Ron Paul: A racist bigot? Correcto.
Ron Paul has been doing better in the primaries then least expected. He has been able to manage his campaign relatively well that has drawn additional interest and support from the American youth that are attracted to Paul’s Libertarianism and super free market economies (*yawn* this stuff puts me to sleep). Ron Paul has more delegates compared to Republican top contender Rudy Giuliani who poured quite a lot of money into New Hampshire and Iowa to advertise his campaign (Paul has two delegates, Giuliani has zero) but the campaign isn’t over.
Ron Paul has been a major proponent in favour of government inaction (small government). I believe that there should be less government involvement in the daily lives of citizens, however, what’s the purpose of an organized democratic government if the government is extremely limited? How is a government supposed to operate if it cannot benefit the people as a whole?
Though, I am terribly not surprised about the recent report that Dr Paul had written racial and homophobic remarks in his political newsletter Ron Paul Political Report in the 1980’s and the 1990’s. Ron Paul has denied to CNN that he didn’t write these articles.
The New Republic newsletter was the whistleblower on Ron Paul’s true thoughts on these issues. The racial comments were posed against African-Americans. He also has likened black civil rights advocate Martin Luther King as a communist philanderer. He stated in his paper that order was restored because the blacks went to cash in their welfare cheques (June 1992). In the same edition he states, “The criminals who terrorize our cities — in riots and on every non-riot day — are not exclusively young black males, but they largely are. As children, they are trained to hate whites, to believe that white oppression is responsible for all black ills, to ‘fight the power,’ to steal and loot as much money from the white enemy as possible.” From an October 1992 edition of his paper he states, “Hip-hop thing to do among the urban youth who play unsuspecting whites like pianos.”
People in politics have stated that what they have said stuff in the past is irrelevant to modern times (Stephen Harper in particular). Ron Paul is the major proponent of the Libertarian movement in the United States and has actively campaigned for the dismantling of the IRS and several other governmental agencies. Ron Paul also believes that the United States should pull out of the United Nations which would prove disastrous to the international community surprisingly the United States does offer the world stability (and I’m not surprised).
I disagree with his “Libertarians are incapable of being a racist, because racism is a collectivist idea” sentiment. The Libertarians I have met have something borderline racist about them.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I agree that Libertarians can be racist, but did he actually write this stuff? It is possible, but he claims he didn’t and that the newsletter was written by someone else. I am suspicious, since the New Republic was/is sympathetic to the Neocons and might only be doing this to trash an opponent of imperialism and war who is actually getting a lot of support from the left. (See Counterpunch)
January 10th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
It could have been written by something else Larry. However it was published under his political newsletter, therefore he should have the records to prove it was written by someone else. However he hasn’t brought any information supporting that he didn’t write these racial, homophobic and anti-Israel stances and it’s going to have a negative effect on his campaign in the primaries (even though he never had a real chance in winning the Republican nomination).
January 10th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I like his defense: “Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Ghandi, they’re the heroes [of my life].”
I’ve heard racists say, “Some of my best friends are native/black/jewish”. Well, does he have them over for dinner with his family? Do these so-called friends have him over for dinner with their families?
Well, Mr Paul. Do you speak of these women and men who you say are your heroes at those quasi-racist speaking events you’re continually being invited to? Do you glowing speak of these peoples’ accomplishments to those far-right wing organisations?
Maybe if he stood in front of a camera, and renounced for all the world to see and hear that hanging the Dixie flag is a hate crime, or something else equally hard-line in the fight for civil rights, then I could somewhat start trusting the man. But the man takes a soft line which he keeps moving, and also keeps hidden all his supporters, and protects them with a rabid ferocity.
I’m glad these letters made it into the light. The man’s a frightening political disaster.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Thanks for commenting Troy. Please note that there are symbols that have two different meanings. For example the swastika is seen as the symbolism of Nazism, it’s actually of Neolithic origins and commonly used in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.
Similarly the Confederate Flag people say is a sign of racial oppression and racism, while others from the South say it’s a symbol of state rights. There’ll always be this divide and I don’t think Dr Ron Paul is such a man that’ll say that the Confederate Flag is a symbol of slavery – most Libertarians I know support contractual slavery (and apparently so does Dr Paul).
I’m just glad that the man never had a real chance in winning the Republican nomination. If he did, it would be disastrous for both the Republicans and the country (because he as a candidate would make their party forever unelectable).