Ron Paul Draws Big Crowds and Many Undecided Voters in Iowa
Dec 10, 2011 3:53pm
Full story, excerpt below:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/12/ron-paul-draws-big-crowds-and-many-undecided-voters-in-iowa/
Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
By all accounts, Ron Paul is on a roll in Iowa.
In the latest ABC News / Washington post poll, Paul is tied with Mitt Romney for second place in the state.
Paul has visited the Hawkeye State more than 50 times since he declared his candidacy – and this week he kept up a grueling schedule of town hall meetings, media interviews and college rallies.
Paul explained his non-interventionist foreign policy to a packed rally of more than 1,000 mostly young people at Iowa State University on Thursday night.
The 12-term congressman has long done well with college students and drew another 700 mostly college students the following night at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
“He likes to do what he says – he says what he means – he doesn’t beat around the bush – he’s kind of entertaining to watch,” said Iowa State University student Mario Winburn.
Winburn said that he appreciates Paul’s consistency on issues ranging from abortion to the debt ceiling.
He also likes that Paul “doesn’t play politics,” said Winburn.
Although he has a favorable impression of the candidate, he’s not sold just yet. He’s giving all the presidential contenders a shot. Winburn voted for Obama during the last election, but is now taking a look at Ron Paul this time around.
“Ron Paul has something that just different about him could possible make him the next president,” said Winburn.
Indeed one of those differences has been to state his views, no matter how against the grain they appear.
During a presidential debate in September, fellow GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum challenged Paul to explain an article that the U.S. Congressman wrote, which he said blames America for 9/11.
However when Paul began to cite U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia and America’s policy on Palestine as being the causes of the attacks, the audience booed him.
Undaunted, Paul continued to explain his view of why the attacks occurred.
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