Of course, this is one heck of a time to pick my head up and look around… what is all this nonsense (and it is) about Ron Paul busing in supporters?
There are naturally two observations here… first, the GOP faithful probably didn’t have Fred Thompson, but George Allen in mind when they voted. While it’s not entirely fair to say the grassroots voted Paul, it is entirely fair to make the observation that Thompson did carry the lion’s share of the hardcore activists amongst Virginia Republicans. The Paulistas — or whatever the Revolution is calling itself nowadays — were largely new folks from just about every background imaginable.
…which leads into point #2. Will those Ron Paul supporters come back?
Now I know the Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia was re-organized over the weekend to a bit of fanfare, with D.J. McGuire as the newly minted Chairman. Seeing as the RLC is a project of the good congressman from Texas, that might not be a bad way to get the conversation started.
What conversation, you ask? The conversation as to what the heck we really believe about smaller, less intrusive government — and what we intend to do to accomplish it.
I will add one item: Ron Paul’s supporters on the whole were very polite and energetic. There were those handful of people that you have heard criticized at RedState and such… the nutjobs and self-styled gnostics of conspiracy who belittled the “sheep” in the GOP. Losers.
In any event, straw polls are aptly named. It’s winning the delegates that matter. Still, given the turnout for Thompson and Paul, it’s very difficult to argue that the big mo’ is leaning towards the center. In fact, it’s leaning towards the Reagan-Goldwater right.