ron paul

Ron Paul

Libertarian congressman from Texas. I mostly support the parts of his ideology that involve sovereignty and opposing the corrupt establishment; mostly oppose his domestic agenda regarding things such as social welfare spending; and mostly don't take a position on his foreign policy. I'm willing to defend him against those who are even worse, such as Reason Magazine, James Kirchick, Dave Weigel, and a long list of other establishment and/or Koch family-linked hacks. Support him or not, Paul is a lightning rod for establishment hacks, and defending him against their lies, misleading statements, and smears can be an effective way to oppose the corrupt establishment. One certainly interesting thing about Paul is that he isn't willing to go after the establishment on immigration, the area where they're the weakest. He apparently believes in the libertarian fantasy of loose or open borders, even if he's been willing to make pro-borders noises.

And, I have no time for his glassy-eyed followers, most of whom put other cultists to shame and who have no idea about how to do things that are effective.

Last modified Sep 7, 2014
Discussed in (click each link for the full post):

GOP debate February 22, 2012 (Arizona, CNN, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Ron Paul) - 02/22/12

The worthless GOP debates move into a new month with yet another worthless debate tonight. NETWORK: CNN

GOP debate January 26, 2012 (CNN, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Ron Paul) - 01/26/12

Yet another worthless GOP debate happens tonight. NETWORK: CNN

GOP debate January 23, 2012 ("self-deport", Florida, NBC, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Ron Paul) - 01/23/12

UPDATE BELOW The worthless GOP debates move to Florida tonight. NETWORK: NBC News CO-SPONSORS: National Journal and the Tampa Bay Times

Republican debate January 19, 2012 (South Carolina, CNN, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Ron Paul) - 01/19/12

Brace yourself for yet one more worthless GOP debate. It starts today, January 19 at 9pm Eastern. NETWORK: CNN MODERATOR: John King. WHERE: South Carolina

GOP Presidential Debate January 16, 2012 (Fox News, WSJ, South Carolina, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Perry, Ron Paul) - 01/16/12

Yet still one more worthless GOP debate starts today, January 16 at 9pm Eastern. NETWORK: Fox News PARTNERS: Fox and the Wall Street Journal (see the link). MODERATOR: Bret Baier.

Republican Presidential Debate January 8, 2012 (NBC News, Facebook, New Hampshire, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Perry, Ron Paul, Huntsman, David Gregory) - 01/08/12

The second worthless GOP debate of 2012 starts today, January 8 at 9am Eastern. This is apparently the first morning debate of this presidential campaign season, but don't expect it to be any different from all the others. You can watch the debate live on Facebook, but it will also be shown on NBC later in the day depending on your location (reportedly the same time slot as Meet the Press). NETWORK: NBC News

Iowa Republican Presidential Debate December 15, 2011 (Fox News, GOP, Iowa Caucus, Gingrich, Romney, Perry, Ron Paul, Bachmann, Santorum) - 12/15/11

Yet another worthless GOP debate will be held tonight, December 15, 2011: NETWORK: Fox News HOST: Bret Baier

Iowa Republican Presidential Debate December 10, 2011 (ABC News, GOP, Iowa Caucus, Gingrich, Romney, Perry, Ron Paul, Bachmann, Santorum, Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos, Drake U) - 12/10/11

Yet another worthless GOP debate takes place tonight with what will be sold as the most important debate so far. That's because it will take place in Iowa a few weeks before the Iowa Caucus. MODERATORS: George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer

CBS Republican Presidential Debate November 12, 2011 (South Carolina, GOP, Romney, Cain, Perry, Ron Paul, Bachmann, Gingrich, Santorum, Graham, DeMint) - 11/12/11

We just had yet another worthless GOP debate three days ago, but tonight there's yet another one. This time CBS News will be the one asking the weak questions at a debate at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It's set to kick off at 8pm Eastern.

CNBC Republican Presidential Debate November 9, 2011 (Detroit, GOP, Romney, Cain, Perry, Ron Paul, Bachmann, Gingrich, Santorum) - 11/09/11

Tonight CNBC is conducting yet another in a very long line of worthless debates, this time a GOP debate in Detroit in conjunction with Oakland University. Feel free to leave comments below before, during or after the debate. This post will be updated after a transcript becomes available.

CNN Republican Presidential Debate October 18, 2011 (Las Vegas, GOP, Romney, Cain, Perry, Ron Paul, Bachmann, Gingrich, Santorum) - 10/18/11

Tonight CNN will be conducting yet another of their worthless debates, this time a GOP debate in Las Vegas in conjunction with the Western Republican Leadership Conference (WRLC). Show time is at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific. Feel free to leave comments below before, during or after the debate. This post will be updated after a transcript becomes available.

Bloomberg/WaPo GOP debate, October 11, 2011 (Perry, Romney, Cain, Bachmann...) - 10/11/11

Tonight Bloomberg and the Washington Post will be conducting yet another worthless GOP debate. Feel free to leave comments below before, during or after the debate. This post will be updated after a transcript becomes available. This debate stands to be just as bad and as much of a public disservice as all the others.

Fox News/Youtube GOP debate, September 22, 2011 (Perry, Romney, Bachmann...) - 09/22/11

Tonight Fox News will be conducting a GOP debate in conjunction with Youtube, with some of the questions to be asked having been submitted via Youtube. Feel free to leave comments below before, during or after the debate. This post will be updated after a transcript becomes available. This debate stands to be just as bad and as much of a public disservice as all the others, especially considering the involvement of Youtube.

Teaparty, conservative groups oppose anti-illegal immigration bill (eVerify, HR 2885) - 09/15/11

One of the main reasons I oppose the tea parties is because they're useful idiots for loose borders hacks: libertarians, fiscal conservatives, corporate tools, and so on. A good example comes in an open letter that a group of Teaparty, conservative, and libertarian groups published in Politico opposing HR 2885, the Legal Workforce Act.

Teaparty shouts "yeah!" to just letting the uninsured die (Ron Paul, CNN, GOP debate) - 09/13/11

Last year, Teapartiers threw dollars bills at and mocked a Parkinson's victim (see the video on tea parties). Their encore was at last night's GOP debate where at least two teapartiers shouted "Yeah!" on whether to allow the uninsured to just die. Video below. Yes, it was just two or three teapartiers, but it's an illustration of the teapartier mindset and where libertarian policies lead.

CNN Teaparty GOP debate: September 12, 2011 (Rick Perry, Romney, Bachmann, Ron Paul) - 09/12/11

Tonight CNN will be conducting a GOP debate in conjunction with the Teaparty Express organization. Feel free to leave comments below before, during or after the debate. This post will be updated after a transcript becomes available.

John King asks bogus immigration question, Ron Paul has confused answer (CNN GOP 6/13/11 debate) - 06/13/11

At tonight's CNN GOP debate, John King asked a bogus immigration question (no surprise), and Ron Paul answered in a way that was even more confused than usual. I'm not even going to bother discussing Paul's comments since it doesn't really matter.

GOP debate open thread: Monday, June 13, 2011 (CNN /WMUR /New Hampshire Union Leader) - 06/13/11

Tonight at 8pm Eastern, seven declared or possible GOP presidential candidates will debate at New Hampshire's St. Anselm College. Feel free to leave your comments about the debate below; some live coverage might also be provided. When a transcript is available I'll highlight the immigration-related parts in an update. Those debating are (see each link for more):

Ron Paul immigration position now as bad as Beltway hacks - 05/02/11

Ron Paul's latest book ("Liberty Defined") shows that his position on immigration is not only bad, but in the book he uses some of the same old immigration talking points as other Beltway hacks. People don't use canards like jobs Americans wont do naturally; either Paul has been compromised, or he's corrupt (selling out his principles for political gain), or someone else wrote the immigration chapter for him and he never saw it (ha!) For an example from another politician, remember this Meg Whitman speech. She didn't create what she said herself, she got it from someone else. And, that's...

Meet the 'Patriots': SPLC lies and misleads (Bachmann, Al Garza, Joseph Farah, Taitz...) - 04/18/10

If you trust the Southern Poverty Law Center to tell you the truth - and to be interested in getting the truth in the first place - please see the following as well as the other posts at the last link. The latest example of how you can't trust them comes from "Meet the 'Patriots'" (splcenter.org/get-informed/publications/the-patriots?page=0,0) which lies about at least two of the people on the list. They also show little interest in real journalism. (Note: there's also another possible lie by them here, and there are probably other lies on the list about people I'm not familiar with). 1. The...

Ron Paul was right: Federal Reserve had involvement in Watergate, money sent to Saddam Hussein (Ben Bernanke) - 02/25/10

Yesterday, Rep. Ron Paul quizzed Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve about that group's involvement in relation to Watergate and to the funding of Saddam Hussein of Iraq (video: peekURL.com/vqxfnme ). Bernanke called that questioning "absolutely bizarre", and several sources (some listed below) joined in. As it turns out, the Fed in fact did have some sort of involvement with both Watergate and with money that was sent to Saddam, as documented in the book "Deception and Abuse at the Fed: Henry B. Gonzalez Battles Alan Greenspan's Bank" (link). From the blurb: ...Robert Auerbach, a former [U.S...

Dave Weigel not fully honest about tea party, Kochtopus link ("Top Ten Conservatives of 2009") - 12/31/09

Dave Weigel of the Washington Independent offers "The Best and the Rightest/ The Top Ten Conservatives of 2009" (link).

Lindsey Graham: GOP isn't going to be "party of angry white guys" (+more ineffective townhall ranting) - 10/13/09

From this: An often clamorous crowd blasted, grilled and occasionally cheered Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in a town hall meeting Monday that centered on health care reform but returned repeatedly to his positions on climate change, judicial appointees and immigration. Graham returned the fire with a grin, at times shouting over his most boisterous critics and telling some who questioned his Christianity and party loyalty that their minority conservative views wouldn't succeed without the political coalitions he said are necessary to serve the majority of Americans and attract...

9/12: Tea Party march on Washington DC live coverage (Glenn Beck, Freedomworks) - 09/12/09

Later today, one or two million (maybe less) extreme fiscal conservatives will be marching on Washington DC demanding that the government listens to them and their Randroid concerns. And, we'll be there - virtually speaking - offering coverage of this momentous event featuring millions of people throughout the day. Literally thousands of busloads of true patriots - as opposed to the other, non-patriotic Americans - will be bussed in (at their own expense) by FreedomWorks (run by the corporate lobbyist Dick Armey). Hopefully many will be wearing period costumes and playing fifes, since we know...

SPLC, ADL used as sources for Missouri militia report? - 03/27/09

A couple weeks ago this news broke (link): Alex Jones has received a secret report distributed by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) entitled "The Modern Militia Movement' and dated February 20, 2009... The MIAC report specifically describes supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as "militia" influenced terrorists and instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with the Constitutional, Campaign for Liberty, and Libertarian parties... Now it appears that at...

Was Ron Paul cheated out of delegates by McCain-supporting GOP officials? - 11/13/08

I have absolutely no idea, due to the general incoherence and insular nature of Ron Paul supporters, but this says: Here is a video where the newly elected Chairman of the St. Charles Missouri Republican Central Committee, Tom Kuypers, claims credit for preventing properly elected delegates from being seated. It was recorded a couple of weeks before the November election... ...No delegates from St.

McCain volunteer behind hoax is obviously troubled former Ron Paul volunteer - 10/25/08

Somehow I don't think the following bit about the John McCain volunteer and College Republican National Committee field representative who recently staged a mugging at an ATM is going to get a lot of attention: In March, [Ashley Todd] was asked to leave a grass-roots group of Ron Paul supporters in Brazos County, Texas, group leader Dustan Costine said. He said Ms.

How the Democrats rule online, Part #94295931 - 09/26/08

Yesterday I posted to FreeRepublic exhorting people to visit Time's Swampland and discredit house hacks Joe Klein, Karen Tumulty, and Ana Marie Cox, saying in part (link): ...almost all of the posts read like something from DailyKos, and almost all of the comments do as well...

Ron Paul, Ralph Nader, Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney, Chuck Baldwin to tour U.S. in "big Partridge Family-style bus" - 09/10/08

Earlier today at a press conference in a Beltway conference room far, far away, third party candidates Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, and Chuck Baldwin appeared with Papa Bear, aka Ron Paul, to sign on to four principles uniting all their disparate movements and to urge others to support third party candidates instead of the Democrats or Republicans. They also announced that all of them are going to be touring the U.S.

If only Ron Paul supporters had a brain (Adam Kokesh stunt at John McCain speech) - 09/05/08

During his GOP convention speech, John McCain was interrupted by a protester named Adam Kokesh, someone who's a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, a Ron Paul supporter, and a future Bob Barr voter. Kokesh held up a sign (per this interview with him) reading "McCain Votes Against Vets" and yelled "Ask him why he votes against vets!"

Going to Ronstock '08? Read these important tips! (Ron Paul, Rally for the Republic) - 08/30/08

I have some very important tips for Ron Paul supporters who are going to "Ronstock '08" in Minneapolis, aka the Rally for the Republic. That's the competing event to the Republican National Convention (held in St.

Ron Paul suspends presidential campaign; how supporters could actually have an impact - 06/12/08

Ron Paul has suspended his presidential campaign and will be transferring $4.7 million in donations to a new group to be called "The Campaign for Liberty".

Brave: Bob Barr denounces two on extreme fringe - 06/02/08

Showing intense, heroic bravery, Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr has denounced two white nationalists who endorsed him, including one who is just a commenter on a message board (reason.com/blog/show/126790.html). Barr's campaign manager says: The Barr campaign is not going to be a vehicle for every fringe and hate group to promote itself. We do not want and will not accept the support of haters.

Lindsey Graham denies NAU, smears Buddy Witherspoon (Beth Brotherton/WYFF; Robert Morris/Myrtle Beach Online) - 05/28/08

Buddy Witherspoon is a dentist from Columbia, South Carolina who's challenging Senator Lindsay Graham, and he's apparently basing his campaign around opposition to illegal immigration and also opposition to the North American Union. Rather than asking for evidence of plans for a NAU and doing research, Beth Brotherton from WYFF News 4 turned to Graham: "I think most Americans would find it hard to believe, it is hard to believe, a baseless Internet rumor...

Bob Barr nominated as Libertarian Party presidential candidate - 05/25/08

The results 0.2% of the country have been waiting for are finally in: Bob Barr has been nominated as the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate. It's unfortunate that the loons at the LP couldn't have nominated someone entertaining. Now that it's apparently official, this means that Bob Barr can finally get a sane immigration position that would be different from John McCain's.

Lew Rockwell should rethink immigration - 04/04/08

Libertarian icon Lew Rockwell - purported ghostwriter of some of the Ron Paul newsletters - supposedly spoke about his views on immigration on a radio program of some kind: bkmarcus.com/blog/2006/01/lew-rockwell-on-immigration.html I'm going to assume that the transcript is accurate and that those reflect his current views on the matter, but he might have other views or he might have changed his mind since then. In any case: 1.

Notes from the Nick Gillespie/Matt Welch/Reason Magazine alternative universe (everyone's a libertarian!) - 03/21/08

The brain trust of Reason Magazine, Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch, offer "Where the votes are". The laugh-a-minute article tries to pretend that the libertarian vote means something:

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