Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Ron Paul, the Real Republican? (Announcing the Great Ron Paul Ping List)
Fox News ^ | February 20, 2007 | Radley Balko

Posted on 02/20/2007 8:59:49 AM PST by OrthodoxPresbyterian

Ron Paul, the Real Republican?

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
By Radley Balko

When you read about a vote in Congress that goes something like 412-1, odds are pretty good that the sole "nay" came from Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. He so consistently votes against widely popular bills, in fact, that the Washington Post recently gave him the moniker "Congressman 'No.'"

Paul isn't a reflexive contrarian--he doesn't oppose just to oppose. Rather, he has a core set of principles that guide him. They happen to be the same principles envisioned by the framers of the U.S. Constitution: limited government, federalism, free trade and commerce -- with a premium on peace.

When most members of Congress see a bill for the first time, they immediately judge the bill on its merits, or if you're more cynical, they determine what the political interests that support them will think of it, or how it might benefit their constituents.

For Paul, the vast majority of bills don't get that far. He first asks, "Does the Constitution authorize Congress to pass this law?" Most of the time, the answer to that question is "no." And so Paul votes accordingly.

This hasn't won him many friends in Congress, or, for that matter, his own party. It hasn't won him influential committee assignments or powerful chairmanships, either. Those are generally handed out to the party animals who vote as they're told. An incorruptible man of principle in a corrupt body almost utterly devoid of principle, Paul is often a caucus of one.

Paul recently announced his intentions to run for president in 2008. For the few of us who still care about limited government, individual rights, and a sensible foreign policy, Paul's candidacy is terrific news....Continue reading

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: electionpresident; elections; ronpaul; velvetrevolution
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 521-540541-560561-580581-591 next last
To: OrthodoxPresbyterian

"that the alleged "good guys" are the Allies of the Iraqi Communists!! Egads..."

That's about as fair and meaningfull as saying your alleged good guy (Ron Paul) is aligned with Hillary Clinton.


561 posted on 02/21/2007 12:46:25 PM PST by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marylin vos Savant)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 556 | View Replies]

To: dynoman
"that the alleged "good guys" are the Allies of the Iraqi Communists!! Egads..." That's about as fair and meaningfull as saying your alleged good guy (Ron Paul) is aligned with Hillary Clinton.

If the Republicans were in a formal electoral alliance with the Democrats, then that would be exactly the case.

On the other hand, if things got so bad that the Republicans were in a formal electoral alliance with the Communists (as one of the least evil of the other Parties)... well, at that point I'd say things had gone pretty South of Heaven!

562 posted on 02/21/2007 1:19:11 PM PST by OrthodoxPresbyterian (We are Unworthy Servants; We have only done Our Duty -- Luke 17:10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 561 | View Replies]

To: Chani

for later consumption


563 posted on 02/21/2007 1:27:10 PM PST by Chani (Happy cows make good cheese.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: OrthodoxPresbyterian
Would you like to be on the Ron Paul GOP primary supporter list, and be pinged to future Ron Paul campaign news and articles?

I already get pinged pretty good. It's not necessaary. I'm here all the time anyway. See tagline)...:-)

564 posted on 02/21/2007 1:37:02 PM PST by Types_with_Fist (I'm on FReep so often that when I read an article at another site I scroll down for the comments.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 542 | View Replies]

To: Revenge of Sith
Bush was referring to "peacekeeping" operations in Somalia and Haiti when he criticized "nation building."

I'm absolutely not anti-Bush but "peacekeeping" much better describes our current activities in Iraq than "war fighting". Our Administration is being hypocritical and disingenuous in this regard. We are spending lives and unbelievable amounts of treasure "nation building" and there is no rhetorical way around it. We are not operating in our self-interest and we are doing what we did in Somalia and Haiti on a much larger (read worse) scale. Hence the erosion in our public support.

565 posted on 02/21/2007 1:54:02 PM PST by Theophilus (Nothing can make Americans safer than to stop aborting them. www.gohunter08.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 524 | View Replies]

To: NCSteve; bcsco
...has continuously chastised him for deceiving people like you into believing that the invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation is permissible under our Constitution.

I was with you until here. Iraq surrendered to us in Kuwait. They violated the terms of the surrender repeated times and in repeated ways. We had the moral authority to invade and we have the moral authority to occupy. Even if we didn't, where is what we did, prohibited in the Constitution? If you say that Congress should have declared war instead of the President, I might agree with that point.

566 posted on 02/21/2007 1:59:15 PM PST by Theophilus (Nothing can make Americans safer than to stop aborting them. www.gohunter08.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 492 | View Replies]

To: Types_with_Fist

Okey doke. :-)


567 posted on 02/21/2007 2:04:11 PM PST by OrthodoxPresbyterian (We are Unworthy Servants; We have only done Our Duty -- Luke 17:10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 564 | View Replies]

To: NCSteve
worship the lying socialist who currently occupies the White House

That's not very charitable. We are all double-minded and like the rest of us and all Presidents, the President suffers from ignorance, inconsistency and plenty of bad advice.

I don't think he is a conscientious socialist any more than someone who sends their kids to public school. And I don't think he is a deliberate deceiver even though he does not always tell the whole truth, probably under the guise of marketing or political discretion. His problem is he is so guileless and inarticulate that he often comes across as smarmy, idiotic or both which is especially offensive B.S. to liberals who insist upon having a monopoly on B.S.

568 posted on 02/21/2007 2:13:29 PM PST by Theophilus (Nothing can make Americans safer than to stop aborting them. www.gohunter08.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 487 | View Replies]

To: Halgr
US should support Israel no matter what

Our first loyalty should be to God no matter what, recognizing that He is loyal to his people, preserving the rarely obvious remnant wheat even amongst the many many evil tares. Israel and the United States both need God's protection, without it we are useless to each other. There is ample evidence to suspect that both countries are on a collision course with God's wrath. I believe, maybe contrary to Ron, that we should support Israel, but I think we'd better focus on surrendering to God.

569 posted on 02/21/2007 2:24:14 PM PST by Theophilus (Nothing can make Americans safer than to stop aborting them. www.gohunter08.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 548 | View Replies]

To: bcsco
I wasn't dismayed. I was simply sarcastic without the /s tag. Your comments about all the Calvinists on his staff being the in crowd was pretty telling, and worthy of sarcasm

Good sarcasm has to be WITTY to be effective. Take heart, you are half way there, though.

570 posted on 02/22/2007 2:53:32 PM PST by DreamsofPolycarp
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 411 | View Replies]

To: OrthodoxPresbyterian
I freep-mailed you to ask to be put on this list, but I never heard from you, and don't know if you got it. Please check your mail, put me on the list, and don't let the dyspeptics get you upset.

I admire your equanimity

571 posted on 02/22/2007 4:23:16 PM PST by DreamsofPolycarp (Ron Paul in '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DreamsofPolycarp
Everyone who's requested addition to the GRPPL by Post or FReeepMail is on the list. I still have to catch up my list of who's in what State and when their Primaries are, but you're on the Article Ping list, at least.

Thanks!!

572 posted on 02/23/2007 1:48:59 AM PST by OrthodoxPresbyterian (We are Unworthy Servants; We have only done Our Duty -- Luke 17:10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 571 | View Replies]

To: AmishDude; Austin Willard Wright; jmc813; xzins; George W. Bush
I'm not impressed by Mediocre Doctors.

Thank you for just insulting Ron Paul and all other Vietnam Combat Field Surgeons (Ron Paul's prior Medical work before going into private practice). Ron Paul's obstetrics work may seem "easy" to you. Would you like to now trash him for keeping our troops guts from spilling all over the ground in Vietnam?

Nice. Very cute of you.

573 posted on 02/23/2007 5:33:22 AM PST by OrthodoxPresbyterian (We are Unworthy Servants; We have only done Our Duty -- Luke 17:10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 429 | View Replies]

To: AmishDude
I'm not impressed by Mediocre Doctors

nor am I impressed by halfwit attempts at snarking....., especially when they are stupid and have no idea of the medical history of the man and what he has done for the country.

574 posted on 02/23/2007 7:19:14 AM PST by DreamsofPolycarp (Ron Paul in '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 429 | View Replies]

To: DreamsofPolycarp; OrthodoxPresbyterian

The relevant issue here is whether Paul's Doctorate is relevant. It isn't. Medical degrees do not involve high-level thinking. That's why "M.D." stands for "Mediocre Doctor". I'd prefer that it stand for "Prescription-writing machine" to be wholly accurate.

But I do appreciate that you are trying to construct a Kerry-like shield of criticism around Ron Paul. Certainly, He of the Endless Bloviating and Continuous Press Releases wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, so he needs his minions to keep him from withstanding criticism.

Just consider one fact. Ron Paul considers resolutions to be pointless. He votes against them repeadedly on "principle," even innocuous ones he claims to agree with. But now, he votes for one. For someone who claims to be rigidly tied to libertarian principle, he sure does change with the wind, don't he?


575 posted on 02/23/2007 7:48:46 AM PST by AmishDude (It doesn't matter whom you vote for. It matters who takes office.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 574 | View Replies]

To: DreamsofPolycarp

"The idea that someone might pay a fine in the process of becoming illegal is just too difficult a concept to get into the blocks of wood substituting for heads around these parts"

I just read an article by Ron Paul in which he decries the above and calls it Amnesty.


576 posted on 02/27/2007 4:50:39 PM PST by mthom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 313 | View Replies]

To: OrthodoxPresbyterian

Please add me to your Ron Paul ping list please


577 posted on 03/01/2007 4:17:35 PM PST by Fun Bob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OrthodoxPresbyterian

Long time lurker here. Can you add me to the Ron Paul ping list please?


578 posted on 03/12/2007 3:07:30 PM PDT by Slick Bomb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 577 | View Replies]

To: Slick Bomb

I'd be delighted. Thanks for your interest.


579 posted on 03/12/2007 5:10:39 PM PDT by OrthodoxPresbyterian (We are Unworthy Servants; We have only done Our Duty -- Luke 17:10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 578 | View Replies]

To: OrthodoxPresbyterian

Great on domestic and economic policy. I could not vote for him as President of the United States. Keep him in Congress.


580 posted on 03/12/2007 9:53:10 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (theconservativecandidate@still2early.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 521-540541-560561-580581-591 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson