MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Ron Paul fans are sharing sidewalk space with Occupy protesters outside the Republican presidential debate tonight. The two groups are almost always found outside these kinds of events now, and are often thought to be cut from the same cloth. There is overlap sometimes, but not in South Carolina.
Keith Carter, a sushi chef and former soldier from Myrtle Beach, told BuzzFeed that "unlike Occupy Wall Street folks, we want to stop killing Palestinians."
"Instead of worrying about what the one percent eats for lunch, we're trying to change policy," he said.
His sushi apprentice Tim Hiser, a former Marine, agreed. "They need to rally for one cause," he said. "We all have a common enemy: centralized banking."
Meanwhile, a small group of Occupy Myrtle Beach protesters demonstrated nearby. They were mostly on the grass next to the sidewalk, complying with bicycle cops who told them to keep the sidewalk clear.
Occupy Myrtle Beach has between 30 and 50 members at any given time, according to member Heather Ashe. About a dozen or so protesters stood outside the Sheraton convention center this evening, flanked by a few scattered Ron Paul fans and some union demonstrators.
According to Ashe, "tonight is our big action for the week."