Ron Paul Packs Them In In Maine

COMMENTARY | If you were in Maine and planned on listening to Ron Paul, it was a crowded and perhaps cold experience. Paul, Republican candidate for president, has a habit of drawing standing-room-only crowds wherever he goes. Maine has been no exception when it comes to people eager to hear his message.

At the University of Southern Maine, the room was packed and the overflow was outside. CNN played a live stream of the speeches where the very young, to senior citizens were listening intently.

Later in Freeport, Paul stood on a balcony and talked to a crowd of hundreds. They were standing in a rain/snow mix on the street because the facility could not hold them all. On Friday night, Paul showed up in Bangor during a snow and ice storm. Enthusiastic listeners braved the bad weather to be there.

What makes people brave the cold to listen to this man? The answer to that is his message. He never wavers, and he has been giving this message for a great many years. He warned of the housing bubble and was virtually ignored. He also warned against printing money, and an out of control debt.

He believes in personal freedom and abhors our liberties being trampled by SOPA, ACCT and NDAA. He also sees parts of the Patriot Act that infringe on individual rights. Paul brings a message of a strong military that goes to war only when Congress declares it. He does not believe in America being the world's policeman.

He is the only candidate that is willing to cut a trillion dollars of spending in the first year. He stays away from the personal bickering in debates and sticks to his message. Paul has a sense of humor and it came out in the CNN debate. The oldest candidate, he challenged the other candidates to a bike ride in Texas heat.

If you ask Paul voters who they would vote for besides Paul, the answer is usually the same. If they do not vote for Paul, they will not vote for anyone. If voters have never listened to an entire Paul speech, they may not understand where this passion comes from. Paul is looked to as the leader of liberty, personal freedom and rights, and personal responsibility. The thought that Paul's supporters will stay home, hurts the republicans chances of beating Obama.

Those who oppose Paul like to say his support lies solely in college kids. They treat those kids shabbily, and say they are drug users and imply they are not smart. These assumptions cannot be further from the truth. The students know about the Fed, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They base their support for Paul on this knowledge. It is clear to see that the crowds are made up of people from the young to senior citizens. Everyone loves freedom and liberty, and Paul knows how to bring that message home.