Diary Of A Mad Voter: Jessica Peck Corry
Why Ron Paul Matters
By Jessica Peck Corry, 2-07-08
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Donating to Ron Paul’s presidential bid is like paying homage to that part of you that will never forget what it was like to be the last one picked in third grade kickball. In a country of self-loathing former underdogs, it’s no wonder that Paul’s long shot campaign for the White House managed to rake in nearly $20 million from eager contributors in the last quarter alone.
At a Friday campaign stop in Denver, the Texas Republican Congressman spoke to a standing room only crowd of 2,000 supporters-nearly double the number that came out earlier in the day to cheer on ordained front-runner Mitt Romney.
Paul’s speech was greeted with the eagerness of a religious revival. One supporter broke down in tears at the microphone as she described Paul as her “hero.” Sitting next to me in the front row was a 61-year-old lifelong Republican. She said she had never missed an opportunity to vote in her four decades of eligibility. Without Dr. Paul (this is how the obstetrician’s supporters affectionately refer to him) she said she would have sat this election out. She says she is most motivated by his anti-war stance. When greeted by a 20-something activist, they both nod in unison about their frustration with the drug war.
The interaction is a familiar one. This is not your father’s Republican party.
Dred-locked hippies stand united with Christian homeschoolers. Democrats and independents also pepper the crowd, proclaiming our need for renewable energy initiated within the private sector. There are no staged applause lines. On multiple occasions, an impromptu chant begins, “Ron Paul Revolution! Give us back our Constitution!” On stage, Paul is greeted by a drum line dressed as Revolutionary War soldiers.
Outside such venues, it’s tempting to write Paul off. Despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of voters supported him in this week’s “Super Tuesday” caucuses and primaries, he still failed to register on the national radar. His exceptional support in Western states, including Montana, where he came in second only to Romney, and Arizona, where he garnered nearly 20,000 votes, pales in comparison to the millions of votes the GOP’s other candidates, including Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, received.
So why pay attention to Paul?
The people are listening. In the fourth quarter, he topped all other GOP candidates in fundraising. His $19.9 million was trailed by Rudy Giuliani’s $14.4 million, Romney’s $9.1 million, Fred Thompson’s $8.9 million, McCain’s $6.8 million, and Huckabee’s $6.6 million.
People are writing checks as a way to tell the establishment to stick it. They are also sending in their dollar bills because Paul has managed to communicate a message that his party has long failed to articulate. While once the GOP proudly touted its mantra of individual rights and responsibility, it has succumbed to the sucker punches of liberals of late who preach that conservatives don’t care about the poor, the disenfranchised or - at times - even our nation’s children.
Liberals are, of course, wrong. But in this election, Dr. Paul is the only one willing to take them on. In the aftermath of George W. Bush’s failed presidency, he is, ironically, the shot in the arm many Republicans need to help build back up their confidence.
He believes - as all Republicans should - that government is an impediment to growth, liberty, and progress - not the provider of it. Also important in an era when Republicans are torn about social issues, including gay marriage and abortion, Paul believes we can have morality without government forcing it upon us.
When asked what makes him so popular, Paul shrugs his shoulders. “Freedom is popular,” he responds, obviously humbled by the crowds who gather to greet him in city after city.
While the message is appealing, the messenger is not always as polished as he should be. At times, Paul comes off like an angry grandfather at Thanksgiving dinner. The other candidates try to nod and smile politely at his conspiracy theories on U.S. foreign policy. Someone then passes the gravy. Both literally and figuratively, as Paul’s fellow candidates eagerly outline their agendas for an ever-larger federal government.
Republican insiders will tell you that Paul can’t win. At this point, they’re right. But his actual support is largely downplayed due to the fact that many Republicans who say they identify with his values are scared to support his candidacy. They hold back because they believe he’s too radical to win a general election.
This is a sad indictment of the era we live in. A push for smaller government is considered radical. Indeed, a closer look reveals that Paul is a revolutionary not because the content of his libertarian ideas are extreme. It’s because the time in which he is espousing them in is plagued with bi-partisan apathy toward our ever-growing federal debt and deficit.
While a growing number of Americans are identifying consistently with Paul’s message, it would be naïve to suggest that his candidacy could lead to the emergence of a viable third party. Just ask Green Party candidate Ralph Nader and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot about that. Third party candidates are, plain and simple, spoilers.
Paul’s chances for victory may be non-existent, but his impact could still be immense. Libertarianism will no longer be relegated to the side stage. It is front and center as Americans become increasingly frustrated with the nanny-statism propagated by both the Left and the Right.
On an optimistic day, perhaps we can hope Paul’s candidacy will remind his fellow Republicans of the values they proclaim on their party platform. Regardless, in the aftermath of his great adventure, each of us - well, at least the third-grade versions of ourselves - can say a little cheer for the kid who made it past the first cut.
Editor’s note: Jessica Peck Corry’s weekly blogs are part of NewWest.Net/Politics’ “Diary of a Mad Voter” feature, a group blog, published in partnership with the Denver Post’s Politics West intended give a glimpse into the hearts and minds of several independent-minded voters and thinkers in the Rocky Mountain West in the ‘08 election cycle. For more columns check in with www.newwest.net/madvoter. And for more information on each of the bloggers, click here.
Everything else being equal among the candidates, the bigoted, racist newsletters that came out under Ron Paul's name will forever relegate him to being a quirky footnote in the history of American politics. Even libertarians disowned him See: http://www.reason.com/news/show/124426.html
Comment By flounder, 2-07-08Craig, I agree. The reason Ron Paul matters is he wrote or claimed to write racist stuff for twenty plus years, and the media never saw fit to bring it up except to note Paul's lukewarm denials and patently unbelievable denials. The takeaway message is that ordering your cheesesteak the wrong way or paying too much for a haircut is more important to the political media than racism.
Comment By Liberty for all!, 2-07-08Thanks for the story. Ron Paul will be remembered as the person who revived the U.S. Constitution. The person who revived hope in people who had given up. The racism thing is small potatoes and will only be brought up by small minded people who are afraid to live without the big government security blanket.
Comment By Chad_Underdonk, 2-07-08Craig, that's BS. It always has been. If you actually do a bit of research instead of parroting what others say you might stumble across the truth. Most of the non-politically correct things in those articles are either a) stripped of their context b) were in fact how the national media and or our government reported them or c) were not at all despicable in the time they were written, i.e. before the politically correctness became the mantra. Of course in todays day and age where we can ban "Uncle Tom's Cabin" from a library because it usually an anti-PC word for African Americans I have little hope for anyone being able to see those phrases as out of context. Just the hint of impropriety is enough now. You might as well also link to a libertarian explanation of why some libertarians are trying to disown him as well: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/why_the_beltway_libertarians_are_trying_to_smear_ron_paul/
Comment By Bentley, 2-07-08Craig Moore. lies. just a smear campaign.
you are jealous of his authentic success among honest american citizens. His honesty is a mirror on you.
The articles author & two critics are typical worker bee drones who
parroting 9-5 nonsense.
There's greater things to worry about than if someone is racist or not, or allowed someone to publish racist things..... John Mc Cain said "gook", why not attack that? It's okay to be racist against asians but not blacks? Get a life.
Comment By Lynn, 2-07-08Craig and Flounder, I have to disagree. How can Ron Paul be a racist when he's endorsed by the president of the NAACP? See this article:
http://www.usadaily.com/article.cfm?articleID=227844
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion about Ron Paul for his positions on issues such as the economy or the Iraq war, but to say that the media is trying to help him in any way is ridiculous. I would venture to say that you two don't even know what Ron Paul's positions are on the issues because that same media has not given him any voice. The only time he's mentioned in the mainstream media is as a "long shot" or "fringe" candidate.
If you are trying to persuade people to your point of view, personal attacks on Ron Paul are a weak argument. See how your candidate stacks up to him on FactCheck.org. All of the other candidates have been caught in (to put it nicely) inaccurate statements; you won't find Ron Paul's name anywhere except in the list of debate participants.
Chad, Reason magazine is a libertarian publication. Your argument is essentially that the figure under the white sheet is Casper the Friendly Ghost.
From the Reason article that I linked above:
>>>>>>>>
The tenor of Paul's newsletters changed over the years. The ones published between Paul's return to private life after three full terms in congress (1985) and his Libertarian presidential bid (1988) notably lack inflammatory racial or anti-gay comments. The letters published between Paul's first run for president and his return to Congress in 1996 are another story—replete with claims that Martin Luther King "seduced underage girls and boys," that black protesters should gather "at a food stamp bureau or a crack house" rather than the Statue of Liberty, and that AIDS sufferers "enjoy the attention and pity that comes with being sick."
<<<<<<<<<<
Ok then, Flounder and Craig. Let's focus on a wedge issue that has been disavowed already instead of the root of the problems in America.
Jessica, while you're right on a lot of these things, you're falling right in line with saying "he is unelectable" when he's still in the election.
You should join the rEVOLution, instead of watching from the sidelines and saying "can't".
The media never see's fit to bring up anything about Dr. Paul, it's not because they care about cheesesteake or haircuts. They care about maintaing the status quo.
Comment By Patrick, 2-07-08To those who still think Ron Paul is racist:
If you read what was actually written, you'll see much of it was written as bitter satire, lambasting the way the media and government treated minorities. It actually quite obvious if you take some time and read it for yourself instead of just taking the media's word.
I am a journalist for a national newspaper myself, and let me tell you: we are NOT impartial. The media should not be trusted as the final word. Check EVERYTHING you read, and be as suspicious as your mind will allow, because everything you read is written with a motive, whether conscious or not.
Bentley, please re-read what I wrote. I made NO claim that Ron Paul is a racist. I said the bigoted, racist writings that were distributed as newsletters under his name prevent him from being a serious candidate. No other candidate has this problem. The Reason magazine article that I linked fully describes the situation. How Ron Paul has handled this situation over the years is rather underwhelming. I suggest you read it.
Comment By Turbo, 2-07-08Oh , Romneys out. That's seven candidates from eleven gone, and only two left to knock out. McCain should be a cinch. Aah lets see, Vietnamese collaborator. Lying Liberal. CFR traitor.
Check out youtube video "Look out juan mccain"
And GO RON PAUL !
If you believe in freedom, and vote against freedom you deserve tyranny.
Comment By Craig Moore, 2-07-08If you find the names 'freedom' and 'tyranny' as the choices on your ballot, I suggest you are voting in the state of confusion.
Comment By Gene, 2-07-08Take a look around you, how dumb is the average American. We have John McCain supporters within the GOP. How Marxist, how sad. John McCain supporters? Meanwhile Ron Paul is being called a "radical."
Thinking Americans, get out of dollars, NOW. It's not worth going down with the very mediocre Americows.
Calling Americans 'Americows' probably costs Ron Paul at least a million votes among the undecided. His pathway to ignominy is paved with such nonsense as per his newsletters demonstrate.
Comment By unsi, 2-07-08after ron paul won nv... the media wanted to make guiliani the front runner... and ignore pauls second place win even though guiliani had never made a second place win
mccains face is swelling up from the cancer again ... that is what it looks like to me
nothing better to do craig?
Comment By Veri Tas, 2-07-08To craig moore- Thanks for confirming that there are "some" Americans willfully ignorant rather than just stupid. You also have confirmed the failure of public schools, your disconnect with your reasoning skills is quite awful.
Also, I am black and I don't believe the racist propaganda, we are over playing the race card, aren't we? There are many other pressing issues at hand, for example our national sovereignty, our weakened dollar, our borders, the stripping of our civil liberties, our occupation of Iraq need I list more? I am thankful there is such a man that is worthy being called the President of the United States, Ron Paul by far is that man.
Ignorance is not bliss. Ron Paul tried to get us back in touch with the supreme law of the land, but the people just want to be part of a personality cult and " share their feelings." We really do, in the long run, get the government we deserve.
Comment By Craig Moore, 2-07-08Veritas???? As in 'truth?' What would a sockpuppet who cowardly hides behind a nom-de-guerre know about truth?
Comment By David Cisco, 2-07-08Freedom = Ron Paul
Comment By taxpayer, 2-07-08McMoron Craig & Flip Flop Flounder- Which of you is the warmonger that's too much of a wuss to enlist ...and which of you is on welfare? Please do tell who you support.
Comment By mgginva, 2-07-08Boy let me tell ya I've read a lot of crap in the 6 months I've been supporting Dr. Paul. My hat's off. Lets have a cup of coffee - I am shamelessly flirting w/ u 4 ur ability to not spew BS. I hope u stay in the game and give us more truth and meaningful prose. Congrats.
love ya babe
sorry too much of a movie buff
Ron Paul has only 14 delegates. It takes something like 1191 to win the R nomination. For those that are not wilfully and blissfully ignorant please demonstrate the math that gets him to the checkered flag first. McCain has 703. Wishful dreaming gets nowhere. Remember, if frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their butts hopping across the ground.
If Paul decides to leave the party and run as an independent (read, sore loser), that would make him a fraud and a hypocrite for having gone down the R path.
Paul's choice is to either exit the race as gracefully as possible or leave being an exposed hypocrite. He can't have it both ways.
I knew that as soon as I commented on a Ron Paul article his shock troops would be out in force. Alway are. Do you you guys sit on a 24-7 feed over at the Stormfront headquarters and monitor this stuff in between printing your Freemen money?
Ron Paul wrote racist stuff and things about how fags should pay the price for AIDS and whatnot for twenty years and you guys loved it.
Now I can't stand Sean Hannity, but I almost felt sorry for the creep when I saw that video of all those angry skinheads chasing him through the streets.
That racist article was dealt with in the 1990's when he ran for congress. Those responsible were dealt with. Haters need to come to grips with that its old news and handled. Ron Paul for the long haul.
Comment By Craig Moore, 2-07-08Flounder, get your popcorn ready, we are going to see how many moonbats can dance on the head of a pin.
Comment By taxpayer, 2-07-08McMoron Craig & Flip Flop Flounder-
Did I hit a nerve?
Ron Paul has said time again that he's not going to run third party. He will stay in the republican party because he is a true republican...to take the party back from the warmonger neocon fascists that have hijacked it.
Comment By jimmy dean, 2-07-08Ron Paul for the Long Haul!!!!
Go Ron. Who loves ya baby!?
Ron Paul is THE man.
No, Mr. (Craig) Moore, you did not say Ron Paul was a racist, but you have certainly insinuated it. And I would say that the caustic tenor of your insinuation and multiple retorts reveal an absolute sense of hostility against Ron Paul as well as well as any so-called "sockpuppet" that may support him.
So please open up and tell us why you really hate Ron Paul. I'm sure you have some truly genuine reasons and you should enlighten us to the "truth". Don't hold anything back. Surely there is more than what a few losers wrote in his newsletter 1 or 2 decades ago. Is it his position on the war, Craig? Perhaps you fear Ron Paul would allow the country to be overrun by "Islamofascists" who want to kill us for our freedom? Or is it the constant harping about the Constitution that is driving you crazy? Maybe you're offended by the way Ron Paul questions Ben Bernanke at congressional hearings? As someone who has such a lock-solid grasp upon the "truth", you can enlighten us, Craig.
Ron Paul is the only man who can save this country now. Come back and read this post in 3 years. We'll be in the midst of a depression worse than 1929. Only Ron Paul understands how to fix this sinking ship. McCain? Please. America will never recover from a McCain presidency. Wake up America. Vote for Ron Paul, he's our last chance.
Comment By Todd, 2-07-08Wow, guys.... lighten up. I am a die-hard Paul supporter as well, but Craig and Flounder have every right to their opinions. In fact Craig seems very reasonable and makes some good points.
An ad hominem argument such as name calling doesn't really
prove your point and just makes you (us) look like the "kooks" the main stream would like to convince the world we are.
But Craig, I think Ron Paul has closer to 40+ delegates (not that that is close to being enough either).
The only way a republican could win is if it"s Paul otherwise it would have to be stolen via votefraud by McCain or some other seedy tactic. I will not push Ron Paul to run third party. he's very intelligent and when he says he won't and explains why...he means it.
Comment By taxpayer, 2-07-08Did Todd just scold me for picking at McMoron and Flip Flounder?
I was just having a little fun. :-)
You don't think this is over so soon, do you?
You don't think the good doctor is finished, do you?
The future begins here, it does not end here.
Let us not forget, there is hope.
RP08
Great piece of writing Ms. Corry.
"Truth is treason in the empire of lies." - Ron Paul
Champion of the Constitution - protector of Freedom and Liberty
"Paul’s chances for victory may be non-existent"
Its too bad that the best conservative, a NON CFR MEMBER, with the best intentions for America has NO CHANCE in a year an African American and women does. This must be the equal opportunity they have been telling us about.
Hmmm my first stop to this site.
let me get this straight in speech in Colorado(the west) a westerner says without an apparent note of irony that government is only an impediment. Huh? wah? the government was all over building the west we have. you like water, you like irrigation, who built all the dams and water projects? who built the highways? did the railroads get immense help in moving out west so that they could, you know, bring western stuff back east? Like your military bases? i live in Alaska a pretty damn libertarian state. none of the "libertarians" ever want to get rid of the military bases.D'OH.
but than again i actually think i like freedom. guess i'm wrong since i'm not a paul supporter. i wonder where i went wrong.
McCain's Amnesty plan should include military obligations for those wanting citizenship! That's the only way I'd feel comfortable as a fiscal conservative allowing these constitutional law-breakers bite into our already broken social security and medicare/aid systems.
I’m tired of people thinking our government should take care of us from cradle to grave!!!
Most democrats that I have discussed politics with don’t realize that they are actually republicans, because Bush is a poor example of what the traditional republican party stands for!! Most Dems belong to this party because “that’s what their parents told them”! I encourage all republicans to tell dems that we are for low taxes, low government involvement and reward THE WORKING MIDDLE CLASS, NOT THE GOVERNEMENT HANDOUT, TAX AND SPEND DEMOCRATS. Just because you’re parents had a union job, doesn’t make you a democrat…do your homework.
If you are educated, believe you can make your own decisions, are tired of the government giving more and more of your hard-earned dollars to the lazy welfare state. Wake up and realize that the democratic party punishes you for working hard by taking more of your paycheck…Hillary is talking about further garnishing our wages for government healthcare! I only wish that the government would let us see this money FIRST, and require us to send our income tax to them on a monthly basis…ONLY THEN, would you realize how much you are already paying for nothing.
Despite popular opinion, income tax does not go to building roads and bridges people….income tax goes straight towards the debt interest we owe China!
Ron Paul!
He'll take us back:
To the eighteenth century...
The idea of asking the government to take control of our healthcare is like asking Brittany Spears to Baby-sit our children. Look at how they treat our Veterans, VA Hospitals are a mess. The DMV is run by the government, I’ve never had great service there either!!!
I think we shouldn't pay welfare past the second child, as a tax payer, I'd rather my money be spent on the children of "single mothers" our government created with this war in Iraq. I'd rather pay for the childcare of a serviceman, than the lazy that are ambitionless and sucking social programs dry!!! I PAY TAXES, BUT NO ONE IS ASKING MY OPINION ON HOW THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SPEND IT....I'm mad!!
Our country is bankrupt and we are selling out to communists!! China and Hillary Clinton!!
I've learned more about the American government from listening to RP than my four years of high school, two undergraduate degrees and an MBA!
It's time to wake up and pay attention to where our money is going!!
That is a VERY good column Teli!
Comment By Wanda Case, 2-07-08FEAR....is what is holding back this candidate.
People that are afraid to support a true statesman will be the first to whine about what they end up with! More of the same! And they will deserve it.
Ron Paul is truly trying to save the US from self destruction!
Open your eyes and ears, and get out of that hand out line, and live within your means!
Ugh!
It never fails to amuse how a guy (Mc Cain) who traded his patriotism against america while his fellow soldiers languished, was involved in the Keating 5 Savings & Loan scandal, is friendly towards Ted Kennedy could possibly get so many delegates in Super Tuesday.
And why is it hardly ever brought up?
America evidently is full of under educated worker bee drones who think they are somehow not having to pay for their 'FREE" tax rebate check.
Well maybe they won't, but their children & grandchildren will.
Instead of that tax rebate check....why don't we get some of the big chunks of money we all spent overpaying at the pump this year?
Oil company record profits a coincidence? I doubt it as our government approves oil company mergers as fast as possible creating a monopoly situation & then prices go up, up, up !!!
The people in power in this country are in control of the mainstream media as well.
You are currently living under the illusion of freedom.
If you think you don't, you are a inexperienced fool.
In my business in Las Vegas.... i constantly see Saudi's & Chinese coming here on vacation, mostly in big groups & all wearing $3,000 dollar tailored Armani suits & the women wearing all couture designer fashions.
Spending money like it is going out of style.
You work your a** off & never see your family, can barely pay your bills & then you vote for Hillary, Obama or Mc Cain hoping for 'Change'. lol
Good luck with that. You are living in a dream world.
Our politicians are mostly bought & paid for.
Today was another beautiful day for Ron Paul and his supporters. Mitt Romney has dropped out! Your article was nicely written, but you are underestimating Dr. Ron Paul's strategy and brilliance. He is the tortoise that is going to beat the hare. He knows exactly what he's doing and how many delegates he's going to need.
Yes, he matters very, very much and he is loved and admired by his thousands of supporters, growing every day. He can do no wrong in our eyes, for he speaks the truth that we all want to hear. For a lot of us, he has brought us back to life and we are so grateful. He has made us realize how desperately we want our country back, and he is the type of humble, kind man we need to lead us as our next President.
PRESIDENT RON PAUL 2008
I do love all this newfound idealism and all, but unless there is 100 Ron Pauls in the Senate and 435 Ron Pauls in the House, I don't see him being able to do much in the way of "change". Presidents have limited tangible political power, and unless American politics itself changes, then the bullet train to America's demise as The superpower will not change either. While I enjoy being idealistic, I also enjoy being realistic and not getting caught up in promises from people running in what amounts to a popularity contest (that we, as regular old voters, only participate in indirectly).
If America collectively decides to not be the World's Great Overseer anymore, then maybe we can make it.
" The other candidates try to nod and smile politely at his conspiracy theories on U.S. foreign policy. "
So now I guess sound money policies are dubbed" conspiracy theories on U.S. foreign policy" Even as shops in NYC are starting to accept only Euroes.. Ron Pauls message on saving the US dollar is being laughed at. I just hope and pray to GOD that all the sheeple who voted for McCain and Huckabee end up losing their houses and jobs from the horrible economic woes that are facing us down the road. Maybe then the sheeple will awaken...but it will be far to late.
It is time to take actions into our own hands...
I propose we do a highway billboard campaign. Take a few hundred bucks and buy a billboard on your favorite highway with a BIG RP sign.
Use the power of direct media against them that would use it against us.
I find it interesting that Jessica can claim that Ron Paul matters because of his stance on the Constitution, but in previous articles has decried the stance of the ACLU in protecting that very same document.
Comment By Grant Williams, 2-08-08You know, in movies, where after two hours of eluding and fighting the bad guy, once you have finally blown him up with the nitroglycerin truck or smashed him in the industrial steel press, just as you relax and begin to take a deep breath, his maniacal head or arm twitches one last time - causing the hair on the back of your neck to stand up - just in time to for the bittersweet victory music to kick in and the villan to finally, actually die for good this time?
Well, I hate to compare Mr. Paul to a monomaniacal robot from the future because I agree with his ideas, but what we are witnessing in his sudden, inexplicable surge of popularity are the death throws of a once great and free nation teetering on the precipise of socialist, totalitarian dictatorship (after economic collape and social chaos, of course) - which knows it is helpless to do anything about it.
A paleoconservative who treats the US Constitution - venerable as it is - with the same blind, traditional-laden reverence that Mike Huckabee treats the Bible and Hillary Clinton treats Das Kapital, ultimately, will be worthless in preserving liberty. A nation of altruists - blindly following the political doctrines of a nation of egoists - cannot and will not survive; no matter how successful Ron Paul is.
Craig,
So, what about if someone was actually a member of the Klu Klux Klan who is a senior senator? Aka Robert "Sheets" Byrd? Or what about the Clintons trying to use race to divide people in SC? Or what about Biden saying Obama is a "clean black". How patronizing! What about Hillary saying LBJ did more to get something done with "civil" rights than MLK? Liberals are the biggest racists, using race rivalry to gain power, pitting each group against each other. Just like the British in India, pitting muslims and hindus against each other to conquer and divide. Giving out federal bread crumbs to buy votes.
On the contrary, from the amount of comments here, it is Craig and I that have hit a nerve.
Oh and it wasn't one racist article, it was twenty years of them.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=74978161-f730-43a2-91c3-de262573a129
Good luck with your Freemen money and your white sheet parties.
Unfortunately it took segregationist Governor Wallace to reveal the truth that "there's not a dime's worth of difference between" Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats willingly went along with the War in Iraq, suspension of Habeas Corpus, detaining protesters, banning books like "America Deceived' from Amazon, stealing private lands (Kelo decision), warrant-less wiretapping and refusing to investigate 9/11 properly. They are both guilty of treason.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save this great nation.
Last link (before Google Books bends to gov't Will and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0
Ron Paul, February 2nd on the MTV/Myspace debate:
"...under the rules of compassion and morality and as individuals ... we all have an obligation to do whatever we can [to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan]..."
He just lost my vote.
Oh and if you guys didn't notice, right below this article is one about Real ID. Now I would have thought that the Real ID law and overreach of the Federal government into what is traditionally a state's issue would be troubling to a bunch of alleged Libertarians, but not a single one of you bothered to leave a comment there about a issue that should be dear to heart of real Libertarians. Does this mean we have a bunch of hero worshippers and "poseur" Libertarians here? I can't see it any other way.
Comment By Zephram Stark, 2-08-08We did better in Round One than we expected. Now it's on to rounds Two (delegate coup), Three (independent ticket), Four (control of the House of Representatives) or Five (dissent to anything unconstitutional, along with mutual defense). We only need to win one of the rounds to get rid of the IRS that is funding this despotism, and frankly there is no way to lose Round Five if it comes to that.
The people of the United States simply no longer recognize an unconstitutional federal government. We have seen the result and we will not finance it.
flounder, I get the impression that instead of running for president as a republican, some of the people here think Mr. Paul's party affiliation is a dodge as he seeks the office as Emporer or Führer to save the race from the cutches of government.
Comment By Craig Moore, 2-08-08CaptTofu, none of that matters regarding Ron Paul. Re-read my first comment. He has NO chance given his self-created mess that will forever keep him marginalized. That's the reality. The press would crucify him if he ever became serious. The AP gives him only 14 delegates at this time. Given the proportional nature of many of the remaing primaries he has NO shot at the nomination. Do the math. He either exists gracefully like Romney, or he can go out a sore loser and becomes a hyocrite if he starts a 3rd party effort. Whatever his choice, he is finished. All the chanting like a bunch of red book reading Maoists doesn't change that.
Comment By Nicky, 2-08-08Gee, if you want to point fingers at the racist, what about Obama's church... this was on their website until they recently yanked it.
BTW... when reading this if you mentally insert WHITE for every instance of BLACK, you end up with something that sounds like it was written by the KKK.
**********************************
Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the BLACK Value System written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These BLACK Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools,
wherever BLACKS are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:
1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the BLACK Community
3. Commitment to the BLACK Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the BLACK Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the BLACK Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting BLACK Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all BLACK leadership who espouse and embrace the BLACK Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the BLACK Value System.
*************************************
Now don't you think that if any other candidate's church talked about the WHITE Community, WHITE Institutions, and the WHITE Value System that it would have gotten just a wee bit more attention from the Liberal Media than this has???
ATTENTION RON PAUL SUPPORTERS! The McMorons are just as scared of Ron Pauls Support as McCain is scared of Ron Paul. They are going out of their way to be the first to post a comment that is negative. I've noticed this quite a bit so let's just ignore them and as they spew their vileness we will follow the lead of Ron Paul and rise above them. Let's not engage with them as they're below us. Did you see the terror on McCains face when he realized that he was going to be asked a question of Ron Paul? And ofcourse his answer exposed his ignorance. So let's ignore the Mcmorons as they spew venom and seethe in their own feces.
Comment By Craig Moore, 2-08-08Paulitician, not scared at all. <g>
The vileness came from many years of newsletters under Ron Paul's name as he raked in the dough from the appeal to racism, bigotry, and hate. See the Reason magazine article I linked in my first comment.
Please demonstrate how as an R, RP gets the nod. Not one of you apologists has yet to step up and take us through the math. Declaring a revolt gets you nowhere except maybe jail. So what are you guys intending to do when RP is cast aside and ignored?
Many of us intend to run for Local, State, and National positions. One man, Ron Paul, may not win. But the thousands of like minded real republicans that he has inspired will win, and before you know it, congress and the senate will be full of people just like Ron Paul.
By the way, why is it that everyone thinks McCain has this locked? He needs 1,100 delegates to get the nomination. Right now, it does not look like that will happen. That means that the GOP nomination will be brokered at the convention. Meaning McCain, Huckabee, and Paul will all have a shot at it come August. Only during the first vote (McCain will have less than 1,100 delegates) are the delegates required to vote based on the primaries. And the funny thing is, a lot of the delegates are actually Ron Paul supporters. This should be interesting!
Now, if Ron Paul does win, can he do what he needs to with the current house and senate?
Well, he would be the commander and chief, so he could bring all the troops home and station them on our borders without congress and the senate.
As to the bloated budget this one would be a little tougher. However, he could simply veto the rediculous budget after it passes the house and senate. Now the house and senate could pass it anyways with a 2/3 majority but would they do this? They have their future electibility to worry about after all. And with all of the energized real republicans now vying for their positions, they would be sweating this decision big time. I think they revise the budget to what President Paul would want in a futile attempt to save their political careers.
The bottom line is this. The United States of America (and the world for that matter) is at a crucial point in history. Change is on the horizon. Will people choose Freedom or will they choose the status-quo and continue on with the slow infestation of micro-management.
Either way, change is on the horizon.
If people choose Freedom it will be a hard-won fight. But the outcome will be much better.
If people choose the status-quo, it may seem easier. That is until one morning you wake up to a world with no freedoms, a world where your security demands that you live in shackles. A world where wars occur every day (oh wait we already have that), the majority of people live in abject poverty with no hope (hmm, sounds familiar), and the government decides who you can talk too, how you can worship, and what medical care you will or will not be entitled to (that seems to be a promise of the current crop of presidential "front-runners").
So its up to people to make this decision. The choice is yours.
James, how do Freemen bucks spend in a campaign? Do you have to file those with the FEC?
Comment By James, 2-08-08I have no clue to what you are refering when you speak of "Freemen bucks".
The only bucks that I am aware of that are in use in the US are Federal Reserve Notes.
If you would like to have an intelligent discussion perhaps you can address the issues.
Hey flounder, how do you scratch your head when it is so far up your butt?
Comment By Craig Moore, 2-08-08James, as I have said, if frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their butts hopping across the ground.
The American Thinker had an interesting article on Ron Paul's brand of freedom: http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/11/the_ron_paul_campaign_and_its.html
I ask New West to take note that someone identifying themself as me is a fraud. I did not write the statement about children.
It's too bad that RP people are such cowards to use their own names.
...and Mr. fears, I am standing directly in your way. Your liberty is not dependent on me giving you anything. Your liberty depends on your actions. Break the law and your liberty is forfeit.
So Mr. fears, I am not going to give you liberty. Now, how about your threat on my life? Is that what Ron Paul calls on your ilk to do?
You and your minions of cowardly jackbooted nom-de gurerres are toothless cranks. <g!>
This is why Ron Paul matters to me:
http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
I very much care about this country and it's people. I'm not about to support McCain or the Clintons for the final chapter in the destruction of this great country.
Ron Paul should start a whole new party called the Conservative Party because it seems there are no real conservatives in the Republican Party anymore. That would be a third party he would not be a hypocrite to be a part of. That or the Republican party should change their name to the War Party because apparently that is all they care about anymore. And hey, Ron Paul would never be a part of the War Party so you could end up having your unanimously passed patriot acts and socialized oppression.
Here is your choice:
John McCain - More War(s), no loyalty to platform or values of the platform
Ron Paul - Less-to-no war(s), Party Loyalty AND upholds the values of the party platform. Hell he is running on G.W.Bush's 2000 Campain stump.
Ron Paul is also the only one left that has ever even been endorsed by Reagan. So is Reagan a "moonbat" too?
Another imposter wrote:
>>>>>>>
By Craig Moore, 2-08-08
I am from the future fears
<<<<<<<<
I ask New West to take note that someone identifying themself as me is a fraud. I did not write this statement.
Mr. fears, what a gelded comeback. No courage whatsoever on your part. The followers of David Duke and the Vanguard News Network are Ron Paul supporters. Others are Holocaust deniers. That is who you associate with. That is your burning cross to bear Mr. "Get in my way, you will burn. Give me liberty or DIE!" What a load of spineless manure coming from a faceless coward.
Another imposter wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
By Craig Moore, 2-08-08
I am a noobface and I will vote for a CFR member because I am a communist.
<<<<<<<<<<
I ask New West to take note that someone identifying themself as me is a fraud.
Now we've got the imitators coming out. Stay classy, I know it's hard wearing a bedsheet and all. Btw, did you guys migrate over from the Casper Star Tribune website?
Comment By Tom, 2-08-08Craig,
Can you please explain your position? Who are you supporting?
All you seem to be doing is saying negative things. Show me something positive about what you believe.
If you can't do that then I have to assume that you are simply trying to bash other peoples candidate. For what reason I do not know.
I always thought the whole idea behind America was the free expression of ideas which leads to a better country "by the people". This is the #1 problem in our country, if you do not agree with someone bash them! If you truly want to benefit the country then argue the issues. If you have strong evidence on your side then you will convince others as well.
But, just like the current establishment, you choose negative campaign ads that do not address the issues. Just like them, you simply focus an undue amount of attention on a non-event and blow it out of proportion to discredit others views.
Flounder,
Is it just me or was that a KKK reference?
Again, it appears that both Flounder and Craig are using racial images to distract people from the real issues that Ron Paul brings up.
Shame on you both!
From Craig "as I have said, if frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their butts hopping across the ground"
Maybe frogs can fly and they just like bumping their butts!
Is that why you and Flounder are not flying?
"Craig and Flounder, I have to disagree. How can Ron Paul be a racist when he's endorsed by the president of the NAACP? See this article:
http://www.usadaily.com/article.cfm?articleID=227844"
I don't understand why people still think Ron Paul is racist. Did you guys not read this post by Lynn at the beginning of this thread? Check out the link.
James, did YOU bother to check out those claims????
Nelson Lynder is what??????
Nelson Lynder's EXACT quote regarding Ron Paul is what?????
Did Nelson Lynder make his statement before or AFTER learning of racist hate groups who support RP, and learning of RP's racist, bigoted, and hate filled newsletters designed to rake in the dough from racist, bigoted, and hate filled groups????
Please answer these questions.
Jason, do your homework. Read the Reason magazine and American Thinker articles that I linked for all. Then read this: http://www.skeeterbitesreport.com/2008/01/racist-rantings-in-old-newsletters.html
I'm a former Romney supporter that is now taking up the cause for Ron Paul. From what I understand about these supposed racist newsletters, he allowed his name to be used and was foolish enough not to read the stuff first. Bad move....
But, I do understand that mindset. You will find that truly honest people are very trusting of others. They do not anticipate malevolent motives and just don't think others would want to harm them. They have to be carefully taught that there are bad, dishonest people in this world.
It is too bad when they learn this, because some of their lightness of being just goes out...
I'm giving Ron Paul the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Great article...may the new American Revolution continue~
Comment By James, 2-08-08Ron Paul Revolution has just begun... This was never about a president, but about the changing political climate.
Comment By Craig Moore, 2-08-08New West, please clean out the imposters. Thank you.
Not me:
>>>>>>>
By Craig Moore, 2-08-08
I hate humans
By Craig Moore, 2-08-08
"Why is Chris Hansen in the kitchen"
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Craig Moore you are citing sources that have been thoroughly discredited:
http://www.takimag.com/site/article/why_the_beltway_libertarians_are_trying_to_smear_ron_paul/
What part of the American Thinker article is even mentioned in your refutation?????? http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/11/the_ron_paul_campaign_and_its.html
By the way, your reference did not refute (other than like a petulent child saying "did not") a single point about the hate filled, racist, and bigoted remarks in RP's newsletters. Not one. Then there is James Kirchick's damning article that comes to the same point. See: http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=e2f15397-a3c7-4720-ac15-4532a7da84ca
>>>>>>>>>>
...whoever actually wrote them, the newsletters I saw all had one thing in common: They were published under a banner containing Paul's name, and the articles (except for one special edition of a newsletter that contained the byline of another writer) seem designed to create the impression that they were written by him--and reflected his views. What they reveal are decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays. In short, they suggest that Ron Paul is not the plain-speaking antiwar activist his supporters believe they are backing--but rather a member in good standing of some of the oldest and ugliest traditions in American politics.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
I'm done here and will no longer contine commenting on this column. You guys continue your party.
Craig and others,
All of the known fake comments have been taken down. Please let me know directly if any more appear and they'll be removed. Also, for those of you here impersonating people, be warned: we can and will ban you from the site if it happens again.
The modern Republican party's grip on the old south is certainly based on the implicit racism of Nixon's benign neglect policies and Reagan's insistence that Government was the problem.
I am amused by widespread condemnation of Dr. Paul's tarbrushing by that very same crowd...
Carol, you are saying that maybe Ron Paul is not a racist but rather he allowed his name to be used FOR OVER TWENTY STRAIGHT YEARS and didn't read his own newletters FOR OVER TWENTY STRAIGHT YEARS. I think my analysis is more realistic.
Jason, you are really bright, that was a KKK reference. Let's make a deal. Once Ron Paul quits accepting money from the racists at Stormfront, I will quit accusing his supporters of being racists. It is that easy.
The only way Ron Paul will matter is if he does run 3rd party and splits the Rs...
I've met and talked with the man, and racist or not - he's 100% pure tinfoil hat club!!
Racist or not the man is unsupportable due to his position on whether a woman has the right to terminate a pregnancy. The other candidates,Republican and Democrats would be wise to pick up on his message regarding the Drug War and the invasion of Iraq.
Comment By jedediah redman, 2-15-08Why do you say that, Dick?
Are you willing to go the rest of the way to say a woman should be able to kill her other kids as well as her unborn children?
I think this nation--and other nations--need to go the other way. I think any and all manner of conception control should be freely available to Women and Men of all ages; but birth control should be available only under carefully controlled circumstances to anybody at all...
Hi all!
And What parental control soft do you prefer?
Bye