Matt Drudge and the Drudge Report apparently offended Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, by leading with a poll that showed Newt Gingrich surpassing Rick Perry, instead of focusing more on – well, Ron Paul.
Paul’s latest campaign fundraising email complains that “one measly poll” showing Gingrich in third place ran as “the lead story on the Drudge Report.” The email complains sarcastically, “Where were all the fawning news stories talking about Ron Paul’s surge in the polls?” The emailer recalled polls showing Paul “solidly in third place and in striking distance of first,” and attributed the lack of coverage to “the national media establishment [being] biased against Ron Paul.”
The email did not include a link to the page on Paul’s campaign website that touts a “Drudge alert – Ron Paul has best chance against Obama in CNN poll.” The Paul campaign apparently forgot the time that Drudge pointed out that there is “no media love for Ron Paul.” Recently, Drudge highlighted a poll (linking The Washington Examiner) that showed Paul in a dead heat with Obama among Florida voters.
Nonetheless, Paul’s campaign email implied that Drudge ignores “polls clearly show[ing] Ron Paul DEFEATING President Barack Obama.”
That whine provided the springboard into a fundraising pitch, which explained that “the media’s bias and outright CENSORSHIP of Ron Paul’s message of liberty” made it necessary for Paul to seek grassroots support.
Ron Paul’s candidacy has certainly suffered from the media ignoring his campaign. The Washington Examiner has pointed this out at times — for example, highlighting a very funny segment by Jon Stewart’s Daily Show mocking the media for ignoring Paul. The Drudge Report, the subject of the Paul campaign’s whine, has itself at times highlighted the relative lack of coverage given to Paul’s candidacy.
Paul’s latest fundraising email suggests that his campaign has set aside the message of liberty, for now, in favor of a message of professional victimhood.
