Posted on 03/31/2007 10:54:29 AM PDT by Dog Gone
The Really Dark Horse
Congressman Ron Paul, who we think we're safe in saying is the only GOP member of the House to support medical marijuana and oppose the death penalty and the Iraq war, has announced he's running for president as a Republican.
Paul ran for the office on the Libertarian ticket in 1988 but, as even the most Xbox-addled of you must know, he didn't win. For the past ten years he's been representing the 14th District in Brazoria County, easily winning reelection despite his somewhat oddball policy positions.
Steve Olafson has been a dedicated follower of Brazoria County politics for a long time, both as a Houston Chronicle and Post reporter and in his current guise as blogger extraordinaire Banjo Jones (http://brazosportnews.blogspot.com ). We sought his analysis of the man who might be our 44th president.
Hair Balls: How does Paul keep getting elected? Are the folks in the 14th a bunch of war-hating, pot-loving, death-penalty opponents who despise the Federal Reserve and long for the U.S. to return to the gold standard? Or does Paul just give great constituent service?
Banjo Jones: Well, the folks say his office is real responsive when they've got a problem that needs fixing. I hear that all the time. Evidently, he runs an efficient operation. People down here mostly just want to be left alone, whether or not they're potheads, antiwar or worried about the government printing money whenever it pleases 'em. It might have something to do with Brazoria County being where Stephen F. Austin set up the first colony back when this was Mexico.
HB: Okay, but why hasn't some chamber-of-commerce type businessperson put up a big challenge to him? Is Paul a great one-on-one campaigner?
BJ: The chamber types are mostly concerned with keeping Dow Chemical happy. So far as retail politics, I've heard people remark that they like the fact [Paul] can attend something like a memorial or a funeral for a soldier killed in Iraq and not work the room shaking hands and slappin' backs. He'll just sit there and pay his respects like anyone else. And he'll tell you what he thinks, whether it's a NASA audience in Clear Lake or a bunch of rednecks west of the Brazos.
HB: Do you have a favorite Ron Paul moment?
BJ: Maybe the time he voted against giving Mother Teresa the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The thing I liked about it was he didn't give a **** if people thought he was a grump for voting against it.
HB: Has being a gynecologist helped his political career?
BJ: I've heard he never met a Caesarean section he didn't like when he was a practicing OB/GYN, but I wouldn't know about that.
HB: Do you think he'd be fun to get high with?
BJ: I think he gets high talking about the Constitution. And pot makes you stupid, right?
Boy. Talk about becoming what you behold.
Do you realize that Ron Paul has two first names, and no last name? While Duncan Hunter has two last names, and no first name.
You're just gunning for trouble, aren't you? Being called Satan just wasn't enough. LOL
I'm not sure I can get any lower than Satan, so what do I have to lose?
That's why I'm casting my write-in vote for Paul Duncan.
He can win!
This article is filled with typical anti-Libertarian strawman & ad-hominem arguments.
Another reason to dislike him.
You're a Paul Duncan Bot! Everyone knows the only candidtate is Ron Hunter!
ROFL
It definitely is a horserace between the two.
I think you are shooting for Prince of Darkness, but that might be a step up to some... LOL.
ROFL! Everyone needs a goal :-)
It was the darndest thing. I thought I had hit rock bottom when I was accused of being a Pakistani terrorist about six years ago for a post defending Pakistani President Musharraf, but being called Satan yesterday for not supporting Ron Paul was a rather surprising new accusation.
I don't just need to be at Gitmo, I need to be tending the fires of Hell. I never realized how serious politics actually are.
Ron Paul?
It is to laugh...
Hysterically. But some freeper insisted because he's doing well in a FR poll that we should seriously consider his candidacy. What can I say; we seem to have more than the usual amount of nonsense going on here.
Since when is Duncan or Hunter only reserved for last names? Never heard of Duncan Hines? My sons cub scout pack has 2 kids in it with Hunter as first names.
If he ran as the third party candidate he would attract liberal voters.
Paul was on Bill Maher's show last night to respond that, yes, he is against the Civil War over slavery. His argument was interesting, even compelling to me. But 99% of Americans will see it as just loony.
Dang, I may need to steal that for my homepage.
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