Ron Paul backers a mixed bunch

To say Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has eclectic supporters could be considered an understatement.

Paul, a Texas congressman in town today for a series of speeches and fundraisers, is compared by various boosters to liberal U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, consumer activist Ralph Nader and conservative stalwart Barry Goldwater.

Also in his tent are plenty of anti-government conspiracy theorists — the folks who a decade ago warned of black helicopters, a coming U.N. invasion, and chaos surrounding the Y2K computer bug.

It's an odd collection of people, and if Paul has his wish, they'll come ready to open their checkbooks.

Although his campaign sparked a vibrant reaction on the Web, Paul has raised only about $38,500 from Washington state, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That's less than Democrat Thomas Vilsack, who dropped out of the race early this year.

Paul's opposition to the Iraq war has generated the most attention, but it's only a part of his appeal.

Mercer Island attorney Kris Sundberg, who considers himself a "recovering Republican," said Paul, Nader and Kucinich "seem to have courage of conviction."

Sundberg applauded Paul's war stance, his opposition to abortion, and his argument that lawmakers aren't obeying the U.S. Constitution.

But Sundberg said his $500 check probably won't help Paul get to the White House.

"I'm the sort of person who responds to principle instead of practicality," he said.

First elected to Congress in 1976, Paul ran for president on the Libertarian ticket in 1988. A physician and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, Paul voted against the Medicare prescription-drug bill in 2003 and favors relaxing restrictions on illegal drugs.

He is an adamant proponent of private-property rights, a position many environmentalists equate with reducing species protection, and he sponsored a bill that would negate the effect of the Roe v. Wade court decision on abortion rights.

"Many talk about being anti-abortion. I have taken direct action to restore protection for the unborn," he wrote on his Web site.

In July 2003, he lambasted the Bush administration in a House speech he called "Neo Conned," comparing today's neoconservatives with communist philosopher Leon Trotsky.

Independent voter Linda Ohearn, a Bellevue Web designer, contributed $250 to the Paul campaign.

Both political parties are controlled by international bankers, she said, and former President Clinton may, in fact, be the illegitimate son of the Rockefeller family.

The Capitol Hill elite wants to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into a single country, Ohearn said. But Paul is different.

"Ron Paul is for the American people, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution," she said.

On Iraq, Ohearn said: "I believe we should not have invaded any country that did not attack us."

Floor-covering salesman Chip Barron runs the Seattle Ron Paul group on Meetup.com, an Internet site that allows members to post meetings and other announcements.

A Republican, Barron said he believes in "peace and love" and counts Goldwater and Ronald Reagan as his political heroes.

The diversity of Paul's backers is part of the campaign's magic, he said.

That includes those who hold radical views about the malevolence of federal officials.

"Those folks have a place here," Barron said. "But they are working side by side with the broadest political spectrum you've even seen."

Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com