I'm the county coordinator from Hillsdale Michigan and I'll try and address some of your questions.
First post, I'll address the Hillsdale College issue.
Folks are putting way too much weight here, and I'll stick my neck out and suggest our numbers would have been better with a traditional liberal arts college. Hillsdale College is now run by the NeoCons. Romney spoke at their commencement last spring. We got lots of good support from many of the economic professors, but leadership at the college clearly leans towards the NeoCons. Their newsletter, the Imprimis, is a NeoCon handbook. Look at this one promoting the doctrine of "preemption"
http://www.hillsdale.edu/news/imprim...=2005&month=09
Now, I don't want to suggest for a moment the help we got was not welcomed. They have a facebook group and we got 5 to 8 students who helped at our rally and I understand a few worked the polls. But also understand most of them are from out of state, and didn't vote here.
I just wanted to make clear that Galt's Gulch is not here in Hillsdale!! And in any case the numbers do not lie:
Ron Paul placed 3rd in Ward 1 and Ward 2 of Hillsdale, where the college is. But he placed 1st in Woodbridge township and 2nd in Camden, both about as far away from the college as you can be. Also 3rd in Litchfield and Reading, again not close to the college.
But don't take my word, here is the only article their school paper ran on Ron Paul:
http://media.www.hillsdalecollegian....-3104420.shtml
and contrast that to the numerous articles the town newspaper ran
