Paul faithful flock to Spartanburg appearance (sixteen standing ovations!)

GoUpstate.com ^ | 7/21/07 | Jason Spencer

[George W. Bush]

Paul faithful flock to Spartanburg appearance

A little-known Texas congressman seeking the Republican nomination for president visited Spartanburg on Saturday and seemed to arrive with all the makings of rock-star candidate for his party — despite polling low, little name recognition and a relatively small campaign staff.

Supporters call it the “Ron Paul Revolution.” You might’ve seen it on signs or T-shirts. Or MySpace.

Paul received no less than 16 standing ovations during his hour-plus speech and question-and-answer session at the Summit Pointe Event Center — first, when he entered the room, a second one when a re-entered after doing a quick television interview and a third when he was formally introduced.

Thunderous applause also followed when he decried the Patriot Act (ovation No. 4), when he said America should never go to war without a declaration from Congress or because of a United Nations resolution (ovation Nos. 8 and 9), and when he attacked President Bush’s foreign policy and handling of the war in Iraq (ovation Nos. 11, 12 and 13).

“No nation building. No policing of the world. Peace is popular,” Paul said. “The sooner we get out of Iraq, the fewer Americans will die. And I say, it’s time to come home.”

About 400 people — half from out of state — were shoehorned into Summit Pointe for a barbecue luncheon that doubled as a fundraiser for the Spartanburg County Republican Party. The local GOP, after expenses, made an estimated $5,000 on the event.

Paul was invited to speak to the local party faithful (they numbered about 80 in the crowd) after county chairman Rick Beltram took offense at Paul’s explanation of the 9/11 attacks as “blowback” from America’s past intervention in the affairs of other countries during a GOP debate. That led to a widely distributed online tit-for-tat between Beltram and Paul supporters, and Beltram eventually invited Paul here to explain himself.

Blowback, in and of itself, was not mentioned Saturday, though Paul often alluded to it, going as far back as World War I, “which (President) Woodrow Wilson got us into unnecessarily, and drew the lines in the Middle East that we’re suffering for today.”

Beltram said he agreed with Paul on most issues except foreign policy, and that he believes the Texan converted some Upstaters to his revolution with Saturday’s speech.

“I left feeling like a hero,” Beltram said. “I got more positive comments after that event than all the other presidential events combined.”

[ejonesie22]

That was before 9/11. I think even Reagan would have seen things differently watching the towers burn. It was no longer just a Middle Eastern problem.

[BlackElk]

The older folks in paleoPaulie’s entourage of love slaves chant in senior moments: “Hey, hey, LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?” or “The streets are for the people!” Or “The people united can never be defeated!” or spell America with a k as Amerika. The damage done by drugs in their now paleo-distant youth simply cannot be repaired.

[George W. Bush]

That was before 9/11. I think even Reagan would have seen things differently watching the towers burn.

People can imagine what they like and try to channel the Gipper. What we have is the record of his own words and actions.

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

“Ron Paul is no Ronald Reagan.”

He is a HELL of a lot closer than Bush or any of the idiots currently running.

[longtermmemmory]

alleging 400 people with most apparently from out of state.

(of course the number is padded) and of course they used the trick of using a smaller room to make it look “full”.

Nader gets the same kook fringe crowds and hardly any more viable. Kucinich gets the same crowds just to see his wife’s toung piercing... (ok a little sarcasm on the last one)

Ron Paul is just like all the other stuck-in-the-single-digiters, going nowhere fast and meaningless to the overall debate.

[SoldierDad]

Oooooh, wow. 16 standing ovations!!!!! Obviously RP is qualified to be POTUS based on his ability (and those of his campaign) to put on a media event where all those who attended were invited and all those who are against RP not allowed to participate (the usually way these events are staged for the media).

[longtermmemmory]

It is like the old game show “to tell the truth”,

Each candidate says “I am Ronald Reagan” and we have to figure out which ones are lying in a field where ALL the declared candidates are obviously lying.

[MEGoody]

He is a HELL of a lot closer than Bush or any of the idiots currently running.

Nah, Reagan wasn't a cupcake who would have turned a blind eye to the threat of Islamicism. Ron is no where near being like Reagan.

[SoldierDad]

No one can predict what Reagan would have said or done in the present situation. But his public remarks and recently published diaries don't give much support to the idea that he had much confidence in invasions, occupations, nationbuilding, etc. Especially in the Mideast.

You might be right. However, given what President Reagan's response to Libya was following the Pan Am bombing, I'd guess that President Reagan would have engaged this current enemy in much the same way as what we've done after 9/11/01.

[1035rep]

I concur!

[DJ MacWoW]

What we have is the record of his own words and actions.

Yes. We do. And the threat was communism. And he was not afraid to challenge them.

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

I suppose Reagan was a globalist too?

[ejonesie22]

Good words yes, but words from 20 plus years ago.

A lot has changed since then.

[AHerald]

Ron Paul’s big problem is that his messages simply can’t be understood by human beings with IQ’s less than 100. And in these times, that’s about 80% of the electorate.

Insult those who don't agree with you--now there's a charitable and winning message.

Signed,

Just another idiot with a low IQ

[CJ Wolf]

Anyone can post his speech. He doesn’t copyright them.

He didn’t want to vote on the crap being proposed and passed by Congress, which above all gives credence to the UN and cedes more of our sovereignty, below that it gives power to the president usually reserved by congress and allows for for the politicization of the ‘war’ for elections if the war goes badly. I don’t doubt he would have voted against his own declaration of war against Iraq if it came to a vote.

It is true he didn’t want war but I feel his principles dictated to him that he proposes a Declaration of Wars a constitutional alternative to what was being passed. Congress ignored this. Said ‘Declarations of Wars are archaic’ and not needed anymore. (which is similar argument they use with most of the Constitution, especially with the 2nd amendment). Instead we got what we got.

[BlackElk]

You simply MUST understand that in paleowussyland, there are only paleoisolationist weenies and "globalists" or "internationalists."

In the world where normal people with MORE than two brain cells (and therefore not "paleos") live, isolationists are a minor and irrelevant nuisance and the struggle is between the "internationalist" types aka liberals who want to ask "Mother May I?" to the UN before each breath and those Americans who are conservative in foreign policy, want no part of the UN or other internationalist institutions, are American nationalists, patriots, interventionists (on our terms alone) and support a manly American sovereignty exercised whenever necessary or desirable against America's enemies.

[Designer]

"I would have supported the reforming of Germany and Japan but I was born in 1946. I supported the reforming of the USSR. I think removing Saddam was the best way to force a change in the middle east. That doesn’t make me a “globalist”,"

Your posting here illustrates your complicit attitude. How can you claim otherwise?

[BlackElk]

No, Ronald Reagan was the real thing. PaleoPaulie and his love slaves are phony”cons” and never more so than when they desecrate Ronald Reagan’s memory by suggesting that he would have any tolerance whatsoever for the collective cowardice of paleoPaulie and the paleos and Paulistinians.

[Designer]

"..Americans who are conservative in foreign policy, want no part of the UN.."

Q: Which U.S. Congressman was the author and lead sponsor of H.R. 1146, "The American Sovreignty Restoration act"? (Bill to END U.S. funding of the United Nations.)

Get back at me when you find the answer.

[Dr.Deth]

No, it's not a rhetorical question. The terrorist does fear something. If it's not death that they fear then it must be something else. Like, not entering paradise.

So once again, why don't they fear us? Could it be because we're not sewing terrorists into pigskin sacks, sinking them to the bottom of the sea, and posting the video on YouTube?

[rineaux]

to go a little further, which president wants to continue to dismantle our sovereignty by signing the north american union which does not need congress approval?

clue, same president that told the american people he would sign the amnesty bill in the rose garden.