As someone who was born in Iowa, I’m pleased to see many Iowans flocking to support Ron Paul.
The Washington Post has a tut-tutting front-page story today complaining that Paul’s 45-minute stump speech “outlines a view of the world so bleak it would make Chicken Little sound like an optimist.”
It is not surprising that a Washington reporter would be aghast at someone who spoke honestly about U.S. government policy. But hopefully Iowa voters will be far more realistic than Washington Post editorial writers. It is encouraging to see so many people enthusiastic about a politician who is not promising them handouts.
Ron Paul’s support is a gauge of how many Americans have caught onto to the prevailing doggerel from Washington. Many, if not most, of these folks will never “return to the fold” to docilely support whoever the Republican Party coronates as a presidential candidate later this year. Ron Paul is toppling political idols – and many Americans will never bow to those idols again.
The New York Times had an excellent piece last week on Republican candidates’ views on executive power. Ron Paul was the only candidate who declared that the President does not have a right to order the killing of American citizens on his own authority. The other Republican candidates sounded like Obama – who signed a bill on Saturday that gives the federal government dire new powers. The superb poster below features Obama – but it could just as well have included the Republican presidential candidates – except for Ron Paul.
[If anyone knows the author of this poster, shoot me an email and I will credit the creator.]
James Bovard
They’ll say Paul sounds kooky. Madison, Jefferson, and Washington must sound kooky to them also.
It’s easy to see that support for Ron Paul is real and growing; the attacks from both right and left become more frantic each day.
I’m not kidding when I say that I hope Dr. Paul has good security people.
Politics has always been theatre but it has entered a new realm these days, primed by the breathless and short-attention span Perpetual Yearning Machine of Television. This years political process has leapt now from simple vaudeville to something much like a seedy carnival train complete with shady carnies.
There is a constant smell of cheap cotton candy and amusement ride grease. The pitching of it all on cable news has taken on all the charms of a witness to a public mugging telling the mugger to stop it.
Actually, I thought it smelled much worse than cotton candy.
“I’m not kidding when I say that I hope Dr. Paul has good security people.”
I remember during the last campaign, four years back, in another GOP debate after Paul mentioned it was U.S. Govt foreign policy that instigated the WTC attack, Mayor Giulianni demanded Ron Paul “retract” his comment.
Today Ron Paul has much more favorable popularity. All the tv news outlets know they need to give him air time.
We need a few more libertarians in the Congress.
I remain sadly amused by the Donkeybots resorting to character assassination, rather than evidence, when arguing that Ron Paul is a “bigot” and suggesting various laundry lists of things they fear Ron Paul would do if POTUS.
You can smell their fear, it smells like flop sweat — a horrible smell that works almost as effectively as Syrup of Ipecac for provoking nausea and vomiting.
The Elephants are just being foolish clowns, just as they have for the past 30 years. It’s like they try to out-do each other for idiotic bigotry and silly Israel appeasement, or something.
At least some Americans are waking up to the charade of the Donkey vs Elephant Super Bowl.
And I agree with alpowolf — Ron Paul could end up like MLKJr if the groundswell continues and he stays on his present path.
This comment is not derogatory.
Ron Paul has plenty of campaign money. He should pay for his security (to ensure he has armed guards). He should not expect nor depend on govt police to provide security.
He should also avoid States or cities (Illinois) that prohibit armed guards.
All of the fear-mongering by the talking heads on TV reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons, the one where the power plant workers went on strike.
It started with Marge taking the kids to the dentist. While Marge was with Lisa and the dentist, Bart was unattended in the waiting room. He terrorized all of the other kids in the waiting room, telling them that the dentist deliberately pulled all the kids’ teeth and sold them “a buck a tooth”.
The kids bought it hook line and sinker. One of them stammered, “Wha-wha does he sell them for?” Bart replied, “You know that rattle you hear when you shake a can of spray paint? That’s a kid’s tooth!“.
That’s the kind of baloney we’re hearing about Ron Paul now, and I hope not too many of the kids believe it.
It’s usually the opposite of what they tell you.
The U.S. troops stationed at the North Korean border are the reason it’s easy for the N.K. govt to brainwash North Koreans. The N.K. govt simply has to tell the people the U.S. troops are there waiting for an opportunity to invade and kill them. Why else would the foreign troops be there. Our govt does it too, they tell us we’ll be attacked unless we agree to the suspension of rights and the excessive security.
The truth is the opposite of what they tell us: Iran pursues nuclear weapons so it can protect itself from us. We are the reason for the insecurity, not the Iranians.
They’ll tell you Ron Paul is nuts, the truth is the opposite of what they’ll say.