Ron Paul's race: presidential aspirant Ron Paul speaks about successfully bypassing the media that have ignored him and about why his campaign is drawing supporters across the political spectrum.

Interview of Congressman Ron Paul by Brian Farmer 

THE NEW AMERICAN magazine interviewed Congressman Ron Paul a few weeks after the Iowa Straw Poll. What follows is a transcript of that interview.

THE NEW AMERICAN: You seem to be more popular on the Internet than any other candidate. In fact, if the presidential race were to be decided on the basis of Internet popularity, you almost certainly would be the next president. How do you explain the Ron Paul-Internet phenomenon?

Congressman Ron Paul: The message of freedom is powerful. Freedom resonates with people from all walks of life, and when they hear it, they want to share it.

TNA: Why did you choose to contest the 2008 presidential election and not the ones in 1996 and 2000, when there was also no Republican incumbent running for reelection? Did the increasing impact of the Internet have something to do with your decision?

Ron Paul: From the beginning of this campaign, we realized that the Internet would play an important role. I was very excited about the power of the Internet to help level the playing field against candidates with ready access to tens of millions of dollars. To be honest, I was at first very hesitant to run. People very close to me worked hard to convince me that there were people out there who were receptive to the message of freedom and the Constitution, and I have been thrilled to see just how many there are.

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TNA: Does this online/grass-roots support suggest that there is a certain level of dissatisfaction among the people with regard to the mainline GOP and Democratic parties and candidates?

Ron Paul: I believe it does. America has drifted away from what has made us so great. More and more people realize that we are losing our freedoms and living beyond our means and on borrowed money. Both parties, for the most part, seem to defend the status quo. Americans are fed up and want a real change in course. I believe I offer that.

TNA: If you win the GOP nomination, what kind of message do you think this would send?

Ron Paul: That the American people want freedom and adherence to the Constitution. I think it would be a real mandate for change and a rejection of the big government and corporatism we've been getting for decades.

TNA: What would it mean if you don't get the GOP nomination?

Ron Paul: I guess it would mean that there will be some disappointed people. It would also mean that we are probably going to get a president who gives us more of the same and moves us closer and closer to big trouble.

TNA: Since your supporters seem to be mainly pushing your message online, is there anything you're doing to boost your presence on the Internet?

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Ron Paul: My staff is always looking into new ways to spread our message. We are working to add new tools to our website and coming up with some pretty neat stuff. One of my staffers, for example, carries a camera at some of our events and broadcasts it live over the Internet. But the most important thing we can do is to keep doing what we've been doing, and that is putting the message out there. People listen when we talk about freedom.

TNA: Is there one main part of your platform that seems to be drawing the attention of voters?

Ron Paul: It seems like many people first hear about me because I am offering an alternative to our current, broken foreign policy. I advocate for a constitutional foreign policy recommended by the Founders and that is non-intervention. I am also the only Republican candidate opposed to the Iraq War, so that gets people's attention, and they want to learn more about the message of freedom and the Constitution. Of course, foreign policy is just one key component of the entire freedom message, and it is all interconnected.

TNA: What other positions of yours do you believe really resonate with the public at large?

Ron Paul: That we should obey and follow the Constitution. I have been very pleased to see how many people realize that we ignore the Constitution at our peril. So many people are waking up to the fact that if we set a precedent that we can ignore the Constitution in one area then none of our rights are really safe.

TNA: At age 72, you are the eldest presidential candidate. Yet your campaign is being supported by large numbers of young people. What seems to be the draw for them?

Ron Paul: I continue to be amazed at how many young people are interested in our campaign and by how smart and informed they are. I think they come because they see what they are poised to inherit and they aren't happy. We are handing our children countless trillions of dollars of debt and mortgaging their future. If we don't do something, this will be the first American generation that lives more poorly than their parents. Young people want to be free; they don't want the government running their lives; they want to be able to opt out of the entitlement system; and they want to be able to take care of themselves.

TNA: Besides age, what are the other demographics of the majority of your supporters?

Ron Paul: The wonderful thing about freedom is that it allows people to best unleash their own passions and creativity. That means all kinds of people support our campaign: Christians who don't want the government telling them how to run their religion, health-freedom folks who want to be free to use vitamins and supplements as they see fit, hard-money people who want to return to constitutional money, immigration activists who want to make sure we secure our border--these are all examples of people who support our campaign, because my position of following the Constitution and the rule of law would take care of the issue they care most about.

TNA: Do you believe you can win? Ron Paul: Yes, I do. I wouldn't run if I didn't.

TNA: Suppose you become president and that you follow your oath of office--meaning that you would not usurp powers as have other modern-day presidents of both parties. What would you be able to accomplish, considering that all legislative powers are possessed by Congress?

Ron Paul: That is a good question, and of course, much of what I want to do would have to be voted on by Congress, and I would work hard with them to get things done. But as Commander in Chief, I could bring home troops from around the world, strengthen our national defense, and save hundreds of billions of dollars. I could bring home our border guards and secure our border, rather than having them policing the border between Iraq and Syria. I would also stop unconstitutional executive activities like illegal wiretapping.

TNA: Should you fail to get the GOP nomination, will you try to run as an independent or will you join another party?

Ron Paul: No, I will not.

TNA: Should you fail to be nominated/ elected, would you believe that your presidential bid would still have been worthwhile?

Ron Paul: It has already been worthwhile. It has been wonderful to see how the message of freedom resonates across the country. But many more Americans will have to awaken if we are going to save our country.