ron paul: still alive!

well, we can account for 100,000+ votes from the 'bitter' gun nuts, internet geeks, pot smokers, and other miscellaneous cranks in pennsylvania: ron paul took 15.9%. even though he knows he can't statistically win, he's running just to give those all those big-money, big-state, big-war republicans an ideological asswhuppin', libertarian style.

seriously, you gotta show the guy a little love. in those crazy early days of the primaries, when debate topics were yes/no questions answered by raising a hand, he was able to call out rudy "9/11" giuliani's sheer cartoonish hawk bullshit. rudy's campaign was never really the same, thank god. sure, some of old man paul's political stumps don't really work (yeah, leaving the un is a GREAT idea), but we all know that he built his support off of being a contrarian shit-talker rather than somebody your parents would vote for.

politico just ran an article about his continuing campaign, and the people that still support him:

But while keeping to the same mantra — “I have no plan, no intention to do so” — Paul is also not completely slamming the door shut on a third-party run. And, perhaps more worrisome for Republicans should they have a tight race with the eventual Democratic nominee, he’s also not ruling out supporting a third-party candidate.

Asked what he would do if his supporters approached him this fall and asked him whom to support, Paul replied, “I’ll respond when I think I should — when we know where the ducks are lining up.”

when it's all said and done, the story of ron paul very well could be the story of a new grassroots-based ideological bloc in america, and maybe even a third party. good timing for it, too. we can talk all we like about the great candidates that are running for the presidency, but the two-party system has never failed america like it has right now. voters hate the president, but they only hate his opposition in congress slightly less. pelosi's a chickenshit that won't even consider impeaching a guy guilty of several crimes that we know about.

one can only hope he drops the ralph nader effect on john mccain in november.