While reporting on the emergence of conspiracy theories related to 9/11, I’ve noticed that there is a ton of support for Ron Paul within the 9/11 Truth Movement. To be fair to Rep. Paul, he has disavowed any association with the Truthers and, unlike his former colleague Cynthia McKinney, does not believe that George W. Bush was responsible for bringing down the twin towers and crashing a passenger jet into the Pentagon. But that hasn’t stopped the Truthers from rallying around Paul. At every 9/11 Truth event I’ve been to over the last six months, at least one speaker has called on their fellow conspiracy theorists to support a Ron Paul candidacy. And I’m not the only reporter who has noticed this odd trend; Blake Dvorak over at Real Clear Politics described Ron Paul country as a “strange land inhabited by 9/11 conspiracy theorists and suburban families who clothe their infant twins in ‘Ron Paul Revolution’ pajamas.” Twice in the span of one week last September, I found myself in Lafayette Park – once to attend an 9/11 Truth rally, and once to attend an anti-war protest sponsored by ANSWER. Both times I found Truthers campaigning for Ron Paul. Why the support? It can be traced back to Paul’s comment during a debate in May that 9/11 might have been blowback for American foreign policy. Though Paul’s recent fundraising triumph cannot all (or even mostly) come from Truthers, one wonders just how much of the $4.2 million the Paul campaign raised over the Internet yesterday came from contributors associated with the 9/11 Truth Movement. Or foreign nationals.
