Candidate News Thread - Ron Paul

[Geee]

 

I will always vote what I have promised, and always vote the Constitution, as well as I will not vote for one single penny that isn't paid for, because debt is the monster, debt is what's going to eat us up and that is why our economy is on the brink.

1913 wasn't a very good year. 1913 gave us the income tax, the 16th amendment and the IRS.

---

 

Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American medical doctor and Republican U.S. Congressman for the 14th congressional district of Texas, which encompasses the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston. Paul serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, the Committee on Financial Services and is Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy where he has been an outspoken critic of current American foreign policy and monetary policy.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Paul is a graduate of Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine, where he earned his medical degree. Paul served as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1963 until 1968, during the Vietnam War. He worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist in the 1960s and 1970s, delivering more than 4,000 babies, before entering politics in 1976.

 

Paul is the founder of the advocacy group Campaign for Liberty and his ideas have been expressed in numerous published articles and books, including Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom (2011), End The Fed (2009), The Revolution: A Manifesto (2008), Pillars of Prosperity (2008), A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship (2007), and The Case for Gold (1982). According to a 1998 study published in the American Journal of Political Science, Paul had the most conservative voting record of any member of Congress since 1937. His son Rand Paul was elected to the United States Senate for Kentucky in 2011, making the elder Paul the first Representative in history to serve alongside a son or daughter in the Senate.

 

Paul has been called the "intellectual godfather" of the Tea Party movement. He has gained prominence for his libertarian positions on many political issues, often clashing with both Republican and Democratic Party leaders. Paul has run for President of the United States three times, first in 1988 as the nominee of the Libertarian Party and again in 2008 as a candidate for the Republican nomination. On May 13, 2011, he formally announced he would run again in 2012 for the Republican presidential nomination. A 2010 scientific poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports among likely voters found Ron Paul and Barack Obama to be statistically tied in a hypothetical 2012 presidential election contest.

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Ron Paul

Presidential 2012

Website

 

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Ron Paul: Candidate

[Geee]

Ron Paul says more people are thinking like him

 

ANKENY - Saying the mood of the country "has definitely changed" from four years ago, presidential candidate Ron Paul thinks more people are coming around to his economic and foreign policy ideas.

 

Speaking at his Iowa campaign headquarters located next to a Quizno's sandwich shop in an Ankeny strip mall, Paul said war is a drain on the economy and it's an "economic fallacy" that such engagements can pull a country out of a depression.

 

"If a person is a conservative and likes limited government, it's during wartime that government grows," he said.

 

International aid can do more harm than good for allied nations, Paul said. He said the recent incident between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is evidence of that.

 

"Israel has been too willing to give up their sovereignty, take our money, and then they have to take their orders from us," Paul said. "I am convinced it is in the best interest of everybody not to be dependent on others. National sovereignty is a good idea, as a matter of fact, I think state sovereignty is a good idea."

 

At the mention of state sovereignty, a few cheers came from the crowd of about six dozen.

 

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/4ef2c8cc-8602-11e0-a192-001cc4c002e0.html

[Geee]

Ron Paul Endorsed by Iowa State Rep. Glen Massie

 

 

ANKENY, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Monday, Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul announced his first endorsement from a member of the Iowa legislature. Iowa State Representative Glen Massie formally endorsed Ron Paul as his choice for the Republican nominee for President. The endorsement came at a press conference held at Ron Paul's Iowa Presidential headquarters in Ankeny.

 

“With eight District Co-Chairs and over 100 county co-chairs already established, Ron Paul has shown he has the organization ready to make an impact in Iowa”

"It is a distinct privilege and honor to endorse Ron Paul for President of the United States," said Massie. "I have admired Ron Paul for a number of years for being a principled statesman who has faithfully kept his word to uphold the Constitution of this great country."

 

In addition to the endorsement by Rep. Massie, Paul unveiled eight Congressional District Co-Chairmen and announced that his campaign in Iowa has more than 100 county co-chairmen.

 

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110523007051/en/Ron-Paul-Endorsed-Iowa-State-Rep.-Glen

[Geee]

Despite Strong Supporters, Ron Paul Unlikely GOP Candidate for 2012

 

 

COMMENTARY | Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) Friday on "Good Morning America" made his 2012 presidential bid official. Will Paul strike out in his third attempt at the White House, or will he find the third time a charm?

 

Paul has represented Texas' 14th congressional district since 1997 and currently serves on the House Financial and Foreign Affairs Committees. A moderate Republican, he has one of the highest attendance records in Congress.

 

But of course, more is expected of a presidential candidate than just showing up. Paul has protested on the U.S. House floor hot-button issues that are currently front-and-center in the national debate, including foreign policy, monetary policy, government spending, national debt, deficits, and tax policies.

 

Well known as a compelling speaker, Paul most adamantly advocates a limited government and universal civil liberties. In the first GOP presidential candidate debate, not only did Paul advocate the writ of Habeus Corpus for detained terrorists, he also put into simple language the grand concept of government interference.

 

"How many people here would use heroin if it were legal? I bet nobody would," Paul asked to demonstrate that individuals motivated by their own will do not need legal deterrents to stem poor behavior, according to the Washington Post.

 

But on the topic of civil liberties, Paul ends up doing the populism two-step. He equivocated on LGBT rights during the debate, first arguing that the government should not determine the status of marriage, then arguing that it's a state matter, and finally reprimanding President Obama for an "obstruction of justice," for the administration's decision to no longer uphold the Defense of Marriage Act.

 

Furthermore, though Paul is for personal liberty and choice and against government intervention, he is a staunch opponent of women's abortion rights. NARAL gave Paul a score of zero for his anti-choice voting record.

 

After stirring Republican ire with statements on the cause of September 11th, according to National Review, Paul was hunted as a RINO in the 2008 election. It seems that even though the congressman has a strong political will to lead, there might not be a way to unite the party behind this once turn-coat candidate; though he is now running as a Republican, as he did in 2008, Paul ran in 1988 as a Libertarian.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110518/cm_ac/8496223_despite_strong_supporters_ron_paul_unlikely_gop_candidate_for2012

[Pepper]

Candidate News Threads courtesy of Geee:

 

Herman Cain: Candidate News Thread

 

Newt Gingrich: Candidate News Thread

 

Jon Huntsman Jr: Candidate News Thread

 

Gary E Johnson: Candidate News Thread

 

Ron Paul: Candidate News Thread

 

Tim Pawlenty: Candidate News Thread

 

Mitt Romney: Candidate News Thread

 

RIck Santorum: Candidate News Thread

[Geee]

Rep. Ron Paul says he sounded alarm on deficits

 

GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Raul says he was a lone early voice warning about deficit perils, but now his alarms are winning mainstream support that could boost his 2012 bid for the Republican nomination.

 

The Texas congressman told CNN's "State of the Union" that the mainstream is "moving in the direction that I have been talking about for a long time" and that no one knows what the outcome will be in the election.

 

Paul was unsuccessful in two previous tries to become a serious contender for the GOP nomination. But he pointed to growing popular discontent with the nation's debt problems and military action abroad.

 

"They mocked me for my foreign policy and they laughed at my monetary policy. No more. No more. The people are coming over here," he said in the interview, which was taped Friday and broadcast Sunday.

 

A persistent critic of U.S. intervention in Afghanistan and recently in Libya, Paul also took aim at "the endless silly wars that we fight that are bankrupting us." While many Republicans in Congress echo Paul's debt limit opposition, at least for the moment, the party's leaders are arrayed against him on foreign policy, largely supporting the Obama administration's build-up in Afghanistan and its air war with allies in Libya.

 

Paul scoffed at concerns that a congressional refusal to raise the national debt ceiling would lower the nation's credit rating, insisting White House warnings about financial fallout were "100 percent gamesmanship." He conceded, though, that a last-minute deal on the debt limit would go through.

 

"It will come down to the wire and they'll pass it because they will beat the drums of fear," Paul said.

 

Obama administration officials pressing for quick Congressional approval to raise the $14.3 trillion cap on the nation's debt pointed to a warning last week from Moody's Investor Service as ample warning not to delay. The credit rating group said it might review the U.S.'s current high rating for a possible downgrade if a deal between the White House and Congress is not reached quickly.

 

http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2011/06/05/rep_ron_paul_says_he_sounded_alarm_on_deficits

[Geee]

Ron Paul wins RLC straw poll

 

NEW ORLEANS — As has become typical at GOP cattle calls, Ron Paul captured the presidential straw poll at the Republican Leadership Conference here, easily besting his nearest competitor, Jon Huntsman.

 

Paul won 612 votes to Huntsman's 382. Michele Bachmann came in third with 191 votes and Herman Cain finished behind her, taking 104 votes.

 

Continue Reading

Paul was edged by one vote at this same event last year, but this straw poll success has become de rigeur at such gatherings. And, just as they have at recent CPACs, Paul's backers in the crowd here let out loud cheers when the results were announced from the stage while the regular Republicans in the audience booed the Libertarian-leaning Texas congressman's success.

 

The more notable result was Huntsman's second place. The former ambassador was slated to speak to the confab, but backed out, citing a cold. That the little-known and pragmatic Huntsman would finish between Paul and Bachmann — each of whom enjoy a passionate following among more ideological activists — is surprising.

 

Rumors circulated here that Huntsman campaign had paid for supporters to attend the conference and a spokesman for the candidate, Tim MIller, didn't deny that they had.

 

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57274.html

[Valin]

Ron Paul wins RLC straw poll

 

 

That and a dollar will buy you a cup of coffee.

 

CNN: Ron Paul delegates 2008

 

Ron Paul

Pledged: 35

Unpledged RNC*: 0

Total: 35

 

What makes people think this time will be different eludes me

[Pepper]

Whatever you do, don't pin Ron Paul, unless it is on a mount in a Lepidopterist's den.

[Rheo]

Whatever you do, don't pin Ron Paul, unless it is on a mount in a Lepidopterist's den.

Ha. Not planning on pinning Huntsman either.

[octex]

Rheo and Pepper... What you both said!!

 

While I do agree with some of Paul's ideas regarding fiscal matters, his isolationist views are waaaaay out there. Huntsman was Obama's Ambassador to China and China is a creditor of the US because we owe them so much money. Huntsman is similar to that clown Richardson who ran for the Dems in 2008, ruined the state of NM and continues to go to North Korea. Bleh!

 

Whatever you do, don't pin Ron Paul, unless it is on a mount in a Lepidopterist's den.

Ha. Not planning on pinning Huntsman either.

[Geee]

Barney Frank and Ron Paul unite — over weed

 

The “strange bedfellows of the week” award might just land at the feet of Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank and Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul.

 

Thursday the pair plan together to unveil legislation to legalize marijuana. (NCAA drug testing shows increase in pot use)

 

According to a press release from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the two congressmen will introduce “bi-partisan legislation tomorrow ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states legalize, regulate, tax, and control marijuana without federal interference.”

 

It will be the first bill ever introduced in Congress to end the federal ban on marijuana.

 

Reason reporter Mike Riggs reported Wednesday afternoon that the MPP is hopeful about the “momentum” the legislation could provide for the drug debate, but that they do not have any illusions about its feasibility.

 

http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/22/barney-frank-and-ron-paul-unite-over-weed/

[Geee]

PAUL: Time to end Federal Reserve secrecy

 

Among the facts that the Federal Reserve would rather you didn’t know is that at the height of the financial turmoil in 2008, when average Americans were just beginning to suffer, the institution was passing out sweetheart deals to protect the powerful and well-connected. Among the beneficiaries were foreign banks, Wall Street giants and even the company that then owned MSNBC.

 

Recently, my House subcommittee on domestic monetary policy held a hearing to examine information disclosed by the Federal Reserve about its bailout lending during the 2008 financial crisis - disclosure that was required by the Dodd-Frank Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

 

These Federal Reserve records, made available to the public on Dec. 1, 2010, and on March 31 provided a look at thousands of transactions and trillions of dollars in lending by the Federal Reserve.

 

The importance of this hearing cannot be overstated.

 

The conduct of the Fed and the operations of its lending facilities, especially during the most critical periods of the financial crisis, require intensive oversight and the utmost transparency.

 

Had it not been for the actions of grass-roots activists intent on holding the Fed accountable, none of this information would have seen the light of day. The Fed not only protested these transparency efforts every step of the way, but also predicted financial disaster if details on the recipients of those funds were released.

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/22/time-to-end-federal-reserve-secrecy/

[Rheo]

Rep. Ron Paul Won't Seek Congressional Seat in 2012

 

Rep. Ron Paul announced Tuesday that he won't seek re-election to the Texas U.S. House seat he's presented for nearly 24 years, and instead will concentrate on getting the Republican nomination for president to run against President Obama in 2012.

 

"Dr. Paul will not seek re-election in the Texas-14 and will focus his efforts on winning the presidency," Jesse Benton, a Paul campaign aide, told Fox News.

[Valin]

I've been slumming at TOS found this gem...

 

(Ron) Paul holds US liable for Gazans death (Interview w/ Iran's Press TV)

 

Republican congressman Ron Paul says the US is aiding and abetting Israel in Gaza through its financial and military support for Tel Aviv.

 

 

"The weapons being used to kill so many Palestinians are American weapons, and American funds, essentially, are being used for this," said the congressman Friday.

(Snip)

[Jill]

Well, Ron Paul isn't the poster boy for stormfront and all those other neo-Nazi and KKK sites for nothing. What a crazy old kook - he might have some stances on issues that I agree with, but probably Stalin and Mao did, too. I really want this primary to wind down because his nutty supporters spam and troll any message board that allows them on. They are quite cult-like and their guru is certifiable.

[Geee]

The Hypocrisy of Ron Paul

 

Just before last week's Republican debate at the Reagan Library, Ron Paul released an attack ad targeting his fellow Texan and presidential aspirant Rick Perry. It shows a young Congressman Paul posing with the Gipper in a series of photos and features a portentous voiceover claiming that, while Paul "stood with Reagan," Perry was a perfidious, Gore-pimping liberal. This ad is brazenly deceptive, but it does provide an edifying glimpse into the true character of a slippery Beltway operator posing as a man of principle fighting the good fight against the corrupt "prags" of the GOP establishment. It reveals the sordid reality that Ron Paul is a fraud of the first order. The sordid reality is that his loyalty to Ronald Reagan lasted only so long as it was politically expedient and his vaunted libertarian principles have proven to be remarkably elastic.

 

As to Reagan, the young Congressman who had once been so anxious to be photographed with him scampered like a Texas jackrabbit when the going got tough. In 1987, when Reagan truly needed his supporters to stand by him, Ron Paul suddenly disappeared from the man's side. In fact, he resigned from the Republican Party and blamed Reagan for his disillusionment with the GOP. In a letter that echoed the prevailing Democrat talking points of the day he wrote, "The chickens have yet to come home to roost, but they will, and America will suffer from a Reaganomics that is nothing but warmed-over Keynesianism." That letter was not merely an act of breathtaking betrayal -- it actually compares Reagan to Josef Stalin -- its characterization of Reagan's economic policies is utterly absurd

 

Moving on to the Perry smear, Paul left an important fact out of his ad: Rick Perry was a Democrat when he supported Gore 23 years ago. And, if that puts you off, remember that Ronald Reagan himself was once a Democrat. Perry and Reagan eventually realized that the Democrat party was drifting ever leftward, abandoning the principles that had once claimed their loyalty. The party of Scoop Jackson had morphed into the party of George McGovern, so both joined the GOP because it more closely matched their ideals and those of the nation's founders. As to "Dr. No," having received fewer than half a million votes as the 1988 Libertarian presidential candidate, he came crawling back to the party he had so vehemently denounced and was eventually reelected to Congress under the GOP banner.

 

This pattern of hypocrisy is by no means limited to party loyalty. Paul has consistently represented himself as a principled libertarian, and never tires of reminding us that he is a physician whose medical experience has taught him to be wary of government intrusion in health care. However, the good doctor's voting record shows that he has frequently supported such government intervention. Shortly after the Democrats returned to power in the House in 2007, they introduced a bill calling for the government to "negotiate" the price of prescription drugs bought for Medicare Part D. In this context, "negotiate," is nothing but a euphemism for price-fixing, something that a genuine free-market libertarian would reject out of hand. Nonetheless, Rep. Paul voted in favor of the measure.

 

This is not the only vote Dr. Paul has cast in favor of government meddling in health care. He has also voted for another price-fixing scheme that every libertarian worthy of the name has denounced -- reimportation of pharmaceuticals from foreign countries with rigid price-control regimens. This, as Roger Pilon of the Cato Institute has pointed out, "would import foreign price controls on drugs." Even worse, the Congressional Budget Office has said that drug reimportation would not significantly reduce prescription drug spending. Nor can Dr. Paul's vote be justified in terms of free trade. As Nina Owcharenko at the Heritage Foundation explains, "Such policies would not create a 'freer' market for pharmaceuticals, but would regulate the market even further."

 

Sadly, the hypocrisy of "Dr. No" doesn't end with deceptive campaign ads about his record and the betrayal of his purported libertarian principles. He is also a downright fraud when it comes to big-government spending. While representing himself for decades as the sworn enemy of overspending, the good doctor has had his snout deep in the earmark trough. In 2007, the Wall Street Journal reported, "The Congressman disclosed his requests this year for about $400 million worth of federal funding for no fewer than 65 earmarks. They include such urgent national wartime priorities as an $8 million request for the marketing of wild American shrimp and $2.3 million to fund shrimp-fishing research." And this is the man who had the effrontery to berate Ronald Reagan for deficit spending.

 

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/09/13/the-hypocrisy-of-ron-paul

[Valin]

Well, Ron Paul isn't the poster boy for stormfront and all those other neo-Nazi and KKK sites for nothing. What a crazy old kook - he might have some stances on issues that I agree with, but probably Stalin and Mao did, too. I really want this primary to wind down because his nutty supporters spam and troll any message board that allows them on. They are quite cult-like and their guru is certifiable.

 

 

Source please.

[Geee]

Barry Manilow on Ron Paul: ‘I agree with just about everything he says’

 

Grammy award-winning musician Barry Manilow told The Daily Caller that he agrees with “just about everything” 2012 Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul says, calling him a “solid” contender for the highest office in the land.

 

“I like him. I like what he says, I do. I like what he says. I think he’s solid,” said Manilow, who confirmed to TheDC in an interview at the Capitol on Thursday that he contributed to Paul’s last campaign for president.

 

“I agree with just about everything he says. What can I tell you?” Manilow added.

 

 

http://dailycaller.com/2011/09/15/barry-manilow-on-ron-paul-%E2%80%98i-agree-with-just-about-everything-he-says%E2%80%99/

[Valin]

Reason # 871 why Ron Paul should not be President

[clearvision]

RON PAUL, the Texas congressman and isolationist would-be president, is against using tough economic sanctions or military force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. How then, he was asked on “Fox News Sunday,’’ would he persuade Tehran to abandon its quest for the bomb? “Well,’’ Paul suggested, “maybe offering friendship to them.’’

 

Ron Paul gets a lot right but this is why he is so wrong.

[Argyle58]

RON PAUL, the Texas congressman and isolationist would-be president, is against using tough economic sanctions or military force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. How then, he was asked on “Fox News Sunday,’’ would he persuade Tehran to abandon its quest for the bomb? “Well,’’ Paul suggested, “maybe offering friendship to them.’’

 

Ron Paul gets a lot right but this is why he is so wrong.

 

I do believe that the Peanut Farmer tried that approach with the Ayatollahs.... that worked out fine, didn't it?

[Valin]

RON PAUL, the Texas congressman and isolationist would-be president, is against using tough economic sanctions or military force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. How then, he was asked on “Fox News Sunday,’’ would he persuade Tehran to abandon its quest for the bomb? “Well,’’ Paul suggested, “maybe offering friendship to them.’’

 

Ron Paul gets a lot right but this is why he is so wrong.

 

I do believe that the Peanut Farmer tried that approach with the Ayatollahs.... that worked out fine, didn't it?

 

 

Well so far it's work out really great...for the Mullahs.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

New poll shows 4-way tie in Iowa as Ron Paul moves to top tier

 

While Christian conservatives have more influence in Iowa than they do in the rest of the nation, only a quarter of likely caucus-goers say social issues are more important this year than economic issues. As many as 71 percent say they're voting on issues like jobs and taxes.

 

The focus on economic issues has likely advantaged Paul, who is known for his strong libertarian views. The Texas congressman wins the most support, 32 percent, from likely caucus-goers who say they've made up their minds. Romney wins 25 percent of those who are decided, followed by Gingrich at 17 percent. On top of that, 69 percent of Iowa voters who supported Paul in 2008 are once again supporting him.

 

Not sure what this means except that between Perry and Cain's meltdowns and Newt's rise this has been a strange race all around.

[Valin]

Why I do not support Ron Paul

 

Reason 1

 

&

 

Reason 2