Ron Paul - Presidential Candidate
What is the secret of Ron Paul's recent success?
Ron Paul has raised large sums of money for his presidential bid. He is extremely popular on internet sites. What is the secret of his success?
Ron Paul was born and raised in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College and Duke University School of Medicine. During the 1960s he served as a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force. He moved to Texas in 1968 and his political career began in the late 1970s. He is a Republican candidate for president in the 2008 election. And, despite national polls suggesting Paul is hovering around five percent, he has raised large sums of money, including $5 million for his presidential bid in the third quarter alone. He also has a vast following on the internet. What is the secret of his success?
The success in part is likely due to Paul’s fierce opposition to the Iraq war, which sets him distinctly apart from his Republican rivals. Among all candidates, Paul is first in total donations from military personnel and veterans. His platform is essentially a conservative / libertarian one otherwise: return to the gold standard, abolition the I.R.S. and a strict, literal view of the U.S. Constitution which would overrule Roe v. Wade. In short, there is something for everyone. Conservatives like his stance on abortion. Liberals like his position on the Iraq war. Libertarians, among others, love his position on outlawing the I.R.S. and legalizing marijuana. Fiscal conservatives endorse his positions on the gold standard and the Federal Reserve.
Another key is Ron Paul’s internet presence. A Ron Paul website, www.RonPaul2008.com draws more traffic than any other candidate’s web site. On YouTube.com the Ron Paul channel has 37,527 subscribers. In comparison Barack Obama is second with 12,798 subscribers. In unscientific online polls Paul recently led in two: 56.3 percent in the FreedomWorks.com poll and 56 percent in the GOPstrawpolls.com. On the community based news site Digg.com a Ron Paul video was recently the second-most popular article (in which Ron Paul blasted the “unconstitutional, undeclared wars of the United States” at a GOP debate).
Others claim that Ron Paul’s “success” is in fact an illusion. His internet presence is as a result of “geeks”, “bloggers” and militant Ron Paulians who stuff sites with Ron Paul articles and constantly click on Ron Paul sites to inflate the numbers. Ron Paul’s campaign and those with in-depth knowledge of internet workings dismiss this last charge as being an impossible feat. One blogger has made the comment that Ron Paul supporters are the same people that search the sky for black helicopters and are on the lookout for conspiracies. It is difficult to discount Paul’s success, however, especially when it translates into real contributions to the total tune of over 8 million dollars. He has more cash on hand than candidate John McCain. Paul attributes his online popularity as well as his overall success to his beliefs that resonates with younger voters. "The whole message seems to be very attractive to young people," he said in a recent interview. "I think they like to be left alone. When I talk about Internet privacy and no taxes, I think they understand it."
Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses are fast approaching. They will soon answer the question as to whether Ron Paul’s success is real or illusionary and whether it will continue.
