Left and Right are really insufficient to describe outliers like Ron Paul. For instance, he's against the various wars the US has presently involved itself with, and has been irrespective of whose administration they're begun or prosecuted under. He's also against corporate welfare for banks and financial institutions. To top it off, he's generally against funding both sides in the Arab/Israeli conflict. It isn't surprising therefore that a good chunk of his support comes from the Left---specifically the more far left. It'd be interesting to make up a matrix of 1930's FDR democrat, contemporary mainstream democrat, 1930's Republican, and contemporary mainstream Republican and compare & contrast the differences