Posted on 05/17/2007 8:57:52 AM PDT by Neville72
For all those getting really excited about anti-war, libertarian Republican Ron Paul, it's worth noting that he's pretty racist and also an anti-Semite.
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/aol-metropolitan/96/05/23/paul.html
The Houston Chronicle story linked above contains quotes from a newsletter Mr. Paul put out in the 1980s and 1990s. It includes quotes referring to blacks as crime-prone and "fleet-footed."
Mr. Paul also wrote that "By far the most powerful lobby in Washington of the bad sort is the Israeli government" and that the goal of the Zionist movement is to stifle criticism.
Below are two more news clips making reference to the racist statements in Mr. Paul's newsletter. These problems have clearly been out there since the mid-1990s, but Mr. Paul has been below the radar until now. If he's really going to stay in the debates, perhaps the moderators can deal with this...
Candidate Had Newsletter With Controversial Stance On Blacks
196 words
24 May 1996
CongressDaily/A.M. English
Copyright (c) 1996 National Journal Inc.
A 1992 political newsletter by former Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, included portrayals of African-Americans as inclined toward crime and lacking sense about political issues, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday. Paul, a former Libertarian Party presidential candidate who defeated Democratic-turned-Republican Rep. Greg Laughlin in the March primary, in November will face Democratic attorney Charles (Lefty) Morris, whose campaign is distributing Paul's writings.
Under the headline "Terrorist Update," Paul reported on gang crime in Los Angeles and wrote, "If you have ever been robbed by a black teenaged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be." About blacks in Washington, D.C., Paul wrote, "I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal." Paul said Wednesday that his comments came in the context of "current events and statistical reports of the time," and that he opposes racism.
In later newsletters, Paul wrote that lobbying groups who seek special favors are evil, and that "by far the most powerful lobby in Washington of the bad sort is the Israeli government."
***
Texas
Newsletter by Paul attacked
Associated Press
329 words
24 May 1996
San Antonio Express-News English
(Copyright 1996)
A 1992 newsletter by Republican congressional candidate Ron Paul highlighted portrayals of blacks as criminally inclined and lacking sense about top political issues.
Reporting on gang crime in Los Angeles, Paul commented: "If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be."
Paul, a Surfside obstetrician who won the GOP nomination in the 14th District runoff by defeating incumbent Rep. Greg Laughlin, said Wednesday he opposed racism.
He said his written commentaries about blacks came in the context of "current events and statistical reports of the time."
Paul's Democratic opponent, Charles "Lefty" Morris, said many of Paul's views were "out there on the fringe" and that this fall voters would judge his commentaries.
Morris' campaign distributed selected writings by Paul this week.
Paul, a former congressman and one-time Libertarian presidential nominee, said allegations about his writings amounted to name-calling by the Democrats.
He said he'd produced the newsletter since 1985 and distributes it to an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 subscribers.
Writing in his independent political newsletter in 1992, Paul commented about black men in the nation's capital.
Citing statistics from a 1992 study produced by the National Center on Incarceration and Alternatives, a criminal justice think tank based in Virginia, Paul concluded in his column:
"Given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal."
"These aren't my figures," Paul said this week. "That is the assumption you can gather from" the report.
He also wrote: "Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action."
Paul continued that politically sensible blacks are outnumbered "as decent people."
Agreed. As Rush pointed out, this guy has less than a snowball’s chance in hell of getting the nomination. He sounds like a Lyndon LaRouche-like nutjob who shouldn’t even be allowed into the debates.
If you gotta go back to the 1980s to cherry-pick quotes, I would say the guy is in pretty good shape.
He’s not my cup of tea, but not because of this nonsense.
If all you’ve got to criticize the guy with is some 15-year-old newsletter taken out of context, you don’t have much.
Criticizing "ethnic" lobbies does not make one a racist. Ethnic politics makes my stomach turn, although I accept it as a fact of life.
I say this, btw, as someone who strongly disagrees with RP on foreign policy, supports Israel's struggle against the Koranimals, and think Kennedy BETRAYED the brave brigadiers on the beaches of Cuba. My interests are shared with those respective ethnic lobbies because they are in AMERICA'S interest, not because I really find ethnic politics to be a benefit in and of itself.
Dr. Paul is not quite for me either, but digging up a old newsletter that he may not have wirtten seems a bit of a stretch.
He doesn’t like (Ipac?), he thinks the Israel lobby has to much power? Well, he is entitled to his opinion, but I don’t agree wtih him about it at all.
The smear machine has stepped into overdrive, the special interest groups who feel threatened by his proposals will now attempt to write him off before his ideas get any further exposure. I never expected him to win, but I hope he stays in the race so that his limited government positions get a hearing, he's one of the few Republicans who even bother talking about limited government anymore.
To me, this isn’t as powerful as his “anti-war” statement from the recent debate. Based on that, I have no use for him unless he ends up the Republican nominee.
Deliberately painting opposition to Israeli foreign policy as anti-Semitism is the cheapest kind of lie. Thanks for posting this...but you forgot the [BARF ALERT].
None of this stuff matters. Leave the man alone.
Ron Paul will disappear like the morning mist as soon as the voting begins.
He also wrote: “Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action.”
I suppose this grim statistic sharply differentiates blacks from caucasians, whose support for said political sensibility vaults all the way up to 6 or 7%.
Ron Paul is our Kucinich.
I couldn’t begin to understand why Ron Paul was among the “debater” panel, while Fred Thompson was not. Is it because Thompson has not in some formal, official, bureaucratic sense announced his candidacy?
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=377205
From an interview with Texas Monthly:
-------------------------
In one issue of the Ron Paul Survival Report, which he had published since 1985, he called former U.S. representative Barbara Jordan a "fraud" and a "half-educated victimologist." In another issue, he cited reports that 85 percent of all black men in Washington, D.C., are arrested at some point: "Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the 'criminal justice system,' I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal." And under the headline "Terrorist Update," he wrote: "If you have ever been robbed by a black teenaged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be."
In spite of calls from Gary Bledsoe, the president of the Texas State Conference of the NAACP, and other civil rights leaders for an apology for such obvious racial typecasting, Paul stood his ground. He said only that his remarks about Barbara Jordan related to her stands on affirmative action and that his written comments about blacks were in the context of "current events and statistical reports of the time." He denied any racist intent. What made the statements in the publication even more puzzling was that, in four terms as a U. S. congressman and one presidential race, Paul had never uttered anything remotely like this.
When I ask him why, he pauses for a moment, then says, "I could never say this in the campaign, but those words weren't really written by me. It wasn't my language at all. Other people help me with my newsletter as I travel around. I think the one on Barbara Jordan was the saddest thing, because Barbara and I served together and actually she was a delightful lady." Paul says that item ended up there because "we wanted to do something on affirmative action, and it ended up in the newsletter and became personalized. I never personalize anything."
His reasons for keeping this a secret are harder to understand: "They were never my words, but I had some moral responsibility for them . . . I actually really wanted to try to explain that it doesn't come from me directly, but they campaign aides said that's too confusing. 'It appeared in your letter and your name was on that letter and therefore you have to live with it.'" It is a measure of his stubbornness, determination, and ultimately his contrarian nature that, until this surprising volte-face in our interview, he had never shared this secret. It seems, in retrospect, that it would have been far, far easier to have told the truth at the time.
THANK YOU! You and I, it would seem, are the only two people on FR who understand that ethnicity is not race.
“What an embarrassing hack you are.
You know, we have a much higher standard here for character assassination. This doesn’t even approach making the grade.”
Coming from the likes of you, I guess I’ll wear that as a badge of honor.
Ron Paul has struck many of us as a nutter. This revelation merely confirms he’s a racist nutter.
If he shows at the next debate he should be asked about his strange ideas
The blame-it-on-the-staffer gambit, huh?
That is as pathetic as Mitt Romney blaming his wife for their donation to Planned Parenthood from their JOINT CHECKING account.
It has the virtue of being true, however. Face it, your slander has fallen flat. Go crawl back in your anti-American hole.
BTW, Ron Paul doesn't care if he wins or loses; only to his hysterical bashers who wouldn't know the Constitution if it walked up and smiled at you does it matter. His objective in the race is to push the other Republicans towards a more Constitutional stance.
You've got nothing here, nothing but yet another desperate hit-piece on orders from the GOP establishment.
As a dedicated Zionist, Ron Paul can cut his wrists.
Wow, the smear campaign kicks into overdrive.
Even if this were true, this pales in comparison to the problems with every other candidate on both big party tickets.
Fortunately, that letter was written by a staffer who was fired, and Ron personally apologized for the entire incident.
If you’ve ever read his writings, you’d know he’s far from any kind of racist. He’s the only candidate that supports the smallest minority on the planet: the individual.
As for the remark about the Israeli lobby, that hardly makes him an anti-semite. Do you know what that term means? Could you possibly be more dishonest? I support the state of Israel more than most; but I’m certainly tired of all these lobbies - including Israel - walking off with billions of my hard-earned money.
Your message is ‘right on’...the Israeli lobby is the worst thing we can be involved in.
Ping
I agree. All these ridiculous attacks on him are actually making me more inclined to consider supporting him.
Bad luck for you that somebody bumped this weeks-old thread. Bye!
Months-old. Math is hard.
But, but...blacks are fleet footed aren’t they? I mean, why did woody harrelson make that movie called “white men can’t jump”?
In fact, to be honest, I have a bit of fear for his safety.
Just imagine if we could harness all the energy from the keystrokes of all these Ron Paul threads. We could likely power 1,000 U.S. homes for a year. Other than that I cannot imagine what purpose all this discussion about Paul serves. He will never be a nominee or a president.
Yawn...
Gee it has been a long Paul day...
ROFL. $7 million and counting, more Money Bombs on the way. Leading all GOP candidates in fundraising and grassroots support. Your desperation is pathetic.
And yet, there has been at least a dozen hit-pieces posted on FR within minutes of each other. If the guy is only 2% in the polls, then why is there so much worry about him then? Why the vehement, over-the-line attacks on him that's usually reserved for liberals?
Racism is simply an ugly form of collectivism, the mindset that views humans only as members of groups and never as individuals. Racists believe that all individuals who share superficial physical characteristics are alike; as collectivists, racists think only in terms of groups. By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so-called "diversity" actually perpetuate racism. Their intense focus on race is inherently racist, because it views individuals only as members of racial groups.
If the GOP would've done what Paul has fought tirelessly for (at least on domestic issues), there would be no candidate Ron Paul, he'd just be another Congresscritter.
Paul has the audacity to call a spade a spade and what you're seeing is career party hacks who pay lip service to conservatism every election cycle to get conservatives to vote start wetting their undies. It's all sour grapes and envy, and more stupidity by the Stupid Party.
If Ron Paul is not nominated, or if whoever is nominated other than that POS liberal Rudy doesn't at least co-opt some of Paul's issues, or refuses to let him speak at the convention, then I am honestly done with politics, the Hell with it.
Bet the farm that the GOP establishment is anything but "desperate" about Ron Paul.
The man raised $4.3 million on November 5th. I don't know about you, but crazy, moonbatty people ain't got that much money. He's obviously getting the money from somewhere, you know, maybe from real people with real jobs and families and not the stereotypes you and the other Paul bashing clowns conjure up.
Btw, your posts have been great EEE, I'm really glad you're here. :-)
Unfortunately I agree with you. I had all but dropped out frankly. Dr. Paul's campaign brought me back to politics and a belief there was a chance left for the Republic. And contrary to the group think there is a support that hasn't been measured in the polls yet. Especially considering who the pollsters are polling. We'll see come New Hampshire. I believe Dr. Paul could come out with a very good showing.
Just think about where he has come from. A small following that knew of him for years (myself included in that) with a snowballs chance at the beginning of the year to Meet the Press on Sunday morning. Even my mid 60 year old parents (who were convinced Fred was the one) are talking Dr. Paul up to their friends. Worried? Look at the talking points from many Republican media outlets. Yeah, I'd say party faithful are a little concerned
David Duke used to raise lots of money too. Didn’t make him any less of a racist nutter than it does Ron Paul.
Paul should drop out of the Republican race and go third party. Maybe even offer his VP slot to his nutter brother in kind, Dennis Kucinich.
They’d be the nuttiest ticket in US history
Are you so allergic to facts, Neville, that you can’t even read them? Let’s recap:
Ron Paul is a racist: Refuted.
And though it’s been implied in previous posts, I’m going to say it explicitly here:
Ron Paul isn’t the weak presidential hopeful that you claim him to be. He is, in fact, a threat to the way this country has been run for the last several years. Even if he doesn’t get nominated or become president, his views are pushing people in the right direction—using their brain. His idea of applying to golden rule to policy, both at home and abroad, are so simple and yet so unheard of ANYWHERE in EITHER parties.
Do your research, and vote Ron Paul in ‘08!
Ron Paul is a racist. Not refuted but endorsed time and time again. He still is supported by the KKK, David Duke, Stormfront and every other racist group out there. Not one racist has been asked to leave a meetup or any organizational meeting. He openly welcomes donations from the Klan has links to his websites from the KKK, LewRockwell etc.
Ron Paul is a threat to this country. He is a threat to legitimate the racism that has been thrown out of political discourse in this country. He is a threat because he supports terrorists who attack out country because of his hatred for our constitution and democracy. He is a threat because he defend those sex perverts who prey on children.
Ron Paul should be expelled from the Republican caucus in the house. Denied any Republican party platform and banned from the nominating convention.
How is LewRockwell in the KKK category?
How can a man who supports Martin Luther King and Ghandi be a racist? This is obvious slander. Besides that he believes in getting rid of the race description of people on a whole. How can he be a racist if he wants to get rid of the categorization of people under races. Under him we would all be Americans and not split up into different races. This is what he means by individual liberty. Give me a break. Read, research and don’t be submitted to the propaganda machine that is trying to bring him down!
Im so sick of this. Think! Honestly does a man who receiving contributions have the time to screen through each and every single contribution to see if they are affiliated with bad groups like the KKK, Nazi, or whatever. Thats ridiculous and the media and has been posting it like he endorses them. Total bullshit. Look through the propaganda machine.
He believes in individual liberty, and the rights of people should mostly be determined by local governments. He doesnt support sex predators. Where the heck did you get that from. Wake up and stop believing lies. Wake up. Research. You will find the truth!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.