Published: Friday, Jan. 18, 2008 / Updated: Friday, Jan. 18, 2008 12:15 AM

In York County, Paul rallies support while sparing voice

In his final campaign swing through York County, at least as a candidate in the Republican Party, Ron Paul stuck to signature themes and tried to save an ailing voice during appearances Thursday at two local restaurants.

"I was a bit pessimistic a year ago," Paul told 150 supporters at Beef O' Brady's restaurant in Fort Mill's Baxter Village. "I didn't think there'd be a whole lot of people interested in sticking to the Constitution. I find it is still popular."

Somewhere between Fort Mill and Rock Hill, Paul's recent bout with laryngitis worsened, and the Texas congressman needed a steady supply of hot beverages to get through a talk to 70 people at Thursdays Too restaurant.

"What they like to do is turn it around and say we're the extremists," Paul said of the media and his opponents. "I think it is the extremists who are probably in charge."

As at many Paul events in South Carolina, it was hard to tell Thursday how many attendees would be eligible to vote in the state's GOP primary Saturday. A man who identified himself as Blackii White said he and two buddies drove overnight from Kentucky to meet Paul for the first time in Fort Mill.

White, 61, said he hasn't voted in a presidential election since 1992 when he backed independent candidate Ross Perot. On Thursday, White arrived at Beef O' Brady's 40 minutes before the event while the staff was still setting up for the day.

"I refuse to accept anything other than this guy being president of the United States," White said.

These are the kinds of people you meet at a Ron Paul rally, and the candidate often shares his surprise at the intensity of their support.

Some campaign watchers speculate that Paul might run as a third-party candidate to continue promoting his themes of limited government, lower taxes, a complete withdrawal from Iraq and the abolishment of the United Nations, NAFTA, WTO and U.S. Department of Education.

Paul has said he has no plans to do so, though he did not directly address the question on Thursday.

"I have no idea what's going to happen in this campaign, but I know one thing," Paul said. "The spirit of liberty is alive and well in this country, and I don't think it's going to go to sleep after the campaign."