Ron Paul emphasizes limited govt., individual values
Texas Rep. Ron Paul campaigned through parts of Minnesota Monday ahead of the state's Tuesday caucuses.
Bringing with him the enthusiasm that comes from the candidate's grass-root supporters, the presidential hopeful hit on many of his popular themes, including calling for less government intervention in individual's lives.
"The notion that individuals are important and governments are supposed to be small and limited for the protection of liberty — that is a new and exciting idea," Paul said, speaking before a crowd of about 600 people at a campaign stop at the River's Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud.
"I think that is one of the reasons why young people like this idea, because their minds are not muddied up with the conventional wisdom of the politicians, and the TV and the media."
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During this election cycle, the Texas Congressman has put considerable time into the Minnesota caucuses. Paul last spoke in St. Cloud when he kicked off his Minnesota campaign in November at a rally of about 2,500 people, and was the first presidential candidate to visit the state.
At least one recent poll shows Paul trailing in fourth, but within ten points of the leader Sen. Rick Santorum.
Paul finished fourth overall in the 2008 Minnesota's caucuses. But here in conservative-leaning Stearns County, Paul took second place behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Brent Johnson, a mass communications student at St. Cloud State University, said he like's Paul's stance on foreign policy.
"He kind of wants to set a standard where he believes... we should treat other countries... the way that we want to be treated ourselves," Johnson said.
"And I kind of feel like he's the only candidate that really does care about the original ideals of America and he wants to bring us back to what America used to stand for."
Paul also appeared Monday at a rally the Minneapolis Convention Center. He will also make appearances on caucus day.
