Paul: "We're Not So Small Anymore"

Supporters of Texas Rep. Ron Paul didn't let the rain pouring down outside of the Eagle Aviation Building at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport dampen their spirits as the Republican presidential candidate was welcomed with enthusiastic cheers and chants during a campaign stop Wednesday.

Riding high off a second place win in the New Hampshire primary, Paul greeted hundreds of energized supporters there to see him on his first stop in South Carolina after the first in the nation primary.

With every point the congressman made, the crowd met with cheers and at one point chanting “President Paul.”

Paul himself was pleased with the crowd and support that has grown in South Carolina for his presidential bid.

“We’re not small anymore,” Paul said. “We’re growing and we’re growing here in South Carolina. We’re on the move.”

Paul said while Mitt Romney did have a victory Tuesday night his camp and supporters had one, too.

"We had a victory for the cause of liberty last night," he said.

During his speech, Paul talked about the Federal Reserve and limiting the United States involvement overseas.

"This country should never go to war unless the war is declared, win it and come home," he said.

When Paul discussed his plans for the Federal Reserve the crowd chanted “End the Fed, end the Fed.”

“The Federal Reserve considers us a danger because we’re going to break up their monopoly and all their bailouts to their friends on Wall Street," Paul said.

Supporters of Paul told Patch they were ready for a president that would take the country back to its founding roots, one that was conservative, and had strong foreign and economic policies.

"Our family believes in personal liberties and freedoms, and small government,"  said Shannon Powell of Charleston. "A conservative way of thinking, not spending beyond what we can afford. It’s kind of a good way to run our country. You just think about how you would run your house."

"Do you want to borrow all that money and continue to go into debt and essentially break yourself at some point with bankruptcy or foreclosure on your house?  You want to protect your house. Essentially our country is our house and it’s time to protect it."

Powell, who supported Paul's 2008 campaign, said the energy shown in the hangar was a movement that's going far past Paul whether he's elected or not.

"It’s going to go past the eight years that he can be president," Powell said. "This is going to be something that’s going to go on into the future."

For Columbia resident Trent Collins, Paul’s “sound monetary policy” makes him the best candidate.

“I like the idea of having money that's actually worth something that's not just paper," Collins said.

Collins, who supported Paul’s campaign in 2008, said Paul’s support is much bigger now before because of the use of Facebook and Youtube to connect with voters. 

Because of that, Collins said, Paul has a good chance at winning South Carolina. 

Brooks Popwell, of Greenville, said Paul could win South Carolina and the nomination because he’s the only candidate in the race that has a sound economic plan and foreign policy.

“Several agencies has rated his plan as the only serious one,” Popwell said. “Although the media will never tell you this, I believe a lot of conservatives are listening to his foreign policy message. He’s the only one whose saying not every dollar we spend overseas is nonnegotiable and that we can actually be safer if we had an America first foreign policy.”

Supporters attending Wednesday's event were not only from South Carolina.

Jacob Hardin, a recent college graduate from Asheville, NC, said once he heard Paul was going to be campaigning in South Carolina he had to come see the man he wants to be the next president. 

“I support Ron because he’s a man of integrity, he’s a man of principal and he’s a constitutionalist,” Hardin said. “We have to get back to our grassroots or else this country is going to go down hard.”

"The only person in my mind and from my research that is true to the constitution, that I’m going to fight for, is Ron Paul. Nobody else has taken the constitution more serious than Ron Paul."

"He is word for word a constitutionalist. I think he represents the founding fathers and what they fought for more than anybody."

Robert Slimp, a retired Army veteran, said Paul is the best candidate and could win South Carolina, and the nomination.

"I just think he has a little more honesty and character, and can be trusted more than most of these other candidates," Slimp said. "They seem to change all the time to get themselves elected. This man’s (Paul) message remains the same."

Supporters from candidates who dropped out of the GOP race such as businessman Herman Cain have joined forces with the Paul campaign.

"I didn’t think Ron Paul was going to do anything but he surprised me today," said Dennis DeMartelaere of Columbia. "I don’t like Mitt Romney. Romney is a Republican in name only. Newt Gingrich wants to give amnesty to illegal aliens."

"I hope (Ron Paul) has a chance because there’s nobody left other than Rick Santorum.  I’m waiting to see who actually wins the nomination before I vote because if it’s not Ron Paul or Rick Santorum I’m not voting."