The Ron Paul Revolution Has Only Begun

Ron Paul's book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, has topped the bestseller lists for Amazon.com and the New York Times. In Nevada, Republican officials abruptly shut down the party's state convention when an army of delegates started electing Paul supporters to the national convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. And although John McCain was the presumptive party nominee going into the more recent GOP primaries, Paul managed to pick up 16% of the vote in Pennsylvania and 24% in Idaho.

What all of this means is that Ron Paul and his message aren't going away anytime soon. Paul's campaign for the White House may be over, but his charm, his character, his tenacity, and, more importantly, his views have sparked a revolution will not be easily silenced.

One reason he will continue to be an influence in the coming year is that he is genuine. What you see is what you get. He actually stands by his principles, and that makes him the only candidate who has represented real change - a fact that will become increasingly apparent once the next president takes office.

Barack Obama has gotten where he is by selling himself as one who stands for change. Exactly what kind of change does he want to implement? No one can answer that, but it may not matter come election day because John McCain represents everything voters dislike about the current administration. In particular, people are concerned that the war in Iraq will expand across the border into Iran. Yes, Obama certainly hasn't taken that option off the table, but he wasn't the one caught on camera singing, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" with a goofy smile on his face.

Assuming it boils down to an Obama-McCain face-off in November, watch for Ron Paul's popularity to soar in 2009. If McCain wins, people will realize the person they elected is just another pro-war establishment lackey. If Obama wins, the charm will quickly wear off as people realize the person they elected is just another pro-war establishment lackey. The American public doesn't like to be taken for granted.

Another reason Ron Paul will continue to be influential is the Internet. Consider how popular he became despite a virtual mainstream media black-out. The bulk of his support came from a grassroots online effort. And with newspaper circulation continuing to drop, we can look for the Internet to play an even bigger role in news-gathering.

The Internet itself represents change. Thanks to advancements in technology and cheap accessibility, the media giants no longer have a monopoly on information. Small town bloggers can have as much impact and influence as major metropolitan journalists.

With most news outlets becoming little more than mouthpieces for Washington, the Internet remains fiercely independent. Look for that to continue. Ron Paul and those who echo his zeal for liberty will make their voices heard.

What we witnessed during the last campaign season was a watershed moment in American politics. The revolution has only begun.