Ron Paul Roundup (12-17-07)
by RS Davis

Continuation...

Okay, moving on. The Houston Chronicle is writing about Paul's fundraising prowess:

  • Not only has Paul been successful, said Corrado, he does it as he "breaks all the rules of presidential fundraising."

    He said Paul hasn't relied on a network of high powered fundraisers to collect large donations, as many of the top candidates such as Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Clinton have. Rather, Corrado said, Paul has "harnessed the power of the Internet," to bring in large sums of money from small donors.

    Unlike Paul, the other candidates do not release up-to-date money totals. The fourth quarter fundraising figures do not have to be submitted to the Federal Election Commission until the middle of next month.

    But Charles Black, a consultant to Sen. John McCain's campaign, conceded that the Arizona GOP senator's fundraising has not been keeping pace with Paul's this quarter. Black said many of the more prominent candidates raised much of their money earlier in the year and their major contributors have already donated the maximum allowed by law.


The Kansas City Star wrote about our man's base of support:

  • "Google Ron Paul."

    That message plastered across roadside signs and bumper stickers summarizes the up-from- the-bottom, Facebook-friendly, meetup.com-driven, blimp-launching campaign of the anti-war Texan crashing the Republican Party presidential race.

    The message is clear and subtle: Don't wait for the mainstream media or the backroom pols to introduce you; look the guy up yourself.

    Rep. Ron Paul and his way-outside-the-box politics are the underground sensation of the early White House campaign season. He's a candidate almost made more attractive by his pitiful poll numbers. The old guy is fresh, reviving small "l" libertarian ideas in a 21st-century world populated by significant numbers who like their politics do-it-yourself.


The Washington Post is also talking about Paul:

  • As the holiday season approaches, Texas congressman Ron Paul sends "Season's Greetings" to his supporters in what has turned into one of the top Republican online videos of the week, according to TechPresident.com, which keeps a close eye on presidential candidate YouTube traffic.

    "Looking like a captive in his own home, Ron Paul wishes us a happy holiday. With a shot of about 750 people lining the staircase of his house, a sloppy sound mix, and weird dissolves, the video is a fitting yuletide message from the homespun Paul campaign," writes the site's Joshua Levy.


And here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZPCWGtIupE

The Bellingham Herald is writing about Ron Paul, and how a divided base could work in his favor:

  • Many Republicans are having a hard time seeing Paul as a Republican candidate, because of his many Libertarian, or what some are referring to as "Constitutionalist," stances on issues. He also once sought the White House as a Libertarian.

    In other years, it might not matter that Paul supporters are coming to meetings, said Chet Dow, Whatcom GOP chairman.

    This year Republicans can't coalesce on a favorite candidate, Dow said, and Paul isn't even close to the top of the list.


In Pennsylvania, the Times Leader is talking about the local Ron Paul rally:

  • They could have been finishing their Christmas shopping in the warm confines of the nearby Wyoming Valley Mall. Instead they stood in sub-freezing temperatures along Kidder Street on Saturday trying to convince motorists to join them in their support of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.

    More than a dozen members of the Luzerne County chapter of the Ron Paul Meetup.com group held homemade signs in their gloved hands.

    Many passing motorists honked and gave a thumbs-up to show their support of the bundled up campaigners' efforts.


The Los Angeles Times has a nice piece on Trevor Lyman:

  • Trevor Lyman is unshaven, wearing a T-shirt and jeans and sitting at the dining table of his rented home. Scattered around him are a one-pound bag of M&Ms, liter-size bottles of soda and a box of Frosted Flakes -- the cereal accounts for his recommended daily allowance of vitamins.

    Lyman doesn't look the part of political fat cat. But as he monitors his laptop, money rolls in. Most comes in small increments. In a testament to the power of the Internet as a political tool, the nickels and dimes amount to hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars.

    It is all for his hero, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, the libertarian-Republican presidential candidate who has raised more than $10 million in the last few weeks but has yet to hit double digits in the polls.

    The 2008 presidential contest is breaking fundraising records. Hedge-fund moguls, Hollywood titans, oil billionaires and the like deliver much of the money.


American Chronicle thinks McCain may have signalled the serious threat Ron Paul poses:

  • Ron Paul received an unexpected credibility boost in his presidential run when Senator John McCain dropped an "H-bomb" on him in last week's debates. Not a real H-bomb, of course, though Bomber John surely pines to have his finger on that trigger.

    I refer here to the rhetorical H-bomb, the gratuitous reference to Hitler in any political debate through any of the many variations on the reductio ad Hitlerum logical fallacy. Politicians who toss H-bombs make a strong argument for bringing back the vaudevillian hook, but McCain's fling here is more interesting for his having done it at all than for its accuracy.


Well, you know how I feel about gambling oddsmakers and their accuracy, so you'll know how this story from Gambling911.com made me feel:

  • Online gambling site Bodog Life, which for some time now has featured 2008 US Presidential candidate with double digit odds, now has Ron Paul with second best odds among Republicans to become the next President, only after Rudy Giuliani. Despite Mike Huckabee's huge poll showing in recent weeks, he had only 9-1 odds. In another shocker, Bodog Life becomes the first online gambling site to move Hillary Clinton back down into the plus side with 4-1 odds or a potential payout of $4 for every $1 bet.

    "For anyone who thinks Hillary Clinton will become the next President of the United States, as many people do, these are the best odds in well over nine months," commented Gambling911.com Senior Editor, Payton O'Brien, who discussed the Hillary Clinton campaign and her odds of winning in the September issue of Chief Executive Magazine.

Planet Chiropractic had this to say:

  • Don't expect to read an article like this in the mainstream media. In the past three months internet supporters of 2008 presidential hopeful Ron Paul have worked tirelessly to push the Texas congressman's website into the status of most popular among all those in the race for the 2008 US presidency. Had I not performed the research and recorded the data back in September of 2007, I may not have believed what I discovered today, people are increasingly becoming addicted to the Ron Paul Revolution.


USADaily is reporting that some top conservatives in Jersey have endorsed Ron Paul:

  • Dr. Murray Sabrin emceed the Monument Park rally on this anniversary of the Bill of Rights (1791). New Jersey was the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights on November 20, 1789.

    Assemblyman Mike Doherty who has endorsed Ron Paul for President and introduced him at the Philadelphia rally last month gave an impassioned talk about why Ron is the best candidate for president. Ron Paul, Doherty pointed out, will protect U.S. borders, abolish the income tax, cut unnecessary and unconstitutional spending, defend the U.S. dollar, and protect U.S. sovereignty.

    Ron Paul appears to be gaining ground in New Jersey which is considered Giuliani country.


Libertarian Scott at The Nolan Chart wrote about how Dr Paul makes him feel:

  • Ron Paul got under my skin about three months ago and is crawling around under there like an unfulfilled dream. His ideas shoot up my spine like profoundly simple thoughts sometimes do.

    Thoughts that resonate, like "honor", "honesty" and "love".

    Simple thoughts that cut through the crusty exterior of this crusty carpenter and actually make me weepy.

    Don't tell anybody this, but this 260 pound, calloused and hardened man will drip a tear or two watching so many variant people being moved by Ron Paul's simple, but profound notions. When I watch the man himself stand up against his detractors, I swell with juju pride. When I see his supporters create money bombs and blimps out of thin air, I get all lumpy in the throat. There is something stirring in this great nation, and our America is rumbling like a hungry tummy.


At the same site, libertarian Walt Theissen is waxing sentimental, too:

  • One of the most staggeringly incredible things about the Ron Paul Revolution is how it has come together so spontaneously and so easily, how so many people have seemingly emerged out of the woodwork, out of nowhere, and come together to support their candidate. I have to confess that I never thought that such a thing would happen during my lifetime. That it has happened and is happening is a marvel.

    I recently borrowed a book from the local library which was recommended by a fellow libertarian. It's called The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, and it was published one year ago. It's one of those Oprah Winfrey books, a recommendation that is usually enough to make me want to stay away. It's also one of those books on positive thinking, which is enough to make many rational people groan, roll their eyes, and try to change the subject as quickly as possible. If that describes you, I urge you to stop reading this article, because you won't like the rest of it.

    If you're still reading this article, then I'm going to assume that you are at least open to the possibility of what positive thinking can do for the Ron Paul campaign.


Finally, The Newark Advocate wrote about Paul and national defense:

  • Many years ago President Ronald Reagan said Ron Paul was one of the outstanding leaders of our country, fighting for a stronger national defense.

    As a former Air Force officer, he knew well the needs of our armed forces, and he had always put them first. Today, as Paul serves his 10th term in the U.S. House, his feelings have not changed one bit. However, he is totally against our involvement in Iraq because it is a no-win situation costing us thousands of lives for a war that is basically unconstitutional, because it is being fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress.


So, I know this was a long one. Did you jump to the end to see Liv? Oh, okay, I would have, too. Just go back and read the whole thing when you're done, okay?

http://www.metacafe.com/w/977016