Philadelphia Ron Paul Rally

I know this is a century in blogging terms, but this previous Saturday, I attended a rally for Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul at Independence Mall in Philadelphia. It was a very exciting and thought-provoking experience.

According to some estimates, roughly 4,000 people attended the rally. I was lucky enough to get a pretty good seat. A lot of the people ended up standing. (Initially the seats were reserved for veterans, but apparently too few veterans showed up to justify it.)

If nothing else, Ron Paul attracts a diverse crowd. The supporters ranged from working class, dyed in the wool libertarians to punk anti-war types with five piercings. There was one African-American woman dressed up as the Statue of Liberty (She's in the second photo down on the latter link). You don't see many candidates who can attract a crowd like that.

Of course, I don't agree with every position Ron Paul has taken. That made this whole thing a rather interesting study in group think. I ended up cheering for things I didn't really believe in, such as withdrawing from the UN and an end to gun control. It was like the force of the crowd just swept me up. I just wanted to fit in.

I will leave you with some footage of the rally,just click here and here.