None of the participants yesterday appeared particularly gloomy over Paul’s primary prospects, which seem to get dimmer as the contests wear on. Many said they plan to write in Paul’s name if and when he doesn’t win the nomination. Others said they wouldn’t vote at all if he’s not on the ballot. Still others noted that it was the “message not the man,” and the message was ultimately gaining momentum despite Paul’s losses.
“It’s a campaign of ideas,” said supporter Robert Mitrocsak who was waving a Ron Paul sign and an American flag at the side of the road. “(Americans) may vote for someone else. But there is still this cognitive dissonance in their heads, telling them that something’s wrong. And I think that’s growing. Be encouraged, that is what I say.”
“We’ve been had, people are starting to wake up,” said Army veteran Tim Nelson, 35, who traveled from Oklahoma to march with the others to the White House. He said “we’re all for Ron Paul, every single one of us.”
Another common theme, beyond Paul’s character and his genuine concern for veterans (former Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, who is running for Congress in Virginia, told the crowd that Ron Paul is a “man of principle, man of honor, common sense, integrity — he’s the man, that’s it”) was a shared sense of urgency. Iran was invoked many times, along with the feeling that we are all operating on borrowed time.
“We’re either going to blow ourselves up or come together as one nation under a groove,” said Nelson. “I for one hope it’s the latter.”
