My book review for Brian Doherty’s new book. Highly recommended! Get it NOW!
Tag Archives: Ron Paul 2012
Ron Paul Should NOT Run Third Party
New video!
Iowa Caucus Was Three Way Tie, Delegate Wise
New video. The Iowa Caucus was actually a three-way tie between Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul delegate wise. All three got 7 delegates.
My Take on the Ron Paul Newsletters
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 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy, Paul has never flip flopped on any of his policy positions. Since the media can’t 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 Paul’s name since the 1970′s such as Dr. Ron Paul’s Freedom Report and Ron Paul’s Freedom Report–products 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. I’ve seen the same few controversial passages brought up over and over again. Of course, Ron Paul didn’t write those letters. Public figures almost never write any of their own articles, newsletters or books. As a ghost writer myself, I’ve 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. It’s 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, it’s 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 it’s 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 didn’t read them at the time, I didn’t 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 didn’t even read the newsletter, how is he qualified to be president?!” I’ll 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 let’s face it, he has had far fewer 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 Gingrich’s baggage, in my eyes.
Say NO to Newt Gingrich
I did some research on bad policy positions taken by Newt Gingrich. Thought it might be worth sharing. Click here to see the PDF. 6 pages long, everybody.
Disappointed to see some Tea Party type of people fall for Newt. The guy who supported the bailouts, Medicare Part D, the individual mandate, Cap and Trade, the Department of Education and Freddie Mac in no way represents true conservatism. Now Newt has suddenly become the propped-up ”anti-Romney” candidate? There’s a case to be made that Mitt Romney is actually more conservative than Newt.
The “anyone but Mitt” movement is turning into “anyone but Ron Paul.” You know, the only candidate on the stage that practices what he preaches.
“I like Ron Paul Except on Foreign Policy”
New video! Arguments to use against “conservatives” that wrongly oppose Ron Paul’s sensible foreign policy.
Occupy Denver End the Fed Rally
Occupy Denver protests outside Federal Reserve building on 11/12/11. I am not associated with Occupy Denver. To be fair, quite a few people I asked said they didn’t know enough about it to speak on camera and others said they hadn’t formed an opinion yet.
Occupy Denver Mixed on Ron Paul
I asked a handful of Occupy Denver protesters how they felt about Ron Paul. Some loved him, some really hated him…
Calling Ron Paul a “Crazy Loon” is a Dirty Distraction Trick
New video is up!
Ron Paul’s Budget Plan is the Real Deal
Originally posted at freedomworks.org.
Ron Paul recently released his bold “Plan to Restore America,” which would cut nearly a whopping $1 trillion in one year and eliminate five federal departments. While many Republicans like to talk about slashing spending, Ron Paul has consistently proved himself to be a rare man in Washington who can walk his talk. As Cato Institute scholar Tad DeHaven says, “my reaction to the proposal can be summed up in one word: hallelujah.” His budget blueprint would set us in the right direction to restore a constitutionally limited government.
The “Plan to Restore America” would deliver a true balanced budget in year three of Dr. Paul’s presidency without raising taxes. He is the only presidential candidate that has revealed a balanced budget plan and it’s much bolder than plans introduced by other sitting congressmen. Unlike President Obama’s so-called spending cuts that just reduce expected spending increases, Ron Paul’s plan would cut real dollar spending.
Many Republicans just want to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic while it’s going down. Ron Paul offers real solutions to balance the budget in the near future instead of several decades down the road. His plan would eliminate the Department of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Commerce and Interior. Are any of the other GOP presidential candidates—besides former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson—calling for the elimination of even one department? Tinkering around the edges won’t cut it in the long term.
One of my favorite highlights of the proposal is that it would allow young people to opt out of entitlement programs. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons young people have flocked to Ron Paul’s campaign. Forcing individuals into a mandatory government program against their will is antithetical to freedom. While some GOP candidates have called Social Security a Ponzi scheme, I have yet to hear any other candidate propose allowing individuals to opt out.
Ron Paul reminds fellow Republicans on what it means to be a fiscal conservative. Or as the National Review’s Kevin D. Williamson titles his blog post on the budget plan, “Ron Paul Dropping a Reality Bomb on the GOP Field.” Other highlights of his plan include abolishing the Transportation Security Administration, ending corporate subsidies, eliminating the Death Tax and repealing ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley.
Though a largely symbolic measure, Ron Paul will take a salary of $39,336, which is approximately equal to the median personal income of the American worker. This should come as no surprise since Ron Paul never votes to raise congressional pay and returns a portion of unspent office funds to the U.S. treasury every year. And of course, any Ron Paul budget plan includes a full audit of the Federal Reserve and allows for competing currency.
The Washington Post concurs that Paul’s budget plan “goes well beyond what other Republican candidates are proposing.” It is refreshing to see a Republican presidential candidate spell out specifics rather than offering up vague statements on what he wants to cut. With such a great plan to get America back on track, it’s a huge disappointment that Ron Paul has placed dead last in allotted speaking time at the GOP debates. He has only been allotted a total of 18 minutes and 47 seconds in three GOP debates while the less principled Mitt Romney has had 41 minutes and 9 seconds of speaking time.
Ron Paul’s voice of sanity deserves to heard. The other GOP candidates are sounding more and more like Ron Paul these days. They should follow in his footsteps by naming specific departments they would cut if elected.
