On YA, Ron Paul is alot more popular than Hillary Clinton, whereas . . .?

Question

In the general public, about 10 people support Hillary for every 1 that supports Ron Paul.

This question isn't about who you prefer, I'm asking why there's such a discrepancy between those who answer political questions on YA and the general voting public.

Answer 1

Libertarians (large L) have always been overrepresented on the Internet. They are all missionaries for their ideas. Most Democrats and Republicans are not as 'activist' as Libertarians are.

Actually I have respect for Libertarians because they are politically aware in a way I wish more Americans were. They have done their homework and are able to defend their beliefs in a conversation, and they are interesting to talk to and even teach me some things. (I don't necessarily agree with them though.)

Politicians like Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney use money to get their names known. They don't actually have -positions-, they align themselves to the latest polls and deliberately speak in vague terms and party slogans. Their fans are not united by a political ideology, it's more just popularity and party identification. Other politicians, like Ron Paul, have energized bases of true believers who actually share a specific political ideology.

Of course mavericks like Paul who refuse to accept the cookie-cutter positions of the party are usually dismissed by the party as 'kooks'.

Sadly the system heavily favors the lowest-common-denominator candidates. The last two real independant thinkers who managed to win their respective partys' nominations were Barry Goldwater and George McGovern. You can see how that turned out.

Answer 2

YA is on the internet, and so is Ron Paul's popularity. He is a master at viral marketing via the internet, unfortunately that's all he's got. History so far has taught us that using the internet as a tool is effective at getting a message about, but ineffective at moving polls or getting people out to vote in numbers,

Answer 3

Ron Paul does not accept money from lobbyists and special interest groups like Hillary Clinton does so he has to wait for donations from individuals.
He has not been spending as much money as her and that is why less people have heard of him.

People who use Y!A are much more likely to also use YouTube and MySpace than the general public.
I learned about Ron Paul when I saw his videos on the top favorites page in YouTube.
I heard about Hillary Clinton when she was the First Lady and Bill Clinton was President.
Almost everyone in USA knows about Bill Clinton.
Only a few people know about YouTube and MySpace.
My parents and grandparents did not know about MySpace until I showed it to them.
They still do not know about YouTube.
Ron Paul has over 26000 subscribers in YouTube and over 56000 friends in MySpace.
He is by far the most popular Republican on the Internet.

In 2006, a "Technology voter guide" by CNET awarded Paul a score of 80%, the highest score out of both houses of Congress.
Ron Paul opposed regulation of the Internet because he believes some corporations might not give internet users equal access to all media online.

I think Ron Paul plans to spend more money in October, November, and December when more people are ready to think about politics.
Mitt Romney only had 35 percent more cash than Ron Paul after subtracting debts on 6/30/2007.

On July 15th, the Federal Election Commission announced the 2nd-quarter fundraising totals for each presidential candidate. In the Republican field, Ron Paul's $2.4 million placed him:
3rd in total receipts for the quarter
4th in total receipts to date
3rd in total current assets (ahead of former front-runner John McCain, and just $800,000 behind Mitt Romney)

Thus far, 47% of the contributions made to Ron Paul's campaign are donations of under $200 from individuals (John McCain's 17% is the second-highest percentage). This is a telling statistic, as it highlights the fact that most other candidates rely heavily upon donations from corporate interests and political action committees (PACs) (i.e. moneyed, influence-seeking sources who can readily afford to contribute large sums). Since Congressman Paul has always voted against special favors and privileges for anyone, special interests know they have nothing to gain by stuffing Ron Paul's campaign coffers. As one member of my local Meetup group put it on a home-made sign, "Ron Paul is thin because he won't let special interests buy him lunch."

Among all candidates, Dr. Paul is now first in total donations from military personnel and veterans. While this may come as a surprise to some, Tom Engelhardt identified the primary reason when he asked rhetorically, "why should (military personnel) want to be endlessly redeployed to a lost war in a lost land?" (see Why the US Military Loves Ron Paul).
Why, indeed – President Paul would bring them home now.

Answer 4

1- Ron doesn't have as much money

2- Ron does more with the Internet than almost every other candidate

3-other GOP candidates are trying to ban him (and at times succeeding)

Answer 5

I really do believe that Ron Paul supporters on here are getting paid.

Answer 6

Ron Paul has far fewer detractors than Hillary.

Answer 7

I wish I had an answer for you....To my surprise, maybe avid internet users are more in tune with current political issues. I dont know...

Answer 8

i think the answers about the previous president

Answer 9

I say go for Tom Tancredo.