I've been joking with our staff lately that in order to increase readership we should add the name "Ron Paul" to every article. Every opinion or news piece we've published online about him has received far more than the average number of hits.
It would be easy to make fun of a candidate who wants to abolish the CIA and IRS, but given the passion and sheer number of his supporters, I'm not sure he can be that easily dismissed.
From reading all the comments posted in response to articles online, you get the sense that "Ron Paul Fever" isn't so much about the man himself, but about the ardor of his followers. These guys are all over the place, and I find myself becoming jealous - I wish I could feel that passionately about a candidate.
Whether you love him or hate him, revere him or laugh at him, you must admit that Paul's views - particularly his anti-war, anti-interventionist stance on geopolitics - make him unique among the Republican presidential hopefuls running.
There would seem to be a growing demographic of voters interested in smaller government - both in social and economic spheres - and they're not going to go away anytime soon. College students make up a sizeable portion of his fan base, so it will be interesting to see the results of the practice primary UNH will be hosting for students here on Dec. 11, 2007.
But regardless of how Ron Paul fares in the UNH primary or the 2008 general election, the libertarian-esque base he has energized will undoubtedly be influencing the course of politics in America for years to come - and I'm eager to see just how.
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