Ron Paul’s Whistle Stop in Aiken

        Bobby's Barbeque Banquet Hall was hopping. Inside was a mixture of young, middle age, and old folks by the hundreds and hundreds who'd come to see the good doctor. It was standing room only by the time he arrived. When I entered, the hall was about half-full with a ring of cameras and their operators surrounding the small stage. Their cameras were set up annoyingly high, which compelled those in the seated section to stand, making viewing and photographing difficult from the middle and back areas.

One of the best parts of the event happened to be this large cadre of retired military personnel who anointed themselves the unofficial greeters. They were loud and boisterous, welcoming all comers and clearly psyched up about the movement while shouting to everybody about how "The Man" was coming. It created a very festive atmosphere the entire time. They were a hoot.

I took pleasure in mingling with the other Ron Pal meet-up members and we were overjoyed at the turnout - especially those of us who were working the beat four years ago. It seems so embryonic compared to this cycle which I guess it was. We were also amazed at Dr. Paul's crisscrossing jet schedule for today: Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Florence, Aiken, Greenville, with a rally in Columbia at the end! For a man of his advanced age, he's hanging tough and hitting all of the most densely populated areas in the state. Hopefully he'll have a good rest after tonight (or, knowing Ron Paul, a long bike ride).

The 3-car motorcade pulled in precisely at 3:15. They stopped to drop off Mrs. Paul, who entered through the front entrance (which I thought was kind of nice) and then proceeded to drop off Dr. Paul around the back. Cheers and chants went up as Ron Paul walked in.

He gave a very polished and energetic speech which was well-received. He hit upon all of the usual talking points and the cheers were plentiful. Afterward, he stayed for about 15 minutes and really seemed to enjoy himself. I couldn't get too close due to the throngs of people but that's all right. I met him 6 years ago… before the rest of the remnant found him. The good vibrations are still going. Now it's up to the voters, as well as those who count the votes.