2008 Woodie Awards
The perspective politician
Kevin Robillard
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
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As Paul walked up to the podium, he waved his arms for quiet. Silence filled the room. He began his speech and mentioned the suspension of his presidential campaign.
One voice could be heard above his speech and the crowd: "Write-in!"
While Paul's supporters may not be large in number, they definitely never give up.
Paul, a former candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, endorsed five Maryland congressional candidates in the Comcast Center's Pavilion Gym last night to a crowd of about 250. While Paul's views may place him outside the mainstream of his party (withdrawal from Iraq) and of American politics (abolishing the Federal Reserve, withdrawing troops from Germany, Korea, and Japan), his followers are exceptionally devoted.
No presidential campaign except perhaps Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made as much use of the Internet as Paul's did. There, his supporters organized meetings, planned events, and shared information and enthusiasm.
Junior business major Alan VanToai sent Facebook invitations to dozens of people for Paul's speech on the campus last night.
"I wouldn't do that for anybody else but Ron," he said before Paul's speech. "I'm super anxious."
Mike Davis, a member of Maryland Students for Liberty who introduced Paul, said in a speech he used to not care about politics.
"That all changed when I head Ron Paul speak last year at the first Republican debate and he said things that actually made sense," he said.
Anthony Salvato, a sophomore computer engineering major, had a similar experience after seeing videos of Paul's speeches online.
"I thought to myself, 'Wow, this guy makes sense,'" he said while in the VIP room before the event, which he paid $150 to enter for the chance to meet Paul.
Maryland Students for Liberty President (no relation to Mike) Brian Davis expressed the one core belief that unifies Paul's supporters: "They don't need people in Washington to tell them what to do."
Paul's main purpose was to lend support to Republican congressional candidates, such as Richard Matthews, a 28-year-old running for congress in the state's 2nd Congressional District. Matthews started out as a Ron Paul meetup organizer last year.
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