I like Ron Paul, but I don’t think many people understand all his ideas. He is genuine in his beliefs and I think his anti war stance makes sense in the times we live in today.

GOP presidential contender Ron Paul is back in Iowa, running strongly in the polls and asking why U.S. troops are in Korea and other parts of the world. The AP’s John Mone on if he can turn success in the Hawkeye state to success nationwide. (Dec. 28)

Transcript

Neil Cavuto: This is outside News Corp Headquarters, the parent company, of course, of Fox News Channel, the most important news network in the world. People agree with that, there you go. And we’re just hours away, really, if you think about it, from the big day itself. And where we stand, we’re in a very busy shopping area on 6th Avenue, they call it the Avenue of Americas in midtown Manhattan. And we’re not too far from Radio City Music Hall. We’ve got a lot of stars and pretty big folks coming in and out joining us here throughout the course of the next 45 minutes or so. But, you know, we never keep that far from politics. Last week at this time I was in Iowa for the big debate. Now, the question in that state is whether a revolution could be in the making, and that fellow on the left you see, is the guy who could be bringing it. Ron Paul is the frontrunner right now in the Iowa caucuses, he joins us right now from Texas. Congressman Paul, it’s very good to have you.

Ron Paul: Thank you, Neil, it’s good to be with you.

Neil Cavuto: Are you surprised that not only are you the frontrunner, but you’ve actually been staying the frontrunner for the better part of a week, which is, at least in recent polling history, unusual. A week and a half or so ago, the pressure was on to maintain it, how do you do about that?

Ron Paul: Yea, I guess I’m supposed to say I’m not surprised and I expected it all. But no, I’m a little bit surprised, but, of course, very pleased. I was always convinced that the message would be very popular and very necessary, I wasn’t quite sure that I would be the messenger that could deliver it. So things are going very well and the crowds are growing bigger, not smaller. The enthusiasm is growing and I’m talking to more than just the young people; the college kids, the retired people are coming on. So there’s been a definite shift here in the last month.

Neil Cavuto: Congressman, you probably heard that Terry Branstad, the Republican Governor of Iowa, said that if you were to win the state, he’s telling a lot of people to ignore that and focus on who came in second. What did you think of that?

Ron Paul: Well, I was surprised, because he’s been pretty generous in the past. And I don’t know whether he didn’t mean it to sound the way it did, but it did sound a little bit strange. But if that was a literal translation, and that’s what he meant, I think it diminishes the whole process of democracy and elections; what’s the purpose of doing it? They say, “Well, he gets his supporters out”. Well, that’s what I’m supposed to do. Maybe I solicited and got and approached people who weren’t the ordinary voters; like the independents and maybe young people decide to come out, and people who have been disenchanted. So I would say to dismiss the election wouldn’t be very good, but I don’t think it’s just the Governor, I think there are others who have hinted that this would be a monkey wrench into the electoral process.

Neil Cavuto: You know, you’re right, it’s not just the established Republicans Guard. They’ve been many, and my colleagues at Fox have made note of it, who said that your win would minimize and even trivialize Iowa in future elections. How do you feel when you hear that kind of stuff?

Ron Paul: Well, first you think, “This is terrible” but on second thoughts, sometimes this sort of helps because it certainly helps the supporters and the people who might not have been paying much attention, they might even become more energized. It certainly energizes me because I might be at a steady pace doing the same thing over and over again and not getting any extra excitement. But then you get to the point and say, “Boy, wouldn’t that be neat if you could really beat them and have them eat a little crow”. So I think this has energized the campaign and the fundraising. The other day, when some of this stuff was coming out, somebody called me and said, “You know what, our fundraising has just gone up again, so they want us to be on television”

Neil Cavuto: So the more this comes out, the more the fundraising picks up?

Ron Paul: Yea, that’s what has happened. So it’s sort of ironic that maybe we need a few more people criticizing what’s going on and express the disenchantment of my election, there would be more fundraising and probably more TV and more votes for us.

Neil Cavuto: So, Congressman, when you do get to a frontrunner status – as you have, and are – invariably they start digging more into the pasts. Your name was associated with these newsletters in the 1990s that are seen by many to be racist, they’re saying that you’re a racist. How do you respond to that now?

Ron Paul: Well, I don’t think anybody calls me racist, I think the charge, which could be a correct charge, is that I was pretty negligent as a publisher of a newsletter, not paying more attention. Because it is a bit ironic that as a civil libertarian, I’m the one that really champions civil liberties regardless of race, creed or color. And even CNN has sort of stirred this pot. They did a poll the other day and they took all the candidates, all the Republican candidates, and I came out the best of all of them in appealing to those in the minorities. So would say that maybe what this will do will stir up the defense, because I address the drug war and how the prison system hasn’t worked, how the judicial system is very unfair to minorities. Nobody else would dare touch that. So, in many ways, what they’re trying to portray me as is exactly opposite of what I am. But I don’t think it will stick, I mean, they’ve been trying to do that for years, this is pretty much an old had because those letters were written close to 20 years ago.

Neil Cavuto: You’re right, I think the bigger point is that, leaving aside the racist charge, which I think those who have looked at your record might think otherwise. But I think what they’re trying to say, Congressman, and this is a wrap that you’ve confronted, that you’re detached, you’re aloof, or that you’re not paying attention to these details and sometimes your name or your very person can be dragged into something that you’re not. And that as President, this could be a problem. What do you say to that?

Ron Paul: Well, I would say that maybe that’s part of human nature, because I think Obama was charged with a few associations that he was not very proud of. So no, I think that if somebody thinks I’m perfect, then they’re going to be disappointed. I’ve done a lot of management when it comes to my businesses, my medical profession, and my congressional offices, and we get pretty high marks. But to say that I was never negligent … you know, back in those days, I was practicing medicine and though I was involved with the letters, especially on the economic issues, and wrote about the financial bubbles which you and I have talked about so often, I did participate in that. But to really pay the close attention … and then you also have to see this in context. I’ve been publishing a letter Freedom Report, plus an investment letter since 1976, and I would say percentage wise, this is probably 1/00th of 1% or even less of all the thousands and thousands of pages written. And most people see those letters as being investment letters, they were hard money newsletters. And that’s almost anybody that knew anything about it said, “Oh yea, he had a newsletter, and it was a hard money newsletter”.

Neil Cavuto: Let me switch gears a little bit; Donald Trump announcing he’s an independent now. Many say he’s greasing his skids for a potential independent run for President. What do you make of that?

Ron Paul: Well, to each his own, I don’t know, he may do it. I doubt if he’ll do it, but if he really wanted to be President, why did he walk away, why did he become concerned that he couldn’t do it as a Republican? So I have no idea what he’s going to do, and I don’t think he’ll be calling me for advice. I don’t think he’s going to come and ask for an appointment to come see me to get any advice or any endorsement, I’m not expecting that to happen.

Neil Cavuto: But why have you never kissed his ring like virtually all the other candidates have?

Ron Paul: Well, I just didn’t think it was necessary or appropriate. How could he endorse what I’m doing? I mean, my positions are pretty much opposite of what he talks about. He doesn’t believe in free markets, he likes the Federal Reserve, he’s not a free trader, he likes tariffs. So there’s not much that we have in common.

Neil Cavuto: Alright, so we won’t be seeing you at the Trump Tower anytime soon, Ron Paul.

Ron Paul: Pardon me?

Neil Cavuto: We won’t be seeing you at the Trump Tower anytime soon.

Ron Paul: Oh no, not likely. If he wants to converse, I’ll be glad to take his call.

Neil Cavuto: Very good. Congressman Paul, thank you very, very much. When we come back, we’re going to …

I can understand his opponents taking things out of context, but it really is weird how a “news” organization edits an interview to give a situation a false impression. This video shows he did not storm out of the interview like CNN claims.

Here is a video of Ron Paul on Meet The Press.

Washington Times:

SALT LAKE CITY, December 15, 2011—Iowa voters tend to surprise experts. The biggest surprise of all might be a stunning upset win for Ron Paul in the Hawkeye State on January 3.

The Texas Congressman is running tightly in the front of a small pack in a race that has seen plenty of jockeying. Since the campaign began in fact, Paul has seen five candidates pass him on their way up, then back down. Meanwhile, he has steadily increased his polled support in Iowa; the Real Clear Politics average now puts him at 17%, but a recent PPP survey puts him at 21% to Gingrich’s 22%.

Paulites will swear they never had any doubt that their man would be in or near his current position on voting day. But his strength is surprising to many who have discounted his supporters as “Paulbots.”

Running a disciplined and consistent campaign, Dr. Paul has been able to hold his loyalists and attract voters who are dissatisfied with the alternatives. The recent polls suggest that Gingrich’s support might be declining from their stratospheric levels.

Cain is out, Perry continues to fumble, Santorum can’t get traction, Bachmann had her turn, Huntsman isn’t competing in Iowa, and Romney is seen as the establishment candidate. It seems natural that Republicans look to Ron Paul as the next not-Romney.

His affable style and straightforward message resonates with Iowans. The man is as conservative as they come, has been forever, is pro-life, and a committed Christian. His foreign policy views might turn off some hawkish voters, but the hawks aren’t calling the shots this year.

The conventional wisdom is that organization wins in Iowa. Gingrich hopes to upset the wisdom, but Paul might confirm it in a major way next month. He has among the best ground games there, even according to skeptics, including Iowa Governor Terry Branstad.

He is also, arguably, the most likeable candidate. Maybe his age and physical stature buy him some sympathy.

But if so, he has taken advantage.

Gingrich has benefitted, in part, from his own nonchalance. For seven months, until a couple of weeks ago, Newt has appeared to not care whether he wins. He derived strength from playing team captain, praising his rivals, and standing up to the media for being unfair. He was comfortable being brutally honest, because there was no pressure on him to hang on to coalitions of voters.

But Ron Paul has exuded nonchalance, with slightly more punch. While he has never praised his Republican opponents (even when pressed by George Stephanopoulos to specifically do so in the last debate on ABC), but he hasn’t demeaned them or unfairly attacked them, either. He is so certain of his cause, and almost whimsical in his presentation of it, that even those who vehemently disagree with him have to chuckle.

For one, Paul is relentless positive—not in the cheerful, optimistic, Reagan sort of way, but in the sense that he consistently speaks of his policies and how they would improve the United States and return the Republic to a more solid constitutional footing.

He also has the not so slight benefit of a following so devoted that it brushes up against zealotry. They will show up to the caucuses come hell or high water, but more likely freezing cold weather.

It used to be said that Romney was the tortoise in the race. Now the former presumptive nominee is scrambling to make up ground lost to Gingrich. Meanwhile, Ron Paul is plodding along, raising substantial funds, and staying on his simple message.

Congressman Paul will appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, the same day as his Team Party Money Bomb. The day’s events might be a big boost in momentum for the even-paced creature nipping at the frontrunner’s heels in the first caucus state.

With the voting a little over two weeks from now, he might be peaking at a better time that Gingrich. And given the doctor’s history of never going down in the polls, he could pull the biggest upset in recent memory in Iowa.

AP:

CHICAGO — US Representative Ron Paul of Texas won a statewide Republican presidential straw poll in Illinois with 52 percent of the vote, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reported.
Businessman and Tea Party favorite Herman Cain came second with 15 percent of the online vote and 35 percent of the in-person vote — the local newspaper reported.
Cain scored high despite accusations of sexual harassment leveled against him by several former female employees.
The candidate has dismissed the charges as false.
The newspaper said former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney matched Cain’s in-person voting score at 35 percent.
But Romney won only seven percent of the online vote, while Paul earned eight percent of the in-person vote, the report said.
Paul had 66.5 percent of online votes. Cain was not given an average figure for the two polls that could be compared with Paul’s overall 52 percent winning number.
“I congratulate Congressman Paul on his victory,” The Daily Herald quotes Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady as saying. “It is clear Illinois Republicans are gearing up for a tremendous election year in 2012.”