Opinion: Ron Paul and his fans celebrate

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Republican presidential contender Ron Paul turned 72 today, but his devoted supporters delivered an early present Saturday, showing up in sufficient numbers to dominate two little-noticed -- and sparsely attended -- straw polls.

At a gathering of the West Alabama Republican Assembly in Tuscaloosa, Paul’s people apparently were the only ones who had kept their calendars clear. He garnered a whopping 81% of the straw poll vote (out of 266 ballots cast). His showing at a similar contest in New Hampshire’s Stafford County was only slightly less impressive: Paul won 73% of the 288 votes. No other candidate broke into double digits in either competition.

Let’s give this to Paul’s backers: they’re willing to put in the time on behalf of their man.

Paul now turns his attention to his home state -- a straw poll of Texas Republicans is scheduled for Sept. 1 in Fort Worth. This presents more of a challenge for the anti-establishment candidate; participation is limited to those who were delegates to past state or national GOP conventions, which isn’t exactly Paul’s constituency. Still, he’s hosting a ‘Texas Pride’ party the night before the vote, with music provided by blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan (brother of the late, legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan).

Score one for Paul on the entertainment front.

-- Don Frederick