The GOP debate on FOX appeared to be a setup to discredit Ron Paul. You may have noticed that for almost the entirety of the debate, only the designated speaker had his microphone turned on. During FOX's ambush of Dr. Paul, Giuliani's microphone was also turned on to allow Giuliani to jump in. I could see the other candidates also trying to interrupt, but their mics were turned off. This all might have been more understandable to more people if Giuliani's conflict of interest with the owner of FOX (one of Giuliani's clients of his law firm) would have been disclosed prior to the debate. Mainstream media is obviously in a state of decay and cannot be trusted. I trust the internet polls.

Dennis Johnson, Moorhead, Minnesota

Whoopee for Ron Paul

I'm a UK citizen watching this unfold with amazement

A POLITICIAN WHO TELLS THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Truly amazing

And I'm just hoping that Dr Paul's message of small governement, fiscal prudence based on sound currency and a balanced budget and not fighting wars will find its way across the Atlantic to the UK

When parking wardens have cameras in their hats to film you, council snoopers are being given the go ahead to trespass on private property and politicains cannot be trusted to tell the truth anymore, you know the state has gone too far.

Go Ron GO!!!!!!

Matt Myers, Redhill, UK

Do you have an 17 or 18 year old child who is planning on going to an expensive university, and you are dreading the mountain of debt that will accompany it?

Show him or her Andrew Sullivan as a counter-example.

"Hey kid, look at this guy - a PhD from Harvard...probably spent well over $100K on his education, and the guy can barely reason his way out of a paper bag! It just isn't worth the money!"

Richard, Boston, US

Thanks for the article. Ron Paul will get my vote.

Jose Ortiz, Houston, TX

I am a liberal democrat who will be supporting Ron Paul for president. There are rumors going around that he is a racist. I do not believe it from the reasearch ive done. But even if it were true, is that the important issue. Sure i agree with Hillary of Obama on most domestic issues, and i disagree with Pauls abortion stance etc.. But which is more important having a president that will bring the troops home, stop the war on drugs, restore Habeus Corpus, and restore individual privacy, as Ron Paul would do. Or someone Like Hillary or Obama that have both hinted they would bomb Iran. They would both continue our neo-con foreign policy, only with a more pleasant face on it. To me Ron Pauls policies of peace and freedom far outweigh any lipservice the dems have to offer. Go Ron Go!!!

joshua, new york, ny

Ron Paul appeals to virtually anyone who's willing to listen. We've all heard the political spew and have learned how to ID it (that's a term you should get used to if you DON'T vote for Dr. Paul). I never knew who he was until 2 weeks ago and I've told hundreds of people since then.

MIforRonPaul, Petoskey, MI

I guess I was naive to think the media didnt control political polls and public opinion. Reality became very clear during the debate when Ron Paul spoke the truth and reactions of the media to keep Ron Paul from having a opportunity to speak the truth again in the future. I never heard about Ron Paul before the debate and thought I was a potential supported of Rudy. I will fight and vote for Ron Paul.
Please give us some guidance on how to help Ron Paul spread the truth. We cant depend on the mainstream media unless something major happens soon

Bob Lewis, Jackson, USA / NJ

I almost quit the Republican party and joined the other "Recovering Republicans" in the Constitutional Party. However, Ron Paul strikes me as the last hope of any true American Patriotism. The question is, "Are we worthy?"

Adrian Nielsen, Jupiter, fl

What does it say about the writer who lauds the ideals but insults the idealist? Is Mr. Sullivan trying to walk a tightrope?

Gilbert Higuera, Saint Paul, MN

I don't think Paul was blaming America. "The People" are America. The government, not the people, makes policies. If our government's policies put America in danger, then "We the People" have a patriotic duty to question our government and their motives. The government didn't create us or give us our rights, we created them. Most Americans don't realize or even care about that simple truth. There's nothing wrong with blaming the government, even though they call you un-American for doing so. I think some of the governments policies are rather un-American.
Ron Paul IS the statesman this country needs.
Andrew, I don't think a Representative that actually takes his oath of office serious is a crank. He's a rational, good natured patriot(with a PhD), not a crank.

Thanks, Andrew, for giving Ron Paul some press.

Jonathan, Jonesboro, Georgia

I heard Ron Paul speak fearlessly in Austin, Tx saturday night, may 19, to a standing room only crowd at the Texas Museum of History. The message is FREEDOM and it is hard to resist, plus the minutes-long heart felt applause and cheering was simply overwhelming. Thanks for the honest review.
Steve Orrange - Georgetown, TX

steve orrange, georgetown, tX

At some point people will realize Congressman Ron Paul is the FRONT RUNNER! Go to My Space, YouTube, Meet Up, look at all the people and websites. They are all in different parts of the country. And now they are organizing. They will be making histroy by showing how our media has fallen asleep and gave up many of our freedoms.

Proud American, Bradenton, FL

Ron Paul has made quite a few speeches and statements over the years consistently opposing US involvement in foreign entanglements. You can read them at his Congressional website at www.house.gov/paul. If that makes him a crank, I guess you would have to call the Founders of the United States such as Jefferson and Washington cranks as well, because most of them believed as John Quincy Adams that, we should not go abroad "seeking monsters to destroy." Dr. Paul has been remarkably consistent in his views, even when they were out of fashion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The Founders and Ron Paul have been proven right yet again.

Don , Ft. Worth, Texas,

How do you dare call some one a crank? I like the way you put it too; "Paul also has serious online support. Like Howard Dean – another crank – Ron Paul’s"
Saying it indirectly like that. Very cool. Yes, brainwash us please!

abdi, london,

Ron Paul is our only hope of having a sane foreign policy,smaller government and less taxes.

Rob, south beloit, illiois USA

Did not Bismark, the Iron Chancellor ,once say, "Confound your enemies....tell the truth." I too applaud Ron Paul's brave and honest platform. After years of lies and obfuscation from our political representatives it is good to get a bit of home grown honesty for a change.

Doug Forsyth, Ashland, Oregon

I guess you have to call Ron Paul a crank in order to remain acceptable to your neocon and establishment friends.

Ron Paul is known to be a highly intelligent, good natured, humorous, hard-working and principled man by those who have spent time with him.

Cranks are those who take for granted the role of large government. Nothing has allowed the growth of government like the introduction of the federal income tax and the federal reserve in 1913. Identifying that these policies have been very harmful, and should be reversed makes a great deal of sense.

Colin, Melbourne, Australia

So Dr. Paul is a "crank"? Did you have a chance to learn about him for yourself, or do you just believe what the other msm articles tell you to think?

I am so tired of all this name-calling BS. Yes, he speaks his mind. Yes, he actually answers the questions without emoitional charged sound bites. Yes he actually talks about things we wish weren't so, but in reality are. Does that make him a crank?

Stop backing puppets of the industrial-military complex. Cut the strings and see what they do.

Joe Mellon, Alpharetta, GA

Nice article!

John, Chapel Hill, NC

Ron Paul is the first politician I have ever seen who seems to be telling the absolute truth to the best of his ability. That completely astounds me, and many other people.


I wonder how many more polls will be dismissed as "flawed" or "rigged" until he is taken seriously. What makes anyone so sure the Pew Poll , Zogby Poll, or the Gallup Poll is trustworthy?

Oh, and why is it that Romney, McCain, Giuliani fans were not able to use their computers and phones to vote more than once like Paul voters?

Cameron Davis, Charlotte, NC

David Adams, you're suggesting that the Canadians and Mexicans think the world would be better off without the United States? Those are the countries who surround us. I'm not even sure the Hugo Chavez would advance such an agenda.

Who is going to take our place doing what? Why shouldn't the Saudis and the Syrians and the Egyptians pick up the mantle of policing the Middle East? Why indeed.

Andrew Sullivan, keep on devoting attention to Ron Paul. It's the right thing to do. But, perhaps at some future date you might explore his economic agenda. That's the real message that the corporations and msm are afraid will be heard. What is wrong with the US dollar, and what can be done about it? Where is all that credit going, and who pays the bills? The economy is the real hot potato in this election campaign. Let's not pussyfoot around the fundamental problems for too much longer. Not when there is a candidate speaking truth to power.

jjr, Austin, TX

The debate in South Carolina was a setup. Giuliani has conflict of interest because his PR/law firm works with NewsCorp (Fox News) who ran the debate. All Giuliani has going for him is 9/11 - but he's about 5 years too late - yet continues to try playing that 9/11 patriot card. He said that they attacked the US because they hate our freedoms. His solution: hand over all our freedoms over on a plate. Hand in your guns and stand in line for your microchip! Then they get the mass media to push the lies for them.

Me, I'll be voting for Ron Paul in 2008. He's the only politician that appears to be telling the truth. All the others are just neo-cons or neo-libs who want a Big Brother state, flip-flop on the issues and just tell everybody what they think they want to hear. This is easily illustrated by the mass media blackout on Ron Paul which has gotten so obvious that it's actually quite comical.

NickT, San Antonio, TX

Most likely the audience contained both sentiments within it.

Jonathan, Lynn, Massachusetts (USA)

I wonder what Mr. Paul thinks about America becoming
a divided nation surrounded by people who think the
world would be better off without us.
I wonder if he has a time limit on how many of our lives
it will take for the characters in the Middle East to be
satisfied.
If we are to be wiped out or reduced to hiding behind the
'Blame America First' mentality, who is going to take our
place - the European nations?

David Adams, Philadelphia, PA USA

"The crowd in South Carolina started to applaud Paul’s derision of a distant war until they were cut off by the Fox News questioner, and then by Rudy Giuliani, who accused Paul of saying that the US deserved the September 11 attacks."

At which point they started applauding Giuliani. Makes you wonder about the audience's sentience, what?

Uzair, London,

Why's he a crank? Are we really so far gone down the path of the socialist nanny state that we can't even fathom the idea of individual liberty or responsibility on either side of the pond?

William Lang, Phoenix, USA/AZ

The comeback of the anti-war Right could be the story of this election. Great piece.

Devin, Atlanta, Georgia

I have not heard a single idea from Ron Paul that seems radical to me. His ideas are all old, tried and true. It's recent ideas that seem radical. Like the idea that our country can spend itself into debt indefinitely, and that the government should have an ever more intrusive role in our lives. Invading our privacy, dictating to us how to interpret and apply the law when we serve on juries. Giving ridiculously large judgements to people, many of whom seem closely related to the dodo bird. Ron Paul addresses issues with logic, philosophy, and history, and his opposition cannot answer him in any way, except to try and deride him. All of the other candidates represent the same thing to me; the promise of a bankrupt America, with more and more enemies around the globe, losing its identity as it swims in a tide of illegal immigrants. Similar problems plagued Rome before it's fall, I'm told. Ron Paul will secure our borders at home against enemies and illegal aliens. Ron Paul in 2008!

Oliver, Cleveland, U.S.A. / Ohio

Great piece. You're one of the few writers who actually didn't misrepresent what Paul said. While I don't like your reference to him as a "crank", I thank you for an intelligent piece.

Lee, Aurora, USA / IL

While I do agree with most of the sentiments espoused by Mr. Sullivan, I must take issue with the word "crank" being used to describe Dr. Paul. Mr. Sullivan essentially says that Dr. Paul is a "crank" because he defends the Constitution where all others have abandonded it in favor of their own agendas.

How sad it is that the one man in Washington who has make it his life's work to uphold the vision of our Founding Fathers should be labeled with such a dismissive and thoughtless term! If Mr. Sullivan is looking for a good label, perhaps "patriot" might fit the bill.

Betty W., New Haven, CT

I was not a Republican, and never have been, but If there ever were a republican candidate that I would vote for, it would be Ron Paul. His views, although anti-neo-con, are all in line with the traditional GOP platform. The only thing that's keeping him down is the Media, which needs to stop trying to smear him, and start embracing Dr. Paul as the only viable candidate on the right.

Y. Zhang, Atlanta, GA

Ron Paul represents the greatest threat to entrenched big government war and liberalism in our lifetime. His election would probably act as a balance to the statist promoters in congress and the judiciary, not a tipping point toward a sea-change in big government philosophy. Still, even as a balance, they hate him and want him out of the debates so that he cannot embarass them. Why?

Nearly every one of those other candidates spits out pithy platitudes and meaningless double-speak like "sacrifice liberty for freedom" or "enhanced interrogation techniques" aka~ torture. Its bloviate. Paul then cites real historical events and facts and actually makes sense. Wo...what an amazing concept! Staging terror attacks to overthrow democratically elected leaders creates blow-back. The American people are hearing this for the first time and, like the debate audience in South Carolina, is stunned. They should be. They are finally hearing the truth.

Matthew Butler, New York, NY

Thank you for the article! Perhaps some pressure from the international community can help tconvince the Republicans that perhaps it is time to come home.

But for the record, Mr. Paul isn't really cranky. He's actually a lovely man who honestly believes in America and the basic principles it was founded on.

Andrea Thorn, Stevens Pt, WI

The particularly interesting convergence is that you have Paul expressing an idea that was more common to Republicans in the 1950's and 60's, but that it is being supported largely through the Internet, where much of the enthusiasm is being expressed by a decidedly younger audience.

Paul represents a possibility for a new convergence between the libertarian and nativist streaks that have been dormant within the Republican Party, silenced by the social conservatives and this ahistorical neoconservative divergence. One wonders if this cleft grows into a schism if the Republicans might be vulnerable to a true parting of ways into the libertarian, fiscal conservatives and the law and order, religious conservatives.

In any event, as a Paul supporter, I am glad his important message is being heard and that there is at least a choice that I can hear, as a Republican, that speaks to my idea of what this party should be trying to accomplish.

Tom, Pittsburgh, PA

Ron Paul is the only choice of reason of the republican candidates in this race. We must get the word out to educate the people. www.ronpaul2008.com

Bob Pyle, Harrisburg, Pa

Thank you, Mr. Sullivan, for standing up for the real conservative principles of limited government and an enlightened foreign policy. A bumper sticker recently summed it up nicely: Put the Republic back in Republican -- Vote Ron Paul 2008! Ron Paul is being maligned left and right when he actually has a chance to pull off a feat that another Ron did before him: bring on the Ron Paul Democrats.

Colleen Ryor, Black River, New York

This was a great article, thanks for the read.

Nate, knoxville, tn