Will Ron Paul’s Money Translate into Votes?

As a Ron Paul supporter, I am absolutely delighted that he has been able to raise more than $18 million this quarter. What a thrill it was to see him pull in $4.5 million on November 5th and then set a single-day fundraising record with $6 million on December 16th! But will all of that money translate into enough votes to get Paul some key victories in the early primaries and caucuses and ultimately the GOP presidential nomination? With my heart, I certainly hope so. But with my head, I’m thinking it probably won’t.

The reason I’m thinking the way I am is because I don’t believe our country is ready for a great man like Ron Paul. That’s too bad for all of us. No matter how much of that money Dr. Paul spends to familiarize voters with his stands on the issues, too many people are going to automatically reject his brand of politics. They have been conditioned and preprogrammed to do so.

In this country, people have grown too accustomed to having the federal government do what the states should be doing or even what individuals should be doing for themselves. They have become too comfortable with pandering politicians offering to “help” them with the management of their daily lives and promising to hand out more goodies than the next guy. Paul’s style just cuts too much against the grain of the conventional foolishness. The general population of voters will find his minimalist approach to government too foreign to them and, due partly to irresponsible “reporting” by the mainstream media, they will be spooked.   

Therefore, I believe Paul, despite all the money, will still have difficulty rising above single digits in most states. I see the only possible exceptions being New Hampshire and Alaska, where he could garner 15-20% of the vote. But, then again, maybe I’m wrong. I never thought the $18 million was possible.