You may or may not remember it - several months ago, presidential hopeful Texas Rep. Ron Paul was at the top of his game with grassroots momentum, a vast influx of donations from supporters, his pro-Constitution views and the rest. However, times change, and sure enough, as the first primary results came in, things didn't quite go as planned.
Paul, while receiving more than 10 percent of the vote, failed to win the Iowa caucuses. A setback, to be sure, but after all, what's one state?
However, as the primaries went on, things began to look grim. First, the Wyoming caucuses went to Gov. Mitt Romney, then New Hampshire, which was thought to be a bastion of support, fell to Sen. John McCain. More states followed.
Then came Super Tuesday. Many of us were hopeful that Paul would be able to stage a comeback and enter his rightful place as the Republican front-runner.
However, as the results slowly trickled in throughout the day, it became clear that this wouldn't be the case.
With the tide states out, having turned against Paul, chances of his nomination grew slimmer. In a move of supreme foresight, Paul declared that, while he would remain in the race, he would not pursue the presidency as a third-party candidate. Perhaps a certain other individual could learn a thing or two from Paul.
In a Feb. 8 blog post, Paul said, "Of course, I am committed to fighting for our ideas within the Republican party, so there will be no third-party run."
Fast-forward to today. Paul, while winning more than 42 delegates from various states, is now presented with a particular challenge: the mathematical impossibility of his nomination. While his selfless commitment to not running as a third-party candidate is certainly noble, it considerably decreases the probability of his becoming president. Or does it?
Let's look back in time a bit. Anyone remember Henry Lodge? No? In the 1964 Republican primary, Lodge was notable for having won in three states: New Hampshire, New Jersey and Massachusetts - without campaigning!
In fact, he was serving as an ambassador in Vietnam during the primary; he wasn't even in the United States at the time. Many still refer to his "campaign" as "walking for president." However, his winning of these states was no accident. A group of dedicated individuals had worked tirelessly in the weeks leading up to the primary to promote Lodge as a viable candidate.
Now, you may be asking, what does this all have to do with Ron Paul?
It has everything to do with the Paul 2008 campaign. Keep in mind that in 1964, the Internet didn't exist yet. All the campaigning by Lodge's supporters was done without the aid of social networking, e-mail, instant messaging and cellular phones.
If such a tactic could be applied in modern times, Paul's support could indeed skyrocket, regardless of whether or not his name appears on the ballot! So keep on Digging, putting up stickers and doing whatever you can do, and maybe, just maybe, there can be, to quote Paul's campaign slogan, "Hope for America."
