Posted on 07/20/2007 4:27:18 PM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
NEW YORK A feature piece in this coming Sunday's New York Times Magazine on Republican candidate for president, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, portrays his followers as including a wild mix of "wackos" on both ends of the political spectrum. Paul, a libertarian, has been gaining media and public attention of late.
The cover line reads: "A Genuine Radical for President." The headline inside: "The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug-Enforcement-Administration, Anti-medicare Candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul."
The article closes with the author, Christopher Caldwell, attending a Ron Paul Meetup in Pasadena. The co-host, Connie Ruffley of United Republicans of California, admits she once was a member of the radical right John Birch Society and when she asks for a show of hands "quite a few" attendees reveal that they were or are members, too. She refers to Sen. Dianne Feinstein as "Fine-Swine" and attacks Israel, pleasing some while others "walked out."
Caldwell notes that the head of the Pasadena Meetup Group, Bill Dumas, sent a desperate letter to Paul headquarters: "We're in a difficult position of working on a campaign that draws supporters from laterally opposing points of view, and we have the added bonus of attracting every wacko fringe group in the country....We absolutely must focus on Ron's message only and put aside all other agendas, which anyone can save for the next 'Star Trek' convention or whatever."
Asked about the John Birch Society Society by the author, Paul responds, "Is that BAD? I have a lot of friends in the John Birch Society. They're generally well-educated and they understand the Constitution. I don't know how many positions they would have that I don't agree with."
The writer concludes that the "antigovernment activists of the right and the antiwar activists of the left" may have "irreconciable" differences. But "their numbers -- and anger -- are of considerable magnitude. Ron Paul will not be the next president of the United States. But his candidacy gives us a good hint about the country the next president is going to have to knit back together."
Among many other things, we learn from the article that Paul had never heard of "The Daily Show" until he was a guest and referred to the magazine GQ as "GTU." It also notes that he was the only congress member to vote against the Financial Antiterrorism Act and a medal to honor Rosa Parks, among many others tallies, based on principle, not politics. He also is praised by liberal Rep. Barney Frank as "one of the easiest" members to work with because "he bases his positions on the merits of issues."
Ping.
I’m always seeing ‘the Birchers’ catching flak, why? What is it with the Birch Society that has everyone up in arms? I’ve seen this so many times but never asked.
They’re just catching up to what most of us already knew..
There are founding members of the Republican Liberty Caucus who are Holocaust survivors or children of Holocaust survivors, who know Paul personally, and none of them have ever spoken against Paul on matters relating to Israel and Jewish American issues as far as I know.
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/chad-mitchell-trio-the-john-birch-society-lyrics.html
The John Birch Society
by Michael Brown
Oh, we’re meetin’ at the courthouse at eight o’clock tonight
You just walk in the door and take the first turn to the right
Be careful when you get there, we hate to be bereft
But we’re taking down the names of everybody turning left
Oh, we’re the John Birch Society, the John Birch Society
Here to save our country from a communistic plot
Join the John Birch Society, help us fill the ranks
To get this movement started we need lots of tools and cranks
Now there’s no one that we’re certain the Kremlin doesn’t touch
We think that Westbrook Pegler doth protest a bit too much
We only hail the hero from whom we got our name
We’re not sure what he did but he’s our hero just the same
Oh, we’re the John Birch Society, the John Birch Society
Socialism is the ism dismalest of all
Join the John Birch Society, there’s so much to do
Have you heard they’re serving vodka at the WCTU?
Well you’ve heard about the agents that we’ve already named
Well MPA has agents that are flauntedly unashamed
We’re after Rosie Clooney, we’ve gotten Pinkie Lee
And the day we get Red Skelton won’t that be a victory
Oh we’re the John Birch Society, the John Birch Society
Norman Vincent Peale may think he’s kidding us along
But the John Birch Society knows he spilled the beans
He keeps on preaching brotherhood, but we know what he means
We’ll teach you how to spot ‘em in the cities or the sticks
For even Jasper Junction is just full of Bolsheviks
The CIA’s subversive and so’s the FCC
There’s no one left but thee and we, and we’re not sure of thee
Oh, we’re the John Birch Society, the John Birch Society
Here to save our country from a communistic plot
Join the John Birch Society holding off the Reds
We’ll use our hand and hearts and if we must we’ll use our heads
Do you want Justice Warren for your Commissar?
Do you want Mrs. Krushchev in there with the DAR?
You cannot trust your neighbor or even next of kin
If mommie is a commie then you gotta turn her in
Oh, we’re the John Birch Society, the John Birch Society
Fighting for the right to fight the right fight for the Right
Join the John Birch Society as we’re marching on
And we’ll all be glad to see you when we’re meeting in the John
The John, the John Birch So- ci- i- teee
FReepers siding with The New York Times against a constitutionalist Republican. This should be good.
His threads should be labeled buffoon alert
Just about “paranoid fantasy” of the Birchers has come to pass in modern America.
Saving this one for a Bircher friend. He is going to blow his lid...LOL.
Ron Paul is the Lyndon LaRouche of the right.
This whole thing stems from Rep. Paul voting against aid to Israel, something he routinely does with all foreign aid, on Constitutional principle. He is no antisemite, and I challenge anyone making that claim to back it up with something other than innuendo. Innuendo and slander is all there is, to this sort of thing. Ron Paul is the sole member of either House of Congress, who has consistently voted in a manner that is always Constitutional, over a period of decades. He may or may not be your ideal presidential candidate, and I sincerely doubt he has any chance at all, but please remember this, before you go and attack the man.
Do they know about Paul’s stance on Iran?
Although you know I didn't see anything about 'Israel haters' in the original title. Never mind, we can let that go eh? Always good to continue a slur that has no basis in reality.
Now tell me as a good 'conservative' which Republican should I really vote for that's going to waste my tax dollars here and abroad?
It is an eye opener, isn't it?
This stems from Paul voting against supporting Israel and condemning Hezbollah last year and actually equivocating the two.
It stems from Paul voting against condemning Iran’s president for denying the Holocaust because he thought it was “neocon” propaganda.
I don’t think he is an anti-Semite but he isn’t pro-Israel or a friend to the Jewish community in the least.
Please tell me you're not so toweringly, achingly stupid as to be unaware of what"[ ]" are, and what they're commonly used for; and that you're just play pretending.
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