Why is Ron Paul Creating Grassroots Excitement?

by Gary Wood
©September 29, 2007

There really is no denying it any longer, there is a grassroots fire burning across the country for this former Air Force flight surgeon, baby doctor, Texas Representative by the name of Ron Paul. He looks like anybody’s grandpa. Literally, the guy did not even want to run again (he ran in 1988 as a Libertarian of all things) but enough people bugged him he agreed to test the waters. He was nearly convinced the country did not want to hear his simple message of Liberty and Freedom through restoration of the quality of the Constitution. He knew most of his fellow Congressmen didn’t and his nickname on the hill is Dr. No. On the Internet you’d think it was Dr. Yes!

Asked what Internet guru has helped him use the Internet so effectively he states quite honestly his campaign had no guru. There was no whiz kid or googled mind that knew just the right algorithm to run in order to bring the surfers to his shore. He did not market and find the Internet crowd, they found him. To his surprise the message was attractive to many surfing the web looking for a politician they could like and message they could really believe in. But hey, these are just Internet nuts so no biggie according to most main stream media outlets and his opponents. Many say it is not real grassroots because it is all cyber and goes away when the monitors are switched off. These naysayer types simply point to the latest poll and laugh.

Yet, these Internet junkies that sit around their glowing screens at 4am, with pizza boxes and soda cans strewn about, are not performing to the main stream script. Some started to meet each other in different forums and blogs, and then came Meetup.com and the tides began to rise. Once the group started realizing there were others out there who like Ron Paul and his Constitutional message there began to be gatherings away from the keyboard. The cyber began a steady morph into reality.

A counter message was started by the main stream media again, claiming that the one’s getting together were radical and nuts. Even the unofficial banner they made, “Ron Paul Revolution” with the ‘evol’ tilted to indicate Love was a sign they were revolutionaries, not serious votes. There little sign ninja parties wouldn’t amount to much and they would tire of the game and go play Halo 3 as soon as it was released. Besides, where’s the money, they asked.

Then came the 2^nd Quarter financial reports and the money was flowing in. At the rallies and straw polls the crowds were showing up, enthusiastic and cheering as if they were at a rock concert instead of a political event. Now there is an attempt to all but ignore the crowds because the face of the crowd is not what was expected. In the crowd are young families with their children, involved in politics and cheering loud, cheering proud. There are young college students studying engineering, medicine and more. There are young republicans and democrats, all races, religions, and sexes. There are radicals, liberty and freedom are important to them but look closely to find standing next to them business people, social leaders, and those prominent enough who surely should not be in with this group of cyber nuts, should they? Looking again across the crowd and we find more than just young, together are the old and the middle-aged as well, don’t they know better? These look like our neighbors, family, and friends, can it be? Look at the polls people, come to your senses, but they march on chanting primaries, primaries!

You hear it laughed at, as well as scoffed at, this Ron Paul revolution but the rumble grows. You are hearing it more, feeling it more and wondering, is it real? Why? Who is this guy? What is all this excitement about? Is it time to switch off the TV and Google Ron Paul and get excited? Perhaps it is and even if you don’t catch fire at least you’ll really know what all the excitement is about! Just beware, critical thinking and searching could lead you to join this revolution, look at me, I did it and now I'm writing you!