Ron Paul, Dr. No-body, beats Rudy and Fred -- again

Well, he's hanging in there. Not only that, but Rep. Ron Paul thumped two reputed Republican heavyweights in the Michigan primary -- former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Who'd have predicted that a couple of months ago?

Giuliani, you may recall if you can remember anything as distant as last summer, was the longtime GOP national front-runner in polls. He ran strongly against everybody in his party, even former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who won one last night, taking his home state from Sen. John McCain, who won there in 2000. Everybody wondered if anyone had a chance against the hero of 9/11, who defied standard Republican theocracy with his liberal social views.

But guess what? Ron Paul, the 72-year-old Texas congressman and ob-gyn who delivers babies and a strict view of the Constitution, beat Giuliani in Michigan. And beat him good. Not only that ...

he doubled Giuliani's totals of 24,000 votes, or 2.8%, getting more than 52,000 votes, or 6.3%, of the total Republican ballots.

Paul even beat Thompson this time, the real consistent conservative who was supposed to be the next Ronald Reagan until he actually announced his campaign in September. Thompson got about 31,000 votes, or 3.7%, which is more than Rudy but still less than the nobody congressman with the libertarian views whom few people but his passionate partisans took seriously months ago. He's often called Dr. No for his consistent congressional votes against spending.

Paul was so written off that Fox News banned him from its recent debate in New Hampshire. Oops, now the Paulunteers are organizing a boycott of Fox sponsors in return for the snub, a move that Dennis Kucinich's fans are now calling for against MSNBC for barring him from Tuesday's Democratic debate in Las Vegas.

True, Romney killed all his Republican competitors in Michigan, as he had to, with more than 326,000 votes, nearly 39%, with McCain trailing at 29.7%, or 248,000. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee garnered less than half of Romney's votes, 135,000, or 16%.

And it's also true that Thompson and Giuliani didn't really campaign seriously in Michigan. Or New Hampshire. Or Iowa except for a last-minute Thompson bus tour. Obviously, both Giuliani and Thompson are intentionally laying back, trying to make the rest of the Republican field overconfident. No doubt.

Paul hasn't won anything yet, either, except the continued devotion of his followers and growing national attention, including two national TV appearances on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" plus a full hour on "Meet the Press." On Tuesday, Richard Viguerie, the noted conservative author, announced he's launching a website to support Paul. Viguerie called Paul "truly a principled conservative in the grand tradition of Robert Taft, Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan."

Paul just keeps picking up his 6% to 10% each time there's a vote. But Paul also beat Giuliani in Iowa. And he came pretty close to Giuliani in New Hampshire and did, in fact, beat Thompson there. And now in Michigan, Paul beat them both rather handily. He does it by going against virtually all the views of his GOP colleagues, including opposing the Iraq war.

Fueled by the generous donations of Paul believers, the congressman was probably the most successful GOP fundraiser in the fourth quarter, acquiring nearly $20 million then and, according to his website, more than $834,000 more so far this month. He's already launched an eight-state ad blitz and has been campaigning in recent days in South Carolina, where he has three offices and will return later this week, and across Nevada. He got skunked in Wyoming, where Romney won, but imagine if Paul scored big one day in the wild West, where many people believe government got too big about 100 years ago.

Paul's website and new campaign blog claim to have quietly organized more than 7,800 precinct captains around the country. Meantime, Giuliani's top staff is going unpaid this month to save dwindling funds. Is there a pattern here?

So, while the "front-running" Republicans each win one state and no one builds up a head of steam, Paul just keeps hanging around, like a bad cold. Some of the other Republican candidates should be careful, lest they get the sniffles one of these days.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Sandor Bors]

Is this piece in the paper version of the L.A. Times? Probably not! This is just preaching to the choir! Stop pandering with chicanery!

[L.Step]

Does anyone have any reason why it is that Paul has been so badly treated by FOX NEWS? On this, one of the more interesting theories is that Rupert Murdock is a closet Paulite, and that he was clever enough to know that if FOX NEWS would more or less "censor" Paul this would cause Paul to get a lot of attention.. it did. In any case, many of us decided to vote for Paul well before FOX NEWS played their hand -- I mean, do we really want McCain and his Grand Viser, Lieberman in the White House? Or another round of Clintonitis?

[Gary A]

Thank You Go Ron Paul
Go LA Times

[Tom]

Kudos from Mobile, AL. It appears to me that Congressman Paul is picking up steam. It seems slow, but it's like a bike race. You have front runners, and drafters. And there is going to be a point in time when he breaks free from the pack, by perhaps winning ONE state, no matter how small, maybe like Alabama, and the press will either have to report on him or not report the state at ALL! Every time he gets a little time on the networks, his numbers pick up. Make sure he wins YOUR state =)

It will be later in months ahead that this will happen, but the more you tell a friend about him, over a beer, via myspace, the bigger the cause will grow. Try soliciting ten of your myspace friends. Myspace boasts over 212 million user accounts. Ron Paul has 114k on his myspace. There is a lot of room for growth. Try to get your friends to put Ron Paul in their TOP 10. Nothing attracts a crowd, like a crowd. For your convenience, here is the direct link:

http://www.myspace.com/ronpaul2008

wwwDOTmyspaceDOTcom/ronpaul2008

[masterdmjg]

You have to check your facts. Giuliani did spend a lot of time and effort in Iowa.
I think his campaign just wanted to downplay that effort since he got trounced even though he had almost as many people on his paid staff in Iowa as Romney and Huckabee

http://mediamatters.org/items/200801050006

[michael]

If you're curious who supported a curtain candidate, take a look at this: www.recharts.com/misc/MichiganExitPolls.html

[Chris]

Paul did not campaign in Michigan either.

No TV Ads.

1 Radio ad on Nafta.

No Visit to Michigan since October.

He still beat Thompson and Giuliani. I think it is sad because Michigan was ripe for Pauls message, and he could have done even better had he actually campaigned.

[basiltaco]

As someone else commented, the worse the economy gets, the more that thinking people will take a serious look at Ron Paul's views, when they see the pablum that Romney, McCain and Huckabee are peddiling.

[JeffnDallas]

"Like a bad cold?" I actually laughed about that comment considering the early campaign catch phrase out of NH, "He's catching on, I tell 'ya" as well as the irony in the fact he's a DOCTOR!

In any case, those who support Ron Paul do just that-- support Ron Paul. Several co-workers I have kept shifting depending upon who is "popular" this week in the polls. When they periodically tease me about my support of Ron I just respond, "at least I have 'a' candidate to support." It seems most are about as committed in their choice of Presidential candidate as they were selecting their high school prom king/queen. Not so with Ron Paul supporters, we KNOW who our man is for the job.

Let's see what happens in Nevada, as the waters could become even more "muddied" with a Ron Paul win :-)

[Fred Smart]

Andrew:

Thanks for another great report!

You seem to be enjoying the popcorn as this "wild west show" continues to unfold!

Peace and God Bless!

[Fred Smart]

Andrew:

Thanks for another great report!

You seem to be enjoying the popcorn as this "wild west show" continues to unfold!

Peace and God Bless!

[Roger]

http://forpresidentronpaul.blogspot.com/

We the People need to awake; We the people need to grasp the depth and seriousness the main media role is in manipulating us the People of this beautiful country.
The majority of the main well known media are privately own and they serve their own interest do not believe by one minute they exists to serve ours. For many years they have been injecting their spin by silencing voices they do not want to gain any traction, it is done under the cover of many words which are nothing more than deceptions.

The sad part is that while we are sending our men and women soldiers to far and unknown lands, to kill or get killed, here at home the process established by the US Constitution, this master piece where 56 founding fathers full of courage signed knowing full well that if it fails they will pay with their life, that process is being tramped by those pretending to brings us the “news” thinking they know what it best for us.
I will leave you with some Thomas Jefferson Quotes to think about it.
Please note the word Newspaper in today’s era is also “Radio, TV and Internet”
- “Advertisements... contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper."
- "The press is impotent when it abandons itself to falsehood."
- "Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day."
http://forpresidentronpaul.blogspot.com/

[Arkham Angel]

Wow.. the LA Times wrote this? I'm impressed and thank you!

Go RP2008!!

[Chadlonius]

Great article.

[Sk00L]

And just think what would have happened if Paul had the media coverage he deserved off the bat. People are now still just finding out who Paul is. As soon as they take a moment to find out his positions people discard their weak half hearted support for the media darlings who change their tune to suite the audience at hand. The change occurs the second people hear Paul speak the truth from the heart and realize that what he is saying is common sense.

Thank you Andrew for your coverage.

[jb]

Thanks for standing up and writing this thoughtful article

[Pete]

Nice article Andrew. As usual I wish you'd drop the religious overtones (cult, believers, etc.) but it is a good article and Dr. Paul and his supporters are in it for the haul. The message is growing, follow the Constitution and protect our Liberty, and it is a great one.

Thanks for the coverage!

[Rick Toone]

Seth Godin wrote a great one liner yesterday: "The more people you reach the more likely it is that you're reaching the wrong people: who vs. how many."

The lesson for us I think is to stop trying to broadcast to the masses.

Instead, we should work nodes of influence. Recruit key people — influential people — and get them invested in talking to "their" people.

I work at the intersection of music, guitar building, and conservation. Instead of hammering at people with shouts of "Ron Paul" I've adopted the tactic of EDUCATING my readers about issues: http://toone.typepad.com/

Allow readers to make up their own minds.

Let them spread the word. With less effort, the effect multiplies.

[Dan]

Andrew, you are a true patriot my friend.
Thank you for providing fair coverage.
I encourage prospective voters to further research Dr. Paul through his wikipedia profile and campaign website (www.ronpaul2008.com)

[Rhonda]

I have studied this Ron Paul New Hampshire problem as much as I could and this is my conclusion….THE ENEMY HAS INFILTRATED THE MAIN CAMPAIGN OFFICE. I believe the responsibility of the five day delay in leadership is between both the official spokesman, Jesse Benton, and the chair, Kent Snyder. Obviously Dr. Paul cannot do everything and that is why all candidates have campaign offices. Therefore since by the second day after the election it was known that there was a rip in the ranks of the supporters, the delay was kept that way deliberately. Then it was made to seem that it was not delayed five days because the letter was pre-dated a day earlier. This way the archives will show only a four day delay.

I recommend that the official campaign office be sent letters (polite of course) demanding that someone’s head rolls. The issue of this dispute is not not having a recount. It is the FACT THAT NO ONE FROM HEADQUARTERS TOOK A LEADERSIHP ROLE AND TOLD US ANYTHING IMMEDIATLY OR BY THE NEXT DAY.

At the same time, since it is obvious that they also messed with Alex Jones, that he be contacted to demand the same thing, even if he does it privately by his internal contact numbers he has for them. The Ron Paul supporter divide could only have been stopped from within and someone there deliberately kept us without a word of guidance and reassurance. This is too large for someone not to pay the price, anyone, if not just to save face. Someone must take the fall!

Rhonda

[Rebekah L. Goldberg]

So? And the Daily Kos readers voted for Mitt Romney. Think they support HIM?

Face it, it was a three-way race between Romney (helped by Kossacks), McCain, and Huckster. The Democratic Party in MI completely farked their primary up, so of course Ron Paul did well there. If I were a Democrat, I'd vote for RP too just to screw things up for the Republicans. Or more likely, the Hamas elements in the Detroit area voted for RP. I am *quite* sure they're Paulbots--what's not to love with the common vein of Jew-hatred and insistence that we asked for 9/11 among you all?

But keep hanging on to that pointless hope, kiddies! Your Fuhrer Paul is, I'm sure, quite proud of your slavish devotion!

Rebekah
Whistler, Alabama

[Bill Rice]

You know, Andrew - you own this beat. Paul IS almost completely ignored by the Main Stream Media, especially the TV networks (not counting C-Span, God bless them!).

6.3 percent doesn't sound like much, but like you alone point out, four or five months ago who would have ever predicted that for Paul, who was a 0 percent when he started. And, to date, he's tallied more votes than Rudy and Thompson. And he's still ignored and he still keeps raising $.

Most thinking people who actually listen to him deliver his Goldwater-Reagan-esque message come away impressed. Or at least say: "He makes some good points and is at least sincere." It simply takes a while to introduce Paul but he does - believe it or not - have the message that could resonate with a lot more people.

California's financial crisis, Moody's talk of downgrading the USA's credit rating, stock market plunge, dollar plunge, inflation, growing federal deficit, never-ending occupation in Iraq, Afghanistan and bases everywhere - all of these stories could coagulate at the same time and - who knows? - perhaps force people to say, "Hey, we could be in REAL trouble here."
And then: "Well, Who's been consistetly warning us and talking about these things and actually has the free-market, small-government principles to maybe reverse some of these trends?"

Mitt Romney, John Mcain, Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, Rudy? Yeah, right.

More wide-spread play for columns like Pat Buchanan's "Subprime Nation" and Paul could get a serious and fast second (or first) look from a lot of voters - who might also reevaluate the status quo "compassionate"/populist Republicans who currently receive all of the real attention.

Dr. Ron Paul is just plugging along under the radar, being polite, "showing his class," saying the same things he's always said whether it gets him votes or not.

I apprecicate that at least one journalist with a major newspaper has taken notice ... so thanks again. As I said, I hope the record one day shows that your were farming this terrain first!

Plus, isn't it fun to watch (when so many others are not)!

Bill Rice, Jr.
Montgomery, AL

[Dan Warner]

Ok so let's ask the question... When are Rudy and Fred going to drop out? If Ron Paul had been beaten so badly twice, the MSM would all be asking when Ron would drop out. As a matter of fact I have seen many articles asking when he would drop out or go 3rd party.

Do you think they will ask the same of Rudy and Fred or do they get a free pass?

[Aaron Benfield]

Y'all make it happen in California....Y'all can do it. Show the country that you want your country back!!!! Here in Texas, he has a great presence....no signs or stickers for the other candidates...all Ron Paul.

Remember that Paul is also attractive to independents and democrats. For example, I am registered as an independent and voted (blindly) all democratic for the last senate/house election here in Texas (because like many Americans I was so ticked off at the white house and congress). Now, I realize that I must vote fore the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation. PAUL IS IT...2008. Get out there and get voters...at work...friends...etc.

[Bob]

vote for RON PAUL
vote for FREEDOM