Capital Hill Blue Retracts Controversial Negative Ron Paul Piece

The Moderate Voice ^ | July 7, 2007 | Joe Gandelman

[Captain Kirk]

They say that journalism is “instant history.” And if journalism is instant history, then blogging is instant history coupled with gut reactions.

And if “instant history” must be revised and/or retracted from time to time, just imagine the complications when it comes to blog-like gut reactions.

And if you can’t imagine it read THIS POST which discusses Capitol Hill Blue’s retraction of a highly controversial post blasting Republican “maverick” Ron Paul.

In fact, Capitol Hill Blue top Editor Doug Thompson has emailed us that he didn’t know this piece had been posted by an overzealous editor, he subsequently had that editor move in a new direction to spend more time with his family (not the words he used) and he has since apologized to Capitol Hill Blue’s readers (see below) in a post on his site.

[Captain Kirk]

ping

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..In fact, Capitol Hill Blue top Editor Doug Thompson has emailed us that he didn’t know this piece had been posted by an overzealous editor, he subsequently had that editor move in a new direction to spend more time with his family.."

Lol, his family..........cousins Jim Beam and Jack Daniels.

[Jet Jaguar]

n fact, Capitol Hill Blue top Editor Doug Thompson has emailed us that he didn’t know this piece had been posted by an overzealous editor, he subsequently had that editor move in a new direction to spend more time with his family (not the words he used) and he has since apologized to Capitol Hill Blue’s readers (see below) in a post on his site.

But first, some background on a fascinating New Media story, in case you’re coming in late:

Yesterday we ran THIS POST on GOPer Ron Paul having more cash on hand than Arizona Senator John McCain — who you may see one day soon standing on a street corner asking: “Do you have any change?” McCain has been walking a tightrope for more than a year and has fallen off. He’ll hit the ground any second now…

And Paul? Our post noted all the big bucks Paul is collecting from little contributors on the Internet and elsewhere.

[gcruse]

This isn’t the first time CHB has been caught publishing BS. I don’t recall what it was a couple of years ago, but it caused quite a stir here.

[WWTD]

Thanks to Google cache, I found some of the more interesting Capital Hill Blue items: Right-wing Republican and Presidential non-contender Ron Paul, the John Bircher with a long history of racism and anti-Semitism, claims he has more money in the bank than John McCain even though his second-quarter fundraising efforts fell far short of his campaign's lofty predictions. Political strategists say Paul's obscurity is his greatest asset at this point because any real scrutiny by the media and public would expose his long affiliation with fringe organizations like The John Birch Society and his history of ethnic slurs against Blacks, Mexicans and Jews. Paul's self-professed populist appeal brings back memories of another self-styled populist who garnered attention, news and even some votes in 1972: racist Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Wallace actually won the Florida Democratic primary and appeared to be a spoiler in the primary race until a would-be assassin's bullet left his paralyzed. Like Wallace, Paul's "grassroots," strategists say, come from the fringe elements of politics, the demographics that other candidates don't want and the kind that can't deliver the votes for any serious run at national office. Appealing to racists, bigots and the uninformed may work in Paul's Texas Congressional district but it won't play nationwide. Stangely enough, as offensive as some of this stuff is, it's about par for the course for a lot of FReepers when discussing Dr. Paul.

[Paperdoll]

Unfortunately, R. Paul’s contributors have their hearts in the right place, but their brains are not well engaged. Talk is easy, and some talk evokes passionate emotion, but it takes solutions by an experienced and all encompassing visionary to turn the country around. We also need a man who can beat any Democrat they throw at him, Representative Duncan Hunter.

[Jet Jaguar]

I will bump your post.

Well said.

[RightOnline]

Are you saying that those words were posted on CHB?

[gcruse]

This is what I was remembering...

Did Capitol Hill Blue Post An Article With Fabrications? ^

[WWTD]

Yes they were, posted just yesterday, July 6. The editor of CHB claims he was out of town, and that overzealous staffers filed a few Ron Paul hit pieces that were over the top. I found that article by doing a Google search of "Ron Paul" "Capital Hill Blue". That article made it to Google's cache before being pulled down today. This Doug Thompson, who runs Capital Hill Blue, claims that his mildly critical posts on Ron Paul were not nearly as over the top. Here's part of a post from Doug himself, back in May: Ron Paul's propaganda posse is working overtime, generating emails wanting to know why news web sites like Capitol Hill Blue are not wasting more of our valuable space and bandwidth on a political joke that doesn't stand a chance in hell of winning the GOP nomination for President, much less the general election. They should remember the old Chinese proverb about being careful what you wish for. Even among the extremes of the GOP, Ron Paul's extremism and the sleazy tactics of his followers fail any reasonable smell test. Despite the bluster of his brigade of zealots, Paul is not the populist he claims to be or the savior they seek. His political record is a study in contradictions as well as an addiction to populist causes and that addiction shifts with the political wind. He claims to support limited role of government but advocates government regulation of abortions. He claims to support serious campaign reform but accepts most of his campaign contributions from outside his home district and his FEC reports show heavy support from fatcat political ideologues and special interest groups. He embraces the fringe, including believers in alien abductions and UFOs along with some 9/11 conspiracy theories. At best he is a fringe candidate and, like fringe candidates on both sides of the political spectrum he attracts political zealots who ignore his many faults and argue passionately with claims that exaggerate his positions and his chances. We see some of the same tactics on the Democratic side of the fence from supporters of Dennis Kucinich, another fringe candidate with a tin-foil hat following. As one of the angry missives from one a Ron Paul zealot started off with the usual collection of obscenities and concluded by saying: How can you ignore the growing popularity and improving political chances of Ron Paul? You are missing an opportunity to be part of a real grassroots movement. Everybody knows he's the talk of the Internet. Britney Spears is also the talk of the Internet. So is Anna Nicole Smith. And American Idol. Candidates like Ron Paul should be judged by the company they keep. With such reasoned political discourse from Doug Thompson, it is difficult to understand just how those horrible subordinates on his website felt they had free reign to mercilessly slander Ron Paul! /s

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Talk is easy, and some talk evokes passionate emotion, but it takes solutions by an experienced and all encompassing visionary to turn the country around.

"Visionary" is precisely the term I would think one would associate with Ron Paul -- as opposed to Duncan Hunter, whose arguably more-"pragmatic" approach I would characterize as that of a simple Conservative functionary. As just one example, from Tax Policy alone:

• Duncan Hunter's call to eliminate the intrusive and counter-productive Income Tax and replace it with a simple, non-intrusive National Sales Tax? GOOD!

• Ron Paul's call call to eliminate the intrusive and counter-productive Income Tax and replace it with... NOTHING? (easily do-able if we simply reduced the Federal Budget to the level of the largest Clinton budgets) BETTER!! And downright visionary.

As always, JMHO.

[Paperdoll]

>Ron Paul’s call to eliminate the intrusive and counter-productive Income Tax, and replace it with NOTHING...BETTER and downright visionary.<

NOTHING? As opposed to Duncan Hunter’s FAIR Tax? How downright laughable! It does take money to maintain our position in a hostile world, you know. Being practical is one thing. Being a complete outer space dreamer is quite another.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

NOTHING? As opposed to Duncan Hunter’s FAIR Tax? How downright laughable! It does take money to maintain our position in a hostile world, you know. Being practical is one thing. Being a complete outer space dreamer is quite another.

What, the largest of the Clinton budgets is not sufficiently BIG Government for your liking?

Check the Federal Budget figures. If we simply reduced spending to the level of the 2000 Budget (the biggest of the Clinton years), we would not need a personal Income Tax at all.

Do you really mean to tell me that you thought the Clinton Government was too small?

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

By the way, thanks for cleaning up my overly-caffeinated double-worded post. Very polite.

[Paperdoll]

No, I paid no attention to your reference to Clinton’s budget at all. At this point it is a non-issue.

If Duncan Hunter is president, government expense will shrink dramatically because it is his plan to close out superfluous and obsolete Federal programs, and return control of public education to the local level.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

If Duncan Hunter is president, government expense will shrink dramatically...

How much? Precisely what Federal spending does he propose to eliminate?

My question is simple: Does Duncan Hunter support reducing Federal Spending at least to the level of the largest Clinton Budgets?

• If not, why not? Was the Clinton Government too small for a "genuine Conservative"?
• If so... Bravo!! But then why replace the personal Income Tax with anything? If Federal Spending simply equals the level of the largest Clinton Budget, then we don't need a personal Income Tax at all.

Just asking.

[Paperdoll]

I heard your guy will be appearing on the George Stephanopoulos show today.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Yeah, but if my wife and I hit the Morning rather than the Evening service today (have to wake her up soon and find out), I’ll miss it. :-(

[Paperdoll]

Can you tape it? I’m off for 9AM service now.