stu2002
09-14-2007, 12:16 PM
(http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/09/ronpaul_supporters)
Geeks Roll Out for Ron Paul
By Sarah Lai Stirland Email 09.14.07 | 2:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO –- Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul was given a warm reception in this liberal stronghold on Thursday as Silicon Valley professionals turned out to support the long shot campaign.
At a fundraiser at San Francisco's swanky Palace Hotel, a 40-odd group of Ron Paul supporters paid $500 a head to have breakfast with "Dr. Paul," as they call him. Outside, a large group of supporters chanted their support. Cars honked, and passers-by joined in the chanting.
"Ron Paul!" they shouted. "Freedom!"
Inside, supporters could hear the passionate chants from the street through the thick hotel windows as the Texas congressman ended his morning speech. A polite chuckle rumbled through the room.
The breakfast attendees and the supporters on the street comprised mostly of young white men, who appeared to be white-collar professionals. Several of those interviewed by Wired News worked in the technology business.
As campaign finance records show and the blogsphere has noted, a substantial base of support for Paul comes from professionals in the technology community.
"People in the technology industry tend to be more educated, and more intelligent," said Jeffrey Schwartz, a Paul supporter, who organized the fundraiser through Meetup. Schwartz is a psychiatrist and a long-time libertarian.
He said Paul appeals to people who like the politician's message of "freedom."
Among the Republican candidates, Paul enjoys a unique position on the internet. His supporters are particularly wired, using Meetup and Eventful to organize events and fundraisers. Supporters expend a lot of energy pumping up his stats on YouTube, Technorati and online polls.
Paul is on a fundraising tour of the West Coast this week. On Thursday, Paul spent the morning and lunch in San Francisco, and had plans to meet and greet Silicon Valley supporters in Palo Alto at a $2,000 a head dinner. In total, the campaign expects to net $100,000 from its Thursday fundraising efforts.
Matt Nocerino had brought his 11-year-old son to hear Paul's message of limited government.
Nocerino is a technologist from Walnut Creek, California. He is part of a team that develops Verizon Wireless' website. Nocerino also described himself as a libertarian who supported Ronald Reagan.
His said technologists support Paul because they're detail freaks. "When you work in technology, a lot of the time you have to scrutinize details," he says. "Sound bites are not enough."
Nocerino and others at the breakfast said that they did not think of themselves as Republicans or Democrats -- that their political affiliations are fluid.
What drives them, said Paul supporter Hana Bernard from Sacramento, is the sense that their candidate is treated unfairly by the media.
"They're telling us that he can't win," she said. But both she and other supporters point to Technorati and YouTube statistics as evidence that Paul's support is wide and deep -- even though that hasn't translated into support in traditional polling numbers or campaign finance cash.
"He's the most searched for human being on Technorati from May this year apart from Paris Hilton," said Schwartz. "Doesn't that tell you something?"
Geeks Roll Out for Ron Paul
By Sarah Lai Stirland Email 09.14.07 | 2:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO –- Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul was given a warm reception in this liberal stronghold on Thursday as Silicon Valley professionals turned out to support the long shot campaign.
At a fundraiser at San Francisco's swanky Palace Hotel, a 40-odd group of Ron Paul supporters paid $500 a head to have breakfast with "Dr. Paul," as they call him. Outside, a large group of supporters chanted their support. Cars honked, and passers-by joined in the chanting.
"Ron Paul!" they shouted. "Freedom!"
Inside, supporters could hear the passionate chants from the street through the thick hotel windows as the Texas congressman ended his morning speech. A polite chuckle rumbled through the room.
The breakfast attendees and the supporters on the street comprised mostly of young white men, who appeared to be white-collar professionals. Several of those interviewed by Wired News worked in the technology business.
As campaign finance records show and the blogsphere has noted, a substantial base of support for Paul comes from professionals in the technology community.
"People in the technology industry tend to be more educated, and more intelligent," said Jeffrey Schwartz, a Paul supporter, who organized the fundraiser through Meetup. Schwartz is a psychiatrist and a long-time libertarian.
He said Paul appeals to people who like the politician's message of "freedom."
Among the Republican candidates, Paul enjoys a unique position on the internet. His supporters are particularly wired, using Meetup and Eventful to organize events and fundraisers. Supporters expend a lot of energy pumping up his stats on YouTube, Technorati and online polls.
Paul is on a fundraising tour of the West Coast this week. On Thursday, Paul spent the morning and lunch in San Francisco, and had plans to meet and greet Silicon Valley supporters in Palo Alto at a $2,000 a head dinner. In total, the campaign expects to net $100,000 from its Thursday fundraising efforts.
Matt Nocerino had brought his 11-year-old son to hear Paul's message of limited government.
Nocerino is a technologist from Walnut Creek, California. He is part of a team that develops Verizon Wireless' website. Nocerino also described himself as a libertarian who supported Ronald Reagan.
His said technologists support Paul because they're detail freaks. "When you work in technology, a lot of the time you have to scrutinize details," he says. "Sound bites are not enough."
Nocerino and others at the breakfast said that they did not think of themselves as Republicans or Democrats -- that their political affiliations are fluid.
What drives them, said Paul supporter Hana Bernard from Sacramento, is the sense that their candidate is treated unfairly by the media.
"They're telling us that he can't win," she said. But both she and other supporters point to Technorati and YouTube statistics as evidence that Paul's support is wide and deep -- even though that hasn't translated into support in traditional polling numbers or campaign finance cash.
"He's the most searched for human being on Technorati from May this year apart from Paris Hilton," said Schwartz. "Doesn't that tell you something?"