Posted on 01/29/2011 10:50:23 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Skip ahead to 3:15 for the exchange on foreign aid generally and to 4:15 for the key bit. Paul’s not singling Israel out here; it’s Blitzer who brings it up, and Paul’s careful to offer praise before making his case that we simply can’t afford it anymore. He knows he’s suspect on this point because of his surname and has tried to deal with it behind the scenes. Remember this tidbit from that GQ hit piece on him last year?
Ron Paul, in addition to his extreme views on the federal government, has been a harsh critic of the Republican Party’s “military adventurism,” and in the past Rand has faithfully echoed his father’s views. He opposed the war in Iraq, once characterized the September 11 attacks as “blowback for our foreign policy,” and scoffed at the threat of Iranian nukes. And yet here he was in Washington, seeking out a secret meeting with some of the Ron Paul Revolutionaries’ biggest bogeymen. At a private office in Dupont Circle, he talked foreign policy with Bill Kristol, Dan Senor, and Tom Donnelly, three prominent neocons who’d been part of an effort to defeat him during the primary. “He struck me as genuinely interested in trying to understand why people like us were so apoplectic,” Senor says of their two-hour encounter. “He wanted to get educated about our problem with him. He wasn’t confrontational, and he wasn’t disagreeable. He didn’t seem cemented in his views. He was really in absorption mode.”
The following month, he met with officials from the powerful lobbying group AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), which has frequently clashed with Ron Paul over what the group views as his insufficient support of Israel. Paul, according to one person familiar with the AIPAC meeting, “told them what they wanted to hear: ‘I’m more reasonable than my father on the things you care about.’ He was very solicitous.”
The debate over foreign aid reminds me of the debate over earmarks. Yes, as Paul notes, plenty of it is wasteful, and indeed, when we’re trying to dig our way out of an umpteen-trillion dollar hole, every little bit helps. But compared to the real driver of America’s fiscal catastrophe, it’s small potatoes. That’s what I was getting at in my post about Boehner and Social Security the other day: Every relatively minor spending issue we lay on the table is an opportunity for opponents of entitlement reform to change the subject. Paul, to his great credit, is ready to go after Social Security too, but Democrats are already strategizing on how to short-circuit this debate. The latest: A new “Social Security Caucus” in the Senate aimed at giving Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer an extra megaphone to screech about how Republicans want to collapse a social safety net that’s well on its way to collapsing anyway. The foreign aid debate will go one (or both) of two ways for opponents of entitlement reform: Either (a) they’ll force a showdown on the issue to show how “heartless” the GOP is to the impoverished peoples of the Third World and/or (b) they’ll agree to some token reduction in aid and then tout it as a big concession in order to keep public perceptions of what constitutes a “meaningful” cut nice and low. Let’s deal with entitlements first and then start trimming around the edges with earmarks, foreign aid, etc, no?
The other reason this is a bad foot to start off on is, of course, that it’ll never pass. Financial support for Israel is deeply bipartisan in Congress. Even some pro-Israel tea partiers, like Allen West, would be loath to cancel their aid, I suspect, especially with Hezbollah now in control in Lebanon and the Muslim Brotherhood poised to ascend in Egypt. Until Iran’s regime, at least, is replaced with something less feral, there’s simply no way Congress will leave Israel to fend for itself. But I get that he’s making a principled point here about every last expense having to be on the table, so fair enough.
I hope he is not just talking about foreign aid to governments but grants to NGO’s all over the world too.
Can’t we at least stop all Foreign aid until we pay off the debt? I don’t think that is unreasonable. That is like a friend who needs money but you don’t have any so you take out a loan for the friend because you feel sorry for them. For once, we need to take care of ourselves. First of all, we need to ask for debt forgiveness and once we erase that portion of the debt than we have to pay the rest. Of course this will not happen as we are STUPID.
As far as I’m concerned, foreign aid just goes in others pockets. Including kick backs to people in this country. It’s a waste and our peoples tax money shouldn’t be sent out of this country. If our people wanted to donate to others around the world, they can do it on their own. Once the money leaves this country, it can’t be tracked and our politicians know it.
He is a nutcase, just like his father.
We did not give foreign aid to Afghanistan in the 1990’s. Sure, we saved few bucks, but the price (letting Al-Qaida to gain control and having to go there in 2001) was pretty steep. Of course, for Ryan (at least the father), 9/11 was a good thing and our fault anyway.
I’m fine with reducing foreign aid by 80-90%, but some part of foreign aid is essential for the security of this country.
If America puts Israel in harms way America will pay dearly. If it is all about money, we are already broke and will perish.
Most “foreign aid” is just payments to corrupt governments and bureaucracies. Our “aid” does not help, it hurts.
We can actually help countries like those in Sub-Saharan Africa by cutting off aid.
Bottom line:
“..But I get that he’s making a principled point here about every last expense having to be on the table, so fair enough.”
Why would he want to give the street-fighter ‘RATS an opening to call him a “hypocrit”?
That ought to make him a good candidate for Obama’s secretary of state once Hillary resigns.
Stop aid to isreal....
And who didnt see that one comming from a paultard?
I knew when this guy was paling around with Adam Kokesh that he was BAD news....
The apple dont fall far from the tree...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08gTWqWrI4M&feature=player_embedded
Sctach that. The ideal Obama foreign policy would be to cut off aid to Israel, but to increase aid to everyone else.
Excellent prognosis by Rand as soon as we make Israel the 51st state!
I think I’ve fallen deeply in love with Rand Paul. Mr Lucky2 can just step aside! Rand Paul is the only one so far to be so bold!
I’d double the aid to Israel consider what’s going on
We should only give money to countries that openly support us and then that amount should be reduced by 50%. We must gain control of our out of control government spending. Throw the bums out at the ballot box and reign in debt.
That's why we have plastic.
We don't need money, we just want and what we want we get with plastic.
Gosh, you guys just think too much and complicate things and make it hard to just enjoy life.
Like...go with the flow and just like feel good.
We have what we have and you guys are just trying to ruin it.
Mommy and Daddy enjoyed life and WE should be able to too.
Stop all this "freedom isn't free" stuff, it's like cramping my style and making my friend like weird.
We can’t afford to not support Israel.
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