Ron Paul Rising: Evidence from National Polls on Ron Paul's Supporters

On Tuesday, Ron Paul shocked the nation with a strong second place finish in the New Hampshireprimary.

Amidst the ephemeral rise and fall of most of the GOP field (Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum) Ron Paul has found a steady and consistent rise in the polls. In effect, the once-considered-fringe candidate has vaulted into the GOP top tier.

Data collected from Real Clear Politics demonstrates Paul's steady rise in the polls from 2009 through 2011. By December 2011 there is a steep increase in support for Paul, likely as Iowa caucus pollsshowed him coming in first. Although Paul was a few percentage points shy of winning the Iowa caucus on Jan 2, Americans have begun to view Paul as an electable candidate.

 

Who Are Ron Paul Supporters?

A natural question is to ask who are Ron Paul's supporters and what distinguishes them from other voters. Entrance/Exit poll data from the Iowa Caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, and data from two Reason-Rupe Polls help illuminate common characteristics of Paul supporters.

Iowa

Ron Paul overwhelming won the youth vote, and by youth I mean he received more votes from Iowa voters 40 years and younger than any other candidate. Fifty percent of 17-24 year olds, 45 percent of 25-29 year olds, and 34 percent of 30-39 year olds. (More on the youth vote here.) Problematically for the Paul campaign, voters under 40 years old made up only 25 percent of the Iowa vote, while voters 65 and older made up another 26 percent of the vote, and the plurality of those older voters went to Romney at 33 percent, Santorum at 20 percent, Gingrich at 17 percent, and to Paul at 11 percent.

Paul tied with Romney and Santorum for 25 percent each of college graduates, and Paul's support is fairly evenly distributed among all educational levels. Paul won the vote among those making less than $50,000 a year, likely a product of his popularity among younger Americans.

Paul also tied with Romney for winning the urban vote, more than a quarter each respectively. Romney then largely won the suburban vote, and Santorum won the rural vote.

Paul won the vote among those who have never before attended a GOP caucus, in fact, a third of these new attendees cast their votes for Paul. In contrast, nearly a third of those who have previously attended the GOP caucuses voted for Romney.

Paul won the Independent vote by a wide margin, with 43 percent of Independents voting for Paul. Twenty nine percent and 27 percent of Republicans voted for Santorum and Romney, respectively, compared to 14 percent for Paul. Paul also won the moderate vote with 40 percent and Romney closely followed with 35 percent.

Despite assertions that Paul is the father of the modern day Tea Party movement, Tea Partiers in Iowa largely went for Santorum. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that Paul did not receive a significant share of Tea Party supporters: Roughly 20 percent of Tea Party supporters voted for Paul. This coincides with what my colleague David Kirby and I have found in our research of the Tea Party movement: There are both libertarian-leaning and socially conservative wings to the Tea Party.

Among those whose primary concern is the budget deficit, Paul won with 28 percent. Among those where abortion was the primary concern, Santorum won with 58 percent.

In terms of candidate qualities, Paul won among those who believe that the GOP candidate should be a true conservative with 37 percent. This is somewhat ironic, given that those who voted for Paul largely were Independents and moderates. This may suggest that those moderates and Independents don't believe self-identified conservatives are really all that conservative.

New Hampshire

Once again, Ron Paul overwhelming took the youth vote, or under 40 vote, with 46 percent among 18-24 year olds and 35 percent among 30-39 year olds. Like Iowa, New Hampshire voters under 40 make up about a quarter of total voters.

Paul also won those making less than $30,000 a year, likely a product of his support among young people. Nevertheless, he enjoys diversified support among income groups, about 20-30 percent among each income group except those making over $200,000 a year or more; he only captured 12 percent of these voters. In contrast, Romney captured 52 percent of those making $200,000 a year or more.

Similar to Iowa, Paul clearly beat all other candidates among voters who had never voted in the GOP primary before, with 38 percent of new primary voters. Romney captured 43 percent of voters who had voted in the primary before.

Also similar to Iowa, Paul won the Independent vote (self-identified) with nearly a third. Romney won half the Republicans and Huntsman won 40 percent of the Democrats. Among Tea Party supporters in New Hampshire, Paul took second, garnering 22 percent of their vote. Interestingly, Paul also won among whose who have unfavorable opinions of John McCain.

Although Paul comfortably won the vote among those voters who say they are very liberal on social issues like abortion (39 percent), he still captured about 21 percent of the evangelical Christian vote, only 2 percentage points lower than Santorum. He also captured nearly 50 percent of those who say they do not identify with a religion.

Paul also handily won among those who say that the most important candidate quality is to be a true conservative (41 percent went for Paul) and among those who want the candidate to have a strong moral character (40 percent).

Nationwide

Two Reason-Rupe polls asked Americans about their vote choice for President. Compiling the time series questions from both polls into one dataset produces a dataset with 140 Americans who say they would vote for Ron Paul for president. From these data, analyses are run among Independents and Republicans, providing 102 Ron Paul supporters. This provides an approximate overview regarding the demographics of his nationwide support. Surely, a larger sample size would be ideal, and also it should be recognized that the demographic make-up of his support likely would change over time as more voters become aware of his issue positions and other GOP candidates drop out of the race. Nevertheless, this provides an approximate snapshot of Ron Paul supporters.

As Iowa and New Hampshire polls suggest, Ron Paul supporters are unhappy with the status quo, with 82 percent disapproving of President Obama's job performance and 90 percent disproving of Congress.

A little more than half of Paul's support comes from those who self identify as Tea Party supporters, a quarter who self-identify as non-leaning Independents, and another quarter who self-identify as Republicans. In contrast, 43 percent of Romney's support comes from self-identified Republicans.

Moreover, Paul garners diversified ideological support, with 41 percent coming from conservatives and 22 percent coming from self-identified libertarians, and 26 percent from moderates. (In fact, the most recent Reason-Rupe poll, which also asked about support for the Occupy Wall Street movement, found that 44 percent of Paul's supporters also support the Occupy Wall Street movement.)

Eighty four percent of his support comes from those who are generally fiscally conservative. But 50 percent of his support comes from those are generally socially liberal. In contrast, 72 percent of Romney's support comes from fiscal conservatives and only 37 percent from social liberals.

These data lend additional supporting evidence to the thesis that Paul is creating a new coalition, with far more Independents, disaffected voters, those who do not fit the traditional left-right political spectrum, and those who have previously not been involved with the political process.

Despite their lack of loyalty to the Republican Party and representation of non-Republican stalwarts, Paul supporters overwhelmingly believe that government is not the one-stop solution for America's problems. In fact 85 percent say "the less government the better" and 78 percent say individuals would be better able to handle today's problems within a free market with less government involvement. Somewhat ironically, leading GOP candidate Mitt Romney has a solid 30 percent of supporters who believe the government should be more involved and that we need a strong government to handle complex economic problems. So even though Paul is often perceived as out-of-line with the Republican Party, his supporters clearly represent the fiscally conservative base. Interestingly, Paul supporters are divided on social issues, with half saying the government should promote traditional values in society and the other half believing government should not promote a particular set of values. In contrast, 61 percent of Romney supporters believe the government should intervene to promote traditional values in society.

Sixty six percent of Paul support comes from those younger than 44, compared to 46 percent among Romney supporters. His support is slightly more male than female, (60 percent vs. 40 percent) which is often the case among Republican candidates. His support is fairly evenly distributed across income, although somewhat slightly higher among those making $75,000-$199,000 a year. His support is also fairly evenly distributed across educational groups.

Interestingly, he garners greater support among those employed full time in the private sector (who tend to be more fiscally conservative) and also self-employed individuals (also more fiscally conservative).

Implications

In sum, Iowa, New Hampshire, and aggregated Reason-Rupe poll data suggest Ron Paul captures the votes of young Americans under 40, independent non-partisans, strong fiscal conservatives, and those previously disengaged from the political process. Although many political pundits intransigently continue to perceive the political world as a dichotomy along a left-right political spectrum, Paul's success appears to be largely owed to the many Americans who do not fit neatly along a socially/economically liberal vs. socially/economically conservative spectrum. Instead, he attracts a diverse group, with many self-identifying as fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Despite Paul's fiscally conservative base of support, these voters are not Republican stalwarts and may defect if the party fails to meet their demands.  

OBAMA APPROVAL	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Strongly Approve	5	6	8
Somewhat Approve	18	9	16
Somewhat Disapprove	18	24	16
Strongly Disapprove	54	57	56
DK	5	4	5
	100	100	100
CONGRESS APPROVAL	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Strongly Approve	1	1	2
Somewhat Approve	12	6	11
Somewhat Disapprove	26	14	23
Strongly Disapprove	59	75	57
DK	2	4	6
	100	100	100
OBAMA VOTE	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Definitely Vote For Him	7	5	10
Consider Voting For Him	21	18	18
Definitely Not Vote For Him	70	76	68
DK	2	1	4
	100	100	100
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT: LESS/MORE GOV "Some people say the less government the better, others say that there are more things that government should be doing. Which comes closer to your own view?"	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Less Gov the Better	67	85	64
More Gov Should Be Doing	30	14	30
DK	3	2	6
	100	100	100
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT: GOV/FREE MARKET "Some people say we need a strong government to handle today's complex economic problems, others say that people would be better able to handle today's problems within a free market with less government involvement. Which comes closer to your own view?"	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
STRONG GOV	29	18	30
FREE MARKET	65	78	64
DK	6	4	7
	100	100	100
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT: GOV PROMOTE TRAD VALUES? "Some people think the government should promote traditional values in our society. Others think the government should not favor any particular set of values. Which comes closer to your own view?"	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
GOV PROMOTE TRAD VALUES	61	49	59
GOV SHOULD NOT PROMOTE TRAD VALUES	36	46	36
DK	3	6	5
	100	100	100
GENDER	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
MALE	51	60	54
FEMALE	49	40	46
	100	100	100
AGE GROUP	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
18-29	22	35	20
30-44	24	31	28
45-54	17	18	19
55-64	19	11	18
65+	18	5	15
	100	100	100
RACE	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
WHITE	78	82	75
BLACK	2	3	4
HISPANIC	15	6	15
ASIAN	5	8	4
NATIVE AMERICA	0	0	1
OTHER	0	1	0
	100	100	100
ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
< $25,000	14	10	12
$25,000 to $49,999	15	22	21
$50,000 to $74,999	22	16	19
$75,000 to $99,999	14	16	14
$100,000 to $199,999	18	21	14
$200,000+	7	4	5
Refused	10	11	14
	100	100	100
EDUCATION	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
<High School	1	1	3
High School	14	22	20
Some College	28	32	32
College Grad	32	30	27
Post Grad	19	13	12
Refused	6	3	5
	100	100	100
VOTER REGISTRATION	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Yes	94	91	90
No	3	8	7
Refused	3	1	3
	100	100	100
REGION	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Northeast	22	16	16
Midwest	18	19	21
South	30	38	39
West	30	27	23
	100	100	100
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE (NOT INCLUDING DEMOCRATS)	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
OWS	7	17	8
Pure Independent	3	10	6
OWS/TP	5	14	8
Tea Party	47	38	45
Republican	38	21	30
DK	0	0	3
	100	100	100
PARTY ID + TEA PARTY (NOT INCLUDING DEMOCRATS)	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Tea Party	52	52	53
Pure Independent	5	25	12
Republican	43	23	32
DK	0	0	3
	100	100	100
EMPLOYMENT STATUS	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Employed FT PRIVATE	33	40	32
Employed FT PUBLIC	7	6	8
Employed PT PRIVATE	13	9	8
EMPLOYED PT PUBLIC	6	2	3
Self-Employed	8	16	11
Homemaker	6	6	6
Retired	15	4	13
Student	2	3	3
Unemployed	2	8	8
Refused	7	6	8
	100	100	100
TEA PARTY SUPPORTER?	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Not a Supporter	48	48	47
Yes a Supporter	52	52	53
	100	100	100
IDEOLOGY: BASED ON ROLE OF GOVERNMENT QUESTIONS	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Liberal	6	9	10
Libertarian	31	41	28
Conservative	41	43	43
Communitarian	22	7	19
	100	100	100
IDEOLOGY-SELF IDENTIFICATION	Mitt Romney	Ron Paul	Total
	%	%	%
Conservative	46	41	48
Moderate	31	26	25
Liberal	3	2	7
Libertarian	7	22	6
Progressive	8	4	6
Other/DK	4	5	9
	100	100	100
N	213	102	1,133

Find full Reason-Rupe Q4 2011 poll results, question wording, and methodology here.

Follow Emily Ekins on Twitter @emilyekins

Comments

[Bill Woolsey]

Thank you.

Paul's supporters on issues like Afghanistan, Iran, Drug Legalization, Abortion, Immigration, Gold, Federal Reserve, would be great.

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[mgginva]

Hey Booby, Just how many more times ya gonna post this?

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[Robert Fallin]

Great analysis. You might also point out that Ron Paul received a write-in vote of nearly 3% in New Hampshire's DEMOCRATIC primary. http://www.democratsforronpaul.....c-primary/

and has gained 11 points, moving from fifth place to 3rd in South Carolina since the New Hampshire Primary.

http://americanresearchgroup.c.....ry/rep/sc/

Paul will likely soon pass Newt Gingrich and may very well beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina. If this happens, the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination becomes an entirely new "horse race".

[mgginva]

The scale on your chart is wrong - very very wrong. How can anything you say be trusted if you can't do a simple graph? You should watch Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and maybe you'll learn something.

[jen powers]

ron paul has become a nuisance. the novelty of his nuttiness has worn thin. if paul is whom our nation is looking to as a "last chance", things are worse than i thought.
http://littlebiggy.org/3634467

[herringtree]

You are right, it is worse than you thought. It cannot be fixed by someone who is elected because he is handsome, or has family values or owes favours to the banking establishment.

[mgginva]

Jen, I'm sorry you don't get it, but perhaps you have some issues you can work on. I'd like you to start by addressing why the following few things are wrong or nutty in your opinion;
End war on other people.
End war on our people (drug war).
Stop subsidizing economies by of other rich countries that take our jobs by "protecting" them with US troops.
Stop the private and secretive Fed from giving our money to banks in secret deals.
Stop erosion of our civil and property rights
Stop insane spending.
Release non violent drug offenders from unfair incarceration.
Stop giving the rich in poor countries our money (foreign aid).
Stop blindly following Israel and at the same time trying to control them - they don't want or need our help.
Reduce the size of federal government.
Allow states the freedom our forefathers intended.
Etc.
Good luck.

[Ron Paul fan]

Jen - read just these two books, and it will clear up a lot for you:
1. Griftopia - Matt Taibbi
2. Revolution, a manifesto by Ron Paul
Many libraries also have audio versions which I prefer because I can read while on my way to work.
Any of Ron Pauls 3 books are good (end the fed or Liberty Defined are also great books.
Griftopia will illustrate why Mitt and Obama (or the other GOP neocons) are both disastrous choices.
After reading just these two, you will no longer say Ron Paul is a nuisance, but instead a blessing, a necessity, a patriot and a warrior for we the people.
Ron Paul 2012!!!!

[Kevin Lewis]

Paul supporters are people who realize that America's failing and MOST DON"T notice! Bankruptcy? Illegal wars? Ignoring the constitution? Ron Paul is the man with the plan!

[liu]

The prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that "Israel does not need U.S. soldiers?. Israel can take care of itself". The Israelis would eliminate any direct threat to their nation, and their defensive actions WOULD NOT provoke a military response from any of the Mid East Countries, most of which are already in turmoil. We would better protect Israel by establishing a more sincere line of communication in the Mid East, first by withdrawing all troops from the Mid-East and then the rest of the world. If anyone then tries to attack us, the world including the Mid East, could not say that our participation in Mid East wars and military presence around the world inspired the attack. Amadinejad and the Mullahs of Iran want to rule their country, not a pile of ashes which they know would be the result of a war with the U.S. Ron Paul believes in strong national defense. As a fighter for liberty, freedom, and the constitution, how could he not believe! Ron Paul would make us strong from within not weaken us from abroad. The news media and both political parties are instilling unjustified paranoia into the minds of the American People. The real issue behind the smearing of Ron Paul's foreign policy is because he is against giving foreign aid (money) to Israel or (any other country) when we need the money here at home. Powerful political organizations and corporations control our politicians and have a huge influence over what goes on in much of the world and they have self centered interests. This is what I call the "Money power Matrix". Ron Paul is a threat to this corrupt power structure and ?THAT IS WHY THEY DON'T WANT HIM AS PRESIDENT!

[liu]

Former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer, who led the CIA's hunt for Osama Bin Laden, states that terrorist attacks (specifically al-Qaeda attacks on America) are not motivated by a religiously inspired hatred of Americans. "They hate us for what we do, not who we are." U.S. foreign policy actions Scheuer believes are fueling Islamic terror include: the U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan and invasion of Iraq; Israel?United States relations, namely, financial, military, and political support for Israel. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]; U.S. support for "apostate" police states in Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Algeria, Morocco, and Kuwait[21]; U.S. support for the creation of the Christian state of East Timor from territory previously held by Muslim Indonesia; perceived U.S. approval or support of actions against Muslim insurgents in India, the Philippines, Chechnya, China (East Turkestan), and Palestine[22]; U.S. troops on Muslim 'holy ground' in Saudi Arabia; the Western world's religious discrimination against Muslim immigrants'; historical justification, such as the Crusades .We should consider these factors when dealing with Iran. He recently endorsed Ron Paul.

[liu]

In defense of Ron Paul's stance on Iran and the propensity of the U.S to engage itself in foreign wars, I would like to bring up a few facts which seem to elude so called conservatives, especially the Fox News pompous hatchet team of Bill O'Reilly, Chris Wallace, Brett Baier, Martha MacCallum and Megan Kelly. Apparently we have learned nothing from the Iraqi War or maybe we would just like to bury the facts. Let's dig some up so people will remember or maybe learn for the first time.
(1) The war cost us around 3 trillion dollars. (2) Without knowing the exact number to date over 4,400 U.S. troops were killed. (3) Over 30,000 U.S. troops wounded, many permanently disabled and disfigured. (4) Over 100,000 Iraqi soldiers and civilians killed. So what did the U.S get out of the war?
(2) Let's see, we can start with the company Halliburton. Halliburton was responsible for installing military bases, oil field repairs, and infrastructure rebuilding. The company made over 17 Billion dollars from the war. Now, let's see just a few people in Halliburton who may have profited. These people either hold or held these positions. CEO Dick Cheney, Vice President of the U.S.; Board member William Simon, US Secretary of the Treasury; Board member Delano Lewis,U.S. Ambassador to S. Africa; Board member Ann Armstrong, U.S. Ambassador to the U.K.; Lawrence Eagleburger,U.S. Secretary of State; Kenneth Derr, CEO of Chevron; C.J.Silas,CEO of Phillips Petroleum.
(3) Now let's see DynCorp. DynCorp, a subsidiary of Veritas Capital was responsible for Iraqi troop training. DynCorp made 1.4 Billion from the war. Barry Mccaffey, one time White House Drug Czar is associated with DynCorp; Board member James Woolsey, CIA Director; Board member Marc Grossman U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs; Board member Joseph w. Prueher U.S. Ambassador to China;
(4) The other main companies who profited are Washington International Group 931 million; Environmental Chemical 878 million; Bechtel,2.4 Billion; Aegis Defense Systems, 294 Million; Nour USA, 400 Million; General Dynamics, Billions; Chevron , Exxon, Shell, and Phillips possibly 200 Billion from oil production sharing agreements; Boing , millions
Now let's see what the American People got out of it. More security... NO, More money... NO, More happiness... NO. We got Death, sorrow, bills and unpopularity among millions of Mid Eastern people and the rest of the world.
Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens were killed, maimed and lost their homes. We have pulled out of Iraq and accomplished nothing! Oh, wait a minute, now I understand???..we saved their country from a dictator that we helped put into power and then we sacrificed the lives of over 4,400 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to take him out. WOW, what a great victory!! Oh I forgot, maybe we can steal some oil out of it.
AFGHANISTAN is going in the same direction as Iraq!

[Tunkashila]

Don't forget about the 6 billion US dollars that came up missing and no one knows where it went! http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-50.....03543.html @Liu: most americans that are for "Status Quo" are very lazy and do not bother themselves with cridical thinking! When the world and their reality comes crumbling down and they wanna put a bullet in their heads just as the German people did when their reality bursted during the fall of the Reich, we will then feel compassion for their demise as we survive!!

[Ron Paul fan]

Great post!

[Dennis]

Some have stated that Ron Paul's views are "?well out of the Republican mainstream?." and give it a derogatory bent. Actually, his views are well out of the Republican AND Democrat mainstream. And that is a very good and refreshing thing.

It is surprising that he even registers on the political polls considering the constant negative comments made by nearly all of political talking heads ? including the so-called conservatives. No one in the political establishment on either side wants Dr. Paul to ascend to the presidency. They know for certain that if he was elected it would not be business as usual. They know that he alone among the candidates is the only one that will rigidly adhere to Constitutional government; that he will not be influenced by money, but by Constitutional principle.

He has been attacked mainly because of his stance on foreign policy. As I understand Ron Paul's position, he deeply believes the United States should not go to war unless: 1) it is truly necessary and in the best interest of the United States & 2) it is entered into in a Constitutional manner. For this he is berated. I completely agree with Ron Paul.

Just a few thoughts:

? Do those who promote unnecessary wars really consider that people die in them? Do they not watch the evening news when the lists of young dead servicemen scroll across the television screen? So far, 6,331 American servicemen have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Paul's foreign policy has been attacked by his critics as "dangerous." What a bunch of simple minded individuals his critics are. How can they criticize Dr. Paul's position on not fighting unnecessary wars as "dangerous" as opposed to the thousands of American service men and foreign civilians killed during the Bush and Obama administrations? Those self-righteous people who condemn Ron Paul's views on war do not seem to mind the killing and maiming of young United States soldiers. They do not really treasure human life, though they try very hard to persuade the electorate they do.
? If you kill (bombing, etc.) a person's family members, this person will intensely hate the country doing the killing for the rest of his/her life. Many innocent people are killed in needless wars. This breeds terrorists who may one day bring such terror to the United States. This is a no brainer. It is estimated that 132,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
? China is not spending money fighting wars. China is spending money on infrastructure and making loans to the United States. Meanwhile, our government is squandering money fighting in three countries.
? The senselessness of war stands out when we see veterans of past wars on both sides meeting and shaking hands (U.S./Japanese, etc.). The men are now friends, but the dead are still dead. It is governments that cannot get along ? it is not the people.
? Those who promote wars should be in the vanguard of the first attack. If the war is so important, they and their families should be intimately involved in the actual fighting.

Presently, the government does not adequately protect our borders; instead it chooses to make a police state out of our country. It does this in the name of keeping us safe from terrorism (because there maybe terrorist in our country). Instead of attacking our personal liberties, the United States government should protect our borders and keep terrorists out of the United States. If this was competently done it would not be necessary to restrict the liberties of United States citizens inside the United States.

Electing anyone but Ron Paul is just asking for more of what we have had for years ? it is time to renew Constitutional Government & the American Spirit ? it is time to elect Ron Paul.

[herringtree]

"Among those where abortion was the primary concern, Santorum won with 58 percent."

You're kidding, right? Abortion is an important issue, but there really are people who see it as a nations most important issue? Huge budget deficits. A failed war on drugs. A racist judicial system. The Establishment deciding who is worthy of your vote. American Military presence all over the world. Citizen rights being eroded.

Abortion the number one issue? Let God judge abortionists. Let man offer support to pregnant girls, help them stay in school. Give them the support they need and maybe they won't choose abortion.

[Ron Paul fan]

Look at that curve, it represents an exponential shift away from the mass media and government misinformation people have been fed a steady diet of for far too long. There is a reason why Rons popularity is exploding, it is because he is right... Read his books, and you will know why (if only one, read "revolution, a manifesto"
Ron Paul or bust!!!!

[biggys]

The freedom to makes ones own choices?! This is a dangerous notion and one condemned and feared by media and politicians alike. If you have the ability to think and do (within reason) then you are no longer slaved to fashionable magazines, clothing lines, auto makers, diet schemes, and the rigors of being a good litle consumer. Its fear people! Fancy magazines dont have your best interests at heart, but yet we follow them as if they we spoken from a higher being, Mercedes doesnt care if you cant afford their newest car, Weight Watchers cares even less if you dont keep the weight of, in fact they prefer you dont. Live in fear, be afraid, look to nobody but huge corporation to coddle you in your paranoia and self loathing.

I have heard of this document called the constitution, apparently it states that what freedoms and liberty's we are commanded to have, but the only thing I see is the desecration of these, with a nifty little disclaimer as to why its ok to remove a persons right completely. Somehow, we as a nation have sat aside and watched this slide time and time again. First starting off with simple freedom (the right to peacably assemble) in which we have saw in the news where police officers are allowed to pepper spray young, unarmed, and peaceful children, then stepping up to snatch away your right to freedom of speech without being afraid of being arrested by our militarized nation. I think Gatewood Galbraith said it best when he referred to our nations "leaders" as a " petro-chemical, pharmaceutical, miltary industrial complex, transnational, corporate, fascist, elite sob's. Democracy or dictatorship?

Paul 2012

[Steve Williams]

Great article...That picture at the begining of your scares the heck out of me...Wow...I do however agree with the author about the "denists pimps" going after certain taxes to benefit themselves...Glad someone is watching the ship for us...Go get 'em...Thanks!!!
🙂

[ghd hair straighteners]

It's sad to see how America is declining right in front of the rest of the world

[GHD Kiss Pink IV Styler]

ask them since they blame Obama for the state of the economy, and expect the unemployed to just get a job out of thin air

[timberland shoes]

That's up there with pretending the people with real power always look out for the little guy.

[discount vans shoes]

s the number of people using roads and highways steadily increases, cars have also become more fuel-efficient, thus reducing the amount of gas

[vans shoes sale]

vans shoes sale

[vans shoes sale uk]

s the number of people using roads and highways steadily increases, cars have also become more fuel-efficient, thus reducing the amount of gas?

[my tedata]

The trouble with tolls is they never go away. I'm OK with a toll that sunsets when the bonds to finance the project road are paid off. Unfortunately, once the road's paid for, the toll just becomes another endless tax typically used for everything but road maintenance. - - ????? 2017
- ????? ??????

[my tedata]

The trouble with tolls is they never go away. I'm OK with a toll that sunsets when the bonds to finance the project road are paid off. Unfortunately, once the road's paid for, the toll just becomes another endless tax typically used for everything but road maintenance. - - ????? 2017
- ????? ??????