Maybe It's Time To Take Ron Paul Seriously

Nope, I'm not kidding. Rasmussen Reports shows Paul doing stunningly well in a hypothetical four-way matchup with Hillary, Rudy and Ralph Nader.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found Hillary Clinton leading Rudy Giuliani by three percentage points in a four-way race that includes Ron Paul running as a Libertarian candidate and Ralph Nader representing the Green Party. The poll shows Clinton earning 42% of the vote while Giuliani attracts 39%. Ron Paul is the choice for 8%, Ralph Nader is preferred by 4% and 7% are not sure (see crosstabs).

The interesting thing is that Paul actually does better among Democrats than he does among Republicans:

Perhaps because of his position on the War in Iraq, Paul attracts more support from Democrats than Republicans. He also earns 14% of the vote from unaffiliated voters. Paul is currently seeking the Republican Presidential Nomination and is running sixth behind Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Fred Thompson, and Mike Huckabee.

I have consistently trashed Paul's chances, because he never seemed to be registering in the polls. Okay, that's changed. He's still a longshot at best, particularly to get the Republican nomination. But he's not as much a longshot as he used to be.