You may remember it–several months ago, Congressman and 2008 presidential hopeful Ron Paul was at the top of his game: the grassroots momentum, the vast influx of donations from supporters, his pro-constitution views, and the rest. However, times change, and sure enough, as the first results came in, things didn’t quite go as planned: Paul, while receiving over 10% of the vote, failed to win the Iowa caucuses. A setback, to be sure, but after all, what’s one state? However, as the primaries went on, things began to look grim: first, the Wyoming caucuses went to Romney, then New Hampshire, thought to be a bastion of support, fell to McCain. More states followed.
Then came super Tuesday. Many of us were hopeful that Paul would be able to stage a comeback, and enter his rightful place as Republican front runner. However, as the results slowly tricked in throughout the day, it became clear the this wouldn’t be the case. With the majority of states voting that day having turned against Paul, chances of his nomination grew slim to none. Furthermore, in a move of supreme foresight, Paul declared that, while he would remain in the race, he would not pursue the presidency as a third-party: (perhaps a certain other individual could learn a thing or two from Paul)
Of course, I am committed to fighting for our ideas within the Republican party, so there will be no third party run.
–Ron Paul, in a February 8th blog post
Fast-forward to today. Ron Paul while winning over 42 delegates from various states, is now presented with a particular challenge: the mathematical impossibility of his nomination. While his selfless commitment to not running as a third-party is certainly noble, it considerably decreases the probability of his becoming president–or does it?
Let’s look back in time a bit. Anyone remember Henry Lodge? No? In the 1964 Republican Primary, Lodge was notable for having won in three states: New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Massachusetts–without campaigning! In fact, he was serving as an ambassador in Vietnam during the primary, and wasn’t even in the United States at the time–many still refer to his “campaign” as “walking for President”. However, his winning of these states was no accident–a group of dedicated individuals had worked tirelessly in the weeks leading up to the primary to promote Lodge as a viable candidate. Now, you may be asking, what does this all have to do with Ron Paul?
It has, in fact, everything to do with Paul’s 2008 campaign. Keep in mind that, in 1964, the Internet didn’t yet exist. All the campaigning by Lodge’s supporters was done without the aid of social networking, email, instant messaging, or even cellular phones. If such a tactic could be applied in modern times, Paul’s support could indeed skyrocket, regardless of whether or not his name appears on the ballot! So keep on Digging, and maybe, just maybe, there can be, to quote Paul’s campaign slogan, “Hope for America.”
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