Back in 2007 and 2008, Ron Paul supporters made a big splash in the lowcountry. They had the most fanatical volunteers, and the largest rallies of any presidential candidate in the region.
They put up the most yard signs by far. In fact the number of Ron Paul yard signs may have exceeded the total number of yard signs for every other Republican presidential candidate combined.
The night before the last presidential primary, they held a rally in downtown Charleston which dramatically exceeded that of any other candidate. However the next day was devastating. Paul’s percentage of the vote was very small combined to size of his campaign.
While John McCain had run a far smaller campaign, the media had propelled him to victory.
Now, Ron Paul supporters hope that the groundwork laid four years ago will pay off now. Many can be seen still sporting aging Ron Paul 2008 bumper stickers on their cars. They have been ceaselessly extolling Ron Paul’s virtues to anyone who will listen for the past few years.
For his part, Ron Paul seems to once again be putting a lot of stock in Charleston. A Ron Paul television commercial is already airing in this market. Local Charleston columnist Jack Hunter has been enlisted to “blog” for the national campaign. Ron Paul’s son, Senator Rand Paul, visited Charleston last March.
Ron Paul supporters are preparing to mass at the September 5th “Freedom Fest” in Columbia, SC. A statewide “sign bomb” is planned for October 10th.
Last time around, Paul did phenomenal in call in polls and straw polls. This is because he had the most fanatical supports. However, the major polling companies had always given him low numbers.
This time around, Paul seems to be registering much better with the polling companies. The Public Policy Poll has given him 13% in New Hampshire, and 10% in some big states like Texas and California. However they only gave him 4% for South Carolina.
With all the Republicans and Independents who are fanatical supporters of Ron Paul, why is it so hard to spread Ron Paul fever to a larger audience? One major criticism could be that Paul spends much of his time focusing on economic arguments that are over many people’s heads. His new commercial airing in Charleston is about the debt ceiling. Many people do not understand the issue and do not care to learn about it.
Of course there is also the media. The media in the Low Country blatantly censored Ron Paul last time around. Paul had the biggest events, but the least media coverage. Many Ron Paul supporters expect the treatment or worse.
One thing is for sure. Paul’s loyal army will be highly visible in the streets of Charleston for the next seven months.
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