The Chicago Tribune’s “Does Ron Paul Have a Chance to Do Better than the Tribune Has Treated Him?” Article

There was a lot of heavy snow that I shoveled Friday night before we went out to dinner at the Crystal Lake Country Club. I was really tired and slept as late as I can remember.

Undoubtedly part of the reason was because of the barbecued ribs and the rest of the food I stuffed down my gullet.

As I was finishing the ribs off for lunch, I got to page four of Saturday’s Chicago Tribune and, lo and behold, there was a big, 856-word article on libertarian Republican Party primary candidate Ron Paul, headlined,

Paul aims outside the Web
The Internet brought him millions,
but Main Street needed for votes

The blotch on the article next to the Iowa voter’s photo is barbecue sauce.

Maybe because I played the role of the ignored candidate for Illinois governor in 2002, I look at ignored candidates more than others. I’ve always admired underdogs.

And does “underdog” fit obstetrician Ron Paul’s campaign.

Even the slogan of the recent movie by that name fits the campaign, if you will allow a substitute spelling for “paw.”

Saving the World,
One Paul at a Time!

And this underdog physician has certainly been ignored by the mainstream media.

The Chicago Tribune ignored Paul’s 1,500-person Hyatt Regency rally in mid-September.

But they covered John McCain’s Union League Club press conference.

And the press conferences of the other “leading” presidential candidates who just stopped in Chicago to raise money and decided to get some free press.

I’ll show you the Chicago Tempo photo of him as a “lonely guy” with no supporters again.

Until, he ended up raising more money in one day than any other presidential candidate ever has…twice.

Then, the Tribune gave him front page coverage.

Now, Paul’s campaign is sitting on a couple of tens of millions of dollars, enough, his campaign folks say, to take him through the February 5th primary elections.

I pointed out that Paul is the only candidate with energized Illinois supporters.

While that does not by any means translate into significant numbers of votes, it meant something to press coverage four years ago to Howard Dean.

Dean got it.

Paul hasn’t.

Now in a “cover our read end” article “just in case,” the Tribune assigned reporter Jason George to check out what the Paul campaign is doing in Iowa.

Illinois’ ex-presidential candidate John Cox’ campaign manager Craig Bergman is Paul’s political director there. Cox spent a lot of time in Iowa, so my guess is that Bergman has a lot of current grass roots Republican contacts. State chairman Drew Ivers ran the 1988 Pat Robertson campaign, plus two for Pat Buchanan. More contacts.

University of Iowa political scientist David Redlawsk had this observation:

“It might be the one thing that will make the Republican caucuses interesting.”

Paul now has thirty staffers in Iowa, up from four, and hundreds of volunteers, the article says.

“So, could Paul end up in the top three?” reporter George asks. “Could Paul ace out better-known candidates like New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain?”

“Odder things have happened,” political scientist Fedlawsk points out, noting that Pat Robertson finished second ahead of V.P. George Bush in 1988.

The Tribune found one “normal” (my characterization) Iowa Republican, a veterinarian named Carl Bockenstedt. He’s dropping off literature to farmers as he tends their animals.

“Here we are, a model family in Iowa, and the people who are supposed to work for us don’t.”

I think he’s talking about government folks in Washington.

Maybe that attitude among Republicans is why the Chicago Tribune wrote Saturday’s

“Does Ron Paul Have a Chance to Do
Better than the Tribune Has Treated Him?”

article. Former Springfield bureau writer Christi Parsons even mentions “maverick libertarian” Paul in her national wrap-up article, but can’t bring herself to call his position on abortion “pro-life.”

Meanwhile, this in the Wall Street Journal, written by editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader:

” Mr. Paul draws an unusual mix of libertarians, fiscally conservative Democrats, conservative Republicans, home-schoolers, vegans, gambling aficionados, anti-abortion activists and others who want the government to butt out of some aspect of their lives.”

All images may be enlarged by clicking on them. The blimp is from Ron Paul Blimp. Here is was in Norfolk, Virginia, now near Orlando, Florida.


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