Ron Paul is the Betty White of Republican politics. Like the famous Golden Girl whose Facebook-wielding fans helped fuel a comeback, Paul’s national recognition rests on youthful internet users. They are his core and without them his trailing campaign would be even further behind.
The Baltimore Sun reports today that Paul won with youth voters — defined as citizens under 30 — in the past three nominating contests, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina:
While the 12-time congressman has failed to win any of the first three voting states, he’s captured the youth vote every time, sometimes dominantly.
In Iowa, 48 percent of the under-30 caucus-goers went for Paul, compared with 23 percent for former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and 14 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
In New Hampshire, Paul garnered 47 percent of the youth vote, compared with 26 for Romney.
…
In South Carolina, Paul carried the youth vote, yet again. He garnered 31 percent of the 18- to 29-year-old vote in comparison to 28 percent for former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 21 percent for Santorum.
Not all of Paul’s supporters are in this demographic, but they’re by far the most high-profile — or at least most noted — supporters of his campaign. So why isn’t Paul doing as well among older Americans, like those 65 and older?
Foreign policy may be the biggest policy hurdle in Paul’s quest to win over older American voters. Unlike his Republican rivals, and most of the party, Paul prefers a relatively radical non-interventionist approach to the rest of the world. For example, the Texas Congressman thinks that sanctions against Iran, the largest GOP target, qualify as an “act of war.” Seventy-two percent of the Republican Party wants the United States to take a tough stand on Iran, according to a Pew “Public Priorities” survey released Monday. Younger voters are more in line with Paul on the U.S. foreign policy role.
Two-thirds of millenials think militaristic force can breed anti-American hate, while only 46 percent of baby boomers believe the same. So-called “silents,” people over 65, overwhelmingly oppose that idea: 46% told Pew the military is the best way to protect national security. Those folks clearly wouldn’t be inclined to back Paul.
The media is also to blame, suggest some Paul supporters. By constantly describing the congressman as “the youth candidate,” journalists are either intentionally or unintentionally telling baby boomers and silents that Paul’s more of a pop cultural phenomenon than a potent politician. And the fact that most older Americans get their news from an anti-Paul Fox — the median age of the number one cable news channel is 65-years old, according to Nielsen — the information divide may be driving down Paul’s popularity among more seasoned voters.
Kevin Kervick at the Manchester Independent Examiner believes Ron Paul’s supporters may be turning off older voters, too. “Some Paul supporters consider themselves Anarchists or Anarcho-capitalists. Older conservative voters will never resonate with a political movement that tolerates anarchist sentiment,” he writes.
In that vein, the Ron Paul campaign and Paul’s supporters need to be more outwardly patriotic. Congressman Paul is attempting to do this. But many of his supporters, in their efforts to be stalwart advocates for peace, come across as indifferent to American exceptionalism. Loving one’s country does not need to come across as primitive jingoism. Older conservative voters appreciate patriotism.
Tom Woods, libertarian author of “Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century,” is clearly worried about the dearth of older support for Ron Paul. So, just as Sarah Silverman did to help boost Obama’s standing with Jewish voters in 2008, Woods just launched “Operation Grandma” to urge younger voters to make Paul’s case to their grandparents and help craft a larger appeal for Paul’s campaign.
But Paul may also be his own worst enemy: he’s not campaigning in Florida, a state with an older voting audience, to instead focus on other states, especially those that allow an open primary in which independents can boost his numbers. His decision will likely displease the GOP’s elderly voters in the Sunshine State, and perhaps signal to those elsewhere that Paul isn’t interested in their vote.
All of this may be moot, though, because it is increasingly unlikely Paul will get the Republican presidential nomination, leaving one question: can the ultimate nominee fire up young conservatives like Paul, or will the Texas Congressman’s youthful supporters feel jilted and alienated by the party as a whole?
January 25, 2012 at 1:41 pm, MacCat said:
I am 51 year old female and voting for Ron Paul. Are numbers are growing!!
January 25, 2012 at 1:42 pm, MacCat said:
Our numbers are growing!!
January 25, 2012 at 2:48 pm, Jake said:
Thank you MacCat. You definitely understand what too many in your age bracket do not. Freedom should appeal to every age. Following the Constitution should be supported by the entire country. Starting another war will only reinstate the draft. Not sure if the 65+ realize but that means their grandchildren are going to war. I want to try peace again. For liberty!
January 25, 2012 at 1:50 pm, gigione said:
My in-laws are in their 80′s. We are in our 50′s Ron Paul all the way!!
January 25, 2012 at 2:06 pm, Sterling Bushnell said:
andim in my mid 40′s and im for ron paul and so is mypeer group.
January 25, 2012 at 2:53 pm, Jake K said:
Thank you for your support! As a 25 year old I feel like older generations have no interest in making a better country. They seem to preoccupied with just replacing Obama. Not only do I want to replace Obama but I want to replace him with a man of integrity and passion for advancing liberty. People voted for Obama because he wasn’t Bush. I don’t want people voting for Gingrich because he isn’t Obama. Same thing republicans. Vote for freedom and peace. Ron Paul 2012.
January 25, 2012 at 1:54 pm, sailing said:
The idea that he thinks social security and medicare were unconstitutional to START is spun as if he wants to pull the rug out from under people. In fact, he sees social security as a contract right. This may in part be because he personally opted out of his congressional pension as being too rich and immoral to lay on taxpayers when all they would get was Social Security. So he, like we, has paid in every paycheck for these benefits and thinks the country should do its best to live up to them. His budget plan is the only one to FUND them. He balances the budget in 3 years, without touching Social Security or medicare. Romney only trims projected spending INCREASE and still cuts medicare, because he prioritizes crony capitalism. Gingrich promises the moon but has no means to fund it, and those programs are not in trouble because of lack of promises, but lack of funding. In fact, the budgets Gingrich takes credit for balancing under Clinton only ‘balanced’ by raiding the social security fund held with knowledge it would be needed for then future aging baby boomers.
Unfortunately, this information isn’t ‘out there’ in any obvious way.
January 25, 2012 at 1:57 pm, Laschin1 said:
I do want to mention that many of the Ron Paul voters regardless of age will not vote for another GOP canidate. Taking a 10-20 percent of the pie will be the problem. I personally will vote for Obama if Ron Paul is not the GOP . Im 32yrs old. S
January 25, 2012 at 1:59 pm, Laschin1 said:
I think if the MSM were smart they would advocate Ron Paul since there is no winning with out him.
January 25, 2012 at 2:36 pm, El said:
They don’t want Ron Paul to win, because it would mean an end to crony capitalism. They don’t appear to care if it is Obama or Romney or even Gingrich or Santorum, because they realize, as many of us do, there aren’t a great deal of differences between them. Ron Paul is the only one who represents actual change.
January 25, 2012 at 2:01 pm, Thomas Gatliff said:
I think this author is misunderstanding the youth appeal for Ron Paul. The youth want a sense of fairness restored. The older voter just wants to desperately restore the way things were a couple years ago, and does not really care how fair or unfair it is.
In short, the older voter seems no problem with throwing the younger generation “under the bus” if it means that their pensions and social security promises will be paid.
January 25, 2012 at 2:04 pm, Thomas Gatliff said:
I am also like the rest of the posters below. I am 37yrs old, and will simply not vote unless Ron Paul is selected. Personally, voting for either Gingrich or Romney I find an insult to my intelligence.
January 25, 2012 at 4:41 pm, Mar9657 said:
Why not vote for Gary Johnson? That is what I will do if Ron Paul is not the GOP nominee. (I assume that Johnson will win the Libertarian nomination. It is almost certain that he will.)
January 25, 2012 at 5:06 pm, Chaz16 said:
No offense to him, or you…. but he isn’t Ron Paul. Ron Paul has a chance of shoving it in the face of the opposition. Imagine if he gets second place to Obama without even running. That’s throwing dirt on the establishment.
I think Gary Johnson would be awesome in 2016… Rand Paul as VP.
January 25, 2012 at 2:28 pm, Joshm1989 said:
RON PAUL 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 25, 2012 at 2:29 pm, El said:
I think those over 65 are less likely to obtain their information from sources other than mainstream media. This gives them a very narrow and skewed view of Ron Paul’s policies, given the tendency of MSM to mischaracterize those policies with terms such as “isolationist” “dangerous” and the like. That is why it is so important for Ron Paul supporters to speak to their older friends and family members and give them materials to read that accurately explains what Rep. Paul stands for…and perhaps even more importantly, what he stands against. I can’t tell you how many people have thanked me for it.
For the record, I am a middle-aged female, who is also voting for Ron Paul.
January 25, 2012 at 3:40 pm, Chase McDonald said:
Exactly. Ron Paul is spun the wrong way to those who watch TV, hurting his chances. But I sense a change in the winds. The ideas of freedom, liberty, and limited government are spreading like wildfire on the internets. Too bad the internet may soon be regulated as well, another thing older folk might not notice
January 25, 2012 at 2:31 pm, Vanlindy said:
Like MacCat, I am a female over 50 and love Ron Paul. I wrote him in in 2008 and will do the same in 2012 if he is not the nominee. He is, quite simply, the only honest man running. Young people sense that, but there are still some of us older folks out here who get it too. Go Ron!
January 25, 2012 at 2:35 pm, Suldog said:
I’m 54 and I’ll be voting for him. Of course, I was 28 the first time I voted for him in 1988
January 25, 2012 at 2:40 pm, Anonymous said:
I’m 57, and support Ron Paul.
Another of the many journalistic mistakes made is the one concerning patriotism. We are not a patriotic nation; we are a nationalistic nation. Nationalism is a mutated form of patriotism, in which people favor forcing their society on other foreign nations as a way to allay the fear that any nation not espousing their nation’s politics are deemed as ‘dangerous’. Nationalism is the intermediate stage from patriotism to fascism.
January 25, 2012 at 2:59 pm, Jake K said:
Zendae you hit it on the head. Too many Americans believe military action is the way to spread “democracy”. First off no American should ever support a democracy. If they knew how democracy worked they would never use the term. I am only 25 and 3 to 4 years ago I was in the dark. No more. I have woken up and researched Austrian economics and free market principles. Obama has failed, Bush failed, and the last 20 congresses have failed. If the republican party does not wake up and support peace and true liberty I am gone and never coming back.
I think every Ron Paul supporter needs to join a coalition. A coalition of voters who only support a specific platform. I think we could get a million members who all pledge to support Ron Paul’s platform. If you, as a candidate, do not support it in any way we do not vote for you anymore. Start joining forces and forcing politicians to hold our views.
January 25, 2012 at 5:07 pm, Chaz16 said:
Let’s move to New Hampshire and expand the Free State project… make an example to the rest of the country.
January 25, 2012 at 5:09 pm, Chaz16 said:
Let’s move to New Hampshire and expand the Free State project… make an example to the rest of the country.
January 25, 2012 at 5:10 pm, Chaz16 said:
Let’s move to New Hampshire and expand the Free State project… make an example to the rest of the country.
January 25, 2012 at 2:48 pm, askjf said:
Ron Paul is the Chuck Norris of politics.
January 25, 2012 at 2:57 pm, Mahmoud A said:
With the mainstream media as nasty and scared as they are, it is not a shocker that Grandpa has a negative view of the very qualified Dr. Paul. Grandpa does not live on face book or youtube, he reads the stupid lying NYT, and watches FAUX and CNN. The younger internet savvy voters 50 and under can do more research on a smart phone waiting for the bus than an 85 year old Phd at the library of congress.
January 25, 2012 at 2:58 pm, Mahmoud A said:
I am 44 and also voting Paul OR NOTHING
January 25, 2012 at 3:03 pm, Anonymous said:
Hey Boomers! If you are a facebook user, show your solidarity here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baby-Boomers-for-Ron-Paul/304772436226687
If you’re a Senior: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Seniors-For-Ron-Paul/180470148679038
January 25, 2012 at 3:09 pm, Jeff Siswanto said:
people who didn’t vote for Ron Paul clearly do not care about the debt that is going to be put into the newer generations… because they carelessly know that they’re going to die sooner than when the economy is going to collapse
January 25, 2012 at 3:11 pm, T C said:
The Tampa debate proved Dr. Paul’s support is wide, see the retirees cheering. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0lrz6f-fVs
January 25, 2012 at 3:15 pm, Anonymous said:
Also, Ron Paul is a dark horse of the GOP, because if he doesn’t get the nomination, it’s safe to assume that Obama is going to be re-elected. Ron Paul holds a significant stake of the votes in the GOP, and if he doesn’t get nominated then his loyal voters will vote elsewhere.
January 25, 2012 at 3:25 pm, Kristol Seth said:
The youth of America are tiried of being eaten alive by their parents and grandparents through generational transfer programs.
January 25, 2012 at 3:36 pm, Chase McDonald said:
To answer the last question, i think the Congressman’s youthful supporters will end up feeling jilted and alienated by the two-party system as a whole. Dems and Repubs are offering the same thing inside different packaging. We want representatives, not puppets
January 25, 2012 at 3:47 pm, The Federal Farmer said:
C’mon Belonsky! You think Ron Paul has a “radical non-interventionist approach”? Really? Since when is staying out of the affairs of other nations considered radical? Since when are the principles in the Declaration of Independence radical? You know, each nation being entitled to be a sovereign–separate and equal among the powers of the earth? Why are you perpetuating the fraud that scares the elderly?
January 25, 2012 at 3:55 pm, Anon said:
He’s not interested in their vote. They will only vote for a politician who will promise them that the government will sell out their children for generations to come to pay for their bullsh*t entitlements. Ron Paul, as a man of principal, would never pander to such a selfish demographic.
January 25, 2012 at 4:25 pm, Anonymous said:
It’s true that Paul is basically the only candidate with young supporters, but young supporters are usually underrepresented in the polls, and you can’t be a top-tier candidate that places 2nd in New Hampshire without a significant amount of support from older voters. After all, Paul himself is proof that his message can resonate with older voters, military veterans, and values voters.
January 25, 2012 at 4:34 pm, Clyde Macc said:
well if the Media would talk about how Ron Paul has been trying to save social Security instead of strawmaning his Constitutional stance on the program. ’There are people who need the system so i am trying to save it” Ron Paul has Compasion he would not have americans suffer austerity to maintain the Empire.
January 25, 2012 at 4:40 pm, Uleau said:
I’m 47 and I’m voting for Ron Paul.
There’s an old saying that goes something like ‘I love my
country but I don’t trust my government’.
When I hear folks like Romney, Gingrich and Santorum saying
things that advocate unnecessary military intervention, torture and increased
efforts of the TSA, it leave me scratching my head wondering when did our great
country devolve into this para-militaristic state? Where’s the common sense in this and why aren’t
more of my countrymen livid about the current state of affairs?
I think there are a lot of folks that only listen to
snippets of what’s in the news and don’t really consider the facts for
themselves. They don’t consider (or understand)
the crushing effects of these astronomical deficits or the effects of more
war. I’m dismayed that so many intelligent
people simply fluff off their duty as citizens to become informed and simply vote
for a candidate that ‘looks presidential’, or vote for a candidate because ‘he
was strong in last night’s debate’. Grrrrr –
If we vote in another Obama, Romney, Gingrich or Santorum we
get what we deserve.
January 25, 2012 at 4:56 pm, cfrb said:
the tow party is just an illusion, its really one party with one policy. there is no practical difference between Obama and Romney, both supports the health care mandate, Romney care, tarp, bailouts, federal reserve handouts.. more wars, NDAA, assassination etc.. i think the only difference I can think of between Obama and Romney is that Romney wants to start war with iran immediately, while Obama wants to start in about a year.
sad state…
January 25, 2012 at 6:40 pm, Anonymous said:
“Foreign policy may be the biggest policy hurdle in Paul’s quest to win over older American voters” No it’s because of the main stream media lies about the reality of the situation and most older folk are internet shy.
There are plenty of recent and ancient historical facts on the web from a plethora of sources from around the world’ that when investigated show Dr. Paul’s strategies to be sound and tested throughout history.
January 25, 2012 at 7:03 pm, Anonymous said:
Andrew Baloney(ski),
You got it all wrong!
At 68 years old, Newt is the Betty White (hair) of Republican politics.
That’s right, 68 years old…and obese. Romney can release his taxes, but Newt should release his prescriptions…
The good old doctor is alive and well on the bike paths of Texas!
January 25, 2012 at 9:54 pm, canuck said:
It is momentarily unlikely Paul will get the Republican presidential nomination due to the fact that the media will not cover or consider Ron Paul. They continuously call him “unelectable” when he is the only clear choice for a fundamental change in the way America moves forward. Unfortunate for the American people that MSM continues to downplay the r3volution. Common sense isn’t all that common and the Republican party may sow the seeds of their demise coming up in November.
January 25, 2012 at 9:57 pm, Scorebarred said:
You can not cut taxes and go to war. I will say Gingrich has 10 million reasons to go to war – 5 million a piece – from two brothers Dual citizenship USA/Israel.
Go figure sending young Americans to fight in Iran – against Russian and China.
He is Nuts all for Israel – Iran has the oil? go figure
January 25, 2012 at 9:59 pm, Corcoranpj said:
You can not cut taxes and go to war. I will say Gingrich has 10 million reasons to go to war – 5 million a piece – from two brothers Dual citizenship USA/Israel.
Go figure sending young Americans to fight in Iran – against Russian and China.
He is Nuts all for Israel – Iran has the oil? go figure
January 26, 2012 at 5:17 pm, Anonymous said:
the older people also only read newspapers / news, which unforunately is where ron paul is apparently heavily censored on.
January 26, 2012 at 5:21 pm, Anonymous said:
even if we there was a state wide riot in support of Ron Paul, no media will cover it.
January 27, 2012 at 1:40 am, Ron Nottage said:
I’m 62 and I support Dr. Ron Paul
Ron Paul 2012
And a U. S. Veteran
January 30, 2012 at 1:08 am, Anonymous said:
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January 30, 2012 at 3:32 am, Joelzy_1 said:
im 22 and in california and im voting for paul!