Enough of Ron Paul already

My state isn't one of those with an early primary, so campaigning and advertising have been minimal. The only visible presence is for Ron Paul, whose supporters are littering our highways with homemade signs.

The first batch suggested that drivers "Google Ron Paul." Thanks, but no thanks. The latest batch say "Paul Revolution" with a few key letters reversed and in red to spell out "love" backward. Nothing says romance like an elderly libertarian, after all.

Paul actually has some sensible ideas, such as opposition to the Iraq war. But he has plenty of nutty ones, too, that are not worth getting into here. (Read this for starters and here for more.)

What's truly noteworthy about Paul is the attitude of his supporters. They're an irritable lot, always looking for a slight against their man — mostly perceived, a handful real. They also find big victories in things that are insignificant to the rest of us. For example, Paul supporters were recently worked up about the launch of the Ron Paul blimp. Yes, by God, a dirigible will change the face of this race. And of course, Paul people love to point to the Internet as evidence of a wave of support. They've raised millions of dollars there and even plan a pro-Paul march across the World of Warcraft.

Well, just because something looks like a phenomenon on the Internet doesn't mean it will do well in the real world. I predict that Paul's candidacy will flop at the polls the way "Snakes on a Plane" did at the box office. Or, to use the blimp metaphor, Paul will go over like a lead balloon.