Posted on 11/06/2007 4:44:35 PM PST by Redcloak
Guy Fawkes, a 17th-century English mercenary and terrorist who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, is an unlikely figurehead for a US Republican presidential candidate.
But Ron Paul is neither a run-of-the-mill Republican nor a typical presidential aspirant.
His supporters announced yesterday that they had smashed Republican fundraising records by hauling in a total of $4.3 million (£2 million) for his campaign from more than 37,000 donors over the previous 24 hours.
And they did it online, through the website ThisNovember5th.com, where Mr Paul’s speeches have been mashed up with clips of the film V for Vendetta, in which a sinister – but ultimately heroic – terrorist modelled on Fawkes destroys a fascist government in Britain. “Remember, remember, the fifth of November” is moved from British nursery rhyme to a campaign slogan in America.
Mr Paul, a 72-year-old ten-term Texas congressman, has been dismissed widely as a “kook” in the 2008 race. He advocates “Austrian economics”, a return to the gold standard and an end to the Iraq war.
He also wants the withdrawal of all American troops from abroad and the abolition of most government departments, including Energy, Education and Homeland Security.
Some of his supporters believe that 9/11 was an inside job by the American Government, others are white supremacists. Much to his own surprise, Mr Paul has become a cult figure among libertarians and students who pack rallies wearing “Ron Paul Revolution” T-shirts.
Like Howard Dean four years ago, it is the internet and a host of unofficial websites that are propelling him forward: Mr Paul’s name is the most searched of any candidate, his YouTube videos are the most watched and he regularly wins online polls after Republican presidential debates.
Unlike Mr Dean, who came close to winning the 2004 Democratic nomination, Mr Paul stands no chance of becoming the Republicans’ 2008 nominee. In national opinion polls he barely registers, and even in New Hamp-shire – the “live free or die” state – he gets an average of only 3.6 per cent support, according to RealClearPolitics.com, which tracks such surveys.
But his phenomenal fundraising achievements mean that Mr Paul has more than mere nuisance value in this White House race. In the third quarter of this year he raised $5.3 million, an amount similar to that generated by the former front-runner John McCain. He has set a goal of raising a further $12 million by the end of the year.
Yesterday Mr Paul attributed the record-breaking achievement to a “powerful message” and the frustration of people “who do not like the war and do not like the economy”.
Asked whether it was appropriate to use the image of Fawkes and November 5 in this way, he said that it was “just a gimmick”. He added that he had never spoken to organisers of the website. “We advocate a nonviolent – but revolutionary – approach.”
His spokesman issued a further clarification, saying that Mr Paul did not support blowing up parliaments or assassinating kings.
“He wants to demolish things like the Department of Education, but we can do that very peacefully.”
I guess it could be worse, at least Paul isn’t raising money off the blood of our troops by parroting the talking points of our enemies and courting the troofer crowd... oh wait...
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Must you make up your own headlines for a story?
‘Ron Paul uses Guy Fawkes to fire up campaign and raise $4.3m in a day’
Something tells me that Guy Fawkes would feel sullied by the comparison to Ron Paul.
“Austrian economics”
Yikes! The horror of it all.
P For Pendetta?
P For Pendetta?
Not an overly positive article about yesterday... actually it’s the worst I’ve seen.. geez.
Ya know, this reaks to high heaven. Why can’t ya just be glad that people in this country have taken an interest in the whole voting process? It’s just because it’s Ron Paul.
Well, even though Ron is not my top choice..if it were between Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani..I would cast my vote for Ron Paul in a heartbeat.
You want a republican running for office? Out of the three, I would say Ron Paul is the conservative republican candidate.
He doesn’t say abolish the military..he just doesn’t think that we need to be in every country putting out every fire. And guess what? There are a lot of Americans that feel the same way.
So, between the media and the republican “elite” you keep in knocked down and treat him as a joke. That’s fine. But as a conservative republican, I wonder if he would be more likely to throw in with a conservative like Hunter or Thompson if he was treated with some dignity.
There are a lot of republicans that aren’t too keen on the war as it is. They may even think that something was hinky in the beginning and run poorly. For Ron Paul to just be dismissed as a joke is a republican folly.
If people would close their mouths and open their ears..they just might hear some good OLD republican values being said.
If it were between two New England RINOS and the Texas Surrender-Monkey, I'd say that our Republic is royally screwed.
Say what you will about Paul - that is some serious fund raising.
Absolutely. When the media and republican powers that be can say who will and won’t get debate time..the people are definitely screwed.
ALMIGHTY God, who hast in all ages shewed thy power and mercy in the miraculous and gracious deliverance of thy Church, and in the protection of righteous and religious Kings and States, professing they holy and eternal truth, from the wicked conspiracies and malicious practices of all the enemies thereof; We yield thee our unfeigned thanks and praise for the wonderful and mighty deliverance of our gracious Sovereign King James the First, the Queen, the Prince, and all the Royal Branches, with the Nobility, Clergy and Commons of England, then assembled in Parliament, by Popish treachery appointed as sheep to the slaughter, in a most barbarous and savage manner, beyond the examples of former ages. From this unnatural conspiracy, not our merit, but thy mercy; not our foresight, but thy providence, delivered us: And therefore not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto they Name be ascribed all honour and glory, in all Churches of the Saints, from generation to generation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Collect for Guy Fawkes Day, Book of Common Prayer
Yeah, Guy Fawkes is still reviled in England, and obviously the U.K. Times is more than a little peeved that a U.S. Presidential candidate would use Guy Fawkes day as a gimmick to raise money.
Up until yesterday I didn't know much about Fawkes, but it only takes a few minutes on the Internet to get up to speed. Apparently he was a Papist who was unhappy with the persecution of Catholics in England, so he organized a "Gunpowder Plot" to blow up the House of Parliament when the Protestant King and nobles would be meeting. The plot was uncovered, and Fawkes was tortured and executed.
While Fawkes remains mostly hated in England, he's also come to be seen by many as a symbol of revolt against tyrannical authority -- "the only man to ever enter parliament with honourable intentions". Who among us would not at times like to (at least figuratively) do something similar?
However, regardless of one's opinion of Guy Fawkes, I would not classify him as a terrorist. As far as I'm concerned, a terrorist is one who targets innocent civilians. Targeting military forces or government officials is not terrorism, it is war or revolution. You can argue about which side is the just side in a war or revolution, but enemy soldiers and leaders are legitimate targets.
Since Islamic radicals consider themselves at war with the United States, their 9/11 attack on the Pentagon should not be classified as terrorism; it was a military target. But of course their killing of innocent civilians, in the jetliners they hijacked and in the Twin Towers, was terrorism. And we could still retaliate (i.e., wage war against them) even if they had attacked the Pentagon in a non-terroristic fashion.
November 5 is also the anniversary of the landing of William of Orange in 1688, just before James II fled the country.
So our constitutionally elected government is tyrannical and Ron Paul is supporting violent terrorism against it? Ron Paul and his supporters are sick. This is revolting.
yeah, makes you wonder. Almost zilch for a long stretch then WHAMO they must have hit to Lottery. Everybody better be checking you CC account statements.
Hard as it is to think it, hitlery would be less damaging to America than Paul.
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