Analysis: Is Ron Paul Internet Buzz Real or Spam?

Rush Limbaugh, Digg Community Question Support

Discussions regarding Dr. Ron Paul's presidential candidacy are taking over political forums all over the internet. Some politicos, including Rush Limbaugh, are claiming that the Ron Paul buzz is purely the result of spammers trying to hype Dr. Paul's campaign. Adding to the Ron Paul internet buzz is his recent visit to the Dennis Miller Show and his plans to visit The Daily Show on June 4. However, the question remains: is the Ron Paul internet buzz real or the product of dedicated spammers trying to advance his cause?

Rush Limbaugh says it's the latter. On his May 16 show, Mr. Limbaugh stated the following when discussing Ron Paul's campaign for president: "Here's what's happening out there, folks. Ron Paul has a lot of supporters. He's got supporters, and they are spamming polls on the Internet ... I'm just going to be honest with you. I don't think Congressman Paul has a snowball's chance." In particular, Mr. Limbaugh said that Dr. Paul's statements on the Iraq War and 9/11, from which some inferred that the United States invited these attacks, would keep him from making a run at the 2008 Republican nomination.

Matt Margolis of GOP Bloggers, an "online grassroots community with the goal of keeping a Republican majority in Congress, and a Republican President in the White House," agrees. Mr. Margolis runs a GOP 2008 Straw Poll and says that Ron Paul supporters are indeed spamming in order to further Dr. Paul's campaign. In a May 30, 2007 posting entitled "Manufacturing Support," Mr. Margolis states that he was hesitant to add Dr. Paul to his poll, but did so in an attempt to determine Dr. Paul's popularity. Mr. Margolis states that before spammers become involved, Dr. Paul received 4% of his poll's votes. However, Mr. Margolis states that once spammers started voting, Dr. Paul moved up to 46.4% of all votes received.