Is Ron Paul a sleeper for the GOP Nomination in 2012?

After seeing that he tied Palin for third in the CPAC poll, I'm starting to wonder if Paul could be the nominee next election.
(THIS IS NOT A PAUL ENDORSEMENT, just musings).
The 2012 Primary is going to be a mess. On one side, you've got the Rush-wing of the party (Jindall, Palin), on the other you'll have the David Brooks Wing (Crist, John Huntsman?) and then those somewhere in the middle, popular with one right wing constituency but distrusted by others (Romney, Huckabee). Do you think Paul might be able to slide through all this and take the nomination?

Personally, I doubt it. I think he's going to be a much figure than he was in 2008, especially because Independents will all vote in the GOP primary because there will be no democrat primary, and he might come off as genuine to these people. But he can't win because, as intelligent, charming and genuine as he seems, once his more nutty views come out, he's toast. But he'll be a factor if he runs.

Now where did I put that passport......

Vote GoP: OLDER. WHITER. MORE REGRESSIVE.

If anything, he'll get wise and run as a third party and split the gopper vote.

Paul's maniacal free market rantings could subdue some white teenagers to vote for him...

as he has in the past. What I see is that his fans (and there are many of them around here) will encourage him to either start his own party or become a Libertarian candidate again. If the GOP keeps up its civil war, I can very well see the Libertarians stepping into the vacuum.

supporters but not enough to ever win the nomination.

supply siders to tolerate IMO.

Paul is a useful idiot for the more 'main-stream' front-runners do divide the 'idiot' vote that would be left among the back-markers.

I say he has a chance. And he'll go down in flaming defeat just like Goldwater did.

i'm amused with all these self-described anti-gummitt types who strive for long, productive careers in government...

in addition to being libertarian,

why do you think anyone here cares?

He could never get elected. He and Palin will probably be in the gutter and forgotten before the end of 2010.

I think the GOP knows it would be very easy to make him look like a raving lunatic...mostly because he is a raving lunatic.

I could see how that would work... Give her the guns for 2016 - cause that should be the next chance the GOP has at taking power...
time alone
time will tell

I mean they got NUTHIN and NOBODY. And the reason IMO is that this "conservative" ideology (Rush, etc.) has purged any kind of moderate (er, "Rino") out of the party and they cannot win without indies and mods. Cannot. That's why it's so brilliant to keep tying the GOP with Rush. Because extreme RWers are the only ones who think that's a good thing, and they cannot win with only the extreme right wing.

no

n.t.

IF things continue the way they are with the economy and they think they can pin it to Obama and have a chance;
Huckaby

IF things are looking better,and they should be...they will throw out a sacrificial lamb ala Dole.

Let the repugs divide each other, it will just cause them to put up a weak candidate.

I don't think so...

a bit scrawny.

If Romney and Huck weren't in the picture, I'd give RP as decent a shot as Palin and Jindal.

I think Huck takes this one if he wants it, but he might not want it if Obama looks as strong as I think he will.

I think Barack Obama is a 2-term president.

A low-ranking Congressman will not get the nomination, especially one as irrelevant as Paul.