Despite his defeat in the Michigan Republican Primary, the members of the “Hillsdale for Ron Paul” group are still just as passionate about the Texan doctor as when they began meeting as a group in October.
“There are peace activists involved, small government people, and Constitutionalists,” said Richard Wunsch, co-chair of the group and self-proclaimed peace activist. “There’s people that I’ve known for 20 years and people I’ve just met. There’s no one who represents the radicalism people think Ron Paul represents.”
Wunsch said he and his fellow Paul supporters worked for the candidate because they believe he will promote liberty, peace, and stability. They supported the campaign by having sign-waving events, canvassing the Hillsdale area, and placing a few radio ads. One member even stuck a Ron Paul sticker to the back of the Rick Santorum campaign bus that came through Hillsdale on Feb. 25.
Sophomore Spenser Amaral is one of a few Hillsdale College students who attended some of the town Ron Paul meetings and went to Ron Paul’s speech at Michigan State University a few weeks ago. Amaral has supported Paul for many years and said he admires the passion he sees in local groups in his hometown and here at school.
“It seems like a really hardcore group of old-timers,” he said. “It seems like they’re going to be there for a while just like the Ron Paul movement. It’s these local groups that are the backbone of the freedom movement, and they’re not going anywhere.”
The group met every Tuesday night in the Volume One bookstore in downtown Hillsdale during this campaign season to discuss ideas and work toward a common goal.
“We talk about theory a lot too,” Wunsch said. “But the point of an activist group is to try to get the vote in.”
On Feb. 28, some of the Hillsdale group watched as Ron Paul received 11.6 percent of the vote in the Michigan primary. The members of the Hillsdale group do not consider the election results a loss as Ron Paul received 16 percent of the vote in both Hillsdale County and Wayne County.
“In my opinion, it’s been a successful endeavor in that we got more of the vote than we did last time. That’s what people expected,” Wunsch said. “The majority of the people are not as well-educated as we need to be. We have the incredible problem of all the money thrown at an election. It’s hard to get the truth out of all that.”
Wunsch said some in the group will rest for a while now that the Michigan primary is over. Other members, such as Deborah Conners, plan to get involved with both the Indiana and Ohio campaigns.
“It isn’t just about Ron Paul,” she said. “He’s a great person up front, but it’s about the fact that people know that everything is messed up and needs to be turned around.”
Other members, such as co-chair Peter Cromwell, are looking forward to seeing Ron Paul speak at the Republican National Convention. Cromwell believes that Paul is going to have to be allowed to participate this year.
“The good ol’ boys are quaking in their boots at the prospect,” he said.
Jim Foster, a volunteer at the bookstore, observed the meetings and activities of the group the entire campaign season.
“It’s an eclectic mix of people. They don’t agree on everything, but they agree with many of Ron Paul’s views.”
In the end, the Hillsdale for Ron Paul group wants change.
“It [being politically active] is not as much about enjoying it as much that it has to be done,” Cromwell said.
