Times Asks "Can Either Mike Gravel or Ron Paul Win?"

Tomas Alex Tizon of the LA Times poses the question on a lot of people's minds: Can either Presidential candidates Mike Gravel or Ron Paul win?

This is Carrie Stroup reporting for Gambling911.com, the authority when it comes to political betting odds and trends.

Tizon suggests that both Gravel and Paul sit at the bottom of the polls. But while Mike Gravel is listed with very long 100 to 1 odds of winning the 2008 US Presidential election at Sportsbook.com, the oddsmakers appear more confident when it comes to Paul - listed with 15 to 1 odds. That's a lot better than Mike Huckabee at 50 to 1 odds.

While Gravel came off as enjoyable during this past Monday's YouTube Democrat Debate, he hasn't quite gained the amount of press exposure as Republican Paul. Even though Paul is considered by the mainstream media as a "longshot" to win, he sure has gotten the attention of some major news organizations including Sunday's New York Times and now the LA Times, along side Gravel.

Tizon alludes to some interesting facts involving Gravel and Paul, respectively.

After the first debate, Gravel generated more Internet traffic than any other Democratic contender except Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. Through much of June and early July, "Ron Paul" was among the top three most frequently searched terms on the Web. Paul's YouTube videos were viewed 2.3 million times.

Gravel does have his appeal. The former Alaska Senator flies in economy class (in a middle seat on occasion). Broke, jobless and politically marginalized, Gravel can't help but relate to the struggling masses. He's one of them.

After a dozen years in the Senate, Gravel lost his seat in 1981 and disappeared from public life — until April 2006, when he became the first Democrat to declare his run at the presidency.

Gravel had become angry over the government's inaction on the Iraq war, which he considers immoral. He also wanted to bring attention to a project he had worked on privately for more than a decade: the concept of governing by "national referenda." His idea, which he calls "the National Initiative," is to turn the American people into one giant legislative body.

The people, once and for all, would decide on the most pressing issues, from illegal immigration and healthcare to the war in Iraq and the war on drugs; he considers both wars disastrous.

At his age, it was now or never "to accomplish something, more than what I've already done, before I die," he says between bites of toast. "Our chances of winning are remote. But you never know. Lighting could strike."

Jimmy Carter, Michael S. Dukakis and Bill Clinton were relative unknowns when they entered the races for the 1976, 1988 and 1992 Democratic nominations. Carter and Clinton went all the way, of course.

In cyberspace, Gravel continues to generate buzz, but no one knows whether it will translate into votes. On his official website, one recent discussion topic began with this intriguing title: "Mike Gravel and Ron Paul as third-party Pres/Vice Pres Ticket!"

Ron Paul seems young in comparison to the 77-year old Gravel. Paul, at 71, is perhaps the most "hip" candidate outside of Obama. Both Paul and Obama enjoy a solid Internet following but it is Paul whose name gets entered into search queries more frequently.

In fact, Ron Paul has become somewhat of an icon on the Gambling911.com website. Special Contributor Jennifer Reynolds has won over the Presidential candidate's supporters virtually overnight with her pro-Paul pieces.

Ron Paul, born August 20, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a long time U.S. Representative from Texas with a strong constitutionalist and libertarian voting record. Paul has been nicknamed "Dr. No" for his opposition to tax increases and spending bills. Dr. Paul seeks to "reinstate the Constitution and restore the Republic.

Paul has the distinction of being opposed to the Iraq War and interventionist US foreign policy. He is one of 7 Republican congressman who voted against Iraq War authorization in October 2002. He has also opposed George W. Bush and the majority of Republican congressmen on many other issues, including the PATRIOT Act. His record on these issues means he may draw support from some surprising circles, including anti-war activists and paleoconservatives.

Tizon says of Paul, "His demeanor could be described as the opposite of commanding. Avuncular comes to mind. Kindly. Almost ministerial, which fits with the family story that Paul once considered becoming a Lutheran minister like two of his brothers."

When supporters asked him to join the race two years ago, Paul resisted. But the supporters — many from the Libertarian pocket of the Republican base — persisted, and Paul relented, partly egged on by his frustration over the current crop of candidates. None of them, he believes, would end American involvement in Iraq immediately. Paul says he would.

"Things were getting worse. More men were dying in the war, and Ron felt responsible for what was going on," says Carol Paul, the candidate's wife of 50 years.

The LA Times piece points out that Paul is only one percentage point ahead of Gravel in the polls - 2%.

But this is the first campaign where the Internet and its power may truly be coming into its own. Many in political circles say that the debates can never go back to old form following the sometimes quirky CNN/YouTube Debate of this past Monday. Perhaps with YouTube, Digg and other novel Internet resources, we may never go back to referencing polls again.