Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul gave a speech Friday in front of a raucous crowd at the LSU Student Union Theater.  For many this was an opportunity to show support for Paul.

“He is actually a really good speaker,” said Brayden Stephens, a freshman physics major.  “I am a Republican, I’m for him and he got his point across great.  He did an awesome job.  I agree with mostly everything he had to say.  I really hope he makes the presidential campaign race worthwhile.”

Paul was urged to give a speech by the Youth for Ron Paul movement.  It is an initiative started by the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign with more than 5,000 people signed up in the first week.

“When I come to college campuses and talk to the young people, I find out that the message of liberty is alive and well,” said Paul.  “I’m very encouraged.”  

Paul, 76, currently serves on the House of Representatives for the 14th District from Texas and received his doctorate in medicine from Duke University School of Medicine.  He also served in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon and then the United States Air National Guard from 1963 to 1968. He originally ran in 2008 under the Libertarian Party, but switched to the Republican Party for the 2012 election.

“That’s what I’ve been talking about for a long time, the message of liberty and why our country has provided, in the past, a max amount of liberty,” said Paul, “but right now we are under threat.  This is why it’s so important for you to come together and renew this country.”

After giving his speech inside the theater, Paul appeared at the grand opening of his headquarters located on Jefferson Highway.  While there, Paul shook hands, greeted his supporters and posed for pictures.

“It was awesome, why wouldn’t anyone vote for him,” said junior Kayla Sinclair.  “I think he is a good candidate because he wants to end the Federal Reserve instead of printing more and more money, creating a larger deficit to our country and he believes in the right that people can believe in whatever they want to believe in.”

In regards to the speech, some students believed that the representative from Texas was successful in providing the crowd with background information, laying the foundation of his campaign.

“I thought it was really informative, even for people who didn’t know anything about Ron Paul,” said Kacie Barnes, a junior in general studies.  “It was a good way for him to expand the knowledge about what he believes and for what he wants to do for our country.  I think that he is a good speaker and makes solid points.

For more information about Ron Paul or to get involved, visit the official Web page at www.ronpaul2012.com.