Web Whiz Ron Paul Faces Test of Offline Presidential Appeal

August 10, 2007— -- Republican presidential long shot Ron Paul's passionate online supporters face a critical challenge in Saturday's Iowa straw poll: translating their online energy into success in the offline political process.

The Texas congressman's online prominence has already garnered him heightened attention in the world of traditional media -- The New York Times Magazine recently ran an extensive profile of Paul and his quixotic campaign, and he's enjoyed a blitz of national television appearances.

The question this weekend is whether the decentralized passion and organizational ability that his supporters have demonstrated online will translate into political action that will build the candidate's political capital in the offline world.

The crucial event for some Republicans this Saturday is the straw poll in Ames, Iowa, where up to 40,000 people are expected to show up. State Republican Party officials hold the all-day, county fairlike event in years when there's no incumbent Republican president, and it's widely viewed as a political thresher that culls weaker candidates from the presidential race.

Indeed, former Wisconsin governor and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson has said he will drop out if he doesn't perform well. The poll is far from scientific -- candidates try to stuff the ballot box by purchasing tickets for their supporters to attend the event, at $35 a pop, and by providing them with food, transportation and entertainment. In addition, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain aren't participating in the process. Neither is unofficial presidential hopeful Fred Thompson -- though all these candidates are on the straw poll ballot.

Nevertheless, participating in the straw poll and doing well "is a way of demonstrating one's support among the activist base in the party," says Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University. "It's about the ability to mobilize and turn out supporters -- generally, a candidate who has an intense base of supporters has an advantage here."