Posted on 09/21/2011 9:53:21 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Ron Paul says he'd consider putting Dennis Kucinich in his Cabinet By Justin Sink - 09/21/11 12:02 PM ET
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) says he would consider putting the liberal congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) in his Cabinet if he wins the presidency in 2012.
Paul said his libertarian political philosophy helps him connect with some on the far left — including Kucinich, who shares Paul’s general anti-war stance.
Paul joked that if he brought the Ohio congressman aboard in his administration, he might have to create a "Department of Peace."
"You've got to give credit to people who think," he said.
"Being pragmatic is about forming coalitions," Paul said at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. "I probably work with coalitions better than the other candidates. I don't think I've said anything negative here about the president."
Paul’s bid for the GOP nomination has yet to catch fire, though he enjoys perhaps the most passionate following in all of politics. He has had difficulty elevating himself to the top tier of candidates and complained that the media is not taking his campaign seriously.
But the congressman said he’s playing the long game, and values bringing political change over winning the presidency.
"Politics doesn't drive me as much as economic policy," Paul said. "We're in a big mess, personal liberty is under attack."
Paul said his presidential campaign is more about an "educational effort" of libertarian philosophies than a reflection of his personal ambition.
"There are a lot of people who just don't want to hear this," Paul said. "Very few people understand this, they don't have an understanding of how free markets work."
The congressman said the fact that other Republican candidates are talking about the Federal Reserve or rolling back entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare are victories for his campaign. Paul also says his campaign — coupled with a financial crisis that has brought into question the stability of the American economic system — is changing the prevailing attitudes of voters.
"It requires a lot more education and a lot more inroads," Paul said. "But absolutely, I think the whole country has come this way."
And yet Paul continues to struggle in the polls, hovering around 9 to 10 percent of Republican primary voters. While his showing is consistently better than some candidates who have garnered more attention, he is unsure of how he will propel himself to the top of the field.
"The supporters believe it's possible, I don't know," Paul said. "There's no reason to rule out the fact this can explode. Something has to give here."
Paul attributed some of the problem to the media, arguing that significant campaign milestones and rallies were underreported. And he acknowledged that as a candidate, he is responsible for delivering his message in a way that voters can appreciate.
"It partially is my fault, and I think that's what I work on most, refining my message," Paul said.
But Paul rejected the idea that he should adopt a more pragmatic or conciliatory strategy that would enable him to either grow his base among those skeptical of some of his views — particularly in terms of non-interventionist foreign policy — or achieve smaller pieces of his domestic policy goals legislatively.
"If you give up your principles, you're not being very pragmatic," Paul said.
Brilliant move. This will mobilize the entire Kucinich wing of the GOP ....
Can you imagine what a Paul cabinet would look like?
Kucinich for Department of Defense
Barney Frank for Health and Human Services
Alex Jones as Secretary of State
David Duke for Department of the Interior
Jessie Ventura for Department of Wrasslin
Cheech Marin for DEA
Hey, that’s right!
I hear ol’ MoRon Paul also moonlights as “Old Man Smithers” in Scooby Doo cartoons.
Crazy ol’ MoRon Paul....a “man” of many talents...
My tagline is pretty cool, too! :)
MoRon is a commie too, so it fits.
This makes me crazy....MoRon Paul is not the one with a beef with the FED....Conservatives have been saying this for decades....grrrrr.....
It looks like he’s waiting for someone to change his Depends.
Ive never understood Ron Paul’s relationship with Kucinich, so I cant really defend it. I guess they agree on social freedoms politically and perhaps the Fed, but thats about it. I’m not sure they really even agree on foreign policy, as Kucinich seems to want to have all sorts of cozy relationships with dictators while Paul wants to have no relationship.
I’m not sure why he would say such a thing, unless he was joking, as this article kind’eve implied, as such a move (as judged by the comments here lol) is not going to go over well with republican primary voters.
“I agree with Paul when he starts talking about the Fed. But he loses me when he gets on to just about any other subject.”
What about these subjects:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944714/posts
Or is it a chicken/egg thing --meaning as soon as they start taking the Constitution seriously, they get branded as "a kook". Although many profess to be Christians, as soon as they start taking "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" seriously in terms of policy, they get branded "a surrender monkey". They can talk about "liberty", but as soon as they start allowing people to do what they want as long as they aren't hurting anyone, then they are branded "dope-smoking libertines".
Since no one wants those awful labels and few have the stones to risk being branded that way (other than Ron Paul), they strive to be as bland and inoffensive as possible. Hard to find a real "champion" of anything from that pool of people, so desperate to have you like them & vote for them. Instead it produces "a Mitt Romney" whose real pretty and who'll say anything you want to hear just to get elected --a generic presidential candidate that you can dress up any way you want in your own head, because he's really just an empty suit who stands for nothing.
That was an interesting read. Thanks!
I was just a young bride when Kucinich was Mayor of Cleveland, lived near his breakfast hangout on West 117th..what a joke he was...and he destroy Cleveland.
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