McCain Irked By Ron Paul the Spoiler

Des Moines, Iowa - GOP presidential candidate John McCain is deeply worried that his resurgent national campaign may be stalled by a relatively strong showing in tonight's Iowa caucuses by the iconoclastic Ron Paul.

The Arizona senator's campaign told the HuffPost that their candidate is concerned that Paul will finish third behind front-runners Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

McCain, whose campaign floundered earlier in the year, has been showing renewed strength in the battle to win the key New Hampshire primary next week. His national numbers have also been rising and one respected poll now has him in first place..

The McCain campaign also gives former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, currently leading the Iowa Republican polls, little chance of surviving New Hampshire even if he scores a clear victory in tonight's caucuses. The fight for the GOP nomination, McCain strategists believe, should be a head-to-head showdown between McCain and Mitt Romney.

A strong showing by Paul tonight could severely damage McCain's overall strategy. McCain is said to be especially irked because the outsider campaign of the Texas Congressman is given little viability on a national scale. But Paul raised $20 million from his fervent supporters in the last quarter of 2007, enough money to act as a spoiler for more mainstream candidates like McCain.

"Ron Paul's like the Joker in a poker game," said one McCain staffer. Paul reportedly dropped three mailers overnight and kicked his phone banks into turbo-mode in an all-out push to make into the final tier of tonight's winners.

Both McCain and Paul are currently tied at about 10% in most polls of likely Iowa caucus-goers. McCain has not actively campaigned in Iowa and skipped last summer's Republican Straw Poll. His visit to the state today just hours before the caucuses was one of his rare campaign trips here.

As Paul greeted his volunteers this morning at his downtown headquarters, the HuffPost asked for the candidate's reaction to McCain's anger: "I'm so excited. I'm excited he's so upset about me."

Comments

[StephenDedalus82]

Good lord do you people have a social life AT ALL?

[joegaz1]

Dont let Mccain fool you like he did to all of us in Arizona, our tails are still sore and he never even kissed us first.....­........

[mikeob]

Isn't McCain's reaction predictable entitlement mentality? McCain often dodges issues and has a Bush-like arrogance and an equally Bush-like penchant for spending our money. Why did McCain duck Iowa and then whine he won't score well. Dr. Paul didn't have time or money until November 5 to even plan a budget for Iowa.

John is the angry towel boy for war merchant neo-cons and vote panderer to special interests from inside the beltway. His record is checkered and his association with the infamous Keating scandal raises almost as many ethical red flags as Romney and Huckabee. McCain is part of the problem and has little to offer for solutions. Can we have an honest man of integrity for one term? Yes, Dr. Ron Paul.

[huffnpuffn]

McCain lost a lot of my respect when he went out on the stump for Bush in 2004. This after all the shenanigans the Bush team pulled in order to win South Carolina in 2000. It was a classic case of joining them after not beating them. Sadly, them was Bush/Cheney.

The rest of my respect for McCain went out the window when he signed on for the surge in Iraq.

I hope Ron Paul thumps him in Iowa and NH. One more war-monger down.

[martinchill]

paul will continue the effort to overturn roe v. wade. he's with the 700 Club/Christian Broadcasting Network crowd, for cryin' out loud.

enuff of that crap in washington, already.

[puzzleman]

anyone votes Ron Paul gets belong to him not any one else. they have a lot of nerve to say that he might steal or siphon votes from other candidates. he and his supporters have had to jump through hoops to get this far. with all the media bias,misinformation and name calling. the man has been exemplary. this is our country and a democratic process is healthier with more people not less. EVERYONE I KNOW IS VOTING FOR HIM AND I DID NOT EVEN CAMPAIGN FOR EXCEPT FOR MY WIFE. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE AS DIVERSE AS YOU CAN GET. GO RON PAUL!

[elr50]

I WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR RON PAUL!!! There is nothing AMERICAN about him or his followers. It is all about ME, not US. It is not about the UNITED States of America. He is just another stupid conservative TEXAN, and haven't we had our fill of those in the last 7years? He is a true conservative who just happens to be anti-war. That is the only thing appealing about this man. His followers are ignorant and scary.

[WelcomeToJamrock]

"Dr. Ron Paul cured my apathy". That statement is spot-on for so many people I know, including myself. Save the Constitution DRP!!

[DRaymond]

Ron Paul's supporters are as quirky and stubborn as their candidate. I have no idea why McCain thinks that they are drawing from him in particular. My guess is that if Paul were not running they would be writing in somebody else.

And to top it off McCain is gumbling that Paul might beat him in Iowa, and yet has done nearly nothing to build support there. It seems like he wants to scapegoat Paul for his own strategy gap in Iowa.

[JSSanders]

McCain is the spoiler, having faded earlier in the year as his only message was more war. Ron Paul has money (unlike McCain) and support because voters are excited by his message.

[jadez]

duh.. Ron Paul is not running as a spoiler.
He is running to win.
Beating crazy mccain in Iowa is just the first step.
Another sad attempt to marginalize Paul and the people who support him and the constitution.

[Listen2me]

When money was the main thing that mattered politicall­y--accordi­ng to the news media's "conventional wisdom"--they discounted Ron Paul's candidacy: no money, therefore not a serious candidate.

When Ron Paul won post-debate polls, they said, accurately, that the polls were unscientific, and falsely, that Dr. Paul's supporters were spamming the polls. And the previously ballyhooed post-debate polls were downplayed and then discontinued.

When Ron Paul began to raise money faster and from more donors than the other GOP candidates, suddenly money didn't matter anymore. Now it was all about the polls---the incessant polls, published about every six hours.

Some of the people who were polled reported: "The polltaker wouldn't mention Ron Paul" or "The polltaker wouldn't let me vote for Ron Paul."

When Ron Paul nevertheless crept up in the polls from nothing to around 8%, he was written off "second-tier," although in several polls he tied with McCain and Fred Thompson, both of whom were invariably treated as "first-tier" candidates by the chattering media chumps.

Ranters like Glenn Beck and O'Reilly aimed their stock-in-trade verbal kidney punches and groin kicks at Dr. Paul.

The response of Paul's backers was to re-double their efforts: in fund donations, in grassroots organizing, and in speaking out (sometimes in shrill outbursts that couldn't have helped their candidate.­)

We'll soon see whether the Ron Paul phenomenon is transferable to actual (rather than virtual) reality. Will my fantasies be realized by the sudden appearance of hitherto unpolled people showing up to caucus in Iowa and vote in New Hampshire?

If Dr. Paul disappoints his fervent followers by "only" attracting around 10% of the early votes---he still has the MONEY. Expect a 50-state drive to scrounge up delegates in unlikely spots.

What if the Paul enthusiasm fizzles down to 5% in Iowa or NH? That might pop his balloon . . . but I don't expect that to happen.

McCain and the rest have wildly underestimated the mild-mannered Texas Congressman who marches to a different drummer. Ron Paul: a long shot but right on target.

[Lulu2008]

As a Black South African
I spend hours searching the internet for soundbites­...I cannot get enough of his message: peace, freedom, liberty, Habeus Corpeus,sound money and most important.­..the Constitution! Dr. Paul's message has reached Europe if not Africa. If I could I would donate/vote!
If you Americans do'nt have the sense to nominate and elect this anomaly/glitch in the political Matrix...a­n honest, principled, priceless politician then you deserve the Patriot Act!
Dr. Paul: "The true minority is the individual" His strict adherence to the constitution makes it impossible for this man to be a racist or enforce his own beliefs on others! How rare is that in politics?!

[Lulu2008]

As a Black South African
I spend hours searching the internet for soundbites­...I cannot get enough of his message: peace, freedom, liberty, Habeus Corpeus,sound money and most important.­..the Constitution! Dr. Paul's message has reached Europe if not Africa. If I could I would donate/vote!
If you Americans do'nt have the sense to nominate and elect this anomaly/glitch in the political Matrix...a­n honest, principled, priceless politician then you deserve the Patriot Act!
Dr. Paul: "The true minority is the individual" His strict adherence to the constitution makes it impossible for this man to be a racist or enforce his own beliefs on others! How rare is that in politics?!

[RobtBrock]

McCain is a Political Pansy.