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)(Interview)

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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