Ron Paul Supporters Just Happy to Have a Stage

Related Link: Special Report: Elections '08

By James K. Sanborn
Maryland Newsline
Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Richard Matthews, the Republican nominee from Maryland's 2nd Congressional District, didn't expect a large crowd when he agreed to speak here Wednesday morning.

But when he stepped to the podium on St. Paul's Open Forum Stage at 8:20 a.m., small would have been an overstatement. Just two people were listening: a reporter and an organizer's relative.

Matthews was one of three Maryland backers of Rep. Ron Paul who spoke at the session. There was virtually no one on hand to get the ice-breaker thrown out by Patrick Citroni, who manages Matthews' campaign.

"Maryland is an extremely liberal state," Citroni said. "It's so liberal, even our crabs are blue."

The initial line-up of speakers was almost as tiny as the audience; of the eight congressional candidates invited, just Matthews, Mike Hargadon from the 7th Congressional District and Collins Bailey from the 5th Congressional District said they would attend.

All were in town for Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic, a sort-of parallel convention by supporters of the former Republican presidential candidate.

Matthews, of Orchard Beach, said it would be a good way to gain more exposure.

"It would have been good to see more people, but it's early. I'm just surprised they even had a stage," Matthews said.

The morning's line-up got complicated because Bailey, of Waldorf, Md., canceled at the last minute. After parking near the Xcel Energy Center, the home of the GOP convention, he realized that although he was less than a quarter-mile from the stage, he was cut off by the security cordon and couldn't make it in time.

So Hargadon, of Woodstock, Md., sent Citroni, of Baltimore, as Bailey's surrogate.

Matt Reinartz, the St. Paul Open Forum Stage coordinator, said several other morning speeches have drawn only a few people, too. At least once, speakers didn't show at all.

Other speeches, however, have drawn as many as 50 listeners, he said.

Part of the attendance problem this time, Reinartz added, was poor promotion by speakers and organizers.

"It's their responsibility to get their troops out here," he said. "We're just here to provide the opportunity to have a sound system and a microphone."

Citroni and Owen said the stage's obscure location didn't help. It has only one street directly accessing it.

Despite the lack of audience, Citroni said his St. Paul experience was positive. Although the crowd at the Open Forum Stage was small, he said he had been happy to gain so much exposure among protesters.

"We were happy to see a lot of protesters here in St. Paul that we could welcome into the fold. We're anti-war. We like to show people there are Republicans talking about those issues," he said.

Matthews, who is endorsed by Paul, delivered an impassioned speech advocating smaller government, a simplified tax code, an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and civic activism.

"While you are here in St. Paul, if you don't like your candidate, run yourself," he said. "I'm running for Congress because I didn't like my congressman," Democratic Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger. "I saw that he was going to run unopposed potentially in this race, and I decided that I could not let that stand."

Copyright © 2008 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism

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