By show of rapid-fire applause during every pause and the sheer number standing shoulder to shoulder in Carson’s Comma Coffee on Monday afternoon, Dr. Ron Paul, the Republican Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, appealed to the crowd’s libertarian sensibilities.

Paul took seemingly unscripted and random questions from the audience of 200-plus for 30 minutes, before emerging onto Carson Street to meet and greet onlookers, passersby and campaign supporters.

His campaign, with the benefit of hindsight, may give pols a blueprint for how to run for office using the Internet as one’s primary communication tool.

His stop in Carson drew Northern Nevadans of all political stripes — many of whom were simply on hand to see the man himself after researching his positions online.

“I think for those of us who care to read up about issues — and there are a lot of us — that if people use the Internet, if they actually care about what’s going on; if they pay attention, Ron Paul makes a lot of sense,” said James Booth, of Sparks, who said he left work in Carson early Monday to catch the Congressman with his boss. “I think (Paul) reflects a lot of Nevadans’ values. I think I speak for a lot of Nevadans when I say we’re the last bastion of real freedom in the U.S. There’s a lot of things here that are still pretty Wild West.”

The Republican, who is against the Iraq War, but in favor of the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, opposes the Patriot Act, gun control and the Federal Reserve.

Monday, he answered questions mostly pertaining to domestic issues. Here’s a sampling of his sentiment:
• On immigration: “The first thing we have to do — we have to have border guards. There is a premise of amnesty — free medical care, free education, food stamps ... I want to eliminate that; eliminate this idea that all you have to do is step across the border and have a baby to become a citizen.”

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