Thomas Nath: Why not Ron Paul?
Rochester Post-Bulletin
Thomas Nath: Why not Ron Paul?
As many expected, Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary in a landslide, collecting nearly 40 percent of the votes. Romney’s ascension to the head of the GOP field has been marked by a curious sense of Republican indecisiveness, as Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have all experienced waves of popularity and decline. And yet, to this point, Romney has withstood all of his challengers and retained his front-runner status; it is late enough in the 2012 race that it seems inevitable that the nomination is his.
There is only one other Republican candidate who shows the same consistency among voters. In both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, Ron Paul has won a little more than 20 percent of the votes to finish third and second, respectively. Paul has overwhelmingly won straw polls from Ohio to California, he polls well against President Obama, and has displayed these results steadily throughout his campaign.
So the question I pose is this: why not Ron Paul? His fervent beliefs in liberty and limited government seem perfectly in line with conservative values, unlike Romney, who has changed completely his previous liberal positions on healthcare, abortion and the bailout of the automotive industry. Paul’s ideological consistency displays his personal integrity, whereas Romney comes across as willing to say anything that appeals to voters.
For liberals, Paul might come across as a radical conservative, but aspects of his platform do contain a strong element of forward-thinking progressivism. Not only would he pursue a non-interventionist foreign policy, end the costly war on drugs, and restore civil liberties, but he is not averse to maintaining some regulation.
One example would be Paul’s support of the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act, an act that sought to regulate banking speculation. Additionally, he opposes corporate welfare, bailouts, and earmarks, activities in which this current administration has continually indulged. He supports stem-cell research, opposes the death penalty, and despite his personal Evangelical views, has no problem with the idea of gay marriage.
Why, then, are we ignoring this man? At the very least, he has important ideas that need to be taken into consideration when we, as an electorate, enter the voting booth this November.
Most importantly of all, Paul is not someone who will change his positions for a higher degree of electability — an attribute both liberals and conservatives could learn from.
Thomas Nath is a homeschooled senior in Rochester.
Jim DeMint: ‘I hope Ron Paul doesn’t get out’
The State Column
Jim DeMint: ‘I hope Ron Paul doesn’t get out’
South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint has recently stated that he will not be officially endorsing any of the Republican presidential candidates, but on Wednesday he offered his reasoning for why he does not want Texas congressman Ron Paul to exit the race any time soon.
Senator DeMint is a sought after endorsement by Republican candidates because of his popularity not only in South Carolina, but also among Tea Party Republicans.
The South Carolina Republican was critical of both Mr. Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry for criticizing Mr. Romney’s tenure at Bain.While he has stopped short of endorsing any of the candidates, Mr. DeMint has been supportive and dismissive of several of the candidates in recent weeks. Last week after a pro Newt Gingrich Super PAC released a 28 minute video criticizing rival candidate Mitt Romney’s investment practices at Bain Capital, Mr. DeMint called the criticism an attack on free enterprise.
In an appearance on Fox Business with Judge Andrew Napolitano Thursday, Mr. DeMint gave his latest assessment of the Republican primary race, this time choosing to focus on Mr. Paul.
In contrast to the popular notion that Mr. Paul is more of a libertarian than conservative candidate, Senator DeMint claims that the Texas congressman’s campaign platform that focuses on constitutional government and individual liberties is similar to the conservative ideals that he and other Republicans support.
“I hope Ron Paul doesn’t get out until whoever our front runner is recognizes that the libertarian principles are the conscience of the Republican party,” said Mr. DeMint Thursday adding, “I don’t agree with everything Ron Paul talks about.”
The South Carolina senator said that he does not agree with Mr. Paul’s views on reducing the U.S. military presence overseas. The Texas congressman has pointed to the contributions of active military personnel to his campaign as credibility for his foreign policy views, that include drastically reducing the U.S. military presence abroad.
Mr. Paul’s campaign staff immediately seized on the opportunity to promote Mr. DeMint’s comments Thursday, they posted his Fox Business interview to the “PauliticalTicker” section of their website Thursday under the following words in all capital letters, “Sen Jim DeMint: Libertarian principles are the conscience of the Republican party.”
Mr. Paul’s unique foreign policy views have constantly prompted questions from reporters in interviews with him regarding whether or not he would consider running in the fall as a third party candidate if he is unable to win the Republican nomination.
The Texas Republican has refused to commit to not running as a third party candidate because he does not like talking in “absolutes,” but in recent weeks he has told reporters that it is highly unlikely that he will run as an independent.
Mr. DeMint’s comments come on the same day that Mr. Perry suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Mr. Gingrich.
Thursday is also a busy day for Mr. Paul as he returns to South Carolina for another debate moderated by CNN. On Wednesday he briefly left the campaign trail to travel to Capitol Hill where he voted on a national debt limit increase request by President Barack Obama.
Recent polls show Mr. Paul battling former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum for third place in Saturday’s South Carolina Republican primary election.
Ron Paul Defended: South Carolina Debate Crowd Protests CNN ‘Censorship’
International Business Times
Ron Paul Defended: South Carolina Debate Crowd Protests CNN ‘Censorship’
In a big turnaround from Ron Paul’s first debate in South Carolina, where the Texas congressman was booed by the audience for advocating the “golden rule” of statesmanship, last night’s audience took to Paul’s defense when moderator John King tried to switch the topic away from abortion without letting Paul answer the question.
In the closing minutes of the CNN debate, the conversation turned to the subject of abortion.
Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were all given a chance to defend their pro-life stance, and began to bicker amongst each other about which position was the strongest and the most sincere.
But when it came time for Rep. Paul to speak, which the Texas congressman very obviously wanted to do, moderator John King attempted to move on to another topic.
“All right, let’s take another question,” King said. Let’s take a question now from social media…”
The audience at the second debate was having none of it.
But when King passed over Paul, an obstetrician, in a question about abortion, the debate crowd had had enough. The audience began booing and jeering. “Ron Paul!” several people shouted.
“You want in on this issue?” King asked the Texas representative.
“John, once again, it’s a medical subject, [and] I’m a doctor!” Paul responded. The audience cheered.
Ron Paul Booed Over ‘Golden Rule’
The South Carolina audience’s move to rally around Paul is in stark contrast to their rather cool reception to him during the first debate earlier this week.
Paul, whose answers triggered the most negative reactions of almost any of the candidates on the stage, was booed when he advocated the “golden rule” in foreign policy, arguing that U.S. citizens should be honest about citizens would react if another country “does to us what we do to others.”
“We endlessly bomb these countries and then we wonder why they get upset with us,” he said.
Some of those booes had turned into cheers by the end of Paul’s speech. But one of the only times the audience was truly behind the Republican congressman was when Paul challenged Mitt Romney on the National Defense Authorization Act.
Paul has since responded to those who booed by telling ABC that America needs to get rid of the idea that only it can be a “perfect” country.
He said it was hard for him to understand how the idea of equality and fairness would cause people to react so negatively.
‘Law will not correct the basic problem.’
Compare that to last night, when the South Carolina debate audience listened respectfully to Paul’s views on abortion and on the relationship between morality and the law in America.
“I can remember the very early years studying obstetrics and I was told, [and] it was before the age of abortion, I was told taking care of a woman that’s pregnant, you have two patients,” Paul said. “I think that solves a lot of the problem about, you know, when life begins and all.”
Ron Paul also reflected on the time when he was training, during the Vietnam War and the growth of the drug and free love culture.
“Pornography came in, and abortion became prevalent even though it was illegal,” Paul said.
“The morality of the country changed. The law followed up,” he finished, going on to say that the national mood of a country (or, more specifically, its morality) was what affects legislation, not the other way around.
“The law’s very important. We should have these laws,” he said, but added: “Law will not correct the basic problem. That’s the morality of the people.”
Below, watch the tail end of the audience’s reaction to John King, and listen to Ron Paul’s response to the abortion question.
Poll: Ron Paul is likely to defeat Rick Santorum in South Carolina Primary
The State Column
Poll: Ron Paul is likely to defeat Rick Santorum in South Carolina Primary
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is likely to defeat former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in the Palmetto State, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports poll of likely voters in the South Carolina Primary.
Mr. Paul pulled in 15 percent of the votes to best Mr. Santorum by four percentage points in the pre-South Carolina Primary poll. A Rasmussen Reports poll, released Tuesday, found Mr. Paul and Mr. Santorum tied with 16 percent of the votes each. In less than a week, Mr. Paul’s support has held steady in the Palmetto State and Mr. Santorum’s has dipped five percentage points.
Governor Rick Perry (R-TX), who pulled in 2 percent of the votes in the South Carolina poll, exited the GOP race Thursday and endorsed Mr. Gingrich for the Republican presidential nomination. “I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform this country,” Mr. Perry said in an 11am news conference.Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is also a big winner in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll. Mr. Gingrich is now the front-runner in the Palmetto State after trailing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by 14 percentage points earlier in the week. Mr. Gingrich garnered 33 percent of the votes in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll.
Realizing that Mr. Perry’s endorsement is likely to level the playing field between Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney in the Palmetto State, Mr. Paul quickly went on the offensive against the Georgia Republican.
“Don’t be fooled by the words candidates use when they are running for office. Look hard at their records. My record is one of true limited government, anti-Washington, D.C. conservatism,” Mr. Paul said in an email to supporters Thursday.
“Newt Gingrich has a long record of liberal appeasement, flip-flopping on key issues, and lobbying for insider millions,” Mr. Paul added.
With the South Carolina Primary scheduled for Saturday, January 21st, the Republican candidates are making their final pitch to Palmetto State voters. The South Carolina debate, hosted by CNN, will allow candidates to discuss important issues on the national stage before voters head to the polls.
The Rasmussen Reports poll of 750 likely voters in the South Carolina Republican primary was conducted on January 18th. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Ron Paul CNN Debate Highlights – Jan 19, 2012
FOX News
Ron Paul CNN Debate Highlights – Jan 19, 2012
Ron Paul Says Two-by-Four Sometimes Needed for Congress to Listen
ABC
Ron Paul Says Two-by-Four Sometimes Needed for Congress to Listen
Presidential candidate Ron Paul returned to the campaign trail today, explaining that he spent Wednesday voting against a debt-ceiling increase that ”nobody seems to care about.”
“If they did, they would take my advice and cut the budget by $1 trillion in one year,” Paul said, adding, “That’s what we need.”
The Texas congressman returned to Washington, D.C., Wednesday to vote down President Obama’s request to increase the debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion.
It’s a vote Paul calls a “gimmick.” The congressman said that even if his fellow legislators voted down the increase, the president can still veto the rejection. “It’s a foregone conclusion,” Paul said to the more than 800 mostly college students who packed a small courtyard and yelped and cheered as the congressman delivered his anti-government, anti-Washington view for America.
“I always say that when I’m in Washington, I never get applause,” Paul said, smiling, ”So I’m always glad to get out of Washington. ”
Paul later said that it’s young people’s support that gives him encouragement to continue delivering his message.
Paul also took time today to credit his supporters with slowing an anti-online piracy bill winding through Congress. He said that after pressure, many congressional members who supported the bill started removing their names. “So when the people decide they are going to speak out, Washington will really listen,” Paul said.
“Sometimes you need a two-by-four to get them to listen.”
Paul will participate tonight in the Southern Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by the Southern Republican Leadership Conference and CNN at the North Charleston Coliseum in South Carolina.
Paul predicted that tonight’s debate will be “feisty.”
When asked what he thought of Gov. Rick Perry’s dropping out of the race, Paul paused, smiled and said, “I’m glad I’ll have all his votes.”
WSJ Agrees with Ron Paul on 0% Income Tax, Urges GOP to Adopt
FOX News
WSJ Agrees with Ron Paul on 0% Income Tax, Urges GOP to Adopt
Ron Paul’s NDAA Floor Speech Jan 18, 2012
C-SPAN
Ron Paul’s NDAA Floor Speech Jan 18, 2012
Ron Paul only GOP candidate to publicly denounce SOPA
The Daily Caller
Ron Paul only GOP candidate to publicly denounce SOPA
GOP presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul came out Wednesday in support of the “blackout” efforts taking place across the Web protesting pending anti-piracy legislation many have decried as an Internet censorship effort.
Protect IP, or PIPA, is the Senate version of the House Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Wikipedia, Reddit, Google and many other sites engaged in a “blackout,” or self-censorship, on Wednesday in protest of the bills.
Supporters of the bills argue that strong legislation is needed to combat the piracy of U.S. intellectual property through foreign based websites. Opponents have blasted the bills as a form of Internet censorship, and the wrong approach to tackle what many view as a real economic problem.
As of 6 p.m. EST Wednesday evening, Paul was the only GOP candidate to denounce the bills, which have caused an uproar throughout the Internet community; Paul made a statement through a Facebook status update, saying:
“My campaign, and the entire freedom movement, would not be as strong as they are today without a free Internet, and that’s just one of the reasons why the establishment hopes to censor it with SOPA and PIPA. I’m proud to see so many taking a stand today. Contact your representative and senators and tell them to oppose these disastrous bills.”
Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich – at least on Facebook and Twitter — were silent on the issue, and instead devoted their social media platforms to further campaign against one another.
Paul’s son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, also came out Wednesday pledging to filibuster PIPA, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to bring to the Senate floor on January 24.
Ron Paul Speech Against Raising the Debt Ceiling – Jan 18 2012
C-SPAN
Ron Paul Speech Against Raising the Debt Ceiling – Jan 18 2012