The Ron Paul Factor
Filed under: President 2008, Republicans, Money Trail, John McCain, Ron Paul
Today, ABC reports an astonishing bit of news. Ron Paul's campaign actually has more cash on hand than rival John McCain's:
Paul's cash on hand puts him in third place in the Republican field in that important metric, although he is well behind leader Rudy Giuliani, who has $18 million in the bank, and Mitt Romney, with $12 million.
On the one hand, this shows the dismal turn of events for McCain. But the fact that Paul is more liquid than all the other Republicans running is something of a surprise. Though it is highly doubtful that Paul has any real chance of winning the nomination, his continued rise from national obscurity is something to consider. He boasts an impressive and fervent following owning to the fact that he has clearly defined principles and sticks to them. Unlike Giuliani, Romney, and McCain, you won't hear people calling Paul a flip-flopper. So long as he's allowed to participate in the debates, he will continue to draw disgruntled voters from across the political spectrum. And if he continues to raise large sums of money, he may just succeed at infusing his Libertarian-inspired issues back into the Republican party.
