Ron Paul supporters: Do NOT read this. Please!

READERS' WARNING: Supporters of Ron Paul should not read this item. Perusing the following paragraphs may cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, disappointment and renewed anger at political polls, the mainstream media, all institutions holding financial power and anyone not terribly concerned about that mysterious planned highway across Texas that somehow threatens national security.

O.K., now that they're gone to their chatrooms or one of their impressive 1,200 meet-up groups, for the rest of you some background: The Ron Paul Conspiracy has received more news coverage and made quite an impression online in recent months for its followers' persistence, pervasiveness and, to put it politely, outspokenness in favor of their Republican candidate, the 72-year-old, 10-term Texas congressman with the libertarian ideals and the numerous books. He's even been on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and this Sunday is scheduled for an hour-long grilling by Tim Russert on "Meet the Press."

With fundraising persistence, dedication to "Dr. Paul" and admirable political energy in recent days their growing numbers made a huge name for themselves by raising more than $6 million online (more than $18 million for the quarter, they say), a new one-day political record.

Yet these Paulites have always dismissed polls, hated them, even despised them. They have many reasons besides the fact that no polls have given Paul much chance of winning anything. Polls, some suggest, are fictitious summaries of the mainstream media designed to suppress the Ron Paul Revolution. Polls are fake because no Paulite can remember ever being phoned for a survey. Many Paul supporters are new to the political process, so not on voter rolls to be polled. And they mostly use cellphones, not landlines. So they'd be somehow under-represented.

They maintained this stand even when Ron Paul's polling numbers in New Hampshire, for instance, increased geometrically from 2% to 4% to 8%, twice the support of better-known Fred Thompson.

Now, here's the news that would drive Paul supporters berserk if any had kept reading down to here, which they haven't: Ron Paul's polling numbers are now plummeting. Yup, going down, down. Once, he got the money to afford TV advertising in the Granite State, his support as measured by these no-doubt fraudulent polls began crumbling.

The new CNN/WMUR New Hampshire Primary Poll out today shows Paul's support falling from its high of 8% in early November to 7% at the start of December and 5% last weekend, when he had his big fundraising success. (The phone survey of 411 random, likely Republican primary voters was between Dec. 13 and 17.)

Of course, if Paul supporters believed in polls, they would point out that....

with a margin of error of +/- 5%, Paul could theoretically be at 10%. That also means, naturally, he could be at 0% too.

Belief in Paul's ability to handle terrorism held steady at 3%, to handle the economy fell from 7% to 3% and to handle taxes from 9% to 5%. His support for handling illegal immigration was steady at 4%, to handle abortion up from 4% to 5% and his ability to address the Iraq war (he's the only GOP candidate who favors withdrawal) was steady at 5%.

Now, in case anyone cares about the non-Paul candidates who have a chance of winning, Mitt Romney's percentage jumped from 32% to 34% from the beginning to middle of December, with the endorsement of the Manchester Union-Leader and Boston Globe John McCain increased from 19% to 22%, Rudy Giuliani fell from 19% to 16% and Mike Huckabee went from 9% to 10%.

Thompson and Tom Tancredo, who will announce the end of his candidacy Thursday, according to an Associated Press report tonight, held steady at 1% support while California's Congressman Duncan Hunter went from 0% to 1%.

On the poll's Democratic side, 469 likely primary voters produced a margin of error of 5%. After some troubled weeks when her support faded from a high of 43% in September to 31% at the start of December, Hillary Clinton's numbers surged back to 38%, while Barack Obama's slipped somewhat from 30% to 26% and John Edwards from 16% to 14%.

Bill Richardson went from 7% to 8%, Dennis Kucinich from 3% to 2%, Joe Biden from 1% to 2% and Chris Dodd from 1% to 0%.

If they were still reading down to here which, of course, they're not because they don't believe in polls, Paul supporters would say that none of this matters because only real votes count come Jan. 8. And, you know what, on that they would be 100% right.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[laszlo horvath]

the only free publicity ron paul get as the announcing low poll number from msm. of course this is their preparation for the diebold machine so if they report all year long he has low poll number, no chance of winning, his a spoiler etc..than after it is very eazy to still the votes with the media controlled diebold machine, of course we the people already prepared for this, this election will be supervise by the meet up group at every singe place across america so good luck trying to do something stupid or will see a REAL REVOLUTION

[Mike Murphy]

How about changing the title to: "American voters.... DO NOT READ THIS!"

Aside from a brief sarcastic remark regarding a national superhighway, you didn't mention ONE issue facing the American people, and did nothing to provide any useful info about the positions and character of any of the candidates.

Do you know who Frank Luntz is? Please You Tube him to find out a bit about the people who conduct polls.

Polls are useful for lazy citizens who don't know enough or care enough about the issues to make their own informed vote. Do some homework, America, and vote your conscience!!!!!

[David]

Andrew,
RP has very little chance to win. But I still support him. Why?

What you don't understand is that even if RP loses, WE still win. How? We have awoken many of the masses from their constitutional slumber. An informed citizenry is the biggest enemy of a tyrannical government.

We are planting the seeds of Revolution II now. The ground will be fertilized by the current efforts of Ron Paul and his supporters. The ground will be cultivated in the future by continued government corruption, intrusion, and tyranny. We will not stop waking people up, and the more people that wake up, the closer we get to freedom.

Do you not get that? We WIN no matter what. And we won't give up, no matter the odds...no matter the price.

--Dave

[Sean]

Andrew, you sound like you are very scared that Paul might actually win the Rep nomination?

If he wins the nomination, I can't wait to listen to my many liberal democrat friends who have vehemently opposed the Iraq War (which I do too) explain how they are going to vote for the Dem candidate (whoever it is) that will undoubtedly take a "we can't do anything too drastic, too quickly" position on Iraq over Paul who will begin the withdrawl from Iraq immediately. My bet is that all of a sudden the Iraq War won't be that big of an issue for them...

Polls, Schmolls - see you on election day.

[Steve]

The polls exist to cover up what is to come. The establishment already has its plans in place to rig the election (especially among computerized voting machines), and when they get the results they create, they will be able to point to the polls, saying "well, he polled in the single digits the whole time."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEzY2tnwExs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZws98jw67g

[Fazsha]

I'm a Fred Thompson supporter, and I believe his long impressive record of defense of blah blah blah is rallying his huge army of passionate followers behind him to countless meetup groups and independent fundraising.

Bwaahaha!!! Fred Thompson's only followers are those that like him on TV shows.

Ron Paul will not lose! THE PEOPLE WILL SPEAK.

[Keith]

If Dr Paul weren't doing extremely well you wouldn't be writing about him in the first place now would you? Where there is smoke there is fire. Speaking of which i guess Cheney was trying to destroy more evidence and nearly burned down his office!! LOL The criminals are squirming...nuff said!

[Canadian Observer]

I'm watching this election from the outside, and I'm a little perplexed by folks like Andrew Malcolm, the writer of this article. On what basis does a journalist assume a hostile and dismissive tone toward a candidate? Especially a guy who has no official backing, is out there throwing his two bits' worth into the supposed free market of political thought that Democrats and Republicans alike seem to want to portray as existing. For example, what's with the "to put it politely outspokenness in favour of their Republican candidate ..." Since when do supporters for a candidate - any candidate - need to apologize for being rabid chauvanistic (used in its proper sense) supporters of "their guy"? To me at least, the article's author genuinely seems flummoxed by the spectacle of this wiry old codger who's out there giving 'em hell and speaking his mind. And that's something I support, regardless of whether the practitioner is a lefty or a libertarian - e.g. Kucinich or Paul.

[Danny]

I do not care if RP is polling at 0%. My son just asked who I would vote for if RP was not running. I told him I didn't know. I do know now. In November if RP is not on the ballot I will write his name in. I wish all the media elites would recognize this, IT IS SIMPLE TO BE PROPPED UP BY THE MEDIA. IT IS SIMPLE TO GO ON TV AND GET SOFTBALL QUESTIONS. IT IS SIMPLE TO CAMPAIGN WHEN YOU KNOW THE MEDIA IS ON YOUR SIDE. "ONLY COWARDS FIGHT WHEN THEY KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO WIN" IT TAKES GUTS TO STAND OUT IN THE RAIN WITH A RP SIGN. IT TAKES TOUGHNESS TO DEAL WITH ALL THE CRAP THE MEDIA HAS THROWN AT RP. I WISH SOME OF THESE MEDIA PEOPLE WOULD TAKE ON THE VIEWS OF RP. ALL I HEAR IS "YOU CAN'T WIN" THAT IS WHAT THEY TOLD APPALACHIAN STATE.

[Justin]

This is a fine example of people getting scared because someone is telling it like it is... the numbers you quote are skewed on purpose to try and discourage the revolution but it's coming whether you like it or not.

People are tired of the lies and manipulation by greedy men. People are tired of the corporate control and the blur between church and state... and the rich white men of America and beyond better start working with us instead of against us.

[Colin]

Every single person I have convinced to watch a Ron Paul interview has been instantly converted. I know you'll say it's anecdotal evidence, but still I find myself not too worried about your polls.

[Rob L.]

By the way Andrew how was the BOHEMIAN GROVE MEETING back in July?

RP 2008

[Dave V northern NJ]

All of you reporters , writers and general media including Hollywood need to get off your Bandwagon and open your closed minds than maybe you could find yor BACKBONES.

[James]

How could many main stream media hatchet jobs does it take before one starts believing there is a coordinated effort to subvert the Ron Paul campaign? Just look at the questions he's asked in debates. Compare the amount of time he had to speak in the debates. What the media covers about his platform. The overt bias in the very words used to describe him and his campaign, e.g. "fringe", "kooks", "conspiracy theorists", "third tier", "long shot"...and the list goes on almost endlessly. Personally, I think a good portion of his support comes from independent minded people who see the obvious press bias and don't like to be told for whom to vote. Today is a perfect example, Ron Paul gets donations from over 57,000 people, the AP and the rest of the mainstream media mob choose to focus on one donor who is a white supremest. I wonder how many donations from strange sources our friends Romney and Clinton received. I guess no one will bother investigating that.

Fair reporting at its best.

[Steven Grycel]

Ah, so Ron Paul won't win the nomination? Let's look at the numbers and do the math. All the big scientific polls use a pool of "likely Republican voters". That means they voted in the last election, right? Okay, well and good, except that only 5 to 6% of the Republicans voted in that election. The other 95% were either disgruntled, or too lazy to vote. Now let's do some math. Take the Huckster who is polling at 20% somewhere. 20% of 5% is equal to 1%. Look at Ron Paul. In NH he's polling at 8%. 8% of 5% is equal to 0.4%. Now the difference that you media outlets say is so very big is really only 0.6%, which is just about nothing. Add in the Independents and those who switched partys so they can vote for Dr. Paul and I'd say that changes the equation greatly. Yes sir, now we have an authentic Variable (with a BIG V) in the equation. So, think about it, with Guilianni, the Huckster, McCain and Romney you get 4 more years of Bush. Hence there is no enthusiasm for those candidates, and as such, there is no groundswell of support for any of them. So, only the 5% who voted in the last election are going to vote for them (minus the Paul support, of course). With Ron Paul, there is a VERY active base of support as judged by signs everywhere you look, supporters everywhere you look (1000's of people came to hear him speak in Philly), and money coming into his campaign from everywhere you look (more numbers here, 6 million of them). Obviously, you gentlemen who say he will not win are just not doing the math. If I was a teacher, I would give you all a "D" in math, and I'd fail you in the course of Political Proficy.

[Ray]

Still riding that NAFTA conspiracy theory huh? Funny how the actual FACTS simply shove you back in your dog house. It just makes you cringe thinking Ron Paul might actually win, doesn't it? Do you really think anyone is listening to your garbage and taking you seriously? Really? Maybe you should read through the posts and get an idea of what people really think.
Great job, I expected "no less" from your yellow online rag.
Polls polls polls... we will see very soon, wont we???

[L. M. Indy Schneider, L.Ac.]

That's 1,400 MeetUp groups, Mr. Malcom, not 1,200. Growing so fast you can't keep count.

And, as John pointed out (and I wish Dr. Paul would more often), why don't you count the STRAW POLLS?

Ron Paul's Head-to-Head Straw Poll Record:

(Win-Lose-Tie)

Ron Paul v. Rudy Giuliani 42-7-0
Ron Paul v. Mitt Romney 33-16-0
Ron Paul v. Fred Thompson 33-15-0
Ron Paul v. John McCain 43-5-0
Ron Paul v. Mike Huckabee 41-6-1
Ron Paul v. Tom Tancredo 46-1-0
Ron Paul v. Duncan Hunter 45-2-0

[Tim]

So...vote for who you think will win and not for who you want to win? What ... do you get points for "being right"?

[senglert]

If you want to do readers and voters a real service, ask all the presidential candidates and American citizens what they think about the United States borrowing billions of dollars from Communist China to make the world "safe for democracy."
I think I know how Ron Paul would answer!

[Tom Paine]

"The spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless. A single zealot may commence persecution, and better men be his victims. It can never be too often repeated, that the time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest and ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war (Revolutionary War) we shall be going downhill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves, but in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of this war, will remain on us long, will be made heavier and heavier, till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion." Thomas Jefferson

RON PAUL 2008!!

[E. L.]

Do your own thinking folks.

FYI, the business I work for -- about 30 employees in central NH -- supports Ron Paul at least 3:1 over any other candidate, democrat or republican. We'll be voting on January 8, whether the old media tells us it's worth while or not. Most of these guys -- average age about 45 -- have never bothered to vote.

We want the federal government off our backs, out of our bank accounts, out of our schools, off the federal reserve and out of the middle east, Korea, Europe and every 3rd world trouble spot. Oh, and we'd like the federal government to quit militarizing our local police forces, too.

This is unreasonable or irresponsible or lacking popular support? I don't think so. $18million raised this quarter says a lot of people agree with me and I'm proud to call all of you RP supporters my countrymen.

[Mike S]

His numbers are on the way up. Last weekend, even though 3 out of 4 Americans barely heard of him, his grassroots supporters broke all records with 6 million dollars in 24 hrs.

The polls at realclearpolitics nationally show him trending up, not down. And most if not all of these polls lead with the question "Are you a registered republican" of which many of his supporters are not - so their vote is not counted. Also, unlisted cell phone users are not polled. In reality, his numbers could easily be as high as double digits.

[Michael]

Polls? You want to write about polls? How about doing a story on Frank Luntz? This is just another typical hit piece on Ron Paul and the campaign. Corporate media is being outted for what it is. MORE mis-information. If you guys were interested in the truth, you'd be picking apart Hillary's, Rudy G's, Romney's, etc. campaigns. Check the straw polls on RP's site. He puts ALL straw poll results there, weather he won them or not. Do ANY of the other candidates do that? Nope. Ron Paul is running the most transparent campaign in history. Your bashing and smear pieces are getting boring and people are getting wise to your tactics. I refer anyone to look into Ralph Nader's run for the presidency in 2000. THAT will tell you what media bias is all about.

Polished propoganda, that's all this article is.

Happy holidays, then the truth will come out in Iowa and New Hampshire.

[Brett]

Thanks, but no thanks. A very useless article.

Why don't you report on who conducts and sponsors the polls and also give us some useful information based on research (that is what your job is as a reporter) on WHO EXACTLY is called. From where are the pollees culled and how do the pollers get their list of people to call.

THAT WOULD BE NEWSWORTHY.

[laszlo horvath]

it is very sad what people can do (write) for a paycheck, do they feel comfortable with their on moral, conscience of course thats why they not belong to ron paul, honesty, truthfulness you have to born with it.
WARNING TO- every single meet up group please make sure to organize a nationwide vote supervising process dont let this election get stollen