Posted on 07/16/2007 7:28:50 AM PDT by MinimizeGovernment
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul may be stuck on the "long shot" list as far as the mainstream media is concerned, but hold the phone when it comes to Paul harnessing the raw power of the digital world.
The Libertarian-friendly Paul campaign recently became the first to launch an iPhone platform, utilizing Apple's new multi-purpose cell phone.
In a CNN telephone poll conducted in February 2007, Paul was the candidate with the least name recognition – running just ahead of John Cox, the Chicago businessman and talk show host.
But the congressman from Texas has a knack for shining on the Internet -- and winning Internet polls. After the New Hampshire Republican debate, for instance, MSNBC polls showed Paul winning 69 percent of the vote from viewers who tapped him as the "best candidate in the debate."
Even though Paul typically polls between one percent and two percent nationally in the race for the GOP nomination, he left the more recent Columbia, S.C., debate ranked second by a Fox News text-message poll.
Another positive – and surprising – sign that Paul's campaign is on the upswing came when his campaign reported it had an impressive $2.4 million in cash on hand after raising that amount in the second quarter. That put him ahead of one-time front-runner John McCain, who reported last week that he had only $2 million in the bank.
"I think some of the candidates are on the down-slope, and we're on the up-slope," Paul said in an interview on ABC's "This Week."
Paul, 71 – who ran for President as the Libertarian Party nominee in 1988 – is seemingly getting strong support from libertarians, a relatively well-to-do demographic. Libertarians also seem to populate the world of Silicon Valley and the internet geekdom – techies who would like to see a bold new world based on the type of freedom the internet offers.
Paul favors a non-interventionist foreign policy, is critical of civil liberties being curtailed in the name of the War on Terror, voted twice against the Patriot Act, wants no part of a military draft, and would like to see the U.S. pull out of the United Nations.
Paul, a medical doctor, has an unwavering personal credo to never vote for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution.
Recent encouraging results have inspired the handlers of his campaign, who have watched their candidate catch fire in the digital grassroots, to move his cause across the country using such hip vehicles as Internet Meetup, Yahoo, and FaceBook groups.
YouTube videos have helped with his media recognition as well, and so has his new iPhone platform.
The iPhone, which was recently introduced to great fanfare, features the functions of a camera phone and a multimedia player while also offering Internet services -- including e-mail, text messaging, Web browsing, Visual Voicemail, and local Wi-Fi connectivity.
The new platform allows iPhone users to access the Paul campaign's Web 2.0 applications, such as social networking tools and online videos, directly from their iPhones.
"The iPhone is an exciting technology that will help us reach potential voters across the country," said Paul's "eCampaign" director Justine Lam. "The Ron Paul campaign continues to utilize new technologies to spread Dr. Paul's message of freedom, peace and prosperity."
Terra Eclipse of Santa Cruz, Calif., designed the special platform for the Ron Paul campaign. "Our Web development team has built a robust tool that will allow iPhone-equipped volunteers to bring Ron Paul's online popularity into offline households in key early primary states," explained Wyatt Hull, creative director of Terra Eclipse.
Grassroots Excitement
Whatever magic Paul is generating is not limited to the Blogosphere. Occasionally, there are warm bodies involved, too.
When Paul was excluded from a late June Republican candidates' forum in Iowa, on the grounds that he wasn't a "credible" candidate, he held his own "celebrating life and liberty" rally nearby at the Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines.
According to a statement from the Paul campaign, "Despite being planned in less than a week, Dr. Paul's event single-handedly outdrew the other forum and its six participating candidates by several hundred attendees."
Eyewitnesses confirmed that Paul's rally outdrew the Republican forum, according to the Free-Market News Network.
"Today, Ron Paul demonstrated how deeply his message of freedom and limited government is resonating across the nation," said campaign manager Lew Moore after the rally.
Paul, addressing a packed hall, received enthusiastic applause many times, as well as several standing ovations. Observers opined that the event was the biggest rally for a Republican candidate in Iowa during this campaign cycle.
"Ron Paul has generated more grassroots excitement and support than any other candidate in the race," added Moore. "The campaign is building on this momentum around the country as we drive toward the nomination."
When the candidate was asked about the instant success of the ad hoc liberty forum, Paul replied simply: "I guess liberty is just popular."
Spokesman Kent Snyder, the chairman of Paul's exploratory committee and a former staffer on Paul's Libertarian campaign, says that while the congressman knows he's a long shot, he is running to win, not just to make a point or try to ensure that his issues are addressed.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Paul graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine before serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul delivered more than 4,000 babies.
A Heated Exchange
Despite the apparent love-fest on the Internet, all has not been wine and roses for Paul.
In the Columbia, S.C., debate, in a heated exchange with Rudy Giuliani, Paul declared:
"I believe very sincerely that the CIA is correct when they teach and talk about blowback. When we went into Iran in 1953 and installed the Shah, yes there was blowback. The reaction to that was the taking of our hostages, and that persists. And if we ignore that, we ignore that at our own risk.
"If we think we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred, then we have a problem. They don't come here to attack us because we're rich and we're free, they come and attack us because we're over there."
When Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairman Rick Beltram left Columbia after the debate, he reportedly decided he'd heard enough and declared his intent to boycott Paul from any future county party events.
"He can stay home," said Beltram. "The door's closed for him."
One thing is for sure – Paul can't be boycotted from his impressive presence on the Internet, where the under-30 crowd is listening and watching and perhaps collectively nodding their heads when the no-nonsense Paul declares such opinions as "they come and attack us because we're over there."
Ping
I don’t expect we’ll hear much more out of him towards the fall. His fiscally conservative views would drive mainstream GOP officials nuts.
You wish we feared him....... but we don’t.
But there will be enough money left in the campaign fund to give every campaign volunteer a free copy of Alex Jones' 9-11: The Road To Tyranny conspiracy DVD.
Preserving liberty and restoring the Constitutional limits on federal government should be the top issues in 2008.
There are many things I like about Ron Paul. Unfortunately his apparent appeal to the “Truther” nutjobs puts him out of the running in any real election.
There may be some support for Paul just to spite GWB.
I admit I just woke up...but...
“In a CNN telephone poll conducted in February 2007, Paul was the candidate with the least name recognition – running just ahead of John Cox, the Chicago businessman and talk show host.”
Wouldn’t that mean that John Cox was the candidate with the least name recognition?
You need to apologize to Ross Perot. More like Dennis Kookcinch.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Do I even need a /sarc tag?
At least McCain and Giuliani want to fight back against Islamic Supremacists. Ron Paul thinks jihadi violence is “blowback,” which is leftwing Newspeak for justified revenge.
Paul won’t be getting my vote.
That would be more likely if the President were to specifically endorse a GOP candidate, which he will not do.
Even if the President were foolish enough to try to anoint a successor, the Ron Paul protest vote wouldn't be very large.
Not so much on FR where big government if fine as long as Republicans are in charge.
Right, because if other countries messed around in our affairs for 50 years, we wouldn't get mad about it or anything.
Ron Paul is a laughable (educated) idiot, much like many of the professors on liberal campuses. If you want to believe it’s fear, go ahead. But I had the same opinions about Pat Buchanan, Alan Keyes and David Duke. I wasn’t “afraid” of them either.
Yeah Rodney...you just keep apologizing for Osama.
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