It wasn't long ago that Rep. Ron Paul was an anti-war asterisk in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Then his campaign raised a record $6 million in a single day. Now the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman is looking like a possible spoiler, with an eclectic, tech-savvy following and an astounding $18 million in donations raised in less than three months."It's sort of gotten out of control.
I don't know what to do about it,"
he told one audience recently in mock frustration.
No, he will not be elected. He panders largely to a fringe group of white supremacists and conspiracy theorists. No doubt he is successfully reaching out to a block of voters who would not even participate in a primary were he not running. He is one part scholar, and one part circus side show freak. In one sense, he has appealed to that strange You tube generation who will believe the very worst about this country, a feeling that this country, and more specifically, this administration is capable of carrying out the most bizarre acts in order to push their agenda of world domination. An administration so criminal they would even stage 9/11, a horrific act of terrorism and murder.
That being said, what he has done in his own strange way, is become the first Presidential hopeful to harness the vast potential of the Internet; to spread his message, and most importantly, to raise funds. Reports today are he raised over $10 million over two days, and at a time when even the foggiest eyed romantic can see he doesn't hold a snowballs chance in hell of getting elected.
What he has done is reshaped the election process from now and going forward, into a new Generation X and Y, You tube watching, blog minded process where anyone can get noticed, and raise the capital to fund a campaign, however far fetched.
And so we award our Person of the year award for 2007 to Ron Paul, proof positive you can come out of nowhere and make a play for the highest position in the land. Ron Paul, a man who will forever be an asterisk on American political history, as the first of his generation to truly understand, and harness the power of the Internet for political (and financial) gain.
And so, we leave you with a classic quote to define this man. Classic Ron Paulism...when asked about his success raising money, he said.....
I am surprised," Paul says.
"But I'm disappointed that I am surprised.
Why shouldn't this be a popular message?
Why was I pessimistic?"
"Why do we assume that everybody wants the status quo?
Evidently they don't."
3 comments:
Now that the Green Party has their candidate, Ron Paul will lose some of his conspiracy nuts. The Green Party has ex-Democrat Cynthia McKinney, a 9/11 truther herself. She has appeared on the Alex Jones radio show (as has Ron Paul), and even appeared in a DVD produced by Alex Jones with Ron Paul as well.
"Nuts to the left of us clowns to the right, here we go stuck in the middle again."
Liking Papa more and more
... :-)
Merry Christmas
I can deal with the middle. I think the answers are found in the middle.
You have to wonder how much money is going into running Cynthia Mc Kinney for President? What a complete waste of money.
Speaking of a complete waste of money running for President....I do miss Alan Keyes. And I mean that in a good way. At least with him, you know you are listening to some mentally engaged.
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