Paul, Hunter Force Leading GOP Candidates to Pay Attention
While Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter rank below the other Republican presidential candidates in national polls, they nonetheless hit on key issues for particular blocs and occasionally force the top tier to take notice.
The super-early, front-loaded primary calendar, combined with a mildly enthusiastic Republican base, has enabled these two boutique candidates to energize the field, said Mark Wrighton, politics professor at Millikin University in Illinois.
“We’re really sort of in uncharted territory here and we’re seeing some interesting things occur,” Wrighton said.
One of the unexpected, big moves in the race so far has been the catapult of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, from what was generally considered a darkhorse, second-tier position to frontrunner status in Iowa; he has become the most talked about Republican candidate in the field.
Paul has surprised everyone by attracting what many are saying is the largest grassroots movement since independent Ross Perot in 1992. The limited government, anti-war libertarian raised more than $19 million in the fourth quarter of 2007 and he has a legion of avid volunteers knocking door to door and blogging all over the country on his behalf.
While his chances for winning the nomination appear slim, Paul earned 9 percent of the vote in a Des Moines Register survey of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers released Tuesday. An average of national polling puts him at 4.3 percent.
Meanwhile, Hunter may not have the the broad appeal of the current GOP frontrunners, but is certainly generating — and riding — the wave of Republican energy on issues like illegal immigration and border security.
Hunter, a California congressman, has forged his campaign on Republican anger at what he perceives is federal immobility on curbing illegal immigration, incentives that attract undocumented workers and their families here and so-called “sanctuary cities” that do not penalize or pursue illegal immigrants within their jurisdictions.
Hunter, who was chairman of the Armed Services Committee before Democrats took over the majority in the House of Representatives in 2007, is known primarily for successfully pushing through legislation for erecting a security fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. He’s been tough on the outsourcing of American business to foreigners and has been steadfast in this support of the war policy in Iraq.
But his star has been dimmed by the brighter, though in some ways, less purely conservative lights of the so-called “top tier.”
“I’ve known Duncan Hunter since 1980,” said John Gizzi, political editor of Human Events. “He’s one of the most decent people I know. He places ethics above everything else. He’s honorable to a fault.”
But with Hunter polling around 1 percent, Gizzi said the candidate might be looking toward other things.
“If there is a Republican president, (Hunter) would make an outstanding secretary of defense.”
Paul has not been so overshadowed. The 10-term congressman from Texas who was the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate in 1988, has never enjoyed so much national notoriety and support as he does now, mostly because he is the only Republican candidate who has articulated opposition to the war, independence from the GOP machine and a strict constructionist view of the Constitution.
“He’s surprising a lot of people with the buzz he’s getting,” said Sean Evans, a professor of politics at Union University in Tennessee. “There’s a strong libertarian streak in the Republican Party and he’s speaking to that. He’s speaking to a certain demographic that no one has been able to.”
During the GOP debates Paul, 72, offered push-back against the other candidates, particularly on Iraq. Rudy Giuliani, the frontrunner in national polls, was able to make headlines off Paul when he scolded him for suggesting that it was U.S. policy that led to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. But Paul didn’t back down and therein lies his appeal, said conservative political consultant Chuck Muth, also head of Citizen Outreach.
“He’s never worried about the Republican establishment, that’s for sure,” he said. “He means what he says. I think his personality has attracted so many people who may hadn’t heard of Ron Paul before this presidential campaign.”
This is nothing more than FASCISM ron paul polls higher and everyone knows it ron paul is not a bought and paid for candidate like the rest RON PAUL 08.
FIXED NEWS IS NOW OUT OF MY HOUSE AND I WILL NOT BUY FROM ANY OF THERE SPONCERS!
WOW, Dr.NO Ron Paul is the truth the light and the american way ! Can you say Superman !! Thanks ps never watch Faux nonews
Get Real MSM! Who won the Dec 7th national caucus with 62.5% and you did not mention one word! I wonder what excuse you will say if Ron Paul wins it all! If you report the facts maybe we would listen until then your turning off all the American People!
Faux News is no news network. What is the purpose of your so-so ( old news) article?
No interesting facts, just the mention of Ron Paul’s name to attract traffic?
Well you got me… for the first and last time.
Should be ashame to work for that ” news” company.
Fox is a farce. The first ballot in the first caucus has not yet been cast, but Fox is already trying to tell the American public who it should vote for by excluding viable candidates from its NH primary forum. Shame on Fox news. Shame on you Rupert Murdoch! Dump Newscorp stock now!
Look how angry the people get when you try and wake them from their coma. We have Ron Paul, who wishes to decimate the CIA militarist global empire and end this misery that supports resource theft and slave labor markets for corporations.
Who will the media make fun of? Who will the media smear?
What I find the saddest, is that Liberals and Progressives, who’ve I’ve worked side by side with in anti-war and human rights causes . . . will bleat like sheep, and parrot all the character assassinations the CIA plants in their corporate media lackey’s mouths. AKA..RACIST, Nut job…yada,yada…yada….
It will be liberals and progressives who will turn on the last greatest hope we have of saving our democracy and ending the brutal CIA run global corporate empire. After 9/11, when the Democrats were licking the boots of Bush and the neo-cons, there was one shining knight who stood tall against them. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney demanded to know what happened to the $2.3 TRILLION Rumsfeld said the Pentagon “lost.” She demanded to know more about the connections between Bush and the Bin Laden family, and she demanded to know who ordered the mysterious war games to be held coincidentally on 9/11/2001, and why they were not called off when the attacks began.
For her courage her own Democratic Party leaders turned on her or turned away from her as the CIA controlled media hounds were unleashed upon her. This brave woman is now the Green Party Candidate, and if she garners the kind of support Ron Paul has, the CIA controlled media will turn on her again. And as before, the Democratic leadership will parrot the media’s attacks on her.
Suddenly, I wake up and can hardly believe that I ever knew these people in the first place. It’s like invasion of the body snatchers, and they are all screaming their alarms at Ron Paul, the one candidate who has not been replaced with the soul of a CIA militarist pod.
On NBC’s Meet the Press last week, Ron Paul shook the foundations of the illegal war mongering power structures of America. He’ll have hell to pay. His only hope is that the people he is standing up for, the average peace and justice loving American, will stand up for Ron Paul.
I have read this today that Fox News is not including Dr. Paul to participate the Jan. 6th GOP debate in NH.
I am writing to protest this irresponsible & unethical decision. I do not care if this message will be read by some officials from your company. BUT, whoever is reading it right now can help me, YOURSELF, and many many other Americans to live better, healthier, happier if you would pass this message to the person next to you right now. S/he will also do the same thing, no doubt about it.
What’s more important to Fox News, gaining money? or gaining love?! You are a Christian, right?
*President Ron Paul 2008*
Down with NewsCorp. You can no longer marginalize the REVOLUTION, it shall happen regardless of your interference and marginalization. We are tired of the controlling sway of media in government. We respectfully ask you to stop and desist from the hate and propoganda to the next president, Dr. Ron Paul.
Ron Paul is indeed a breath of fresh air with obvious wisdom that far exceeds that of the combined Republican and Democratic field of candidates. My only wish is that people would pull their head out of the sand and listen to him. Once one listens to Ron Paul you can’t help but to vote for him.
If you want to save this Nation from catastrophe by the Neocons, Elitists (Bankers,etc) you will vote for him. If you want to keep your freedom, peace, and prosperity, you will vote for him.
If you don’t then just blame yourself when it happens and don’t whine.
Duncan and Paul in the same category? This article is a joke.