Ron Paul came to New York’s East Village Monday night — and drew about 1,900 people, mostly young adults. It was a fascinating chance to observe the impact he has, and the kind of supporters he attracts. From my piece on the homepage today:
Paul is a rock star here. When he appears before delivering his speech from the balcony that wraps around three of the four walls, the crowd erupts into a raucous cheer and hundreds of upturned faces gaze in admiration at the man decades older than almost all of them. At one point in his speech, he asks, “Are there any CIA agents in this room? FBI? Or TSA?” The audience boos loudly. “Good, we’re okay,” Paul says jokingly, before delivering a speech centered on his usual themes: U.S. intervention in foreign countries, the Federal Reserve, and the need for individual liberty. He is interrupted again and again by cheers.
But it is not New York City–area denizens who determine the GOP nomination, and the East Village is a long ways from Iowa. Is there any reason to believe this election cycle is the time Paul could catapult into winning the GOP nomination?
“The argument that you should pay more attention to him is that he is number two in fundraising, has been since last report,” Paul spokesman Gary Howard tells me in a room adjoining the main hall, whose walls fail to block out the thunderous “End the Fed” chant going on. “If you look at most of the polls, he’s gone from about 8 or 9 [percent support] to about 14, 15 — so he’s solidly in third place.” According to the RealClearPolitics poll average, Paul is currently in third place, but is averaging about 7.7 percent support (he did reach 13 percent in the USA Today/Gallup poll conducted mid-September).
Read the full piece here.