Figures seem to indicate an ever-increasing disconnect between mainstream reports and the results of Ron Paul “on the ground.” He leads in straw polls, his fund-raising is stronger than ever, and the crowds are growing. Ron Paul campaign execs are entitled to ask, “Where’s the coverage?”

According to figures just released by the Ron Paul campaign, Ron Paul is beating - stomping, even - GOP candidates head-to-head after more than 25 GOP straw polls. Additionally, Ron Paul’s overall average is a close second place; and just as remarkably he has garnered an average of at least 25 percent of voters in these GOP straw polls.

With his candidacy garnering at least $2.4 million in the third quarter (see related story) can Ron Paul now still be considered a second tier candidate? The media disconnect – as has been reported by the alternative press many times before - between this constitutional candidate and others in the field continues to grow.

Ron Paul’s Head-to-Head Records

(RPWin / RPLose / RPTie):

Rudy Giuliani 23-3-0
Mitt Romney 15-11-0
Fred Thompson 13-12-0
John McCain 22-3-0
Mike Huckabee 21-3-1
Sam Brownback 22-2-1
Tom Tancredo 23-1-0
Duncan Hunter 22-2-0

 

via Free Market News

By Roy Shivers & King Solomon.

I have a friend whose son is grappling with the issue of our involvement in Iraq. In his late teens, he knows kids who have either signed up or are thinking about it and right now he supports the war. My friend recently wondered out loud what to say to her son in hopes of broadening his view. With the somewhat obsessive and very fruitful habit I’ve developed over the last several months, I volunteered to look into it. Here’s what I found: First, a quote from from a speech given by the Hon. Ron Paul of Texas before the U.S. House of Representatives, September 7, 2006 entitled “Big Government Solutions Don’t Work/ The Law of Opposites”

With no consistent moral defense of true liberty, the continued erosion of personal and property rights is inevitable. This careless disregard for liberty, our traditions, and the Constitution have brought us disaster, with a foreign policy of military interventionism supported by the leadership of both parties. Hopefully, some day this will be radically changed.

Unfortunately it seems to be no longer common knowledge that “a foreign policy of military interventionism” is not allowed under the US Constitution. Of the young man or woman volunteering to serve in the US Armed Forces today, I would ask:

Going to war is serious business. Are you willing to do so for a war that has not been authorized by the People through their Representatives in Congress, whose members have taken a solemn oath to uphold the Constitution?

Ron Paul often frames the argument in terms of the just war theory. In his article Onward Christian Soldiers? Christian Perspectives on War, Timothy J. Demy, Th.D. Commander, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy lists seven principles or criteria for just war, five for the nation “on the way to war” (jus ad bellum):

Just cause Just intention Last resort Formal declaration Limited objectives

and two for the military forces “in the midst of war” (jus in bello):

Proportionate means Noncombatant immunity

Commander Demy then continues:

The just war theory has three important functions. First, it seeks to limit the devastation and outbreak of war. Second, the just war theory offers a common moral framework and language with which to discuss issues of war in the public arena. As Christians and as citizens it gives us a starting point for discussion and cultural engagement. Third, just war theory gives moral guidance to individuals in developing their conscience, responsibilities, and response. When the war drums sound, they are often loud and there is frequently confusion, competition, and chaos rather than clear thinking about the moral and biblical consequences of what is occurring. Just war theory is a tool for responsible Christian living and citizenship

It is reasonable to suppose that when when our founders decided Congress shall have the Power to provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States, and with this the Power to declare War (Art I Sec 8), they had in mind the just war tradition developed over hundreds of years under the influence of not only Christianity but Roman law and Greek philosophy as well. In these times we have plenty of destructive means at hand with which to wage war. Now more than ever we need the moral compass that limits their use, made plain by the just war tradition handed down through the ages for the good of all mankind.

With so many candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination, how does any self-respecting news organization decide which ones to cover? One way is to check the latest poll results and ignore anyone who isn't near the top.

This method is typically used by CBS, ABC, NBC, and the Associated Press, resulting in stories like this one on the recent Republican state convention in Michigan. After discussing the remarks by Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Fred Thompson, the Associated Press covered the rest of the field, without even bothering to name some of the candidates in attendance:

A day earlier, Rudy Giuliani made his own standard pitch as the four top Republican presidential hopefuls and a few underdogs descended on a picturesque island in Lake Huron to cozy up to 1,500 activists from this Midwestern state.

Two other news organizations covered the event the old-fashioned way, by reporting what they actually saw. From the Lansing State Journal:

Michigan Republicans convened Friday on Mackinac Island amidst a sea of Ron Paul supporters. Paul, a Texas congressman and one of seven GOP presidential hopefuls attending the biennial state Republican leadership conference, unexpectedly recruited supporters who lined the docks at the Lake Huron island's harbor and swarmed the Grand Hotel.

And from the Detroit Free Press:

But the most surprising presence for conference-goers arriving on the island was the swarm of supporters of maverick U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a libertarian-leaning congressman from Texas. Paul, who is almost unknown nationwide and usually polls in the low single digits against his better-known rivals, has become something of an Internet phenom. Paul's supporters were in evidence Friday, lining the highways to the straits with signs and cheering their hero at the Grand Hotel.

Perhaps if the Associated Press were reporting on what is actually happening on the campaign trail, and the reception the various candidates are getting around the country, the local papers in Michigan wouldn't have been so surprised at the crowds Ron Paul attracts. Here are some of the crowds Ron Paul has drawn at various stops in the past few months, with high and low estimates from various sources (media, police, organizers, and attendees):

June 15th -- Kansas City, Missouri: Ron Paul speaks to a crowd of 500-700 supporters in a theater rented by a Meetup group. (Video)

June 30th -- Des Moines, Iowa: Ron Paul holds his own event after being ignored by Iowans for Tax Relief, outdrawing them and speaking to a crowd of 600-1200. (Video)

July 7th -- Las Vegas, Nevada: Ron Paul appears at Freedom Fest, drawing 500-1,000 at two different events. (Video)

July 14th -- Mountain View, California: Ron Paul speaks to 1,000+ at a public rally, after the best-attended and most-viewed appearance by any candidate at Google headquarters. (Video)

July 21st -- South Carolina: Ron Paul speaks to two large crowds, 350-400 at a Republican fundraiser in Spartanburg, and 500-1000 at a free rally in Greenville. (Video)

July 28th -- San Antonio, Texas: Ron Paul speaks to 500+ at the Alamo, then hosts hundreds at a successful fundraiser. (Video)

August 3rd -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Campaigning in his original home state, Ron Paul draws his biggest crowd yet, 1400-1600 supporters. (Video)

August 5th-12th -- Iowa: Ron Paul draws crowds of 600 in Fairfield and 1,000 at the State Fair, then gets 1,300 supporters to turn out for the Straw Poll.

August 28th -- Texas City, Texas: Ron Paul's birthday bash draws 1,000+. (Video)

September 12th -- Los Angeles, California: Ron Paul speaks to 500-900 students and supporters at USC. (Video)

September 14th -- Seattle, Washington: His speech on the Constitution at Seattle University draws 400-550, and an evening rally at the Westin Hotel packs in 1,000-1,200. (Video)

September 15th -- Salt Lake City, Utah: Finishing off a wildly successful West Coast tour, Ron Paul draws a crowd of 1,000+. (Coverage)

September 22nd -- Chicago, Illinois: Another Saturday, another Ron Paul rally with over 1,000 cheering fans.

I'm sure I've missed a few events along the way, but the point is clear -- any news organization that ignores a Ron Paul visit to their city is missing a major event.

The Associated Press seems to think that any candidate below 5% in the polls draws crowds like this one, listening to Senator Sam Brownback:



But some candidates who are trailing in the polls have tremendous voter appeal, and just need to become better known, as Ron Paul discovers in Salt Lake City: