Ron Paul in for the Long Haul...

[Taco John]

Ron Paul: In for the Long Haul

by Scott Sutton

About Ron
Paul's Fundraising

On July 15th,
the Federal Election Commission announced the 2nd-quarter fundraising
totals for each presidential candidate. In the Republican field,
Ron Paul's $2.4 million placed him:

• 3rd
  in total receipts for the quarter


• 4th
  in total receipts to date


• 3rd
  in total current assets (ahead of former front-runner John McCain,
  and just $800,000 behind Mitt Romney)

Thus far, 47%
of the contributions made to Ron Paul's campaign are donations
of under $200 from individuals (John McCain's 17% is the second-highest
percentage). This is a telling statistic, as it highlights the fact
that most other candidates rely heavily upon donations from corporate
interests and political action committees (PACs) (i.e. moneyed, influence-seeking
sources who can readily afford to contribute large sums). Since Congressman
Paul has always voted against special favors and privileges for anyone,
special interests know they have nothing to gain by stuffing Ron Paul's
campaign coffers. As one member of my local Meetup group put it on
a home-made sign, "Ron Paul is thin because he won't let special interests
buy him lunch."

Among all
candidates, Dr. Paul is now first
in total donations from military personnel and veterans. While this
may come as a surprise to some, Tom Engelhardt identified the primary
reason when he asked rhetorically, "why should (military personnel)
want to be endlessly redeployed to a lost war in a lost land?" (see
Why
the US Military Loves Ron Paul).

Why, indeed
– President Paul would bring them home now.

The Ron
Paul Buzz

As anyone
familiar with the Ron Paul campaign knows, official fundraising
figures tell only a small part of the story. This campaign is a
genuine grassroots movement, driven primarily by the independent
efforts of Dr. Paul's enthusiastic supporters – a wide-ranging
constituency that includes disenfranchised anti-war Democrats, traditional
conservatives, Constitutionalists, anti-corporatists, free traders,
libertarians, Christians, Hindus, atheists, druids, hobbits, wizards,
and a host of others. Although a seemingly disparate group, these
people share a genuine concern about America's ongoing slide toward
authoritarianism, empire, and bankruptcy.

This building
wave of support takes many forms – from the proliferation of
Ron Paul Web sites,
blogs,
and merchandise,
to public "banner brigades" and pamphleteering, to private
conversations and e-mail threads – and some estimates assess
the economic value of these independent activities at more than
$10
million per quarter.

No candidacy
has generated more buzz than Ron Paul's, and the following statistics
prove the point:

• "Ron Paul"
  recently topped Technorati's
  search-term rankings for an unprecedented stretch – current
  rank #2 (Technorati is
  the leading authority on Internet media usage).


• RonPaul2008.com
  draws more traffic than any other candidate's Web site.


• On YouTube.com,
  the Internet's most popular video site, the Ron Paul channel has
  over 22,000
  subscribers, which is 13,000
  more than the second most popular candidate (Obama).


• And on Meetup.com,
  more than 25,000 people comprise 560 Ron Paul Meetup groups, which
  makes the Good Doctor the most popular
  Meetup source in the political category. The next candidate,
  Obama, is a distant second with 5300 members in 68 groups.
  

  
  

  Notes:
  All statistics reflect current numbers as of July 23, 2007.
  Also, for those who don't know, Meetup.com is the most popular
  Internet site for people with common interests who want to organize
  events and activities with one another – consequently,
  it's the most commonly used online resource for coordinating
  political activities.

  
  

Some commentators
say this interest and support is illusory, perhaps even the product
of a centralized Internet effort led by the Ron Paul campaign. Yet,
the Paul campaign has only spent $600,000 to date, while other candidates
have already burned through tens
of millions. Although Paul's campaign staff is growing, it doesn't
even have the resources to provide timely responses to the flood of
incoming e-mails (I speak from personal experience here), much less
oversee such a sustained, widespread, technologically-sophisticated
endeavor.

The skeptics
also ignore an obvious question – if it's so easy to jerry-rig
Internet statistics, why haven't other, better-financed campaigns
done the same? (Answer:
It's not easy and, in many cases, it's simply impossible.)
While I personally don't know of anyone who spends their time spamming
online polls or repeatedly Googling their favorite candidate's name,
I have no doubt such people exist in the ranks of most political
movements. And given the evident enthusiasm of Ron Paul supporters,
it's quite likely that a greater percentage of his backers might
attempt to do such things.

That said,
I believe there are more plausible reasons for Ron Paul's "online
success" – most importantly, the Internet is the primary source
of information about Dr. Paul. As early as last fall – two
full years before the election – the conventional media
and major-party establishments had already anointed the top six
Republican and Democratic candidates (Giuliani, McCain, Romney,
Clinton, Obama, & Edwards). Since then, countless opinion makers
have informed Americans that these six politicians complete the
list of "viable" Presidential options. In other words,
no need to look further – we've done your thinking for you.

How and why
this happened exactly is a topic for another day. (Hint – Follow
the
money.) The important
point here is that each of the Anointed Candidates has received
regular, daily coverage since that time (and, in some cases, for
several years now). Although Dr. Paul has benefited from a smattering
of media attention since his "blowback" exchange with
Giuliani in May, people who are curious about Paul's track record
and platform must turn to the Internet. The conventional
media is most unlikely to begin covering Dr. Paul on a regular basis,
no matter how much traction he gains.

Consequently,
Ron Paul's supporters must assume the task of spreading the word.
Fortunately, many of us are happy to do so, and when people first
learn of Dr. Paul's track record, they typically want to know more.
As regular readers of my
blog know, Ron Paul challenges US foreign policy on a refreshingly
honest and fundamental level – a level of inquiry wholly absent
from most political forums. And Dr. Paul's forthrightness doesn't
stop with foreign policy, as he applies the same intellectual rigor
to issues involving civil
liberties, health
care, immigration,
education,
our fiat-money
system, and so on.

Reading
Tea Leaves

Now, I'm not
a political analyst, and things could certainly change in a hurry
– but given the current landscape, some future developments
seem rather predictable:

First,
Ron Paul's Jeffersonian liberalism will give him a significant advantage
over his pro-war, neoconservative competitors. While the other candidates
vie for the support of the modern Republican base, Ron Paul provides
the only real alternative for any traditional conservatives who
remain in the party. Without Ron Paul, each GOP debate would be
a brain-dead echo chamber.

Perhaps
more importantly, Dr. Paul will appeal to those Americans who
long ago abandoned politics because the big-government statism
of the two major parties was hostile to their values. With recent
voter turnout in presidential elections hovering around 50%, this
may be a surprisingly large block of potential voters. For Ron
Paul supporters, the key will be finding these people and telling
them about Dr. Paul – a simple, mass-marketing numbers game.

Second,
due to this ideological edge and campaign realities, we'll witness
a steady whittling of the Republican field in coming months –
a thinning that recently began with Jim Gilmore's exit from the
race. With the exception of Ron Paul, the other candidates have
spent their funds like drunken
Congressmen, and the "second tier" has little to
show for their binge. Most of these campaigns suffer from anemic
fundraising, a moribund Internet presence, and lackluster crowds
(certainly nothing approaching the numerous crowds gathering on
Ron Paul's behalf, as documented here,
here,
here, here,
here, and
here). By
next spring, the existing field of contenders will be reduced
to a Final Four – Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, and
Ron Paul.

Third,
Ron Paul is in this race for the long haul – at least until
next September's Republican convention. Thus far, the Paul campaign
has run a frugal operation, relying primarily on the efforts of
grassroots activists. These efforts are steadily snowballing support,
as evidenced by Dr. Paul's three-month ascent from anonymity to
3% in national
polls, and that figure will continue to rise at the rate people
learn about our candidate. As Jennifer
Haman pointed out, Ron Paul leads in the polls of those who
have heard him speak. In the meantime, the campaign is shrewdly
storing its dry powder – mounting millions to be meted out
at judicious points throughout the campaign.

Only time will
tell what the future holds for Ron Paul's presidential bid –
but for now, there's great cause for optimism.

July
27, 2007

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/sutton1.html

[CHIEF4EVER]

But, but, but.....everyone says he don't stand a chance. Oh, what the hell. I'll just keep supporting someone who don't stand a chance then.........

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by Taco John

...Ron Paul's supporters must assume the task of spreading the word. Fortunately, many of us are happy to do so...

Can we please just get an official Ron Paul thread? You guys spread the word like Ron Mexico spreads herpes.

[Taco John]

I posted this for those of us who keep hearing that echo chamber. Keep sending him donations, and be assured that he'll manage to keep his campaign on track all the way through.

I'm committing myself to $20 per month until the end. I've never done that with a politician before. In fact, I've never once sent a donation to a politician before Dr. Paul came around.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

Can we please just get an official Ron Paul thread? You guys spread the word like Ron Mexico spreads herpes.

No chance in hell...


Besides, this thread is important for Republicans and Democrats, so they understand why Ron Paul is still around when September 08 rolls in.

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by Taco John

No chance in hell...

Hey, I'm begging. Good grief, you guys are tenacious.

[CHIEF4EVER]

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

Hey, I'm begging. Good grief, you guys are tenacious.

You could always support someone who gives a rats ass about the country and its Constitution.........

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by CHIEF4EVER

You could always support someone who gives a rats ass about the country and its Constitution.........

Such as Ron Paul, presumably. Thanks. No.

His voice is important within the party, but he's a losing candidate, and there's little more to be said about the man.

[CHIEF4EVER]

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

Such as Ron Paul, presumably. Thanks. No.

His voice is important within the party, but he's a losing candidate, and there's little more to be said about the man.

So partisanship trumps principle now? Maybe for those who say Baaaaaaaaaaaaa Baaaaaaaaaa!

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by CHIEF4EVER

So partisanship trumps principle now? Maybe for those who say Baaaaaaaaaaaaa Baaaaaaaaaa!

Principle takes a back seat in politics. I'll always settle for the balance of what I want before I'll choose to lose everything I want.

[CHIEF4EVER]

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

Principle takes a back seat in politics. I'll always settle for the balance of what I want before I'll choose to lose everything I want.

WTF? Principle is what shapes ones political opinons in the first place. Anyone who is willing to blindly follow the rhetoric of a party for the gain of a party is nothing more than a sheep.

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by CHIEF4EVER

...Principle is what shapes ones political opinons in the first place...

Agreed, but you're coming at it from a different angle than I am. I don't care about the party itself, but I'll get more of what I want with the Republicans. I'm not a good Republican, but I'll align with them.

Chances are you're not a good (insert party label here) either.

The people who oppose you aren't sheep. They just oppose you.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by CHIEF4EVER

But, but, but.....everyone says he don't stand a chance.

Because he doesn't.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by CHIEF4EVER

WTF? Principle is what shapes ones political opinons in the first place. Anyone who is willing to blindly follow the rhetoric of a party for the gain of a party is nothing more than a sheep.

Is principle what led you to flipflop overnight from supporting the ideals behind the current war in Iraq (even if you'd grown frustrated with the pace of victory) to supporting a guy whose ideals are diametrically opposed to them?

You flip flop too much to be a sheep:

[CHIEF4EVER]

Originally Posted by patteeu

Is principle what led you to flipflop overnight from supporting the ideals behind the current war in Iraq (even if you'd grown frustrated with the pace of victory) to supporting a guy whose ideals are diametrically opposed to them?

You flip flop too much to be a sheep:

Very funny. If you ever get tired of your day job, you could go into comedy........or maybe not.

I have always been conservative and constructionist. Since the Iraqi 'government' (and I use that term very loosely) and our current regime have ****ed the dog for the past 5 years I have discontinued support for this idiotic venture. Hardly a flip flop. Ron Paul represents all of my interests more closely than any other candidate.