The Ron Paul Phenomeon

The Washington Post as an article about Ron Paul and the internet.

This does not surprise me a bit. When it comes to the internet, three groups seem to dominate the web at this time. Populist and Progressive Democrats, gun owners and small l libertarians. Populist Republicans also have some strength, particulary with the immigration issue full swing.

The democrats are dominating as they are not the party in power. Republicans have talk radio. The Clintonian left (rich limosine liberals) have the mainstream media. The populist and progressives have Kos. Republidans were more active online in the 90's with the anti-Clinton sentiment. I'm starting to see that strain again come back against Bush and his immigration policy.

As far as gun owners, we were among the first to organize. We had to. Bill Clinton was rabidly against us as was the media. Congress was a toss up. Between the ignorance, hatchet jobs and outright lies (Dateline NBC, 60 minutes, even two particular Argus editorial, one by a former columnist, another a guest column) there was no choice but to organize and fight back the only way we know how. Numbers. Gun owners aren't as active as we once were during the Concealed Carry fights, but that can change rapidly at any time, and is once again thanks to the antics of Mr. Bloomberg and company. Places like AR15.com and the High Road have strong traffic, and most political websites have a lot of gun related topics on them.

Small L libertarians are a natural fit for the internet with it's (more then than now) anti-regulatory leanings.

Ron Paul has always had a strong internet presence with this Project Freedom newsletter. During the Bill Clinton years, his presence was as big then as it is now online. Between the heavy opposition to the UN, gun grabbing, GATT/NAFTA, and tax increases, along with the support of limited government, Ron Paul's stances resonated heavily with both libertarians and the populists who were active online.

These issues also resonate today, with the Bush administration's policies on many issues. While Bush is good on taxes, he does not take the traditional republican or traditional conservative stance on limited government, having more in line with the Clinton democrats. The US is still the world's cop, which is divisive among both parties for different reasons. It is now shown that Ross Perot was right on NAFTA/GATT.

I expected Ron Paul to have a strong internet presence, and I think he'll be a candidate to watch in the primaries surprising many. The best thing about the Internet is that it has the chance to be a strong counter to the "mainstream" media. There are more candidates than Clinton, Obama, Edwards, McCain, Giuliani, and Romney. The Internet is the outlet to the rest of the candidates.

I don't know what Ron Paul's primary numbers will be, but I will not be surprised if he finishes top 3 in New Hampshire. You heard it here first.