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Politics

Paul draws more notice than votes

The GOP candidate has raised lots of money, but finished 5th twice.

By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2008

A political science professor says of GOP candidate Ron Paul, "He's the guy who would rather be right than be president."
	[Getty Images]

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Supporters of Rep. Ron Paul try to rally interest in his candidacy this month in Manchester, N.H. Paul's network of boosters has led to huge campaign donations, but he has finished in the back of the pack in Iowa and New Hampshire.

New Hampshire, the "live free or die" state, was supposed to be fertile ground for Ron Paul's rebellious politics.

But he finished fifth in Tuesday's Republican primary, the same showing he had a week earlier in Iowa.

Two losses down and little traction in sight, his fanatical following and prodigious online fundraising - nearly $20-million in the last quarter, more than any other Republican - have yet to translate into an election-day breakthrough for Paul.

His anti-war, pro-Constitution, libertarian-like platform has not measurably influenced the GOP race and as he heads to contests in larger states, the fringe candidate label is attached more firmly than ever.

But that's no matter to William Campbell Douglass of New Smyrna Beach. He got on his computer the day after New Hampshire's primary and gave Paul another $100.

"He's our only hope," said Douglass, a doctor. "I see the odds. But I believe enough to at least try."

It's that energy that keeps the Texas congressman charging ahead.

"There's no reason for us to be letting up," Paul told supporters Tuesday. "It's only the beginning ... we will continue this fight."

Paul has enough money to compete through the Feb. 5 primaries, said spokesman Jesse Benton. Radio ads are running in Florida, which holds its primary Jan. 29.

"It's not all about who's winning," said supporter Carl Fernstrom, 55, of Naples. "It's about what someone stands for."

* * *

From the top row of the lecture room at Des Moines University, Ron Paul looked like a college professor. Short and fit with white hair, he wore a maroon cable-knit sweater under a black sport coat. The morning of the Iowa caucuses Paul delivered a soliloquy on the failures of the federal government.

"We're wealthy on the surface because we borrow so much money overseas," he says. The crowd erupted in applause when he called for a return to the Constitution. "Freedom," he says, "really does work."

Paul calls for an end to FDA approval for drugs, elimination of the IRS and an immediate pullout of Iraq and closure of U.S. military installations across the globe.

When asked how he can be antiabortion at the same time that he supports gun ownership, his response is quick: "I would say it would be very important to own a gun so you can protect that baby in your house."

"Ron Paul! Ron Paul! Ron Paul!" the audience chants.

His unconventional campaign has spawned grass roots innovation. Supporters, working without the help of the campaign, have organized online "money bombs," small individual donations timed to be "dropped" on a particular day. The multiplication of small dollars across the Web turned one November day into a $4-million fundraiser. Dec. 17 generated $6-million.

Like Ross Perot before him, Paul has tapped into unrest with the conventional political structure, drawing new voters and longtime Republicans looking for something new. But he says he has no intention of running as a third-party candidate.

His modest showing at the polls does not mean Paul is having no effect. He is siphoning off votes and financial support from other candidates.

"You can't sneeze at him as a crank, but on the other hand, he's the guy who would rather be right than be president," said Bruce Buchanan, a political science professor at the University of Texas.

Buchanan thinks Paul's unwavering message resonates with voters seeking honesty in a time of calculated, poll-driven politics.

"You never would ask about Ron Paul what they are asking about Hillary Clinton: Was she faking the tears?"

[Last modified January 10, 2008, 23:34:22]