--- title: Ron Paul's Presidential Candidacy as Told by His Supporters in the Comments Section description: Most people have hobbies: golf, model trains, restoring old cars, whatever. A year after Ron Paul announced his Republican presidential bid, I have concluded that... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7185043/the-story-of-ron-pauls-presidential-candidacy-as-told-by-his-supporters-in-swamplands-comments-section/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2012-05-16T10:00:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-18T07:42:32.017Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Story of Ron Paul's Presidential Candidacy as Told by His Supporters in Swampland's Comments Section og:description: Most people have hobbies: golf, model trains, restoring old cars, whatever. A year after Ron Paul announced his Republican presidential bid, I have concluded that... og:url: https://time.com/archive/7185043/the-story-of-ron-pauls-presidential-candidacy-as-told-by-his-supporters-in-swamplands-comments-section/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04d120bf41e63ff9/698b23878cd5b97a8a20eac0/140137538.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Ron Paul Holds Event In Virgina On Night Of Michigan And Arizona Primaries og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Story of Ron Paul's Presidential Candidacy as Told by His Supporters in Swampland's Comments Section twitter:description: Most people have hobbies: golf, model trains, restoring old cars, whatever. A year after Ron Paul announced his Republican presidential bid, I have concluded that... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04d120bf41e63ff9/698b23878cd5b97a8a20eac0/140137538.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) # The Story of Ron Paul's Presidential Candidacy as Told by His Supporters in Our Comments Section > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) May 16, 2012 10:00 AM UTC  SPRINGFIELD, VA - FEBRUARY 28: Republican Presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) (R) acknowledges supporters as his wife Carol (L) looks on during a primary night party February 28, 2012 in Springfield, Virginia. According to early exit polls, Mitt Romney has a very slim lead over Rick Santorum in Michigan's primary, with Romney projected to win the Arizona primary. Voters in Michigan and Arizona went to the polls today to pick their choice for the Republican presidential nominee. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) SPRINGFIELD, VA - FEBRUARY 28: Republican Presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) (R) acknowledges supporters as his wife Carol (L) looks on during a primary night party February 28, 2012 in Springfield, Virginia. According to early exit polls, Mitt Romney has a very slim lead over Rick Santorum in Michigan's primary, with Romney projected to win the Arizona primary. Voters in Michigan and Arizona went to the polls today to pick their choice for the Republican presidential nominee. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images—2012 Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) May 16, 2012 10:00 AM UTC Most people have hobbies: golf, model trains, restoring old cars, whatever. A year after Ron Paul announced his Republican presidential bid, I have concluded that his supporters must not do these things. They can’t possibly have the time. While others are at rest or at play, Paul’s supporters are on the Internet, googling his name and diving into the comments sections of news articles to register their opinions.more Maybe it’s a measure of their dedication or their web savvy, or both. I don’t know. But they always show up, sometimes 500 or 600 in force or more. And since they often complain about the media giving their guy short shrift, I thought I’d give them a chance to tell Paul’s story, now that it’s [in its last chapter](http://swampland.time.com/2012/05/14/ron-paul-stops-active-campaigning-vows-continued-delegate-fight/). (There, the media just did it again.) What follows is a collection of comments, culled from TIME’s archive, that span the epoch of Ron Paul 2012. more **April 2011:** As Paul begins to [examine another presidential campaign](http://swampland.time.com/2011/04/26/why-ron-paul-looks-to-try-again/), his supporters take to the comments section to lay out the stakes of the election in stark terms: --- > “” --- --- > “” --- **June 2011:** Ron is running. TIME [interviews him](http://swampland.time.com/2011/06/20/qa-ron-paul/) about his third presidential candidacy. His supporters are riding high. --- > “” --- --- > “” --- **August 2011:** Despite a close second-place finish in the Ames Straw Poll, [Paul skepticism](http://swampland.time.com/2011/08/25/ron-paul-cant-get-any-respect/) abounds in Washington. The commentariat is fed up. --- > “” --- Many are rankled by being labeled fanatics: --- > “” --- Others seem intent on proving that the shoe fits: --- > “” --- And at least one isn’t entirely sure where he is: --- > “” --- But they are confident that their own presence is proof that they are right: --- > “” --- **December 2011:** Paul has been [gaining in the polls](http://swampland.time.com/2011/12/02/can-ron-paul-win-the-anti-romney-primary/), slowly but steadily as other candidates rise and fall. Despite a lingering gap, hubris rears its head: --- > “” --- After all, how could someone who is popular on the Internet lose an election? --- > “” --- For the more grounded Paulists, hope comes in the form of the unbound convention delegate: --- > “” --- Iowa [approaches](http://swampland.time.com/2011/12/27/ron-pauls-novel-coalition-faces-its-major-moment-in-iowa/), and skepticism from reporters continues to frustrate the faithful. --- > “” --- Paul is like Apple Computer, one explains. --- > “” --- Everyone else is worse than soggy bread, [writes another](http://swampland.time.com/2011/12/30/why-ron-paul-has-appeal-beyond-the-gop/). --- > “” --- Above all, the future is bright: --- > “” --- **January 2012:** [Moment of truth](http://swampland.time.com/2012/01/02/can-ron-paul-pull-off-a-youth-revolt-in-iowa/): The Iowa caucuses. The commenters fire themselves up. Exclamation points and caps lock keys are deployed with abandon: --- > “” --- --- > “” --- And then, disaster. Woe. Tragedy. Paul finishes a close third in Iowa behind Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. There’s [anger](http://swampland.time.com/2012/01/09/why-ron-paul-is-gunning-for-rick-santorum/)… --- > “” --- …embellishment… --- > “” --- …vindictiveness… --- > “” --- …and finally, solace in the delegate count. --- > “” --- The commenters quickly become students of history… --- > “” --- …delegate experts… --- > “” --- …and conspiracists. --- > “” --- **February 2012:** The contests have continued, but still no victories and few points on the board for Paul. TIME [asks the question](http://swampland.time.com/2012/02/08/when-can-we-call-ron-pauls-caucus-strategy-a-bust/): When can we call Paul’s strategy of going after small caucus states a bust? The commentariat is irate, straining at the bonds of the little boxes below the stories. --- > “” --- **March 2012:** TIME reports that Paul advisers have had [backchannel conversations with other campaigns](http://swampland.time.com/2012/03/14/why-ron-paul-may-cut-a-deal-with-mitt-romney/) about cutting an endorsement deal. Down in the comments, denials, paranoia and capslocking continue apace. --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- There is at least one constructive suggestion, even if its relevance is difficult to understand. --- > “” --- **April 2012:** Election news has slowed to a trickle as Romney runs away with the nomination. But the Disciples of Paul return to herald some good news: He has been [named one of the 100 most influential people in the world](http://swampland.time.com/2012/04/18/swamplands-guide-to-the-time-100/) by TIME Magazine, though even that distinction is too generous to the other 99 people on the list in one commenter’s estimation. --- > “” --- **May 2012:** Sad tidings: To conserve resources, Paul has announced he will [no longer actively campaign](http://swampland.time.com/2012/05/14/ron-paul-stops-active-campaigning-vows-continued-delegate-fight/) or run ads, refocusing himself on securing the remaining unbound delegates and soldiering on toward the convention, all but out of the race. But that changes nothing for the commenters. There are still insults… --- > “” --- …herculean feats of delusion… --- > “” --- …and as always, a healthy regard for the power of the comments section. --- > “” --- **Update:** We’ve arrived at the natural conclusion of our journey. Here are the 10 best comments from Ron Paul supporters in the comments section of this article about Ron Paul supporters in the comments section: --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7185043/the-story-of-ron-pauls-presidential-candidacy-as-told-by-his-supporters-in-swamplands-comments-section/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7185043/the-story-of-ron-pauls-presidential-candidacy-as-told-by-his-supporters-in-swamplands-comments-section/"},"headline":"The Story of Ron Paul's Presidential Candidacy as Told by His Supporters in Our Comments Section","datePublished":"2012-05-16T10:00:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-18T07:42:32.017Z","description":"Most people have hobbies: golf, model trains, restoring old cars, whatever. 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