ODDS ARE ...
... against Ron Paul — and, more importantly, damaging to America in 2008
BY LEWIS WHITTEN
It seems Sportsbook.com was like everybody else when putting up their line for the 2008 Presidential winner. They didn’t list Rep. Ron Paul among a field that included Bill Clinton and Bill O’Reilly, who aren’t even candidates.
After realizing there was interest in betting on Paul for president, the internet gambling site put the Texas Congressman on the board at 200 to 1. Just two weeks later, an onslaught of betting has moved Paul’s line to 15 to 1.
Gambling911.com, a popular resource for gamblers, credits Paul with delivering the most traffic in their seven years on the internet. The site’s Senior Editor, Payton O’Brien, says that’s good news for Paul supporters.
“Ron Paul is a serious contender whose grass roots campaign is growing dramatically,” O’Brien said. “I think his supporters will be happy to know that gambling sites have proven strong indicators of political candidates’ performances in the past.”
Online gamblers are not just rooting for Paul because of his 15-to-1 odds either. Paul is the only serious contender who supports legalized online gambling.
And it’s not just gambling sites that are buzzing about Paul. He is the No. 1 candidate for U.S. President on the internet, beating out Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani with far more friends, supporters and subscribers on community websites like MySpace.com and YouTube.com.
So what is Giuliani doing to sway Paul’s growing base of support? Answer: Steering clear of the seasoned 10-term house representative, doctor of obstetrics/gynecology, and veteran flight surgeon with the U.S. Air Force. Giuliani is even ignoring invitations from FreedomFest producer Mark Skousen to debate Paul at their annual festival.
“Both candidates are friends of freedom but with very different views on how to protect and defend the United States,” Skousen said. “We propose a one-hour debate format on Saturday evening and hope both GOP candidates will accept this unique opportunity to expand on their foreign policy views and the discussion on how to best defend liberty and the United States in this post-9/11 environment.”
Paul is already a featured speaker at FreedomFest, which takes place in Las Vegas July 5-7 at Bally’s/Paris. Giuliani has been a keynote speaker at past events organized by the FreedomFest team, but so far has avoided a response to the invitation.
Most likely, Giuliani is ignoring the invite to avoid additional embarrassment at the hands of Paul. During the first GOP debate in South Carolina, Paul exposed Giuliani’s ignorance. When Paul, who has long served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, explained how 50 years of American interventionism in the Middle East has helped compromise our national security, Giuliani interrupted, saying he had “never heard anything so absurd.” This statement was particularly troubling coming from the former mayor, who tries to cast himself as a security expert, since Dr. Paul’s point comes directly from the bi-partisan 9/11 Commission Report.
“Rudy Giuliani has tip-toed around the issues of abortion, guns and marriage. The only issue he has left is security, and he doesn’t even get that right,” said Paul campaign chairman Kent Snyder. “It is clear from his interruption that former Mayor Giuliani has not read the 9/11 Commission Report and has no clue on how to keep America safe.”
Paul’s bookmaker odds of 15 to 1 make him a long shot. Unfortunately, though, a vote for Giuliani or any other candidate would be a gamble on America’s security.
