How did you "discover" Ron Paul?

[Lindsey]

I am posting this in grassroots central, because I think our answers may spark an idea for someone else's efforts.

I am not so sure what inspiration my story will provide, but since I am asking the question, I will go first:

I knew nothing about Ron Paul during 2008 elections or earlier. I was registered as an independent in a closed primary state, and uninterested at that time, so I paid no mind to the primaries. In 2009, my partner and I happened to catch a documentary as it was airing on CNBC, called House of Cards. It was all about the housing market - CDO's, hedge funds, etc. Well this started us on a crusade to better understand the underpinnings of the collapse of the global economy, which ultimately led us consuming days of our time coming to grips with the reality of The Federal Reserve. We read and watched everything we could find on the topic. Somewhere along the line, one of the documentaries we watched included an interview with Ron Paul. We were intrigued impressed, we liked him, he made sense, he showed a lot of courage - so of course we googled him. "This guy ran for president in 2008. I hope he runs again, we need him!" We came for his sound economic reasonings, we grew to know and respect the rest of his platform, and we are here with unwavering support and re-shaped views of the world that will likely last our for the rest of our lifetimes.

So how did you "discover" Dr. Ron Paul?

 

[chapchap70]

I looked him up years ago when Rush Limbaugh said this Doctor from Texas keeps voting no on just about everything. I was intrigued. It had to be after 96?

 

[Adrock]

Heard of him in the 2008 run. Rand's 2008 Senate run is what was the catalyst for me though.

 

[alucard13mmfmj]

alex jones =P....

 

[gerryb]

Read Peter Schiff's "Crash Proof" in 2006 -- Ron started his run shortly after that -- so he was right on my radar.

 

[splanky]

First came across RP in the 1970s. He campaigned for Reagan on 76 & 80 but like me he had become disillusioned with the gipper by 84. Anyway, I remember RP talking about holding Reagan's feet to the fire in 80. Campaigned for his lost cause in 88, as is my custom. Never dreamed he'd make a comeback in the new millennium. Donated thousands in 08. Bankrupt with bitter ex-wife in 12. Oh well. RP was our best chance all these years and too few noticed.

 

[robmpreston]

I think it was like August 2007. One of the debate videos was at the top of Digg focusing on Ron Paul and i watched it and everything clicked immediately... finally someone who thought just like me! The rest is history

 

[r3volutionpaul91]

honestly I do not remember, it just naturally happened if that make any sense, all I know is I discovered him around 2011 when he first announced he was running for pres.

 

[Anti Federalist]

I vaguely recalled his efforts in the 80s, but in the "modern sense", through Alex Jones in the late 90s.

 

[azxd]

Had a friend send me his neoconned speech ... That was all it took !!

 

[eduardo89]

I convinced Queen Isabel to lend me some money to buy a fleet of ships and pay a crew. I sailed across a vast ocean and came upon Ron Paul.

I actually have no clue.

 

[Massachusetts]

I've known about Ron Paul for a while now, but I didn't discover his greatness as a politician until early on in the campaign trail in 2011. I thought his debate performances and his foreign policy were what really drew me in.

 

[AhuwaleKaNaneHuna]

I was posting at a political debate forum and someone posted a tube of Ron laying into Greenspan or Bernake ( I forget - it was late 2006 early 2007). That was exciting in itself. To then learn he was also running for Pres was over the top. My research into him after that only got better. His taking no lobby money blew me away. I did not know such a politician even existed.

NOBP

 

[rpwi]

Heard about him from an internet forum about 12 years ago. Was already interested in the LP philosophy and Harry Browne but hadn't heard about Paul up to that point. Thought it was odd at the time that a libertarian was running as a republican...but I understand now While I was very impressed by Ron's no voting record, I probably didn't take Ron as seriously as other libertarian politicians and writers...especially in 2001 when he supported the invasion of Afghanistan (the Afghanistan government even offered an extradition process for Osama to the US!). At the time, I much preferred Harry Browne who was a solid anti-war libertarian. Things changed in 2003 when the Iraq war started and Ron started speaking out against it. Was solidly in Paul's camp once he started talking about bringing home the troops from Afghanistan (not just Iraq) as well as the rest of our military bases around the world.

 

[playpianoking]

youtube related video probably. i remember seeing him in 08 debates and liking him.

 

[oldsmobile98]

Someone had written "Google Ron Paul" on the wall in a restroom. I think that was the first time I ever heard of him.

I went to the C4L Kickoff for Tennessee in Nashville in early 2009. Matt Collins still had long hair, and Rand Paul spoke. Things went from there.

 

[The Free Hornet]

I don't know the first time with certainty but I was a Morton Downy Jr watcher (yes, the guy makes me cringe mostly now) and remember this show:



This goes back to 1988 and my introduction to the liberty movement started in 1987 (Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson was the first book I read, that matters).

Link to free PDF book of Economics In One Lesson from FEE.

 

[Warmon]

I didn't find Ron Paul, he found me. I was a remnant.

 

[splanky]

Heard about him from an internet forum about 12 years ago. Was already interested in the LP philosophy and Harry Browne but hadn't heard about Paul up to that point. Thought it was odd at the time that a libertarian was running as a republican...but I understand now While I was very impressed by Ron's no voting record, I probably didn't take Ron as seriously as other libertarian politicians and writers...especially in 2001 when he supported the invasion of Afghanistan (the Afghanistan government even offered an extradition process for Osama to the US!). At the time, I much preferred Harry Browne who was a solid anti-war libertarian. Things changed in 2003 when the Iraq war started and Ron started speaking out against it. Was solidly in Paul's camp once he started talking about bringing home the troops from Afghanistan (not just Iraq) as well as the rest of our military bases around the world.

Hello there you fellow Browne supporter you. Actually, I only supported Browne because of the alternatives. I've been a fervent Paul supporter forever but not really because of the libertarianism, more so because of his constitutionalism. Anyway, good to see somebody who voted like I did that far back.

 

[SamuraisWisdom]

I convinced Queen Isabel to lend me some money to buy a fleet of ships and pay a crew. I sailed across a vast ocean and came upon Ron Paul.

I actually have no clue.

LOL What's weird is I was just reading some of Columbus's letters to Queen Isabella a few minutes ago. Get out of my head!!

But to answer the OP's question, I remember quite clearly how I "discovered" Ron. It was somewhere in the Fall of '07 when the republican debates were just starting to get more frequent. I was trolling around the internet and kept seeing bloggers and commentors throwing out the name Ron Paul. I actually thought it was pretty annoying because every political conversation would get turned into a Ron Paul thread. So finally curiosity got the best of me and I went and watched clips of the republican debates that had already taken place and was blown away by the fact that Paul spoke out against the wars in the Middle East! I couldn't be believe my ears. That was the first time I had seen any republican openly disagree with the Bush policy. So I did a little more research on him and began liking him more and more.