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Canadians get behind rebel Republican

With Michigan voting, we look at the Canadians who love Ron Paul.

Peter Jaworski - January 15, 2008

Ron Paul, the former Doctor and 10-term Republican Congressman from the 14th District of Texas has generated enormous buzz on the internet, has drawn hefty donations--including nearly U.S.$20,000,000 for the fourth quarter, the highest amongst Republicans--has more Meetups and YouTube videos and supporter-created songs and websites, than just about any other Democratic or Republican candidate for President (only Barack Obama comes close). All that buzz and money has not, however, converted into sizable votes in the first two primaries and caucuses.

Paul placed fifth in Iowa on January 3rd. He then placed a disappointing fifth with 7.65 per cent of the vote on January 8th in New Hampshire--the state most "Paulites," the nickname given Paul supporters, thought would be on-board with Paul's libertarian message. Even the consolation prize, a defeat of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has become the Paulites' most hated archnemesis, was denied them as Giuliani beat out Paul for fourth place by less than a single percentage point.

Many had expected a much better finish. New Hampshire, with its "Live Free or Die" motto, and the destination for many libertarians through the Free State Project--an attempt to have 20,000 libertarians move to the state in order to push it in a more libertarian direction--was an utter disappointment for Paul's very active backers. Brock Davis, a 28-year old graduate of the University of Alberta, says he was both very disappointed and very surprised at the "stunning setback" in New Hampshire. "While I never assumed he would win the whole race (or even Republican primary), I did assume that the Live Free or Die state would likely put him at least second, if not first."

So did Cathy Brideau, a 53-year-old New Brunswick resident, who says she was hoping for at least a 15 per cent vote share for her favourite Republican candidate. But she was doing more than merely hoping. She spent a month, from December 11th until January 11th, in New Hampshire as a house captain for three New London homes as part of "Operation Live Free or Die," a canvassing and campaigning initiative organized by grassroots supporters of Paul. 15 per cent, she says, would have been newsworthy.

While they are disappointed, they are also quick to point out the positives. In Iowa, for instance, his fifth-place finish comes with the consolation that he was within three percentage points of third place, winning Jefferson County, and securing two delegates to the national convention. Similarly, in New Hampshire, Paul was again three percentage points out of third, and again took a county, this time Richmond in South West New Hampshire. While he placed fifth in both the caucus and the primary, he places an overall fourth, ahead of Giuliani and Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, with 8.6 per cent of the vote to Giuliani's seven per cent, and Thompson's 5.3 per cent.

But the outcome does highlight a stark contrast between his electoral support, and his online support. Polls on websites frequently result in Ron Paul winning with overwhelming numbers. Articles with open comment sections typically receive responses in the hundreds. When National Public Radio asked Ron Paul supporters to explain who they were, the response was so overwhelming--over 2,000 comments--that they closed the moderated comment section because they couldn't keep up with the comments. Post-debate text-message polls for Fox News debate on August 29th had Paul winning with 33 per cent (former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee was a distant second with 18 per cent), while the January 10th Fox News Debate also had Paul first with 32 per cent (this time with Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson in second with 22 per cent). Such heated polling activity had some accusing the Paul campaign of "spamming" the polls (even the text message polls) and comment sections, while others, like RedState.com, a blog for Republican supporters, went so far as to ban posts about Ron Paul for the overwhelming number of comments and messages that Paul supporters sent their way.

That contrast may be explained by the fact that, while elections in the U.S. require American citizenship, online polls and blogs require nothing more than an internet connection. Paul's appeal is surprisingly international. No other candidate has generated as much interest or support outside of the U.S. as Ron Paul. Canadians, in particular, appear to be surprisingly sympathetic to the "revolution," a popular description of Paul's campaign that has caught on, partly because the letters "evol" are inverted, to spell out "love" when viewed in a mirror.

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