Why Does Media Continue to Ignore Ron Paul's Candidacy?

If you were to listen to CNN or NBC, you'd get the impression that Republicans are falling all over themselves to nominate Mitt Romney the Robot for President. This comes as a bit of surprise to Ron Paul, who seems to win every measure of support of actual Republican voters. Take, for example, the straw poll taken at the Republican Leadership Council. The gathering is a who's-who of Republicans: top donors, party activists, and political candidates gather and make their case. When it was all over, Ron Paul had won 612 votes — nearly double what the next candidate earned. And yet Ron Paul is treated like a second-class candidate by the media, who happen to control the debates. Jon Huntsman, who is allegedly a Republican but worked for the Obama Administration, came in second. Michele Bachmann came in third, just one spot ahead of Herman Cain. Fifth place went to Mitt Romney, and yet, the media declares Romney the front-runner. Romney was also declared the winner of the CNN debate last week, despite saying absolutely nothing of substance. He has been declared the front-runner despite not actually winning any sort of poll, debate, or wrestling match against any of the other candidates. He is coasting on the name recognition that comes from being a second-generation, wealthy white male who also looks a bit like Captain America had a love child with Peter Griffin. Ron Paul, meanwhile, remains the favorite of actual Republicans, Tea Party folks, and (obviously) Libertarians. Some of the latter may defect to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who has been a strong voice for liberty for 20 years, but this talk of them turning to Bachmann, Sarah Palin (what?) or Herman Cain is just nonsense. Since analyzing politics is both my career and my hobby, I spend a lot of free time checking out what people are saying about the political candidates and their stances on issues. Ron Paul's supporters have their own forums, folks. They have their own websites where they debate issues, point out media inaccuracies involving coverage of their favored candidate (and the other GOP candidates) and organize themselves. Check out the

, and tell me Ron Paul doesn't deserve to be considered one of the front-runners. There is an intensity there that feels like an actual political movement. Look at what they have to say about shoddy media coverage. “Ron Paul Wins Straw Poll” gets twisted into

, which really ought to be Exhibit A in any media bias trial. One headline could draw more voters to consider the candidate; the USA Today headline makes it sound like Paul is some sort of freak who happened to stumble across a victory. I'd like to hear your theories on why Ron Paul is minimized by the media. I have my own theories, but I'd really like to hear yours. Feel free to comment below.