lx43
10-04-2007, 08:26 PM
Moderately positive article. I wish they would through their full weight to RP.
http://www.cato.org/view_ddispatch.php?viewdate=20071004#2
Rep. Ron Paul disclosed more than $5 million in third-quarter fund raising for his insurgent Republican presidential bid, the only Republican in the field so far to report increased donations," reports The Wall Street Journal. "While the Texas lawmaker remains a second-tier candidate in a party field dominated by the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, his grass-roots campaign continues to build steam, thanks to thousands of small donors over the Internet. ... [Paul's campaign spokesman] said the ranks of Paul supporters include Republicans attracted by his libertarian conservatism and opposition to the Iraq war."
David Boaz, Cato's executive vice president, comments on Ron Paul's fundraising:
"Ron Paul's amazing fundraising success -- with no support from the Republican establishment and little attention from the mainstream media -- is an indication of the wide appeal of his message of constitutionalism, reduced spending, and an end to the Iraq war. In some ways Ron Paul is the antidote for every problem that plagued Republicans in 2006: Voters were tired of Republican corruption, and Ron Paul has never succumbed to the temptations of Washington. They were fed up with overspending, and he's the original anti-spender. They're disillusioned by the seemingly endless war in Iraq, and Ron Paul opposed that war from the beginning. He's appealing to fed-up traditional Republicans and to younger voters who haven't yet been Republicans.
"The fact that he raised $5 million mostly in small donations and over the Internet means two things: that his donors aren't 'maxed out' and could still give more, and that he's reaching a broad range of new contributors, not the standard big donors who have filled the coffers of the leading candidates in both parties.
"Ron Paul isn't likely to be the Republican nominee, but Republican leaders should think about what his surprising appeal is telling them."
In "The Libertarian Vote," David Boaz, Cato's executive vice president, and David Kirby, executive director of America's Future Foundation, write:
"The main theme of political commentary in this decade is polarization. Since the battles over the impeachment of President Clinton and the Florida vote in 2000, pundits have been telling us that we're a country split down the middle, red vs. blue, liberal vs. conservative. Political analysts talk about base motivation and the shrinking of the swing vote. But the evidence says they are wrong.
Not all Americans can be classified as liberal or conservative. For those on the trail of the elusive swing voter, it may be most notable that the libertarian vote shifted sharply in 2004. ... If that trend continues into 2006 and 2008, Republicans will lose elections they would otherwise win. The libertarian vote is in play. At some 13 percent of the electorate, it is sizable enough to swing elections. Pollsters, political strategists, candidates, and the media should take note of it."
http://www.cato.org/view_ddispatch.php?viewdate=20071004#2
Rep. Ron Paul disclosed more than $5 million in third-quarter fund raising for his insurgent Republican presidential bid, the only Republican in the field so far to report increased donations," reports The Wall Street Journal. "While the Texas lawmaker remains a second-tier candidate in a party field dominated by the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, his grass-roots campaign continues to build steam, thanks to thousands of small donors over the Internet. ... [Paul's campaign spokesman] said the ranks of Paul supporters include Republicans attracted by his libertarian conservatism and opposition to the Iraq war."
David Boaz, Cato's executive vice president, comments on Ron Paul's fundraising:
"Ron Paul's amazing fundraising success -- with no support from the Republican establishment and little attention from the mainstream media -- is an indication of the wide appeal of his message of constitutionalism, reduced spending, and an end to the Iraq war. In some ways Ron Paul is the antidote for every problem that plagued Republicans in 2006: Voters were tired of Republican corruption, and Ron Paul has never succumbed to the temptations of Washington. They were fed up with overspending, and he's the original anti-spender. They're disillusioned by the seemingly endless war in Iraq, and Ron Paul opposed that war from the beginning. He's appealing to fed-up traditional Republicans and to younger voters who haven't yet been Republicans.
"The fact that he raised $5 million mostly in small donations and over the Internet means two things: that his donors aren't 'maxed out' and could still give more, and that he's reaching a broad range of new contributors, not the standard big donors who have filled the coffers of the leading candidates in both parties.
"Ron Paul isn't likely to be the Republican nominee, but Republican leaders should think about what his surprising appeal is telling them."
In "The Libertarian Vote," David Boaz, Cato's executive vice president, and David Kirby, executive director of America's Future Foundation, write:
"The main theme of political commentary in this decade is polarization. Since the battles over the impeachment of President Clinton and the Florida vote in 2000, pundits have been telling us that we're a country split down the middle, red vs. blue, liberal vs. conservative. Political analysts talk about base motivation and the shrinking of the swing vote. But the evidence says they are wrong.
Not all Americans can be classified as liberal or conservative. For those on the trail of the elusive swing voter, it may be most notable that the libertarian vote shifted sharply in 2004. ... If that trend continues into 2006 and 2008, Republicans will lose elections they would otherwise win. The libertarian vote is in play. At some 13 percent of the electorate, it is sizable enough to swing elections. Pollsters, political strategists, candidates, and the media should take note of it."