doesnt matter if the genpop doesnt know him.
most folks couldn't tell a dean from a kerry in 2003 until the first primaries were over and it was already decided. High probability that NH, Iowa, and Mich will determine everything... and very strong that we'll know by So Carolina for sure.
If enough primary voters choose him, he could get the nod. If general voters have to choose betwen "Paul something" and Hilary, most will pick Paul lol...
Hilary isn'tpopular. And in the debates, he'll look like an actual saint next to her. His history is spotless, his ideas make sense for the most part. They're polar opposites.
Oh, I agree on him being a great choice. As it stands, he is my candidate.
I know plenty of 30-49yr olds who have no idea who Ron Paul is.
They know Rudy, McCain, Obama, and Hillary.....
You're informed. You stay informed. Most people don't.
I think he is the best candidate, but unless he can get those that only very passively follows politics to pay attention soon, I don't see him getting the nod.
A good friend of mine is a hardline Libertarian, seems to be fairly educated in politics...a few months ago I mentioned Paul, and he had to look him up.
If I walked into a mall and asked people what they thought about him, they wouldn't know what to say.
If I said Gulliani, they would say something they heard on MSNBC.
A few 19 year olds might say "Dude, that's that guy on the internet! He's bad ass."
He's not getting the press either.
At the youtube debate the other night, when he and McCain had the "the troops told me to win this thing." followed by "I'm leading in troop donations."
What was shown on the new stations? McCain was shown. Paul's great rebuttal wasn't.
More people are going to form their oppinions from the debate coverage than they are from the debate....for the simple reason that most people won't sit through an entire debate. And, those that will sit through the debate have, by and large, already formed their opinions on the candidates and are now 'rooting' for their man.