Ron Paul rising?

Posted by kpeterson at 11:09 pm, Friday, December 9th, 2011
Posted in 

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has seen his numbers jump in recent polls, and some in the political press have suggested he could pull off a surprise upset in the Iowa caucuses next month.

National Review Online reports Paul has “amassed a small fortune for his campaign and built a strong ground operation.”

“Ron Paul is definitely for real out here,” says Tim Albrecht, the communications director for Iowa governor Terry Branstad, who has not endorsed any GOP candidate. “He is going to get 18 percent in the caucuses no matter what. If there’s a snowstorm, he’ll probably win, since he has such dedicated, passionate supporters. The question is whether he can move higher than that.”

In addition, Paul’s latest TV ad seems to sell wholesale the type of small-government, budget-cutting conservatism that other candidates only retail.

But the Texas congressman is viewed by many in the party as a fringe figure for what they see as quixotic views on things like foreign policy and heroin legalization. Can he really cross the GOP finish line?

No way, says Mother Jones, citing Paul’s age (76), the limited appeal of his positions and the racially charged content of decades-old newsletters that bore his name.

Still, Paul seems to be catching some eyes. Here’s what S.C. state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, posted on his Facebook page earlier this week. (Davis had not yet endorsed a candidate.)

“In my opinion, Ron Paul is the only candidate who has the moral courage and intellectual integrity necessary to take on the Leviathan in Washington that is ruining our republic. But his foreign policy positions scare me. I understand the difference between being isolationist and non-interventionist, believe the military-industrial complex is real (and corrupt), and agree our country has far too many foreign entanglements — but still, they scare me. Anyway, the next two months are going to be a lot about Ron Paul; I think he wins in Iowa.”
Copyright 2013 The Island Packet / The Beaufort Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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