Not that you would know it from reading the mainstream press, but the biggest surprise in the early GOP presidential contest has been, hands down, Ron Paul. He placed first in the MSNBC online poll following the first debate at the Reagan Library, and second in the Fox News poll following the debate this week in South Carolina.
Paul’s consistent opposition to pursuing the military action in Iraq without a declaration of war by Congress sets the Texas congressman far apart from the field.
Ron Paul is no isolationist; he’s a non-interventionist. He’s not a pacifist; he’s a constitutionalist. Those are distinct and significant differences lost on much of the GOP electorate at this point. But the fact that front-runner Rudy Giuliani felt it necessary to take after Paul with a cheap shot in South Carolina indicates that Paul’s opponents now see him, his ideas and his consistent limited-government philosophies as a threat to their own campaigns, even if not yet a threat of actually snatching the GOP nomination.
And while Giuliani may have earned himself applause and attention by attacking Paul’s position on the Iraq situation, post-debate coverage hasn’t been so positive for the former Gotham City mayor.
“Rudy Giuliani’s much-publicized but misleading put-down of Ron Paul during Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate should have been tempered by a report that Saudi Arabia, the country that spawned most of the 9/11 hijackers, has been one of Giuliani’s lucrative foreign clients,” writes Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media. “However, Fox News questioners Chris Wallace and Wendell Goler did not bring it up.”
Something tells me Ron Paul just might in a future clash.
For his part, Paul refuses to back down from his position once the heat got turned up a little - a quality seriously lacking in GOP candidates up and down the ballot, from sea to shining sea.
“Giuliani needs to read the 9-11 Report before he accuses me,” Paul told Wolf Blitzer on CNN. “I think he needs to back down. He needs to read the report and come back and apologize to me.”
The interesting thing here is that Paul is scoring points on an issue that simply isn’t his strong suit. If he starts minimizing his focus on Iraq and ratchets up the discussion on the proper, constitutional role of government domestically, he’ll really put the current field of candidates on the defensive.
And unlike the front-runners, Paul’s support isn’t a mile wide and an inch deep, subject to the prevailing winds and circumstances of a brutally long campaign. The intensity of support from Ron Paulites around the country is rock solid and probably won’t be adversely impacted by the entrance of either Fred Thompson or Newt Gingrich in the race, unlike the paper-thin support currently enjoyed by Giuliani, McCain and Romney.
By attacking Paul in the South Carolina debate, Rudy Giuliani gained some cheap applause, but he did Paul a huge favor by bringing added attention to the congressman’s campaign and issues which might have gone unremarked otherwise. More and more people will now take a second and third look at this second-tier candidate and his positions. And that’s a good thing for a Republican Party trying to get its groove back.
Posted on May 17th, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: National
I agree that it brought more attention to Ron Paul, but do you really think that people will listen to what he has to say or are they just going to be waiting for his next screw up?
Intrigued and want to know more? Read what Christopher Ruddy has to say.
Excellent points. I agree, I feel that Rudy did Ron the favor in that debate, not the other way around.
I have been following Ron Paul via his op-eds, website and other published information since 1996. He does his homework and knows where he stands.
The refreshing thing is he isn’t going to spin his answer in an attempt to camouflage his true position on a subject unless the others.
Brilliant post, Charles! I’m sure you cited the MSNBC online poll because they are the best indicators of actual opinion. You are the same guy, of course, that told me a poll with 75% undecided was a good indicator of opinion and I didn’t know what I was talking about. Something about a puddle in a parking lot. Oh yeah, you were wrong on that one too. It’s amazing you’re not running this state.
Congratulations, Ryan. At least you’re consistent. You STILL don’t know what you’re talking about.
Rudy came across as a bumbling idiot in my opinion.
However , Ron I think is too much of a intellectual for most Americans.
The education system has done a great job of dumbing down Americans over the last few decades, so I don’t expect many to understand Ron Paul’s wisdom in a 30second soundbyte.
I could be wrong, and hope that I am.
Well, if not following you in lockstep equals not getting it, count me as perpetually clueless. You cite a self-sampling poll (do you know what that means?) as proof that a guy whose followers are known to game any internet system (Digg, anyone?) to make him look better. Yup, I’m stupid. And you’re about as relevant as that guy who was able to muster up a grand total of 35 letters to a senator. Wait, that was you, too. Chip, it’s not that I have a huge problem with you. It’s that you’re filled with propaganda and when anyone questions you, you run scared with stupid jokes and your minions call them trolls. And interns from legislators’ offices seem to be able to smack you silly when you actually do try to debate. So stop citing online polls like they mean anything, which is what I was saying, or, if you really do believe that poll matters, tell me why instead of telling me I don’t get it. If you can. BTW, is EO dead or something?
Well, we can finally agree. Yes, you are perpetually clueless. Trying to explain politics to you would be like trying to explain quantum physics to my dog. I won’t waste time on either.
It makes me wonder how much better you’d be doing if you actually entered a conversation instead of continuously trying to be funny. I thought that by having a blog you’d treat it bit differently from the newsletter business you ran scared from. My apologies for thinking you were interested in discussion. Keep citing polls that help your cause. Maybe even you’ll believe them and your candidates will continue to get their asses handed to them in elections. We can only hope. Did you eat EO?
Sorry. You trying to explain quantum physics. That one actually is funny.
I’m always happy to have discussions…with people whose opinions I value and respect.
According to this non-self-sampled poll, Ron Paul’s impact isn’t quite what you are saying here:
http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=27598
I can see why you wouldn’t respect it. It makes you look like a fool. Sorry about that.