and talk about him!
Posted at 1:32PM on Sep 17th 2007 by Jacob Weishaupt

Conservative discontent my @ss, Ron Paul supporters pee on your leg and tell you that it is raining.

Ron Paul 08' = Suicide

[Designer]

"Here is another gem.."

What am I supposed to glean from the link you sent me to? Could you just spell it out in plain English? thanks.

[Jason_b]

No! I am not comparing Paul to Washington. But Washington and his peers were learned men who gave us good advice on how to run the country. For a long time no one is willing to follow that adivce. Paul thinks we ought to follow their advice, and I agree.

"...we need to be concerned for a strong defense."

I agree but that would have to include sealing the border against those who would turn the Southwest US into Aztlan, la raza and their ilk. That we aren't tells me something strange is going on.

"Its statements like that make RP supporters seem nuts (to put it bluntly)."

OK that was pretty mild. But that added to all the other invocations of nuts by many others, and I thought I should address the name calling. I was addressing you only partially but expecting others who name call a bit too much to see that too.

We just won't agree on the Paul attitude to 911. No need to push it further.

Thanks for the good exchange.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

What makes him a wacko?

How about presuming to instruct the key members of the Libertarian Party on what it means to be a Libertarian? Don't think that's wacky?

The fact that he worked for Ron Paul for so long? If that’s the case then I agree

Nice contradiction. .

but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong when he relates what happened when the vote for force in afghanistan was up.

Eric Dondero takes credit for almost anything that anybody else did. It is an observed behavior, and has been consistent throughout his public life. Funny that other staffers don't seem to agree with Dondero.

Atleast he was sane enough to stop working for a anti-war conspiracy theorist, I’ll give him that.

Actually he was fired.

O that is such BS.

It is a documented fact. You really need to keep up.

Him being more worried about a terrorist in guantanamo not being comfy enough or a cell member not having his phone call listened to while he’s calling his buddies in pakistan than the potential for millions of american deaths means he’s serious about the war on terror? I’m not buying it, and no one else here does either.

Actually lots of people here are worried about it, and for good reason.

And a lot of people fault bush for not taking care of illegal immigration and the border. Mostly it’s because the GOP doesn’t want to scare away hispanic voters (my guess).

No wonder the Republicans are called "the stupid party"...Hello, Sparky, those people all vote Democrat.

But not one of the hijackers who attacked us on 9/11 was here illegally. They all had visas.

Which proves that you don't have the slightest idea of what you speak. The visas were long expired. They should have never been in the country.

Most of them were also saudi arabian, but that in itself doesn’t give us leverage to attack Saudi Arabia.

Now who is being soft on terrorism?

Facts are that the Madrassas are funded with Saudi Money, as are many terrorist organisations at present.

And bringing up Saudi Arabia as if to say Ron Paul WOULD “deal decisively with them” is silly. Ron Paul supports an isolationist foreign policy.

You don't have the slightest friggin clue of what isolationism means, do you?

In a nutshell, it means: We'll leave you alone, you leave us alone. If you mess with us, then you get hurt...bad.

Got it?

Buy a clue.

[takenoprisoner]

thanks for the ping. About an hour to go til the debate at valuesvoter.com

tonights debate