Texas Congressman Republican Ron Paul is not your usual presidential candidate.

His clear and precise message of individual liberty, sound money and humble foreign policy has helped him stand out from the rest of the candidates, making him a formidable political force as the 2012 presidential election approaches.

A CBS News poll released Nov. 15 shows Paul moving into the coveted top tier of Republican candidates in Iowa, with 19 percent of the vote, trailing behind only Herman Cain, who has 20 percent. Among voters who have made up their minds, Paul has the most support with 32 percent of the vote.

Despite Paul’s growing popularity, he has been dismissed by the mainstream media. Several weeks ago, during a foreign policy debate in South Carolina, Paul was only given a total of 90 seconds of response time, according to ABC News.

Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” called out the media’s dismissal of Paul during a segment where he comically illustrated how the media gave more credence to candidates such as John Huntsman and Rick Santorum, who are doing poorly in the polls, yet are still getting more coverage then Paul. Paul has become a clear choice among the other candidates because of his consistency with the issues.

Nicknamed “Dr. No” in Congress, he’s known for rejecting almost every spending bill that comes his way. Paul has a clear track record of opposing government spending that is by far superior to that of the other candidates.

Paul is most known for his views on foreign policy. He believes in ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, closing most overseas bases and promoting a strong national defense, while putting an emphasis on diplomacy and free trade when dealing with foreign powers.

This is a stark contrast to the rest of the Republican field, who would like to continue to expand the wars and use military force liberally as a way to achieve foreign policy objectives. Paul has received more donations from the U.S. Army and Air Force than any of the other candidates combined, according to Federal Election Commission data compiled by Bloomberg.

For years, Paul has been warning the American people about the current financial crisis, which will most likely worsen because the consensus among U.S. and European leaders is that bailouts and stimulus packages are the remedy to alleviate the crisis. Paul believes it is these very remedies that are preventing any recovery from occurring.

Paul is a man who has clear ideas and convictions about how to steer the U.S. on the right track. Clearly, this is resonating with voters and may begin a new era of how Americans view the role of government in society. This may be the beginning of the era of Ron Paul.

Frank Nuez is a senior majoring in accounting.