Politics: Ron Paul?s Long Game

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Politics Ron Paul's Long Game The libertarian's looking good in Iowa, and he won't just be a one-state wonder. By David Weigel Posted Tuesday, Jan 03, 2012, at 10:07 PM ET CEDAR FALLS, Iowa—"We're already done with Iowa," Eric tells me after Ron Paul's latest speech. "We were done weeks ago." What does he mean? He opens his MacBook Air and clicks on a spreadsheet with information about the 3.5 million glossy campaign documents he's printing up for the "Ron Paul Super Brochure Precinct Blast." Eric has started to fill orders for people in later primary states—6,849 for a volunteer in South Carolina, a few hundred for someone in Florida, where Eric lives. (Eric doesn't want to give a last name, as this would "take credit" away from project funder Curt Schultz.) Order a batch and you get your name printed on the back, in case you want to mail them to voters. "It's not hidden, like a Super PAC," says Eric. "It's all transparent." Everyone in Iowa will tell you that Ron Paul's Iowa campaign isn't Iowan enough. The other campaigns all say it, and reporters speculate about it. It's an important piece of the Iowa-caucus-doesn't-matter-anymore argument we'll hear if Paul wins the caucuses. Unlike so much campaign chatter, this story is true. Talk to the man's supporters—I followed Paul on a north-central Iowa "whistle stop tour"—and you inevitably run into Minnesotans, South Dakotans, Illinoisans, and Wisconsinites, none of whom can caucus on Tuesday night. You see Indiana license plates on cars with "LEGALIZE THE CONSTITUTION" stickers. There are people who drive ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Weigel: How Ron Paul Diehards Plan To Keep His Campaign Alive After Iowa What the Iowa Caucuses Would Look Like if They Really Were a Horse Race Was Matt Flynn's Amazing Performance Sunday a Fluke?	Advertisement
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