Ron Paul's Base Could Give Him Post-Primary Influence, Experts Say

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Ron Paul's Base Could Give Him Post-Primary Influence, Experts Say
By Josiah Ryan
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
December 18, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - In the wake of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul raking in more than $6 million in campaign contributions in a single day on Sunday, experts are predicting that his influence could extend well beyond a presidential primary campaign that he is likely to lose.

In an Internet fundraising event that was scheduled to coincide with the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Paul reportedly brought in $6.04 million from 58,407 individual donors. With this take, Paul's campaign is now likely to raise more money in the fourth quarter of this year than any of the other Republican presidential campaigns.

Some experts believe the passionate network of supporters Paul has generated so far gives him the potential to be a significant factor in the 2008 presidential race and beyond, even if, as is likely, he fails to win his party's nomination.

National Public Radio's Senior Strategist for Social Media Andy Carvin told Cybercast News Service that Ron Paul's database of supporters creates a tremendous reserve of potential influence.

"If he is not the nominee, he will still have in his hands an enormous network of communities and individuals who are very interested in supporting, if not him personally, his policy issues," said Carvin. "If he is able to tap into that network, he may be able to create the libertarian version of Howard Dean's Democracy for America or MoveOn.org."

Democracy for America is an influential Political Action Committee (PAC) created by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean out of the remnants of the network of supporters he built during his 2004 presidential bid. MoveOn.org is the influential liberal political group originally founded to advocate "moving on" past the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Professor Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said that Ron Paul will remain an influential figure in the 2008 race even if he is not nominated.

"The most important question of all is, does Ron Paul end up supporting the Republican nominee or not? And if he does, does he do so with enthusiasm? We are talking about millions of votes that will potentially be added or subtracted from the GOP ticket," he said.

Sabato noted that it is the raw passion Ron Paul has managed to awake in his supporters that composes this strength that may live beyond his candidacy.

"Ron Paul has supporters willing to show some skin," he said. "He has intense support among a segment of the population. They are doing something that people are ordinarily loathed to do, which is part with their own money."

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Agree that we intend to get Ron Paul elected, but still I like that whoever wrote this article recognizes that Dr. Paul's influence extends far beyond "spammers" or "fringe" people, etc...
 
Of course the preference is to get him elected. But, on the slim chance that he's not :), I think this is an excellent idea and I would like us all to join together in a group to push for Ron Paul-like ideas even if Ron Paul is elected-- he'll need our support! The point is to change America, not just have a cult of personality.

This begins by supporting any liberty-minded candidates you may have around you, from your Meetup, or whatever, who are running for Congress. 20 Ron Pauls could change America permanently. We need to get some of us into office.

I also think we could completely take over the GOP, if we wanted to. I'm attempting to do this in my particular county with a few other people right now.

----------------------
Libertarian Girl
http://www.libertariangirl.com
 
After he's elected, there's no reason not to keep pushing for the ideals that brought us to him in the first place. I think it'd be a great idea to keep going, either way.
 
I agree, we absolutely MUST keep this movement going whatever happens. I hope none of you leave the movement after the election.
 
The idea of a 'moveon' type organization is a great one. We need to elect liberty candidates at state and national levels.
 
Make him Governor of New Hampshire and secede

It would become the wealthiest state in the nation(ex) in decade without FEDERAL intervention and regulation.
 
The idea of a 'moveon' type organization is a great one. We need to elect liberty candidates at state and national levels.
Absolutely, look at how active MoveOn.org is now, years later, whether you agree with them or not. We can do even better.
 
Absolutely, look at how active MoveOn.org is now, years later, whether you agree with them or not. We can do even better.

They turned a dozen votes in the house and senate because they decided they were against the expansion of the Patriot Act...with our movement, we could take control of the Congress, seriously. We could take control of the majority of Congress. Whether Ron Paul gets the presidency or not, either way, we still NEED to take the Congress...
 
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