No wonder Ron Paul decided to “scale back” his hopeless Presidential campaign.  It would appear he is in danger of not only losing the Republican Presidential nomination, but his own congressional seat.

Despite millions of dollars and devoted online support, Ron Paul’s idiosyncratic campaign for the Republican presidential candidacy never caught fire. Now, polls show Dr. Paul falling behind relatively unknown challenger Chris Peden in his 14th Texas District endangering his congressional seat in the Texas primary.

Uh oh.  In Internet parlance, I LOL’d (laughed out loud).

While pursuing his thus far quixotic quest for the presidency, Congressman Paul has fallen behind by over ten points in the polls (43-32) in the fight for the Republican nomination in the Texas 14th to challenger Chris Peden, according to internal polls from both campaigns.

He’s spent an incredible sum per delegate, thanks to the fanatical support of the Ron Paul Revolution cult, with little actual impact on the race.  And in the meantime, his hold on his Texas district has been slipping.

With reports for January 2008 not yet out, Congressman Paul has spent (according to OpenSecrets.org) $20,262,084 on his presidential campaign – well over a million dollars per delegate (he has 14 to John McCain’s 903). Paul still has nearly eight million in his presidential war chest, possibly more when the new report comes out on Feb. 20, but cannot use any of it in his contest against Peden unless the OBGYN-politician drops out of the presidential race.

Perhaps some are actually paying attention to the writing on the wall and seeing through the misguided fantasy campaign.

Paul’s supporters themselves seem to be worried. They have switched fund-raising efforts on their website The Daily Paul in recent days from the presidency to his congressional race.

Maybe after 2008, we’ll have heard the last from this kook.  We can only hope.

– Psycheout

Perhaps Ron Paul is finally facing reality.  He has no chance whatsoever at the Republican nomination let alone the Presidency.  It would appear that the good doctor has decided to pursue a more realistic goal: saving his congressional seat.  Good plan, Ron!

Just as the liberal Ohio congressman [Dennis Kookspinach] realized last month that his long-shot presidential campaign was imperiling his prospects for keeping his House seat, Paul appears to be choosing the comfort of incumbency over a continued effort to win a nomination that he has virtually no shot at capturing.

In Ron Paul’s own words:

“I also have another priority. I have constituents in my home district that I must serve. I cannot and will not let them down. And I have another battle I must face here as well. If I were to lose the primary for my congressional seat, all our opponents would react with glee, and pretend it was a rejection of our ideas. I cannot and will not let that happen.”

And you Paultards can forget about a third party run (and a huge defeat).  That’s just a pipe dream.  In the pied piper’s own words:

“Of course, I am committed to fighting for our ideas within the Republican Party, so there will be no third-party run,” Paul said.  “I do not denigrate third parties — just the opposite, and I have long worked to remove the ballot-access restrictions on them. But I am a Republican, and I will remain a Republican.”

Bye bye, Ron Paul.  It’s been fun.  Thanks for keeping the race interesting, but you never really had a chance.  America does not want to cut and run.  Republicans do not want to cut and run.  Maybe you should have run for the Democrat party nomination.  You’d have had a better chance in the kook party.

– Psycheout

The latest polling from New Hampshire shows Romney dropping behind McCain. Can Mitt Romney survive a one-two punch when he was literally banking on winning both Iowa and New Hampshire?

The most startling poll comes from ARG:

John McCain 35% (30%)
Mitt Romney 25% (30%)
Mike Huckabee 12% (11%)
Ron Paul 9% (7%)
Rudy Giuliani 8% (9%)
Fred Thompson 1% (3%)
Duncan Hunter 1% (1%)
Alan Keyes 1% (1%)

If that’s accurate, Mitt dropped 5 points while McCain gained the same making a 10 point spread between the two candidates.

The next poll, from Rasmussen shows a similar trend:

John McCain 31% (27%)
Mitt Romney 26% (31%)
Ron Paul 14% (7%)
Mike Huckabee 11% (11%)
Rudy Giuliani 8% (13%)
Fred Thompson 5% (3%)

Again, Mitt dropped and McCain gained. And look at little upstart Ron Paul go! Although this might be an outlier that overestimates Paul’s chances.

The main thing to notice here is that Mitt Romney and the millions he spent to con the voters and buy his way into the nomination may soon be a memory, even if he manages to win the virtually empty state of Wyoming today. The victory, like the state itself, would be an empty one — a souvenir, or consolation prize, for Team Mittens on its way out the door.

– Psycheout

All I can say is that it’s about time. Ron Paul is a laughable joke of a candidate. He’s fine in the Congress where his nuttiness is diluted by saner voices. But President Ron Paul? Pardon me while I snigger.

ABC and Fox News Channel are narrowing the field of presidential candidates invited to debates this weekend just before the New Hampshire primary, in Fox’s case infuriating supporters of Republican Rep. Ron Paul.

Ron Paul supporters are as thin skinned and unhinged as they come. So excuse me while I pop some popcorn and enjoy the show of Paultards heads exploding. Bwahahahahaha!

Fox News says it has limited space in its studio, which leaves Rep. Ron Paul out of a weekend debate.

In other words, we’ve run out of room for crazy people. Sorry Ron Nutjob.

The roster of participants for ABC’s back-to-back, prime-time Republican and Democratic debates Saturday in New Hampshire will be determined after results of Thursday’s Iowa caucus become clear.

Once Ron Paul goes nowhere, he will appear nowhere. Thank the Lord. He’s a catastrophe. This nutball is clearly going nowhere but the looney bin. He may be a doctor, but he apparently needs to see a doctor, stat. A head shrinker.

Perhaps Ron Paul’s supporters make a good case for socialist health care. Mental health care. They seriously need to be locked up where they won’t do harm to themselves and others.

Ron Paul Jefferson? Or Napoleon? Either way, this unhinged slobbering moonbat needs to be locked up.

Update: Over at Balloon Juice, Mike D. sheds a bitter tear on behalf of his libertarian boy toy.  That’s understandable, since he’s a total nutjob.  Perverts of a feather flock together.

– Psycheout

A picture is worth a thousand words.  Smile, Ron!

So what if Stormfront founder Don Black donated to the Ron Paul campaign and Paul cheerfully accepted?  So what if Ron Paul posed for a picture with Don Black, the man behind Stormfront, a notorious neo-Nazi “white power” website?  So what if Stormfront is 100% behind Ron Paul because they find common cause with the Presidential candidate?  So what if Ron Paul doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance at the nomination?

I expect to find more “so whats” in the comment thread.  Or perhaps crickets.  Crickets chirping speaks volumes too.

– Psycheout

I agree with much of what was said about today’s debate after I saw a replay. I think it was stupid to have it on in the middle of the day when most people are working. But it didn’t matter much. It was pretty darn boring.

I’m going to have to agree with ABC’s assessment. Mike Huckabee won. He didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, however. He was just himself. The reason I say he won is that he had the momentum, the so-called Huckaboom, going into this debate, and he didn’t mess up. So he still has that momentum going for him.

The very fact that he wasn’t gutted like a fish and eviscerated by his opponents, who were all pretty lackluster, allowed him to win by default. And Huck was actually asked questions beyond the narrow scope of religion and faith today.

Alan Keyes actually came off looking like the fire and brimstone fundamentalist candidate tonight. By contrast, aw shucks Huck appeared more like a friendly next door neighbor guy whose faith is important to him, but not in a threatening way. He wouldn’t have appeared scary even to secular types. I’m sure that reassured moderate Republicans and swing voters.

One thing a lot of people seemed to have missed, however, was how the debate ended. The moderator closed with “happy holidays.” There it was, right in your face, and many seemed to have missed it. If she’d have said as much at the beginning of the debate, her agenda would have been made clear and the candidates could have filed out in unison.

The War on Christmas is real, friends. And unless we stand up for our beliefs, we will lose. Disgusting.

Update: Here’s an outtake from the debate, in which Ambassador Alan Keyes recites Ezekiel 25:17.  I think you also see Ron Paul at the end of the clip.

– Psycheout

I must say that this was a bit of a surprise. With most sensible people speaking out against or ignoring the long shot Ron Paul campaign, Jonah comes in and puts it all in perspective. From the LA Times:

As the hopeless but energetic presidential campaign of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) builds momentum in name recognition, fundraising and cross-ideology appeal, media conservatives are beginning to attack Paul in earnest.

I don’t know about that characterization. It seems some in the media realize that they finally have to pay some marginal attention to the little fella. So now they’re reporting the truth about the man, his record, the precarious cliff he’d like to lead us off of, and how eager his lemming followers are to take that giant leap. If reporting the facts about Ron Paul is an attack, well, so be it.

Republican consultant David Hill condemns the candidate’s “increasingly leftish” positions. Syndicated columnist Mona Charen calls Paul “too cozy with kooks and conspiracy theorists.” Film critic and talk radio host Michael Medved looks over Paul’s supporters and finds “an imposing collection of neo-Nazis, white Supremacists, Holocaust deniers, 9/11 ‘truthers’ and other paranoid and discredited conspiracists.”

But other than that, Ron Paul’s super awesome! Nice job, Jonah. Now we all feel much better. But he goes farther:

…Paul has the passionate support of the Legion of Doom, that his campaign lunchroom looks like the “Star Wars” cantina, and that many of his top advisors actually have hooves.

Yep. Pretty much. But after saying all that, Jonah admits to being slightly more afraid of “aw shucks” Huckabee than Paul. Interesting. And I think it’s quite revealing why that actually is:

I would not vote for Paul mostly because I think his foreign policy would be disastrous (and because he’d lose in a rout not seen since Bambi versus Godzilla).

Yep. Huckabee’s only slightly more worrisome because he actually has a shot at winning the GOP nomination. The Congressman from Texas, to be fair to him, does not.

Isn’t it time that Ron Paul, principled man that he is, either run as a Libertarian or go start a new viable third party so that his kook followers have somewhere to go? And somewhere to stay (other than a nuthouse) after he inevitably loses?

How about the Isolationist Party? That’s pretty catchy.

Update: Ron Paul named Man of the Year by GQ. Woo hoo!

Posh Men’s Magazine selects the surging Jeffersonian Conservative as “Dark Horse Presidential Candidate.” Rubs shoulders with glam icons such as Supermodel Daria and Rapper Lil Wayne.

Oh gross. And it’s more like “lame mule” or Kook of the Year. Free Market News is definately off my list of sources to read, ever. Just give Paul a wet sloppy kiss, why don’t you? Yuck.

Update 2: A very interesting post by Ilya over at Volokh about whether Paul can win (no) and if his campaign helps libertarianism (no). It certainly won’t help the GOP. So he’s a a loser all around.

– Psycheout

A Ron Paul candidacy is criminal enough, but it appears that spam-sending criminals, if not the Ron Paul campaign itself, really love Ron Paul. Not surprising since the online presence of Ron Paul supporters is exceedingly annoying and disruptive. Wired has the story:

If Texas congressman Ron Paul is elected president in 2008, he may be the first leader of the free world put into power with the help of a global network of hacked PCs spewing spam, according to computer-security researchers who’ve analyzed a recent flurry of e-mail supporting the long-shot Republican candidate.

It’s not really that surprising that the wackjob anarchist candidate is supported by criminal anarchists, is it?

Some participants in the online political world have long suspected Paul’s technically sophisticated fan base of manipulating online tools and polls to boost the appearance of a wide base of support. But the UAB analysis is the first to document any internet shenanigans.

This is precisely why Red State has warned new users against spamming for Ron Paul on their website and why online polls are wise to leave Ron Paul out of the list of candidates. Ron Paul zombies don’t play fair. They have no scruples whatsoever. They even deny the reality that “white power” website Stormfront is 100% behind the Truther candidate.

When lab researchers examined the IP addresses of the computers from which the messages had been sent, it turned out that they were sprinkled around the globe in countries as far away from each other as South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Nigeria and Brazil.

This may sound odd at first, but upon reflection the reason is clear. A Ron Paul Presidency would destroy the United States. Foreigners recognize this and are doing all they can to support the long-shot candidate. It’s in their best interest. Also, spammers from the United States find lax laws in other nations attractive when flogging their spam. And while the Ron Paul campaign claims ignorance, they do not condemn the illicit activity. Plausible deniability.

Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said in an e-mail, “This is the first I’ve heard about this situation.”

“If it is true, it could be done by a well-intentioned yet misguided supporter or someone with bad intentions trying to embarrass the campaign,” he wrote while ferrying his boss to tape an appearance on The Tonight Show. “Either way, this is independent work, and we have no connection.”

With a nod and a wink, the Ron Paul campaign condones this criminal activity. Ron Paul is wrong for the Internet and wrong for America. Scruples be damned. Among his supporters are criminals, racists, conspiracy theorists, the mentally ill and anarchists. They should be shunned, as should the Ron Paul campaign.

Expect Ron Paul to continue to ignore the behavior of his supporters. It reveals a lot about his character. Just say no to Ron Paul. It’s the right thing to do for any sane person who loves the United States of America.

Update: Conspiracy Theorists for Ron Paul cry, “It’s a conspiracy!”  The Giuliani campaign bribed the Wired author!  Uh, no.  Also, holograms hit the WTC!!eleven!

— Psycheout

This is great news for Ron Paul. He’s really catching fire! The top tier continues to try to ignore Dr. Paul but his star is rising and the contributions keep rolling in. Stormfront founder Don Black knows a great candidate when he sees one and naturally he wanted to join the Ron Paul Revolution. This is a great endorsement and a vote of confidence for the outspoken Texas Congressman.Watch out top-tier. Ron Paul is on his way! Go, Ron, go!

Everybody’s talking about it. People are finally taking his candidacy seriously. Hot Air, Liberty Pundit, Flopping Aces, PSoTD, The Van Der Galiën Gazette , Lawhawk and JammieWearingFool are all buzzing about it, and many others are getting the news right now! How exciting!

This really goes to show that Ron Paul is the candidate for discriminating voters. Too bad we didn’t get to ask about this in yesterday’s interview.

– Psycheout

Andrew Sullivan (aka Sully Pooh) just doesn’t get it. He’s already mentioned Red State’s decision to ban Ron Paul spammers in their diaries and comment threads to keep the signal to noise ratio at a tolerable level. In fact, he’s done this a number of times. Yet that’s somehow just not enough.

You see, Sully’s a little Pander Bear. So he furrows his brow, deplores Red State’s unfair decision and makes a solemn pledge. He even crosses his heart and hopes not to die.

The Dish believes in expanding the range of debate among conservatives, not crushing it.

Well, that’s just super, Andy. How very magnanimous of you. You’re a really nice fella, unlike those mean and nasty censors over at that awful Red State place. How refreshing! What a breath of fresh air.

And then Sully comforts the weeping RP rabble, wipes their tear stained eyes, and gives them a great big bear hug.

But here’s a simple message to Ron Paul supporters. You’re welcome here.

What a generous man that Sully Pooh is. It’s incredible how open he is to visitors of all points of view, even the stupid ones. Generous to a fault is he.

So Paulites, don’t walk, but scurry (or scuttle) on over to The Daily Dish where you can engage in an open and enlightening debate. Be sure to let everyone know how great Ron Paul is and how he’s the only conservative left in the Republican party and that he’s the last hope for America and her Constitution. Andy’s welcoming you with open arms.

Eh? What’s that? Oh, that’s right. Andrew Sullivan doesn’t allow comments. So, maybe just put up a diary or something. That would be even better. Huh? You can’t do that either? Oh noes!

Well at least you’re welcome to read his insightful words of wisdom every blessed day. That’s certainly a consolation. Don’t you feel better now?

Psst, Andy? Anybody can read Red State any time they want. What’s the difference? What are you offering the poor downtrodden truth tellers? Think, think, think.

This is surely the most ridiculous Andrew Sullivan post ever. And since he’s competing against himself, he’s up against some pretty stiff competition.

– Psycheout