I’d say that many Republicans are corrupt. Some might be outright evil. But reserve my contempt for Democrats. They can’t stand up to Bush on their principles and defend civil liberties. They can’t hold the administration accountable even after being in the majority for 10 months.

Finally, I say that they’re the tool of the special interests in the worst way possible. They don’t even know that they’re being used. When they pass minimum wage laws and all the rest of social welfare package, they’re hurting the very people they profess to help.

The benefactors are the union bosses (not even the union workers), some client corporations, and some professional guilds(the AMA and trial lawyers, etc).

We were once the “Land of the free and home of the brave.” Lately we’ve been the “Land of the regulated and home of the terrified.” In a time when “left” or “right” only defines which set of rights and constitutional limits you’re willing to relinquish, the prospect of liberty can be pretty threatening for the groups that currently attempt to define our fears and fads for us. Conversely, it can be pretty heady stuff for the newly-awakened.

However, Dr. Paul is doing something that nobody on either side has been able to do – credibly present a set of counter-arguments to the status quo in a positive way.

He’s not attacking anyone. He’s presenting ideas and educating those who come to find out what he’s all about.

On the Democratic positions, he’s outflanked them. He’s anti mercantilism and corporate welfare, but rather than giving lip-service to these things as if they were merely catchy slogans, he presents a solution.

He doesn’t offer protectionist government policies. He suggests that corporations should be left to compete and shouldn’t be given handouts. And he has a real plan to save social security.

Finally, he treats democrats in this country as if they were intelligent humans. Whereas the conservatives for years have attacked “libruls” – kicking them while they were down – Ron Paul simply gives them an alternative. And he has befriended Dennis Kucinich and voted along side him on several occasions. This hasn’t gone un-noticed.

Hillary, Obama and other leaders from the Democrat party, don’t treat their constituents with as much respect as Ron Paul has treated them.

Fact is, they’re not stupid. The blog activity from Kos and others is borne of frustration. Has anyone seen Hillary, Obama or Edwards draw the same sized crowds at their rallies? Have any republicans shown up at their rallies?

No to both. Democrats, independents, Republicans and anarchists are flocking to Ron Paul from all over the world.

Some people in the media may ignore this and claim nothing is going on but it is quite obvious that the excitement being generated by this campaign is unprecedented. To those who believed they had the repudiation of conservative ideas locked down, Raun Paul’s is a very disconcerting campaign.

Tangeng, are you suggesting the mainstream conservatives are anything but those things? Oh, you’d have to add “perverts.”

I do respect Paul’s international relations stance, but I won’t be voting for a Republican anytime soon.

A: Because Paul is picking up steam. He’s crossed the 5% benchmark in the polls. Soon, he’ll be in the double digits. At that point, unless someone like Kucinich gets similar numbers on the Democratic side, you may see a lot of anti-war voters who would not normally vote Republican put their financial and emotional support behind Congressman Paul. This cannot be allowed, so preventative measures are being actived.

Isn’t it disturbing to see “pro-choice” lefties attack Ron Paul for that $500 Nazi donation while praising and demanding federal government Eugenics policies in the next paragraph?

Actually, Doug, as you know, he’s at 5% nationally in the latest CNN poll and 6% in the latest Rasmussen — and those polls don’t fully include the effect of his big Nov. 5 $4.3 million day.

Update your language.

1. Ron Paul makes the Democratic front runners look weak and ineffective in comparison, on opposing the war and protecting civil liberties. Heck, if a Republican candidate can strongly denounce the war and domestic spying, why can’t Hillary and Obama?

2. It’s a war of ideas, not just an election. Ron Paul is winning over young people, many of whom accepted the entire liberal orthodoxy before this year. I’ve heard from dozens of liberal Ron Paul supporters who have said he has changed their mind about Constitutionally limited government, for the better. (My wife being one of them.)

Both are good reasons for Republicans who want to win to nominate Ron Paul, even if they don’t agree with him on everything. He could pry anti-war and pro-civil liberties voters away from Hillary or Obama, and he could advance the ideas of Constitutionally limited government better than any of the other candidates.

You say Ron Paul’s support isn’t from mainstream Republicans. But what is mainstream? Most recent? Most similar to the sitting President? Most like some standard-bearer (Reagan, Goldwater?) Most similar to the GOP platform?

A Republican is merely a voter who registers with their state election board and attends the local county meetings. Nothing more, nothing less.

There isn’t a blood test for Republican. It’s not an inherited title of nobility. There are no “real Republicans” or “fake Republicans”. Michael Moore, Rosie O’Donnell and Ted Kennedy could find themselves Republicans at the stroke of a pen tommorrow if they got into some bad doughnuts.

The wrong question is often asked: “Can Ron Paul get enough votes from Republicans to win the primary?” as if the universe of Republican voters was somehow fixed in quantity and temperment. The reality is that the number of people marking ballots in the Republican primary (or the general election for that matter) is in constant flux.

The right question (that is not being asked) is: will Frudy McRompson’s (or Hillary’s) supporters actually show up to vote? (maybe, maybe not) Will Ron Paul’s supporters show up to vote? (answer left as an exercise for the student.)

In a strange way, the Plain Old Telephone Surveys (POTS) will help Ron Paul. Some percentage of Giuliani supporters will think “Rudy is so far ahead, that it won’t really matter if I don’t vote”.

A whole lot of people who were rabid “W” supporters in 2000 and 2004 are very disaffected right now. They are demoralized, and generally disgusted with a party that has repeatedly stabbed them in the back on their core issues. They might prefer Giuliani because they think he can beat Hillary, but they themselves won’t go vote for a pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-amnesty, anti-gun RINO.

The strange part of this election cycle is that many rabid Gore/Kerry supporters feel exactly the same way. They might prefer Hillary, over some pro-Bush Republican, but will they really vote for pro-war, pro-big business, globalist LINO?

That is why Dr. Paul is getting anti-war Democrats to register Republican, and this is what has the Dems so panicked.

The problem is that both parties have been playing the “demon” card(1) for so long, that they have been taking their base for granted. Since this is the only card they know how to play, it is no surprise that we have seen it being used against Dr. Paul. First they (both Dems and Reps) tried to demonize him personally (he’s a rascist… he’s nutjob… he only has the support of losers camped out in their mom’s basement, etc.) and since that hasn’t worked, they are now trying to demonize his positions (he wants to outlaw abortion and abolish social security and your local elementary school too; he’s a pacifist who will just let terroists waltz in here, and force you to convert to islam.)

It is in this environment that Ron Paul can easily bring people together under the “peace and freedom” banner. The fact that he won’t go negative is a huge plus when everyone has Google and youtube at their fingertips. The other candidates are living in glass houses and daren’t throw stones.

Later.

(1) Demon card – “You have to vote for our crappy candidate, even though he won’t really support your pet issues, because the other guy is a total demon who hates your issue and will force his way of life on you at the point of a gun.”

One is that he truly believes in smaller, less expensive, and less intrusive government. This is anathema to the Left.

The other is that it is neve enough to simply side with the Left on an issue, one must also agree unquestioningly and unwaveringly with their reasons for holding a position.

It’s nothing new, really. He represents opposition to statism, which is why the left and the right generally hate him.