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"Thank you for inviting me to the revolution," Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said to a crowd of supporters and curious bystanders in front of Tommy Trojan Wednesday afternoon.
The gathering, sponsored by Program Board, attracted students and adults from throughout the Los Angeles area, many of whom were roused to cheer every time the 10-term congressman from Texas heralded points on his libertarian agenda.
Paul's fans made up an eclectic set of followers - one woman in tie-dyed pants holding a sign dotted with the peace symbol and the slogan, "End Iraqi Nuclear Holocaust," stood next to a man whose sign portrayed a bald eagle in front of a waving flag - and less than half the crowd appeared to be USC students.
Nearly all Paul's policies are based in libertarianism, a political ideology based on individual rights, small government and free markets. While some issues include lower taxes, the dismantling of federal departments and an elimination of spying programs, many of his positions, such as his belief that non-violent drug offenders should be released from prison, break with those of the mainstream Republican base. His most contentious platform is his belief that the United States should immediately withdraw all troops from Iraq, a position he has held since the start of the conflict in 2003.
"He is a libertarian who has found his place in the Republican Party," said Jeffrey Hubbard, organizer of the event and a senior majoring political science and philosophy. "He is trying to bring the party back to a purer form of Republicanism."
Hubbard said his support for Paul draws from a lack of faith in the current Republican administration.
"I voted for Bush in 2004, but now feel betrayed by him. I understood Afghanistan, and was still under the rah-rah-rah when Iraq started," Hubbard said. "A lot of people are sharing this feeling."
Hubbard, like many of Paul's supporters and Paul himself, sees the current campaign as just one battle in a larger war of political ideals.
"Don't just vote for a candidate just because they are higher up on the polls," he said. "If our election is just a popularity contest, then we have more problems than Iraq."
Paul is running in the Republican primaries to avoid marginalizing himself as a third-party candidate, said Janelle Wong, a USC political science professor.
"He may not win, but he also … brings visibility to his platform," she said. "Some politicians run to win, others to push their agenda."
Though he is widely considered to be a fringe candidate, Paul has become somewhat of an online phenomenon, cultivating a large Internet following that has landed him 54 million Google hits, which is more than the rest of the Republican and Democratic candidates combined. Paul addressed the disconnect between his viability - recent polls show he garners just one percent of support nationwide - and his online popularity.
"[The media ask me], you can't win, your polls are so low, but why are you doing so well on the Internet?" he told supporters. "The question is always asked, 'Why are we getting the support, especially among young people - what is it that they're attracted to?' It can't be me by myself, I know that can't be it. It just may be that the cause of liberty is what we're interested it."
One man at the rally held a "Google Ron Paul" sign, something that has been an unofficial slogan for the campaign. With stands on issues that are in direct conflict with much of mainstream Republican and Democratic ideologies, many have taken to the Internet to learn about and support Paul.
"The Internet has the ability to attract a lot of people to the campaign," Wong said. "A candidate may not have the large physical gathering of crowds at rallies, but [a] large gathering of constituents from all over the place together on the Internet."
Traditional popularity has been made complicated by the emergence of the Internet as a political vehicle. It is difficult to factor in the support shown on blogs, Facebook groups and independent websites towards determining who is "winning."
Paul, who also has the most MySpace friends out of all the candidates, sees the Internet as a key political strategic instrument in the 2008 election, particularly in the courting of the youth vote.
Paul said the Internet has boosted his visibility despite his lack of coverage in the mainstream news media.
"We don't get much time on the debate, but there are other ways to get the message out," he said. "Revolutions don't come about without the young people being involved. If they hear our voice, it's going to happen."
Many students confirmed that their primary source for information in the campaign so far has been the web.
"The first time I saw Ron Paul was on a YouTube video," said Leslie Mood, a senior majoring in business administration. "I was an Independent, but I switched to the Republican Party to vote in this primary."
