Texas Rep. Ron Paul is the most enigmatic figure in the Republican race for president.
COLUMBIA, SC – SEPTEMBER 05: GOP Presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul makes opening remarks during the American Principles Project Palmetto Freedom Forum, September 5, 2011 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Stephen Morton/Getty Images)On the one hand, his call for fiscal austerity resounds with tea party-affiliated primary voters. On the other, his views on foreign policy — including the idea that America all but incited the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 — are decidedly less popular.
There’s no disputing that Paul has a loyal and relatively large following. (Witness his near-win in the Ames Straw Poll last month.)
But, we’ve often wondered just how many Paul-ites are actually Republicans. New data from the Washington Post-ABC News poll suggests that it’s not all that many.
Overall, 25 percent of the American public views the Texas Congressman favorably while 27 percent see him in an unfavorable light. Of the 25 percent of people who regard Paul favorably, roughly two-thirds don’t identify themselves as Republicans.
is he aint one.
any more than bernie sanders is a democrat at the other end of the spectrum.
he is a sideshow
If Ron Paul were to pull out the impossible and become the Republican nominee I would vote 3rd party.
That’s Ron Paul’s real problem.
The ”anyone but Obama” decision doesn’t go as far as voting for him.
Paul’s foreign policy ideas are INSANE.
I figure that Paul has an absolute maximum of about 10% of Republicans who more or less agree with him, at least well enough to make him their first choice (like me). Then there might be another 15% who tend to be single issue voters on some issue where Paul agrees with them, who could possibly support him under the right circumstances. Say, pro-lifers… I imagine they would choose someone else, like Santorum, as a first choice, but might take Paul over someone like Romney. After that I see no further possible Republican support at the national level (at least against other Republicans), and I think I’m being pretty optimistic. There might be a few caucuses or other similar events, requiring organization or effort on the part of voters, where he would exceed those numbers, but that doesn’t mean he can win anything once all the primary votes are counted.
I almost certainly won’t vote for Ron Paul in the primary, but I would vote for him if he somehow became the Republican nominee. I really like his monetary policies and I don’t think there is any doubt that he could trounce any of the current contenders in a debate on the constitution. He ticked me off pretty good by saying the US incited the attacks on 9-11. It’s no different than saying, “Your honor, did you see that mini-skirt she was wearing, she asked for it.”
I would make him Secretary of the Treasury in a New York minute.
I could never vote for a man and or a woman who told me that we asked for the attacks on the USS Cole, and 9/11, that they were our fault. That they would have left us alone if we just stayed here at home, and minded our own business. Our leaders tried that, and it did not work. He needs to read much, much more and leave his safe room, every now and then to just check in with reality.