No Respect for Ron Paul

There are some things money can't buy.

Respect is one of them.

From the New York Sun:

Rep. Ron Paul's stunning fundraising prowess may or may not buy him a ticket out of New Hampshire, but there's no sign the Republican presidential candidate has managed to buy any respect from the Washington establishment. Asked for advice on how Dr. Paul could convert his millions to votes, several prominent political consultants and analysts said, in essence, he can't.

"Ron Paul's only option is to buy as many flat screen TVs as he can, put 'Ron Paul' bumper stickers on them, and hand them out to voters in New Hampshire," the manager of Robert Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, Scott Reed, said. "I just don't see where he goes. … He will probably be the only presidential candidate ever to have a surplus when he drops out, because he has an incredible amount of money and no campaign strategy to win."

"I don't think Ron Paul is a serious candidate who will make any significant difference," a political newsletter publisher, Charles Cook, said. "Money or no money, I don't think Paul will be a factor and don't waste time thinking about him."

"I'd tell him to go buy a home in the Bahamas," another top pundit, Stuart Rothenberg, joked.

Paul gets no respect, no respect at all.

He's a sort of the Rodney Dangerfield among the candidates, except Dangerfield was intentionally funny and a success. It's more accurate to say that Paul is like the Rodney "I get no respect" Dangerfield character.

Dangerfield was a well-respected entertainer. Paul is a not a well-respected politician.

But he can raise money.

Dr. Paul, who has languished between 4% and 8% in opinion polls, is drawing attention for reeling in unheard-of amounts of money through one-day online fund-raisers. The first such event last month raised $4.2 million. Another held on Sunday raised $6 million. As of last night, Dr. Paul's campaign reported it had raised almost $18.5 million in the fourth quarter, a figure almost certain to outstrip any other candidate, Republican or Democrat.

...Dr. Paul's campaign did not respond to questions yesterday about any plans for the newly raised funds. However, they have said previously that they would produce new television ads and hire additional staffers in states like California and Florida.

Analysts were dubious that would help Dr. Paul's numbers rise. "The problem with Ron Paul is he doesn't fit his party," Mr. Rothenberg said. "He's barking up the wrong tree," Mr. Reed added. Unlike all the major Republican candidates, Dr. Paul, 72, opposed the Iraq War and the Patriot Act. However, the congressman, who represents the Galveston, Tex., area, also favors abolishing all foreign aid and most of the federal government. He speaks with sincerity about shrinking the government to its size in the early 20th century, doing away with Medicare, Social Security, NASA, and a host of other popular government programs that he contends are unauthorized by the Constitution.

What is Paul going to do with all that money?

It's not like he's serious about being president.