Ron Paul: In for the Long Haul by Scott Sutton - The Diigo Meta page

• 28 Jul 07
  

  Bob King

  •  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 > ). >

    • Other indicators: check out the number of hits you get for "ron paul" on t-shirt sites. It's like a statistically significant hamburger poll.
    Add Sticky Note

  •  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 >).

  • 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.

  1 more annotation...

• 27 Jul 07
  

  Adam Skinner

  paul ron

  • 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.)
  • 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.

    • cf "No Future Democracy" in http://www.skilluminati.com/Research/entry/the_rosetta_stone_of_us_history_quigleys_tragedy_and_hope
    Add Sticky Note
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

  3 more annotations...

Public Stiky Notes

• 
  Bob King on 2007-07-28
  Other indicators: check out the number of hits you get for "ron paul" on t-shirt sites. It's like a statistically significant hamburger poll.
• 
  Adam Skinner on 2007-07-27
  cf "No Future Democracy" in http://www.skilluminati.com/Research/entry/the_rosetta_stone_of_us_history_quigleys_tragedy_and_hope

Page Comments

• 
  Adam Skinner on 2007-07-27
  Heartening
  

Would you like to comment?

Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.