Ron Paul is by far the most popular Republican candidate on the Internet. ZDNet looks at what makes him the most popular candidate to be ignored by the main stream media:
For his part, Paul attributes his online popularity to a set of beliefs that resonates with a younger crowd. “The whole message seems to be very attractive to young people,” he said in a recent interview. “I think they like to be left alone. When I talk about Internet privacy and no taxes, I think they understand it.”
Another factor is Paul’s vote against the war in Iraq and his opposition to military action against Iran, making him unique among Republican candidates (and a rarity even among Democrats, after Obama reiterated during a debate that he would not rule out a nuclear strike against Iran). “Young people I think very naturally are opposed to the war that’s going on,” Paul said. “Soon they’re going to turn 18.”
This is not a new position: Paul also opposed the United States’ first war against Iraq, and the war in Kosovo as well. His political views are broadly libertarian, which means supporting ideas like free markets (less regulation), individual rights (junk the Patriot Act), lower taxes (eliminate the IRS), and civil libertarianism (legalize marijuana).
An instinctive suspicion of governmental intrusions into regulating technology is a big reason for Paul’s popularity in geek circles, which have long been irritated by laws like the Communications Decency Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. (One wag has quipped: “Libertarianism and Internet geeks go together like Guantanamo Bay and daily beatings.”)
Paul has consistently voted against federal efforts to censor sexually explicit Web sites–a stance that nearly cost him his re-election bid last November when his Democratic rival cited those votes to argue that Paul was soft on porn. Paul, sometimes known in Washington as “Dr. No,” risked opprobrium from fellow Republicans by voting against a law last year to restrict Internet gambling and has also opposed targeting the video game industry and giving federal police more Internet surveillance powers.
Ron Paul was my man before all the campaigning began. I am a bit worried about his position on the War in Iraq, but I am pretty much with him everywhere else. If you are one of the three people on the Internet still ignorant, you could do worse than reading this profile.
