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View Full Version : How long have you been aware of and supported Ron Paul?




John Taylor
06-30-2010, 04:44 PM
Just a fun little poll to see what kind of supporters we have, oldies, newbies, complete neophytes... the spectrum!

We need 'em all if we're going to restore the constitutionally limited federal republic and a system of laissez faire.

cswake
06-30-2010, 04:52 PM
For reference how two years can change things, I made a similar poll back in 2008:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=79432


Pre-May 2007 26 20.00%
May 2007 16 12.31%
June 2007 16 12.31%
July 2007 8 6.15%
August 2007 6 4.62%
September 2007 14 10.77%
October 2007 22 16.92%
November 2007 12 9.23%
December 2007 8 6.15%
January 2008 2 1.54%

Kotin
06-30-2010, 04:52 PM
Mid 2007

heavenlyboy34
06-30-2010, 04:53 PM
Early-Mid 07 for me too.

John Taylor
06-30-2010, 04:53 PM
For reference how two years can change things, I made a similar poll back in 2008:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=79432


Pre-May 2007 26 20.00%
May 2007 16 12.31%
June 2007 16 12.31%
July 2007 8 6.15%
August 2007 6 4.62%
September 2007 14 10.77%
October 2007 22 16.92%
November 2007 12 9.23%
December 2007 8 6.15%
January 2008 2 1.54%

Very interesting graph! Thanks!

John Taylor
06-30-2010, 04:54 PM
I first came in contact with him at a FEE dinner in the early '90s, and was thrilled when he ran for Congress again in 1996!

QueenB4Liberty
06-30-2010, 04:54 PM
June 2008.

someperson
06-30-2010, 05:00 PM
The ideas, many years ago; Dr. Paul himself, from Aravoth's great videos in 2007 :)

MRoCkEd
06-30-2010, 05:02 PM
mid-late 07

MsDoodahs
06-30-2010, 05:12 PM
Around 1998 - 2000 ish.

Agorism
06-30-2010, 05:23 PM
You should add on since November 5th, 2007 and the Teaparty money bomb.

John Taylor
06-30-2010, 05:26 PM
You should add on since November 5th, 2007 and the Teaparty money bomb.

Nice catch, I should have allowed for greater delineation between various stages of the 2007-2008 campaign!

Number19
06-30-2010, 05:33 PM
He was in my Mom's and Dad's House District 22 and as a young man, I was aware of and supported his politics, although I was either in Austin or Houston at the time. Joining the LP in 1979, I supported his '88 presidential campaign. In '89, I moved into Brazoria County and was the LP candidate for District 14 in '96. After winning his primary, and in a tight race against his Democrat opponent, Ron contacted me and asked me to withdraw and endorse his campaign. After polling Libertarians in the district, I threw the LP support to Ron. At the time, Libertarian candidates typically drew about 3% in District 14. Ron won that race 51% to 48%.

2young2vote
06-30-2010, 05:45 PM
Based on the current numbers, it would seem that one out of every 4 people on the forums found out about him AFTER the campaign and election. This is quite interesting i must say.

paulitics
06-30-2010, 05:54 PM
The very first debate for me.

JenH88
06-30-2010, 06:07 PM
Sept 07...

these kind of polls show EXACTLY why Ron must run again.. education..

molly_pitcher
06-30-2010, 06:07 PM
Late in 07, discovered the forums in early 08 (^_^)

djdellisanti4
06-30-2010, 06:13 PM
He was in my Mom's and Dad's House District 22 and as a young man, I was aware of and supported his politics, although I was either in Austin or Houston at the time. Joining the LP in 1979, I supported his '88 presidential campaign. In '89, I moved into Brazoria County and was the LP candidate for District 14 in '96. After winning his primary, and in a tight race against his Democrat opponent, Ron contacted me and asked me to withdraw and endorse his campaign. After polling Libertarians in the district, I threw the LP support to Ron. At the time, Libertarian candidates typically drew about 3% in District 14. Ron won that race 51% to 48%.

Wow, so without you dropping out there could have been no Revolution. Great story.

malkusm
06-30-2010, 06:13 PM
Wow. The results of this poll are awesome - shows what an amazing impact his campaign had in 2008, and what potential a 2012 run has to educate even more people.

djdellisanti4
06-30-2010, 06:13 PM
He was in my Mom's and Dad's House District 22 and as a young man, I was aware of and supported his politics, although I was either in Austin or Houston at the time. Joining the LP in 1979, I supported his '88 presidential campaign. In '89, I moved into Brazoria County and was the LP candidate for District 14 in '96. After winning his primary, and in a tight race against his Democrat opponent, Ron contacted me and asked me to withdraw and endorse his campaign. After polling Libertarians in the district, I threw the LP support to Ron. At the time, Libertarian candidates typically drew about 3% in District 14. Ron won that race 51% to 48%.

Wow, so without you dropping out there could have been no Ron Paul Revolution. Great story.


Based on the current numbers, it would seem that one out of every 4 people on the forums found out about him AFTER the campaign and election. This is quite interesting i must say.

The revolution is growing!

GunnyFreedom
06-30-2010, 06:24 PM
no option for "since early 2007 well before the first debate" when someone suggested I look into Ron Paul because he was saying the exact same things that I was already saying everywhere I went, only I was talking in platforms and principles instead of candidates. :D

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find a candidate for POTUS that was dam near my doppelganger politically speaking :D

ETA -- February-ish 2007. I'll go ahead and mark the 2007 answer, because it's the closest, but it actually indicates a period 6 months AFTER I learned about him

tangent4ronpaul
06-30-2010, 06:32 PM
Around 1998 - 2000 ish.

Same here.

-t

rancher89
06-30-2010, 06:36 PM
no option for "since early 2007 well before the first debate" when someone suggested I look into Ron Paul because he was saying the exact same things that I was already saying everywhere I went, only I was talking in platforms and principles instead of candidates. :D

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find a candidate for POTUS that was dam near my doppelganger politically speaking :D

ETA -- February-ish 2007. I'll go ahead and mark the 2007 answer, because it's the closest, but it actually indicates a period 6 months AFTER I learned about him

Ditto for me as well, he had yet to do a televised debate....

tangent4ronpaul
06-30-2010, 06:39 PM
Wow. The results of this poll are awesome - shows what an amazing impact his campaign had in 2008, and what potential a 2012 run has to educate even more people.

What's also interesting is if you go to SNS's that aren't about politics and search on his name, you get a lot of matches for "End the Fed" in peoples important / favorite book lists.

-t

silus
06-30-2010, 06:51 PM
Sometimes its hard on this forum to distinguish the Obama haters from the liberty lovers.

GunnyFreedom
06-30-2010, 06:56 PM
Sometimes its hard on this forum to distinguish the Obama haters from the liberty lovers.

& what if someone is both?

Acala
06-30-2010, 07:01 PM
Voted for him in 1988. And really happy to see how many of us are new to the study of liberty. What the Good Doctor has done is amazing. And even though I have been a student of liberty for a long time I have learned an amazing amount during this last campaign and after.

This just hit me: In terms of shear numbers and depth of knowledge among the awakened, Ron Paul must be the greatest educator on the philosophy of liberty the world has ever known. Think about that.

silus
06-30-2010, 07:09 PM
& what if someone is both?
You can't be both. Either you understand the president is the product of a system and you see through the superficiality of it all, or you act like an ignorant fuck and channel your anger and frustration at one man, with the subconscious suggestion, deep in the back of your head, that things would be better if someone else was elected.

Not that I needed to type all that. Ron Paul is the perfect example that people seem to completely overlook. If all of us took his example we would get a lot further. Hate does not help him, how do you think it would help his supporters?? He operates completely above these useless emotional, personality conflicts that everyone else gets caught up in.

libertybrewcity
06-30-2010, 07:25 PM
I started watching the youtube videos around June 2008. Unfortunately, I voted for McCain to stop Obama. Never again. I was too late to volunteer in Ron's campaign and am disappointed with myself everyday.

cindy25
06-30-2010, 07:38 PM
I remember reading about him in a newsletter from either Doug Casey or Gary North in the late 70s

someperson
06-30-2010, 07:39 PM
Not that I needed to type all that. Ron Paul is the perfect example that people seem to completely overlook. If all of us took his example we would get a lot further. Hate does not help him, how do you think it would help his supporters?? He operates completely above these useless emotional, personality conflicts that everyone else gets caught up in.
+1 to this :)

klamath
06-30-2010, 07:48 PM
Texas Delegation Republican convention 1976 when I first heard of RP. I didn't know a person could blow a horn for 45 minutes straight.

molly_pitcher
06-30-2010, 10:13 PM
Texas Delegation Republican convention 1976 when I first heard of RP. I didn't know a person could blow a horn for 45 minutes straight.

I don't know this story...

Fozz
06-30-2010, 10:49 PM
Since 2008, the summer before the election.

klamath
06-30-2010, 10:53 PM
I don't know this story...
The texas delegation brought horns to the convention to signal their support for Reagan. On a floor demostration after Reagans name was put up for nomination they blew those damned horns for 45 minutes straight. If I ever get a chance to meet RP it will be the first thing I will ask him about. It made quite an impression on a 14 year old boy.

BuddyRey
06-30-2010, 10:55 PM
I only saw him for the first time in the first Republican debate (around April or May of '07), but even before that, there was buzz about him on Prisonplanet and other alternative news sites.

RM918
06-30-2010, 11:28 PM
Like most here apparently, 2007 with the debates.

Michigan11
06-30-2010, 11:29 PM
Voted for him in 1988. And really happy to see how many of us are new to the study of liberty. What the Good Doctor has done is amazing. And even though I have been a student of liberty for a long time I have learned an amazing amount during this last campaign and after.

This just hit me: In terms of shear numbers and depth of knowledge among the awakened, Ron Paul must be the greatest educator on the philosophy of liberty the world has ever known. Think about that.

I feel you on that last sentence. Sometimes I feel it's fate or something..

In 93' when I was in my first year in a private but now university, Northwood University, Midland, Michigan. I had a professor, a Dr. Dale Haywood who was teaching austrian economics, in a freshman level class. It was called American Philosophy, but none of us knew what the term was or what it was we were learning. We were all perplexed, very intrigued, and discussed this professor's points after class often, it never left your mind - the points made in class.

This brilliant professor was involved with the Mackinaw Economic Conference and much more, he recently passed in 06', he was older, but I never knew why or what the purpose was I was learning until I came across Ron Paul's primary run in 07'. Since then it all came together, the stories of buying gold/silver to beat inflation, the federal reserve and all.

Strange how life works. Now I'm here, much money spent but much knowledge gained from the likes of minds here in this forum and this movement. :)

Knightskye
06-30-2010, 11:30 PM
The ideas, many years ago; Dr. Paul himself, from Aravoth's great videos in 2007 :)

Likewise. I found out about him in late July, 2007.

I was looking for Obama videos, because I watched that clip of him in 2002 predicting everything that eventually happened in Iraq. So, then I was searching for more Obama videos and stumbled upon "Stop Dreaming" and my head exploded.

Ron Paul 2008! :D

MR2Fast2Catch
06-30-2010, 11:38 PM
You should add on since November 5th, 2007 and the Teaparty money bomb.

Yeah that was when I first heard of him, or first saw him on TV. I didn't become a supporter until December of '07 though.

Bergie Bergeron
06-30-2010, 11:43 PM
Where's the option: because of the blimp? :D

bunklocoempire
06-30-2010, 11:44 PM
Daily Show, first one in '07.

Run Ron Run!!


Bunkloco

Anti Federalist
06-30-2010, 11:47 PM
I recall his appearence(s ?) on the old Morton Downey Jr. show.

Have been following him closely since his 1996 re-election and his frequent interviews with Alex Jones.

Roxi
07-01-2010, 12:28 AM
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/memberlist.php?order=ASC&sort=joindate&pp=30

kinda cool too :)

Promontorium
07-01-2010, 01:10 AM
The first I heard of him was making Giuliani cry during a debate. But it took my friend really pushing him for me to take notice. I remember, just to end the discussion I said to my friend "well unless he wants to get rid of all the departments, the FBI, and the CIA I don't care." then my friend said some crazy shit...


...funny thing though, when I'd brag to other people "he'd shut down the FBI and CIA" people didn't quite respond the same way.

Kregisen
07-01-2010, 01:15 AM
I'm really surprised only 14% of people here have become supporters of him since the 2008 election...I thought there was a higher percentage of us than that.

muh_roads
07-01-2010, 01:17 AM
This is why Paul should run again. Even if he doesn't win, the massive awakening is all good.

BuddyRey
07-01-2010, 01:24 AM
this is why paul should run again. Even if he doesn't win, the massive awakening is all good.

+1776!

RokiLothbard
07-01-2010, 02:29 AM
I think I donated some money to his 96 campaign at the urging of Lew Rockwell. But I'm not actually sure.

bricklayer
07-01-2010, 03:07 AM
I'm another pre-debate 2007 person. I started reading Newsbusters.org around June, 2006 (I know, I know, neo-con site, blah blah). Another user on the site (sarcasmo) was consistently pointing out anti-libertarian bias to the neo-cons, and began linking to RP-related media pretty heavily in early 2007. I think the first video I saw of RP was a speech he gave in somebody's house, probably around the time of the exploratory committee.

Edit: I wasn't far off. The video was of a fundraiser speech he gave in Phoenix on March 30, 2007. YouTube - Ron Paul Phoenix Fundraiser Speech 3-30-2007 Part 1 of 6 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcRN1XUxQVc)

BuddyRey
07-01-2010, 05:08 AM
//

Natalie
07-01-2010, 09:15 AM
I voted for "Since 2007 when I heard him thundering for liberty in the debates!!" But I had known about him since before that. My libertarian dad told me about him when I was 16 or 17 and I was all like "There are no libertarians in Congress. They don't have a chance!" Then when I was 19 I moved to Galveston, which is in his district. I voted for Ron Paul (for Congress!) the first time I ever voted.

It was a little after that first debate (when I was 20) that I decided to join a Ron Paul meetup. I had never volunteered for anything before! It was so fun!

ItsTime
07-01-2010, 09:16 AM
In 2007 but before the debates?

MelissaWV
07-01-2010, 09:50 AM
These polls are always fun :)

Bear in mind that any results would also need to have age (separate poll) taken into consideration. It would be difficult for some members to have heard about him back in the 1980s, for isntance ;) They weren't born!

Slutter McGee
07-01-2010, 09:56 AM
about 05. started reading roll call votes in the paper for Texas congressman, and was wondering who the man was who always voted no. Became a supporter before he ran for president. I read a column by Walter Williams praising him as the only man in Congress the founding fathers would talk to. I looked him up more, and became a supporter.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

mczerone
07-01-2010, 09:57 AM
In 2007 but before the debates?

Same here. Had voted libertarian before, but never heard of Ron Paul until Doug Stanhope (comedian) tried to run and was shot down by SEC rules, at which point he recommended Paul.

Thank you Ron Paul for introducing me to LRC and Mises.org!

ChaosControl
07-01-2010, 10:06 AM
Beginning of 2007.

Was turning Libertarian in 2006, I can remember since I was looking more at the libertarian senate candidate than the republican one, although I still bought into the lesser of two evils at that point.

John Taylor
07-01-2010, 03:02 PM
These polls are always fun :)

Bear in mind that any results would also need to have age (separate poll) taken into consideration. It would be difficult for some members to have heard about him back in the 1980s, for isntance ;) They weren't born!

True, I should have made more options breaking 2007-2008 up into more categories!

lester1/2jr
07-01-2010, 03:07 PM
ron who?

Tend yer biscuits.
07-01-2010, 04:18 PM
Spring 08 via the article in my sig.

MN Patriot
07-01-2010, 06:35 PM
I had been hearing about the Libertarian Party in the 80's, and read about Ron Paul's nomination for the LP presidential candidate, then I saw him on Morton Downey J:

YouTube - Ron Paul on Trash TV, 1988 - Pt. 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHB2I83_N_k&feature=related)

The most pathetic part is when Mort threatens to snuff his cigarette out in Ron's eye.

Akus
07-01-2010, 07:00 PM
I didn't vote because none of those apply to me.

I became aware of RP from listening to Neil Boortz on periodic basis. At the time I thought Neil Boortz was a libertarian and constitutionalist. My views on NB changed, but my views on RP haven't. His his approval with Libertarian party was a lithmus test for me, much like Ron Paul's approval of a candidate is a lithmus test for that candidate.

BuddyRey
07-01-2010, 09:26 PM
These are all great stories. Keep 'em coming, y'all!

Knightskye
07-01-2010, 10:54 PM
I'm really surprised only 14% of people here have become supporters of him since the 2008 election...I thought there was a higher percentage of us than that.

It's 14% of those who were polled.

Don't make me embed Penn Jillettes anti-poll tirade.