COMMENTARY | According the latest news from Yahoo! News, the Ron Paul campaign could use the old Anne Murray song, "Everything that is old, is new again" as its theme. Paul, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2008 election for president, is starting to surge in the polls leading up to the Iowa caucus. What is behind this increased support and what are his chances to actually take down incumbent Barack Obama?
The Paul campaign in 2008 was largely based in the colloquially named "grassroots style." It borrowed a tactic that Obama successfully used to get into the White House by focusing on the Internet and social media for fundraising and getting his message out. It worked really well and that foundation has carried over to this election cycle.
The 2012 Paul campaign has expanded to look more traditional. According to an AP story, he has expanded his on the ground team in Iowa to three times its previous size. Phone calls and TV ads have been an everyday staple in Iowa, each loudly broadcasting his name and message. Voters in Iowa have responded in the first hurdle to the GOP nomination by giving Paul a four-way split in the latest Real Clear Politics Poll average. Only six points split Paul from Herman Cain, the leader in Iowa so far.
In a previous article, I posted about Rick Perry's Achilles' heel. Unfortunately, Paul has one too. Domestically, he is very sound and in line with mainstream Republican voters. He is strong on the borders, a spendthrift on the budget and very much pro-life.
These topics are very popular with Republican voters and no doubt are at the heart of his support. Where his major problem areas lay are in his very much isolationist foreign policy and military positions. He has said Iran is harmless to the U.S. and we should not concern ourselves there. He favors the full withdrawal of troops from overseas and the withdrawal of all foreign aid. This runs counter from many in the Republican Party and is the area where Paul can be a hard sell to voters.
It looks like people are beginning to look past these shortcomings and focus on his domestic ideas. In the revolving carousal of the Republican front-runners, it appears that it is slowly becoming Paul's turn.
