E2 thinks I'm a devoted follower of one Allahpundit and will do whatever the ruler of all worlds dictates.

(1) It's true, although I don't need to dictate opposition to Ron Paul. Any person of sound morals and above-average intelligence will oppose him.

(2) Isn't it E5?

But don't forget that on a purely technical level, the viral support for Ron Paul has very little to do with Ron Paul's actual campaign and more to do with the grass roots response that has has found resonance with his message. The Nov. 5th donation drive was thought up by an independent supporter. It spread online and by word of mouth and look, with an average donation of $41 dollars they took in over $4.2 million. That's a true wellspring of support that is washing across political and special interest lines and should prove a wakeup call to the dinosaurs stomping about with their heads in the air. Watch out for the mice!

Most politicians get their momentum by lashing their futures to corporate interests or kowtowing to the established Washington business as usual. It is these people and the major media conglomerates who are tied in with the system that are most threatened by Ron Paul, particularly as he is emerging as a real contender. They can't buy him and they certainly can't paint him as inconsistent in his beliefs over the past few decades (considering all the top candidates in both major wings suffer from wafflitis-some trying to wrap themselves in a mantle of conservatism when their entire political history has displayed a more liberal bent-another puffing out her chest feathers as a newly born chicken hawk). His voting record and anti-war stance stands for itself.

The appeal that Ron Paul has across all political spectrums is largely because he is his own man, true to his beliefs and feels that government has gotten way to big for it's britches and needs to be put back in it's proper Constitutionally framed perspective. I was turned on by a friend and it wasn't until I saw Paul put Guilliani in his place on his knowledge of foreign affairs that I realized we are witnessing the real deal unfolding.

His appeal stretches across the vast majority of American's who realize that things have gotten out of hand, the economy is being debased, the country sold out from under us, fake imperialists are trying to shape the world to their own delusions, and there is noone else rising against the status quo. Whichever party ends up in power simply carries on business as usual and the people have gotten fed up.

Ron Paul has been saying the same things for decades but it is only now that people are finding the relevance in his message and that gives them some hope in a chance for change. He has the largest presence on the internet of any candidate but that certainly isn't because he has consciously focussed on that. It is more do to the fact that people who use the internet for news and information know how to follow the threads and make their own connections. They're active because they feel inspired, but unlike the spin from threatened institutions such as Fox and MSNBC, they're motivated to reach out on their own in the medium that they are most comfortable with, forming a nationwide de-facto grass roots movement in the process. They're not passive sheep grazing on the fake alfalfa laid out by the media moguls who have their own stakes in the political game.H Paul's won practically every debate simply because he sticks to a simple message that appeals to the populace and refuses to waver. We miss politicians with spine (have to go to the Natural History Museum uptown to see one usually). It's nice to find someone who does. Someone who sticks to a message that suddenly is sounding quite fresh.

So no, if the other candidates want to learn something from Ron Paul it isn't the technical skills of using the internet more effectively. They'll come up empty handed if the try simply to emulate the actions without examining the substance of what they're selling. If they were merely truer to themselves and the people they ultimately serve-then they might learn a thing or two.

And maybe that's the ultimate message that Americans are sending.

(2) Isn't it E5?

He changes the number but he started with E2.

Steve, obviously a charismatic leader is necessary for this kind of following. But the fact remains that Paul is polling at under 5% in most national polls, and at around 7% in NH and Iowa. So, I mean what I said: other campaigns should adopt some of his tools, but his message only is getting him so far.

Paul's fundraising apparatus is impressive, but I don't see how that translates into a successful primary campaign among Republicans. The same thing goes for his much-heralded Web presence. Can anyone say "President Howard Dean?"

As for the influence of the Paulites I'd have to say that it's uniformly negative-at least, among the unconverted.

Two personal anecdotes that illustrate this point:

1. I used to belong to a message board that was comprised primarily of those who migrated from the defunct Protest Warrior guest forums. It started out as a forum for (mostly) right-leaning libertarians, minarchists, conservative independents, etc., with a smattering of anarcho-capitalists. Over the past year it's become a Ron Paul circle jerk. The people I used to interact with on a largely amicable basis are basically a right wing version of Larouchies at this point. I went from disagreement with Ron Paul's foreign policy views to questioning whether he was sane enough to hold his current office.

2. A few months ago I went to a rally held in Harrisburg, Pa. in support of Mayor Lou Barletta, which was completely co-opted by a group of Ron Paul acolytes. They essentially turned what was a nonpartisan event in support of Hazelton's struggle against illegal aliens into a Ron Paul pep rally.

Point being, the worst argument in favor of voting for Ron Paul-in my humble opinion-is the stridency of Ron Paul devotees. To me there's a distinction to be made between genuine enthusiasm for a particular candidacy and an unreflective personality cult.

I, frankly, don't know what I would do if the election came down to Rudy vs. Clinton. I would listen to Ron Paul's advice on that sorry day.

I am a big Ron Paul supporter -- just donated more to him than I ever have to any other candidate before.

He is the only candidate that has a clue about the debt crisis and the dollar collapse. That is potentially a more serious issue than Iraq, illegal immigration, or anything else the other candidates are talking about.

He's still a fantasy / protest candidate in my mind... I would be over the frickin' moon if he actually won.

I am not going to comment about Ron Paul, still learning about him. Based what I am reading here, reminds me of what they were saying about Howard Dean, a man of another direction, about his fund raising on the internet and all, where is he now?

I've said to a few members of my club (the NYYRC) that we should not blow off the growing Ron Paul support in NYC. The Paul Revolution is definitely potential Republican support on the local level for council, assembly & st senate races, which we will need if we want to be competitive in NYC. The argument of bloated big government is for all eyes to see on the state ($1.7 trillion) and local ($59 billion) level. And of course, the transfat-metal bat-cigarette smoking-mr softee music playin'-walking between subway cars while sipping coffee-City that no longer exists is something we can look back on in saddness.

thank you daniel.

I try to do my part.

08 prez race aside (where I clearly disagree with "other" republicans on foreign policy), lemme know any way i can help on the local, county, or state level... or on economic or domestic issues where I don't see any difference between an Paulite like myself and a "other" republican.

You asked: where is Dean now? The answer: president of the DNC, one of the more powerful and influential positions as I understand it.

As George Will said, Ron Paul is the real maverick.

Thanks E5.

I believe if liberty-leaning Republicans/Democrats/Independents in NYC unite against politicians who believe taxes are money for them to spend and laws are drafted to be passed at their every whim, then we can win some races and make NYC have some more balance.

City Council is 48 D to 3 R.
It would be more representative if it were 36 D to 15 R. Still a D majority, but with a large enough minority.

65 of the 150 Assembly seats reside in NYC. Republicans have 1. Count'em. We should have 15 to 20.

And in the 26 NYC Senate districts, Republicans have 4. Not bad, but not great. We need to increase that up to about 8 to 10.

Of course, we need to hold ou candidates to conservative principles. Lower taxes, less gov't interference, more personal freedom in making individual decisions. But part of me feels we need to get a good number of candidates elected first, before we start ripping them apart. Rip them up before they get elected and they won't get elected.

I don't mind all the Ron Pauliacs running around and throwing their money away; it keeps them occupied and out of the way (whilst also keeping money out of the Democrats's coffers) whilst the rest of us decide who out of a sorry but (at least) realistic lot will be the next Republican nominee.

But that's as far as it goes. Ron Paul is going nowhere, his supporters are primarily not Republicans and neither he nor they will ultimately have a meaningful impact on this election. It's really been very silly.

Ron Paul doesn't believe Islamo-fascism is a serious threat---and neither do his followers.

Game over.

Where is the "Islamofascism" a threat to anyone?

Certainly not to anyone in America, unless they deserve it...

How about focusing on America, and the real problems of Americans for a change, rather than just those of a tiny minority, whose true allegiance is not to this country anyway?

Hey, Hash,

Some of us were in Manhattan on September 11th, 2001. Did we deserve the attack from Islamofascists that occurred that day?

It kind of sounds like you think we did.

With all due respect, I'm a lifelong Republican.
Voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004. Didn't get involved in the primary (should have, though, and will from now on). My family is lifelong Republican. My girlfriend and her family are lifelong Republican. Most of my friends are lifelong Republicans. We all support Dr. Ron Paul. My colleagues at work who support Paul are lifelong Republicans. The Young Republicans who support Dr. Paul are lifelong Republicans (at least most of them are). Are some Paul supporters initially drawn to Paul for his antiwar stance? Yes. And then they learn about traditional Republican values like following the constitution, and learn that free markets work better.

Most of the Paul supporters I know are lifelong Republicans. Ron Paul is the only candidate who is consistently votes for a Traditional Republican Foreign Policy and traditional Republican values like pro-life, pro-2nd amendment, pro-constitution, and free markets and limited federal government. I support him with every Republican bone in my body (all 208 of them). The GOP has lost its way, and Dr. Paul knows the treatment.

"Some of us were in Manhattan on September 11th, 2001."

Well, so was I.

"It kind of sounds like you think we did."

It depends...I don't know you, your heart, or your beliefs well enough to judge whether or not you deserved it...

I will share this with you.

At no point during that day did I experience any sense of fear.

I knew that those planes were not meant for me.

I knew that there were no swarthy foreigners gunning for me.

I felt badly for the victims, but was more concerned that my employees made it home safely. That said, making my way out of there was unpleasant but I didn't dwell on it, or sensationalize it. I believed that it was terrorism at the point, and I believed there would be a retalitory strike, whether I thought it was a good idea or not, and I believed a lot of what I was hearing regarding who and what was responsible.

We were focused on the rescue, and the tragedy of the deaths of the victims...it was literally months before I permitted myself to begin connecting the dots. Even in my circles, discussion was not socially acceptable because of the our actual proximity to the site of the 9/11 occurrences, but I believe this was actually beneficial, because we could formulate our own ideas without being influenced by pop culture, peer pressure, or the endless government propaganda of the time...

Does that help?

"The GOP has lost its way, and Dr. Paul knows the treatment."

Avery, that's excellent. I have much respect for Dr. Paul as well.

I have a feeling that you are most definitely not alone, and pray that others will recognize the neocon fever dream for exactly what it is, so we can put this terrible period of this nation's history behind us, and get this country back on track.

Avery,

With all due respect back to you and your apparently normal Ron Paul supporting friends and family, the guy's not polling, and he can't win. Supporting him will ultimately be throwing your vote away. That's just the way it is. There is no surge for him in the polls, and he remains mired at the bottom from which he will not emerge.

So may I ask you, please, who you and your friends will support when the general election is between Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani?

"Where is the "Islamofascism" a threat to anyone?

Certainly not to anyone in America, unless they deserve it..."
And this is why I think Libertarians should go find a nice Democratic candidate to support. Because there is no place for you in the GOP, thank God.

Bunch of frickin' loons you all are.

Show me a Ron Paul supporter, and I'll show you someone who is certifiably insane.

Sean,

To be fair to the Pauliacs, I think that Hashfanatic (Hashfanatic! Good lord!) is a garden variety Moonbat and not an actual Ron Paul supporter.

That said, there is so much I don't like about the Paul movement that I would be worried if it had a chance in Hell, between the Truther flirtations, the bizarre Guy Fawkes thing, and the Nazi links.

But it doesn't, so I'm not.

And this is why I think Libertarians should go find a nice Democratic candidate to support. Because there is no place for you in the GOP, thank God.

Just remember, if there's less people in the tent, it gets harder to blame someone else when you break wind. ;)

Absolutely, there are people in the world who want to hurt Americans and the American Government.

Ron Paul believes that we can better deal with the terrorist issue if we don't engage in undeclared, unnecessary wars, if we focus on the real enemy (Osama is still at large), and if we don't create new terrorists by engaging in endless wars based on U.N. resolutions.

He says "If you want to go to war, Declare it, Fight it, and Win it, but don't go to war based on United Nations Resolutions" or to build nations. The cost, in lives and money, is too high.

He stands for the Traditional Republican Foreign Policy.

"And this is why I think Libertarians should go find a nice Democratic candidate to support. Because there is no place for you in the GOP, thank God."

The obvious problem with this theory (and the central inability of the neocon to even correctly identify their own enemies) is that I'm a leftist, not a libertarian, or a "garden-variety moonbat", as Kensington poses...I can't even tell you how uninterested I am in peace and love, or even detente with the Opponent.

I'm not sure what to make of the Paul phenomenon myself, and I think it's something the Rethugs need to be more concerned about, since far more traditional conservatives than liberal types will support him.

I would think, however, that it would behoove the Straussians and Islam-obsessives to examine what their own hijacking of a legitimate, yet misguided, American political ideology has done to alienate so many of their own core, before there is little left of the party itself to claim.

I'm a firm proponent of more progressive voices and alternatives at the ballot box, and it's clear that there is an unmet need that Dr. Paul, for the moment, fills...it may be true that Paul has a snowball's chance in hell for now, but it's far more significant that an even stronger, aggressive movement for Americans and America is building...and there's little room for tired hacks , career politicos like Rudy and Hillary, and their failed ideologies in it.

Bash Paul if you like, but the larger story is there is a paradigm shift at work, and resistance is futile.

The blood of the innocents, here and at home, and the memory of our total humiliation as a world power, and the reality that America under the neocons has become a legend in its own living room, will demand it.

RON PAUL IN 2008