"New Year's Eve Rallies Make The News" thread

[Troyhand]

If you guys want to have all the media articles about the New Year's Eve rallies for Ron Paul in one place, might as well start here.
First up...
Lancaster PA Intelligencer Journal
http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/214456


Ron Paul supporters rally in Lancaster city
By DAVE PIDGEON, Staff
Intelligencer Journal

Published: Jan 01, 2008 12:04 AM EST

LANCASTER, Pa. - Lancaster County supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul can't vote for him during the Iowa caucuses this week.

They can and did, however, rally along West King Street Monday afternoon in support of the Texas congressman, hoping to spread his conservative message to New Year's Eve traffic passing through Penn Square.

"We're looking to achieve more people understanding Ron Paul's message," said Paul volunteer Lisa Armellino, 27, of Lancaster, who organized the rally.

About 30 people bundled up for the chilly air held placards touting either Paul's campaign or his platform, particularly his stances on taxes and foreign policy.

Paul supports abolishing the income tax, and he wants to bring American troops home not only from the Middle East but from Europe, Korea and the rest of the world.

Part of Paul's argument is drastic cuts in maintaining military personnel overseas would help drop the government's demand for tax revenue.

For Armellino, though, Paul's appeal goes beyond his platform.

"Ron Paul as a person has good values, he's firm, he believes in the Constitution," she said. "And he believes every human being deserves freedom. We don't like to be owned."

Paul's no rookie in presidential politics. He was the Libertarian Party's nominee in the 1988 campaign.

Although he represents Texas' 14th Congressional District, Paul is a native Pennsylvanian, having been born near Pittsburgh and graduating from Gettysburg College. He earned a medical degree in obstetrics from Duke University School of Medicine.

While Paul has outraised every other GOP presidential candidate since October, adding $19 million to his coffers, he's lagging behind in voter polls taken in early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.

Pennsylvania's primary isn't until April, but before then, the Republican nominee will likely emerge.

Armellino said she's certain Paul will emerge as the GOP nominee in the 2008 election.

"He's done extremely well," she said. "All of my friends are voting for him. Everybody I know on MySpace is voting for him. Everybody I know in the United States is voting for him."

Locally, Paul supporters or those wanting more information can visit ronpaul.meetup.com/926.

E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com

[Troyhand]

Next Article....
The Olympian - Washington State


http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/314242.html


Paul backers take to Olympia streets
Diane Huber
The Olympian

OLYMPIA — About 40 supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul marched through downtown Olympia on Monday to raise awareness about the Texas congressman.

Marchers from throughout South Sound represented all parties and age groups, from college students to retirees to families pushing strollers. They carried signs and chanted as they marched to the Capitol.

"Who's going to end the war on drugs? Who's going to restore our constitution? Who are we going to vote for?" Randy Turner of Lacey yelled into a megaphone while the crowd responded "Ron Paul!"

The Olympia rally was one of 75 planned in cities nationwide, including in Seattle, Spokane and Portland. Paul has received $164,000 from Washington residents, ranking him seventh for campaign contributions in the state, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama ranked first, with $1.1 million in contributions.

Marchers cited a number of reasons for their support of Paul, including his anti-war and anti-intervention stance and his constitutionalist and limited-government philosophy.

"He believes that the constitution stands for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We're seeing those rights slowly erode," said Mike Potter, a small-business owner from Puyallup.

He cited the Patriot Act as an example of a violation of citizens' rights.

He and others said they had been apathetic about politics until learning about Paul. Some said it was their first time donating to a campaign.

"There never are quality candidates out there. Finally, Ron Paul is somebody worth his salt," said Ryan Bareither, a student at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. "The reason I like Ron Paul is because he's anti-war, he's honest, he's got a consistent voting record. ... I think Ron Paul would put us back in a positive light in the eyes of the world."

Others said Paul is ethical with strong family values.

Christiane Turlington of DuPont brought her children, ages 4, 3 and 8 months. She supports Paul mainly for his promise to bring troops home from the Middle East.

"My husband's already gone to Iraq for a year, and I don't want him to go back," she said. "I've got friends who've been in IED blasts, and they'll never be the same. ... I don't see that it's worth it."