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  Stuck in the Middle With You

  In a strange seven-and-a-half minute address to supporters worldwide, Ron Paul said it was time to scale back the campaign. He’s not quite quitting, but he’s not quite optimistic, either. He admitted that he can’t achieve “victory in the conventional political sense.” President Bush may want to steal that line for his next speech on Iraq.

  Presumably, Paul supporters are taking this semi-withdrawal even harder than the candidate himself. Throughout the campaign, it seemed his netroots thought he could win even more than Paul’s campaign did. We thought it only fitting to give him a Trailhead send-off by tapping into the pulse of our friends over at the Ron Paul Forums. What follows are real comments by real Paul fans. (People are identified by their usernames.)
  

  BillyDkid: All I can think of is that smug ass George Steffenopollis smirking and feeling self satisfied with his "rightness". I am sick and furious about this whole thing.

  Actpulsa: Are we through throwing blame yet? Can we stop and remember that this is about liberty yet? Do we want us and our kids to be free? Can any one of us do it alone? Are we on the same side of this war or aren't we? [Note: actpulsa is a frequent commenter on Trailhead’s Fray.]
  

  Pacelli: “Regardless of what we want to read into Ron's message, or don't for that matter, nothing has changed in terms of our duty as Americans in the past few weeks. I, for one, could care less what is released by the campaign. The campaign doesn't speak for me, nor does it need to.”
  

  Nodope0695: I didn't hear the word, "END" or "DROP OUT" anywhere in Ron's video. I heard "WIND DOWN". He clearly stated that the campaign is "SCALING BACK", that this is a NEW PHASE - that we ought to continue to collect votes and delegates.
  

  Dianne: If someone has the ability to contact Ron Paul personally, I would really appreciate you putting this in front of him. I for one am not ready to give up the fight. Paul always said this campaign is about his supporters, not him. In that case, Paul should allow us to make the decision as to whether we are ready to support him as a third party candidate. [I’ll spare you the rest, but Dianne goes on to create a ballot she wants Paul’s campaign to send out to donors]

  If you’re feeling Paulstalgia tap into Trailhead’s Ron Paul archive. Some select choices: Our journey inside the Ron Paul blimp and our attempt to understand his fervent fan base.

  Published Friday, March 07, 2008 2:24 PM by Chadwick Matlin
  Email Chadwick.Matlin+TH@gmail.com

  Filed under: Ron Paul

About Chadwick Matlin

• Chadwick Matlin is the staff reporter for Slate's The Big Money, a new business site launching in the fall. He can be reached at Chadwick.Matlin+TH@gmail.com