Posted on 12/23/2011 5:24:51 PM PST by sourcery
Now that Ron Paul is undeniably a front runner, he faces intense scrutiny from the mainstream media. Unlike the rest of the GOP field, Paul has an almost flawless record. With just a few exceptions over the past ~30 years, such as his previous support for the death penalty and the Dont Ask, Dont Tell military policy, Paul has never flip flopped on any of his policy positions. Since the media cant criticize his consistent record or any extramartial affairs he has been married to his high school sweetheart for over 50 years they choose to hammer him about some newsletters written under his name about twenty years ago.
Several newsletters have been published under Ron Pauls name since the 1970′s such as Dr. Ron Pauls Freedom Report and Ron Pauls Freedom Reportproducts of his admirable think-tank the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education along with the The Ron Paul Investment Letter, The Ron Paul Survival Report and Ron Paul Political Report. The vast majority of these newsletters were fairly conventional in that they discussed free market economics with a focus on monetary policy. Unfortunately, there were brief periods mostly in the early 1990′s when mainly the Ron Paul Political Report published a handful of inappropriate articles.
My purpose is not to defend those specific newsletters which did, in fact, contain offensive and ugly material. Ive seen the same few controversial passages brought up over and over again. Of course, Ron Paul didnt write those letters. Public figures almost never write any of their own articles, newsletters or books. As a ghost writer myself, Ive written dozens of letters and op-eds for well-known political figures. Many of them are published without the direct approval of the supposed author. Some of the authors do not even know my name.
The newsletters sound absolutely nothing like anything Ron Paul has ever said. Its not his tone and it clearly does not reflect his long-held beliefs. I have frequently challenged people to find one racist thing that Ron Paul has ever said in a speech or interview. No one has ever sent me any proof despite the probably millions of Ron Paul videos on YouTube. For comparison purposes, here is an actual quote from Ron Paul on racism:
Rosa Parks is one of my heroes. Martin Luther King is a hero. Because they practiced the libertarian principle of civil disobedience, non-violence. Libertarians are incapable of being racist because racism is a collectivist idea, you see people in groups. A civil libertarian sees everyone as an important individual, its not the color of their skin that is important like Martin Luther King said. What is important is the character of the individual. You know what is really interesting though? And this could be behind it. Because I as a Republican candidate, probably am getting the most number of black voters and black supporters.
Click here to see the rest of the YouTube video.
That sounds more like the Ron Paul that I know. And its a quote directly from his mouth instead of on some decades-old newsletter. Should Ron Paul have paid closer attention to the newsletter written under his name? Yes, of course. That was a huge mistake and I sincerely believe he regrets it. He has repeatedly said time and time again that I didnt read them at the time, I didnt write them, and I disavow them. Dr. Paul says that he was too focused on being a full-time medical doctor and raising five children in Texas plus this was back in the olden days before the Internet made it easy to share documents. He essentially just lent his well-known name to the letters.
Some critics have cried if he didnt even read the newsletter, how is he qualified to be president?! Ill say it again, he should have read and stopped the offensive newsletters from ever being published. He has apologized and accepted moral responsibility for allowing them to go out under his name. But lets face it, he has had far less gaffes than any of the other presidential candidates.
This error in judgement is just one strike against him. But it in no way compares to all of Newt Gingrichs baggage, in my eyes.
Ron Paul honors Rosa Parks (1975?)
Most newsletters, magazines, and websites named after a person of some reknown...the person it is named after does little in the way pf authoring and editing.
Only someone truly naieve believes that RP wrote the racist articles, or, even saw the articles. He has had up to 14 different newsletters bearing his name
Believing RP wrote and published all those racist articles is like believing Hustler pron mag contains photos of only Larry Flynt...
Yo doon unnerstand. Ron Paul be white. Darefo he be a racist.
If it were just one or two articles, stuff slips through. But this was a pretty constant barrage of hard line Bircher, KKK and white supremacist garbage. Mixed with free-floating paranoia about the government, the currency, banks, and fluoride in the drinking water.
Paul heavily promoted his newsletters, including with a letter on "Congressman Ron Paul" letterhead and apparently signed by him. The letter itself contains more of the same paranoiac ravings.
Add that to the endorsement of David Duke, the endorsement by Stormfront and the white supremacists, the anti-Israel, pro-Muslim nonsense, as well as the idea that Mossad brought down the Twin Towers, and you have got a serious, serious problem.
If you sit down and really LISTEN to this man talk for a period of time, it is obvious that he has more than one screw rattling around in the threads. Sorry, no sale.
I’ll say one thing for ron paul...he is not a liar. If he says it, he believes it, and has always believed it. He is the only person running who you can say that about.
Yes, except he’s basically an idiot.
“Now that Ron Paul is undeniably a front runner”
Pffffffffffft! Ha!
I’ll take an idiot over what we currently have.
Ron Paul disregards our enemies and attack his fellow Americans, especially conservatives.
Lou Rockwell was writing most of the letters at the time. RP needs to address the issue, not throw a tantrum.
How about his statement that we have murdered (or our troops have murdered) millions of innocent Iraqis?
How about his statement that heterosexuals have done more damage to our military than homosexuals?
How about this statement that heroin and other drugs should be legalized?
How about his support for homosexual “marriage?”
How about his inference the 9/11 was OUR FAULT????
So where does the Tea Party go? Ron Paul really believes in limited government, but he has this freak-show baggage. So what does the movement to restore liberty do? I never would've thought in November 2010 that the choices would come down to what they have come down to.
Focus on congress and state level governments. As for president, anyone but obama will do for the next 4 years.
I’m not a fan of ron paul’s foreign policy ideas. But I wouldn’t be too upset about chopping the military operations around the globe(if everything else gets chopped too) for the short term while we get the economy back in one piece.
Stinks, don't it.
2008 = McCain
2012 = Gingrich/Romney.
We have made no progress at all.
This is what we call fraud.
Ron Paul: “Bradley Manning is a hero.”
What idiot will step forward to defend that?
“How about his statement that we have murdered (or our troops have murdered) millions of innocent Iraqis?
How about his statement that heterosexuals have done more damage to our military than homosexuals?
How about this statement that heroin and other drugs should be legalized?
How about his support for homosexual marriage?
How about his inference the 9/11 was OUR FAULT????”
Or “Bradley Manning is a HERO.”
Or...the fact that he said he would do NOTHING if Iran got nukes, because they would be respected, and it would keep us from killing them.
I will be glad when JR finally decides to nuke the Paultards. Ron Paul is anti-American.
Come January 2013, someone will take the oath of office as President of the US. That person will have the de facto (but not de jure) authority to indefinitely detain you and your family—in any prison operated by any government anywhere in the world.
Which candidate would you prefer to have that power?
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