Why a Tea Party conservative now supports Ron Paul...including his foreign policy

American Thinker ^ | 12/16/2011 | Russ Paladino

[SeekAndFind]

Ask any conservative about Ron Paul and you will usually hear the following statement: "I love him on fiscal policy but his foreign policy is naive and dangerous." You can also throw in the obligatory "He hates Israel." If someone had asked me about Paul from 9/12/01 through October of 2011, I'd have said the exact same things.

Something about my certitude always felt a bit uncomfortable, though, because I admired the "good parts" of Ron Paul (and later, his son Rand). Having participated in the Tea Party movement since its inception, and then witnessing the phony propaganda concocted to invalidate it, my BS meter began to pin whenever I heard (or spoke) harsh rhetoric denouncing Ron Paul. Since the contradiction bugged me, I decided to take the advice of my twenty-year-old son and read Ron Paul's book, Revolution. This required me to consider ideas which were once unthinkable. I undertook the mission with the promise to think outside my conservative box.

After reading the book, I came away with a completely different understanding of Ron Paul and his philosophy. I'm hoping my Tea Party compatriots, fellow conservatives, and all Americans will step outside their own comfort zones to do the same. It is vital that our nation seriously consider the important constitutional concepts and defense of liberty that Ron Paul espouses.

Today, the Middle East is falling to Islamic rule like a series of dominos. The supposed "friendly Arab nations" want our troops out of their land and threaten to side with our enemies. Our soldiers are hamstrung by politically correct rules of engagement that make them sitting ducks. Our economy is collapsing under the weight of our debt (a good portion of which goes to fund our worldwide military adventures),

[Leep]

Must be a membeer of the decaffeinated Tea Party?

[peyton randolph]

Five reasons...

1. Because anyone can call themselves a member of the “Tea Party.”
2. Anyone can claim to be a conservative.
3. Mental illness.
4. Islamophilia (See #3).
5. Hatred of Jews/Israel (See #3).

[mk2000]

Then it is simple he is not a conservative. Bachmann had it exactly right last night. Paul is DANGEROUS! Period end of story.

[davisfh]

The thing that really frightens me about this Ron Paul character is that he might run as an independent. We have enough people who are short on thought to throw the election to Obama by voting for independent Ron Paul. Apparently, the Ross Perot lesson was not received or was not understood.

[mnehring]

Russ Paladino has been a Paultard for a long time. At that, he posts an article like this every few months, playing the ‘I just discovered Paul’ lie..

Sounds like those seminar callers to Rush. I used to support X but then I started listening to Gandalf...err, I mean Paul...

[dirtboy]

Russ Paladino has been a Paultard for a long time.

Thanks, I guessed that was the case. These pinheads are just too obvious with their make-believe conversions.

[Jonty30]

Love Rand.

Would love to see him in cabinet.

[Seaplaner]

I'll paraphrase Mister Paul from the debates last evening...

The only reason that other countries want to attack us is because we have a strong defense.

Which is precisely what every Marxist/liberal sociology prof has been saying for generations, and is...

Precisely, 180 degrees incorrect.

No legitimate Tea Partier supports Paul.

.

[longtermmemmory]

figures

[cripplecreek]

He would be an ineffective president simply because congress would shut him down at every turn.

On the other hand, that might not be such a bad thing.

[Jukeman]

Ron Paul is not a conservative. As a matter of fact, I don’t know what he is. He is so far to the right, he is on the left. The universe is not flat.

[frogjerk]

Ron Paul is a Libertarian that could not win as a Libertarian so he joined the GOP. He is not a conservative. I want a conservative candidate for the GOP.

[Utmost Certainty]

If it came down to it, I’d rather have Ron Paul than Mitt Romney.

[mnehring]

What really frightens me is that he has a large youth following who have turned it into a cult. They all are worshiping at the alter of a guy ‘from the government who is here to help’. They weigh everything they believe about the government and the Constitution on what Paul says about it instead of picking it up themselves and reading it or grabbing the Federalist papers. They are worshiping at the feet of a career politician and are actually excited to send their money to someone in the government. They are selling their personal possessions and spending all their time in the service of him.

It really is a cult. Replace Ron Paul with Fred Phelps or David Koresh and the Constitution with the Bible and the the feel of the rhetoric would be indistinguishable.

They say it is just passion for ‘freedom and liberty’ but it has well crossed that line when they sacrifice their own individuality for a politician. They have long crossed the line from passion to obsession.

[Lazlo in PA]

This whole meme that Paul is a Tea Party favorite is a canard. Last poll on this topic showed that Paul garners a whopping 7% support.

TEA PARTY SUPPORTER %:

Newt Gingrich 47%
Mitt Romney 17%
Michele Bachmann 8%
Rick Perry 7%
Ron Paul 7%
Rick Santorum 4%
Jon Huntsman <1%
Other/Any/None 11%

Gallup Daily Tracking. Dec 1-5, 2011

This writer is a dopey Paultard.

[chrisser]

I've seen a lot of FReepers say they like Paul's domestic policies, but can't stand his foreign policy.

And I've tended to agree. He's far more of an isolationist than I would otherwise think is prudent.

That said, there is no otherwise. Nobody else is advocating the kind of cuts in government Paul is, and without cuts of that magnitude, we're going to be broke sooner rather than later.

In other words, we're either going to be isolationists because Paul implements it - something we could change after 4 or 8 years, or we're going to be isolationists because we're flat broke and our economy has collapsed to the point we will be impotent on the world stage.

If it's the latter, then we sure as heck aren't going to be able to change our minds after 4 or 8 years and have a more activist foreign policy.

Those are the choices as I see it. We're too far along to pretend that a few bandaids on the economy are going to turn it around. If it means 4 or 8 years of a little extra chaos in the world (and, honesly, can he do that much worse than Obama?) to get us patched up, that's a far better choice than chaos for the next 50 or 100 years because the U.S. ceases to exist as a world power.

[Sudetenland]

The unintentionally funniest moment of the debate last night was Mr. "Sometimes I'm the only one voting my way" talking about working across the aisle and getting the left and the right to work together.

Ummm . . . hey loony Paul, if you can't even convince a single person in your party to vote with you, how can you possibly believe that you can convince a coalition to vote your way??? LOL!!

The sheer irrationality of Paul supporters is astounding.

[mnehring]

the sad part is I actually got some Paultards to pick up the "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" phrase- they had no clue

[mk2000]

Ya gotta be kidding me!!? Most of us here don't want Romney but you have to at least admit Romney is not a blame America firster. Not to mention the Anti Semitisim and the racism in Paul's newsletter and the fact that he doesn't believe that Iran wants to wipe out any country that doesn't share their despicable beliefs. Ron Paul belongs with the Shelia Jackson Lee's of the Congress a nutbag who is dangerous and has way to much power and influence.