Ron Paul 2012: Why he Inspires Undying Loyalty

Even President Barack Obama, one of the most popular presidential candidates of all time, has lost some of his die-hard supporters as the economy remains fragile, Washington remains as divided as ever and many of his promises remain unfulfilled (or were broken).

Paul is able to inspire his unusual loyal following for two reasons.

First, his political positions (small government, noninterventionism, protecting civil liberties, etc.), voting record and even life choices have been consistent for years.

Second, many of his political positions stand out from the seemingly-disconnected view of "mainstream" politicians. Most people, for example, do not like Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and object to codifying the indefinite detention of Americans. Many people want fewer wars and an alternative to the failed "War on Drugs" policy.

Most Washington politicians, however, hold all of these unpopular stances.

Paul, contrastingly, denounces SOPA, the codifying of the indefinite detention of Americans, unnecessary wars and the "War on Drugs" policy.

"I simply don't know how else to express my appreciation for the Man from Texas," wrote Walter Block, an academic.

"I simply must read everything written about him in the mainstream media. I am forever watching him on television. I just 'wasted' almost half an hour watching him on the Jay Leno show. Of course, Ron was magnificent on that occasion...were it not for Ron Paul, I'd probably have written 5 more books and 100 more articles in scholarly refereed journals," he wrote.

"He's not the most charismatic man, by any stretch. He's not got the greatest delivery by any stretch. But the words he says lights a fire in my soul. I'm ready to run through a brick wall for him," said Todd Bennett, an American and one of his supporters, according to The Associated Press.