Ron Paul is running under the same platform as Pat Buchanan did in 1996 but Ron Paul barely registers in the polls whereas Pat Buchanan won New Hampshire and was able to garner 20% across the United States. USAElectionPolls.com explains what is going on.
The web site offers a few suggestions as to why Ron Paul is not polling as high as Buchanan. The first is the lack of media coverage. Pat Buchanan had as much coverage as the front runner at the time: Bob Dole.
The second reason offered is the fact that immigration was the hot issue at the time and Buchanan not only had the Republican mainstream view but covered it the strongest of all candidates. The hot issue of the 2008 election is the Iraq War and Ron Paul holds the viewpoint opposite to the rest of the Republican party.
And the third issue offered is the fact that the Republican party has become a bit more centrist. Top tier candidates of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are both pro-choice and rather liberal on social issues. Lamar Alexander did very well in 1996 whereas Mike Huckabee, who is a similar candidate, is lucky to poll above 1% in any poll.
Pat Buchanan won New Hampshire and it was stated at the time that the most conservative voters were the ones that voted for him. Ron Paul, on the other hand, has a long way to go to get the party's nomination because it is generally reported that Ron Paul is not very conservative when in fact he is.
The cause of the shift in the party base is largely due to the Iraq war. "The Iraq war has muddled what the Republican party is about. Republicans have historically been against war and against big government." says the web site. As Ron Paul has stated several times in interviews, "Republicans have lost their way".
Visit http://www.usaelectionpolls.com for the latest presidential polls.
