Ron Paul is the New Howard Dean

It is now clear that Congressman Ron Paul has the strongest Internet movement out of all the current presidential candidates. His online supporters flexed their muscles on Tuesday, raising over $4 million for the libertarian's long-shot campaign. It was a record-breaking haul -- far more than celebrity Republicans like Giuliani have raised in a day -- but it's not just about money. Paul has gingerly filled a huge political void in his party's primary while embracing ideas bubbling up from activists. He is the Howard Dean of 2008.

In the November 5th effort, activists blended anarchist history and the 2005 "V for Vendetta" movie to organize a counterculture political holiday. It's the kind of zany idea that volunteers might dream up over beers after a day of door-knocking. A fundraising campaign built on a passé film and a European terrorist sounds like it would never get off the ground, let alone earn cooperation from the official campaign. Yet like Dean in 2004, "Paul is running a loosely-controlled campaign that freely shares attention with its base, and thus benefits from all kinds of self-organizing energies from below," explains Micah Sifry, a longtime observer of web activism and third party politics (for TechPresident and The Nation).

Just as the campaign's strategy is animated by actual supporters, Paul's positions reflect the views of actual, conservative voters who have been neglected by the Republican establishment. Apart from Dean, all the major 2004 Democratic presidential candidates initially ignored the antiwar community. Likewise, today's GOP candidates support Bush on Iraq, even though 35% of Republicans do not. It's the same dynamic on the constitution -- Republicans get to choose between Romney's plans to "Double Gitmo" or Giuliani's paranoid neo-fascism. Ron Paul offers better choices. And like Dean, his biggest impact may come by nudging his clueless rivals to embrace their constituents' priorities.

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Ari Melber writes for The Nation, where this post first appeared. Check out The Nation's Campaign Blog for more news and commentary.

Comments

[novowel4me]

Ron Paul has some attraction at the moment because he is obviously speaking from his convictions, there is no apparent subterfuge. His war views are something a lot of people can live with. If he ever became a real candidate, then these folks would have to look at what else he stands for. The idea of him as a Ralph Nader candidate for the Republicans is appealing.

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

No, Ron Paul is the new Dr. Seuss of US politics offering quaint, simplistic solutions to very complex problems. Remember: 'An elephant is faithful 100%'!

[MagisterLudi]

NO, RON PAUL IS THE OLD ROSS PEROT.. BUT WITHOUT ANY MONEY OR VOTES.

[mexgulf]

I was a huge Dean supporter in 2004.
But a couple of things happened to Dean on the way to the primaries. First, his field team in Iowa was clueless. They spent millions on TV and media and dinners and fluff when foot soldiers and door to door activism would have produced better results (Iowa is a ground war aftert name recognition is solidified). A candidate should let Iowa political operatives run Iowa and not bring in outsiders who are clueless to Iowa political realities. Secondly, Sharpton was funded wholely by Republican money and his assignment was to snarl Dean at every chance - he did manage to make Dean look foolish in a few debates and undermine black support. Then Gephart attacked from the other side and wounded Dean as well right before the primary. Gephart retired after he performed his "stop Dean" charade.

But the true nail in the coffin came when the press hounded Dean for a yell that was turned into something that only the media and a propoganda machine can dream up - they made him look crazy and unstable. The sheeple did what they were told and did not support Dean - end of candidacy.

Ron Paul may not be as easy to take out because of the total outrage of the American people at this time. Problem is, most are not Republicans. Paul needs to spend that new found $$ on media for name recognition. The Republican party is now saying you can't be in the December, Fox News debate in Iowa if you pull under a 5% average in national polls.
If Paul somehow manages to get in the debate, with previous TV ads and some name and face time on the talking head shows, he could have a shot at winning. Iowans are an independent group of hard working middle class people. Paul is a perfect candidate for them, just like Dean was.

The crosshairs on Paul's back got a little bigger this week. He will need all the foot soldiers he can muster to out flank the establishment. I wish him the best.

[Joe23]

Hello, Kucinich is against the war and has been from day 1. He introduced HR333 to impeach Cheney. Ron Paul, zip on that. Kucinich is for one payer universal health care. Ron Paul doesn't give a chit about health care. You're on your own.

[Galvestonians for Dr. Ron Paul]

I really do not think Ron has followed our climate crisis the way he should....
I know this is the number two issue to most people, but he has not studied the issue.
I believe this is a major setback. I agree with you and have waited for someone to comment, but no one ever has until now.
They chose to throw slanders and racist remarks but always fail to see a "true" issue.
How typical.

Anyway, Ron Is extremely educated. A Doctor, in fact. An author of several books over the years, and a politician. People paint him as a stupid congressman from Texas. True most of his constituents do not understand him, but they trust him...I think it is an educational gap in Galveston and Texas in general. Either way,
When he does not know what to do about energy, he will not go to the energy companies. He will go to the experts, like he has on everything else.
He will probably pass this issue to the VP, who ever that may be.(enter DK, nerds stick together!)
I think Ron will admit he has had his hands full with this constitution business and keeping the Fed at bay, but I think he will admit he has not done enough on Global warming and will commit to do better.
He is this type.
He is not stubborn and he knows the peoples issues are his issues. This is his job.
He takes his oath very seriously...
To protect from ALL enemies, foreign and domestic.

Just tell him the climate is attacking our right to breathe and he will go ballistic.

It would be like a pack of starving wolverines on Misanthropes ass in winter in the California mountains.

A true sight to behold!
:)

[geobushono]

I understand what Ron Paul is about.......I am a Progressive Democrat and it's clear to me MY Party is still pandering, not just to the right, but to the worst elements of the right.

I've been voting since '64....straight ticket Democrat since '68......I get it......if we're going to have a conservative President, at least I'm going to vote for the only candidate who wants to BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW.

Ron Paul is looking better every day.
....and these are long days for Rep. Conyers to tell me he's working on 'other' business and can't get to Kucinich's Bill to Impeach cheney.

[thedirtman]

Libertarianism will never work until all costs can be worked into their calculations. Currently, there are no costs in the calculations to corporations that require the security of government in transportation and distribution. There are no costs to corporations that spread pollution. There are no costs to corporations that violate safety standards for their workers. There are no costs for labor violations, and so on.

You can't have a nation that works strictly on deals and all the deals are dishonest.

I'm voting for Bill Richardson. He will give the corporations an honest deal while working for you to protect security, the environment, human rights, and safety. I won't accept compromises - fair deal or no deal.

[Herrington]

As much as I respect Paul"s calling bullshit on his intra-party rivals over the Iraq occupation, I still can"t drink the Kool-Aid. The whole libertarian panacea of small government ignores the issue of efficiencies of scale. Now come on, if you have fifty states administering a government program, you have nearly fifty times as much bureaucracy and fifty times the likelihood of corruption. Honestly, the advocacy of local control for everything short of national defense is just cry baby frustration at not being able to influence the course of government through legislative process.

If there are issues of primacy in states rights they are founded in the difference between states, geographic, climactic, and social, they can be argued in the halls of an open and just government. If on the other hand you play the pawn of the people that despise government as a competitor for dominion over you, then you help create the conditions under which your voice on truly local issues cannot be heard.

Small government is one thing and responsive, responsible government is entirely a different matter.

[meese]

Folks that are intrigued by Ron Paul need to google for the "Ron Paul Political Report", a newsletter that Ron Paul used to put out. While he has semi-sane views on foreign policy, his views on domestic issues and race relations are far from sensible. Here's the link to google:

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Ron%20Paul%20Political%20Report%22

[Steamboater]

I don't think many poor conservative voters, would appreciate Ron Paul's position on issues like federal relief from the food stamps they get, or the limited healthcare any of them get etc, certainly not even those who live in cities devastated by natural disaster e.g., Katrina etc. He wouldn't give aid to those cities. He wouldn't because he talked round the question when asked by Tim Russett (may have been Chris Mathews) and really refused to answer. The only thing Paul has in common with Dean is his use of the internet to make money for his campaign. Those who contribute and who have contributed to his campaign would be better off giving their money to a local food bank or homeless shelter. You know, those shelters veterans of the Iraq war are beginning to fill up. Ron Paul certainly wouldn't.
The media should ask him to release his tax returns to see how much he gave to charity . His supporters might be unpleasantly surprised.

[cognate]

Americans are finding out about Ron Paul.

He is a man of principle who will get us out of needless wars and use the money saved thereby to fix our currency, open health care to real competition, end the crazy war on drugs, and transition the country away from dependency on the welfare state.

I am proud to have shaken his hand.

[MetalCanuck]

GO Ron!

All the arguments against him are weak after you listen to him speak and you pay attention to the details. He will deal with real issues that are most important, no social programs will go away, believe me with all that is going on in the world abortion will not be anywhere near the 1st thing on his mind either...not that I really care anyway.

[ConsciousGreen]

"All men [and women] have a right to remain in a state of nature as long as they please; and in case of intolerable oppression, civil or religious, to leave the society they belong to, and enter into another." " Samuel Adams

The only way to keep things truly representative therefore, is to place the governing authority at the local level.

I am a pro-choice (former) liberal Democrat, and environmentalist. I support Dr. Paul, as does my wife who has been through an abortion herself, and some of the reasons for our support are because his personal views on abortion or gay marriage are not on the table here whatsoever, so please take them off of yours (he doesn"t even think that marriage should be a State licensing issue to begin with, let alone a Federal one - so gays should not be afraid of this man!). They are simply his personal views, period. What he stands for is a return to local government, which will require vigilance from you for all that goes on in your community as well. I think saying goodbye to the nanny state is a good thing, but I can understand it can be difficult to imagine life without it.

[Counterglow]

I think I've got the plot for George Clooney's next action thriller. Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, "Naders" the vote and loses the election. In order to balance the Republican ticket and keep the base happy, Paul is in the VP slot to balance a bleeding heart, left wing "liberal" nominee like Giuliani or Romney.

With a bona fide wingnut only a heartbeat away from the top job, can an assassin's bullet be anything but a certainty?

Enter Clooney and his fearless band of investigators, newly returned from a decade of seeking WMD's in Iraq. Now, tired and disillusioned, they have to re-boot and look for threats to U.S. democracy where they REALLY exist.....at home.