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.”

[BlackElk]

Spell it properly: Cuckoocinich not cookoocinich. Let’s have a little respect from the paleo set for one of paleoPaulie’s verrrrry few Congressional admirers.

[rineaux]

your so cute with the name callings. your better than that, right?

the other candidates have NO intestinal fortitude.

dont know the american opinion but just read what the department of commerce is doing. it would have made it easier for w had the amnesty bill gone through. dont worry, it will be back on the table again for congress to vote on. not dead.

eliminate the income tax, abolish the federal reserve (yes, private bankers), not wanting to give china 5 billion of our tax dollars and nucular technology,paul is looking better and better every day.

w, who i supported has become more and more liberal every day on domestic policy.

the establishment is afraid of ron paul because everyone on both sides of the aisle are paying attention to him dispite the low media coverage that rudy, obama (what the f did he ever do) hillary and the rest of the candidates seem to bask in.

[CJ Wolf]

I thought I didn’t need to answer your questions. because they are rhetorical and won’t bring much to the debate, but here are the answers none-the-less:

“Woofie: If a resolution of Congress authorizing the use of military force against our nation’s enemies was headlined: A List of This Week’s Groceries to Be Bought, would it nonetheless be a Declaration of War?”

No.

“2nd Question: If a list of next week’s groceries to be purchased were printed as a Congressional Resolution and headlined: Declaration of War, would it be a constitutional declaration of war? “

No.

[The South Texan]

Must wear this to get into a Ron Paul event.

[JTN]

Run Fred, Run. I’d rather not have a loony for a president

You'd rather have someone who is pro-choice?

[JTN]

DreamsofPolycarp, that was the funniest post I have ever read on FR. Way to put italianquaker in his place. I hope you don’t mind if I quote you from now on, when I see this accusation.

[JTN]

Ronald Reagan was pretty openly hostile to Ron Paul, especially after Paul and the other cowards and/or anti-semites got together with the Democrats to betray Israel and force our retreat from Lebanon.

Source?

[italianquaker]

hmmm

[JTN]

I'm tired of trying to figure out "Why do they hate us," like the WashDotComPost was asking yesterday.

If you don't want to know what motivates terrorists, then be prepared to watch our government's actions create more of them.

[italianquaker]

I know you supporters need to laugh but him blaming America for 9-11 will always be associated with this buffoon. I do feel sorry for you in a way

[GraniteStateConservative]

I like Ron Paul just fine, but you must be totally regretting your screen name if you like Paul.

[DJ MacWoW]

If you don't want to know what motivates terrorists, then be prepared to watch our government's actions create more of them.

We brought 9/11 on ourselves?! That is a huge pile of bull. Ever actually READ muslim history or the Qu'ran? They have been taking countries by conquest for centuries. Their goal is a worldwide Caliphate. Only the naive believe otherwise.

[Allegra]

I Prefer This Approach

Warning: Some explicit language.

[1035rep]

That’s was great! Thanks Allegra.

[cripplecreek]

The islamderthals keep saying that the world will live under the law of allah and those who resist will die. I’d like to know what Ron Paul thinks he will do to counter that.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

The islamderthals keep saying that the world will live under the law of allah and those who resist will die. I’d like to know what Ron Paul thinks he will do to counter that.

Don't know what the hell an 'islamerthal' happens to be, but to answer your question, it's real simple:

The right to keep and bear arms, as is presently the case of 95 million Americans with approximately 217 Million guns.

The bastards want to die as martyrs for Allah the moon god, we're willing to make that happen if they come after us here.

Simple.

It as absurd to think that a culture that for the most part, cannot be bombed back into the stone age ~cause they're already in the stone age~ is somehow a threat to us.

We're loosing more people per day to abortion alone than died on 9/11. We loose more to Automibile accidents every year than we lost in 9/11, Iraq, and Afghanistan COMBINED.

So, why do anything, it's an empty threat.

[cripplecreek]

So how many guns will stop a nuke? And yes they are gaining the means of delivery.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

What nuke?

Apparently you know something that our Government doesn’t know. Care to enlighten us?

[ejonesie22]

While I consider my self a pretty good shot, and have some pretty good fire power down in my gun locker, I really can’t seem to come up anything in my arsenal to stop an Iranian Missile or the fallout from a nuke brought in and detonated near my house.

It is not the stone age mentality that I worry about, its the 12th century man with access to the locker full of 21st century technology...

Oh and to your numbers at the end. For the 100k plus that maybe killed as a result of one of these nuts, it will be small comfort that the odds were in their favor up to that point.

[ejonesie22]

You know you are right! You have convinced me!

We will just wait until one of the missing Russian nukes, one that was made in Iran under the cover of darkness or somewhere else blows up in Tulsa or Austin or LA or where ever, then we will know for sure!

Of course the 100K plus fatalities may have another opinion, but who cares, they’re dead!