Ron Paul MeetUp Members Grow by 3,000 in One Week
RonCan.com | Digg this story July 17, 2007
Futurist describe the trends of the future. One Mega-Trend is that of social grouping. That individuals would gravitate to social groups of interest instead of the traditional work or neighborhood socials.
This trend is directly manifest in the online sensation MeetUp.com. Where local individuals can meet with other people who share their interests. And the interests are as wide and varied as the individuals themselves.
What has fueled and catapulted this Mega-Trend even further, is the unlikely political phenomenon of Ron Paul.
Presidential candidate Ron Paul and his message of getting back to a Constitutional Republic has created an online maelstrom. While the other presidential candidates struggle to understand this unprecedented support, I believe it's as easy as looking at who's on-line and why this message is striking a cord.
Most internet users are computer literate, college & high school students. Basically, the middle class. And a quick look at what's happening to the middle class right now and why - and you'll have 'generally', a pretty good answer.
Immigration threatens the middle class. Wars kill the middle class. Welfare burdens the middle class. The Federal Reserve devalues the middle class. Corporate subsidies bleed the middle class. And from all of these, the Taxes oppress the middle class.
Paul speaks directly to these issues. And getting back to the government we're supposed to have.
Big government, creates big problems and creates big taxes. And as Paul has said:
"Governments can't fund anything, they don't have any money.
They have to take money from one group and give it to another."
So an oppressed, Internet savvy, middle class is banning together with a majority population and speaking out.
They aren't showing up in the polls because 1) most have cellphones and not landlines, 2) they don't like government and probably haven't voted in a while, 3) Paul demographics are bi-partisan, with support coming from Democrats, Independants and Republicans, and 4) the polls themselves are slanted with strict polling requirements.
Simply, you won't find Ron Paul supporters in the traditional polls. You will however, find them on the streets waving signs, making calls, knocking doors, pulling money together and getting billboards. They are networking together and through the new tools of MeetUp's and FaceBook are extremely organized.
In one week, (7/10-7/17)
Ron
Paul's MeetUp members increased from 19,715 to 22,725.
An increase of 3,010 people.
Comparatively Obama decreased
from 5,300 members to 3,932.
A loss of 1,368 members.
Clinton decreased from 1,868
members to 827
A loss of 1,041 members.
Edwards decreased from 4,250
members to 1,848
A loss of 2,402 members.
Thompson decreased from 99
members to 0
A loss.
(Other major candidates do not have any MeetUp support)
In addition, FaceBook's Ron Paul group of mostly students has 15,300 members
Why are MeetUp's important?
MeetUp groups physically meet on a regular/ weekly basis. This is not unseen Internet spammers. These are activist. These are organized groups of like-minded people. These are people taking time out of their week to wave flags and banners and attend events.
You don't see groups of Hillary or Obama fans waving banners. Or groups of Guiliani or Thompson fans waving banners. You only see significantly growing groups of Ron Paul supporters, in the July heat, showing support for a presidential candidate over a year in advance of the actual election.
This support has manifested in a number of largely unreported political upsets:
• Ron draws more support than the other GOP candidates combined in Iowa
• Ron wins the New Hampshire straw poll
• Ron comes in second in the Georgia straw poll
• Ron dominates the bloggers straw poll in both parties
• Ron has more money on hand than former #1 GOP candidate
That's motivated support. And only a slanted bias would think to marginalize it.