system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5 why Ron Paul wins most straw polls and online polls, yet he is not considered a serious contender for the GOP.
gpt
Online polls are easily gamed.  Think of all the times you've seen a poll posted here with the line "you know what to do".  And of course you can write software that bombards the server with votes.  Thus, online polls don't really mean much.

Straw polls do not tend to be representative of the general public.  They depend on volunteer participants, who of course are going to care quite a bit more about the topic at hand than the Joe Voter.  Therefore, straw polls aren't all that good, either.

There are some solid, random-sampling based polls.  In these polls, Ron Paul has a consistent part of the electorate backing him--about 5-7% of the likely Republican voter, and this proportion does not change with the field.  He has a kernel of support, but has alienated everyone outside that kernel.  The other Republican voters know damned well who he is but would not vote for him.