Ron Paul was a like a cult band but, drawing huge crowds on his New Hampshire campaign stops, he's now an amphitheater-filling rock star. Paul has run as a niche presidential candidate three times -- in 1988, when he ran as a libertarian, in 2008, and just a couple months ago. Back then, all he wanted was attention. But now he has too much. On Sunday, his campaign had strict rules for a New Hampshire town hall -- no questions from the press or Paul fans, only from undecided voters. (One new convert to Paul broke the rule anyway). On Monday morning, The Washington Post's Rachel Weiner reports, Paul left an event without answering questions, so reporters chased him to his car. And later Monday, Paul had to cancel an appearance at a small restaurant in New Hampshire after 120 reporters packed into the place, leaving little room for the candidate. ("I'm overwhelmed," Paul said, according to NBC News' Anthony Terrell.)
Paul's national campaign chair, Jesse Benton, blamed the crush of reportes, especially foreign ones, and most especially the jerk who manhandled Mrs. Paul. Benton wrote in a press release, “Mrs. Paul herself, attempting to campaign alongside her husband, was shoved aside by one reporter and told to 'get out of the way.'" Benton apologized to any locals who were distressed by the mob.
Business Insider's Henry Blodget responded Monday to Paul's fans, prolific online commenters, who demand to know why Paul doesn't get more media attention. (Blodget's answer: Because Paul's going to lose.) But The Post hints that Paul would be okay with just a little less media attention. Benton yelled at CNN"s Dana Bash during an interview after she hinted that Paul was losing votes because he was too popular:
Bash: At the last stop, it was madness, but there was a voter there, a New Hampshire voter, and she voted for Barack Obama in the last primary. She told me that if she had been able to shake your hand and look you in the eye, you would have gotten her vote. But now she's turned off because you left. Does that say something about your ability to…"
Paul: It says something about the media..
Benton: This is a joke question, we're stopping…
Paul: [jabbing his finger at Bash] Because you the media did that to her, Paul said, poking Bash. She should have been furious with you.
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Elspeth Reeve
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