True Believers Carry On

By Adil James, MMNS

Auburn Hills–March 9–Now, in the sunset of the Republican primary race, what remains of the stalwart and perhaps fanatical support that Ron Paul engendered among the American populace?

During the campaign he found support that earned him record-setting “money bomb” collections of millions of dollars gathered in frenetic one-day periods of time, leveraging the internet and his base of devoted supporters. He won straw polls, beat serious competitors like Giuliani in isolated races, and made strong showings nationwide.

And how is this reflected in microcosm in the Michigan area?

The Muslim Observer attended a recent March event organized by the Ron Paul campaign in Michigan. From talking to those present you might think that McCain’s supposed clinching of the nomination is just a wispy detail in the way of Ron Paul’s still-possible victory. The four attendees seemed dedicated to their quiet revolution, and had lost none of their enthusiasm.

David Lonier, an organic farmer who hosted the function, explained that “Nothing is sewn up 100%.” “Candiates drop out.”

Sen. McCain seems unlikely to drop out of the race now, unless for health reasons–and judging by his feisty 95-year-old mother’s health, he looks likely to live healthily beyond his current 72.

Mr. Lonier explained that in Michigan there were about 400-500 people involved in the campaign, from whom about 100 were very active.

The underlying feeling at the function was one of revolution–a feeling that the elections thus far have been administered unjustly and in contempt of a growing but vibrant community.

“For the first time the mainstream media did not publish straw polls,” said Mr. Lonier, which he explained Ron Paul had mostly won. He points out that in Ron Paul’s 14th District of Texas he won his congressional seat overwhelmingly, but those same voters selected McCain by 4 to 1, implying a fix.

As for the vibrancy of the campaign, it was perhaps summed up in the words of Sean House. Mr. House was initially attracted to Paul because “I liked his passion, his honesty.” He said, “we are looking beyond the election.” He excitedly listed a new-found interest among Paul’s Michigan supporters in running for local congressional seats to push forward the same agenda of civil liberarian reform.

None of the four present at the meeting seemed likely to vote for any of the other name candidates in the coming election. Just the suggestion seemed dismaying to them, and one explained “I will probably just write in Ron Paul’s name if he is not on the ballot.”

Said Dave Hoover, another supporter: “It’s a love revolution, not a guns revolution.”

True love and true belief, for Ron Paul, the Texas congressman.

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