Will Ron Paul name names?
by David Benzion · 01/09/2008 7:19 amJames Kirchick tracked down original editions of Ron Paul’s 1980’s-90’s era newsletters; the ugly underbelly is exposed here (I won’t even bother to excerpt; read the whole thing for yourself).
Paul’s excuses have evolved; we now get this:
“When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.”
Kirchick does make this preemptive point to such excuses:
Paul’s campaign wants to depict its candidate as a naïve, absentee overseer, with minimal knowledge of what his underlings were doing on his behalf. This portrayal might be more believable if extremist views had cropped up in the newsletters only sporadically–or if the newsletters had just been published for a short time. But it is difficult to imagine how Paul could allow material consistently saturated in racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and conspiracy-mongering to be printed under his name for so long if he did not share these views. In that respect, whether or not Paul personally wrote the most offensive passages is almost beside the point. If he disagreed with what was being written under his name, you would think that at some point–over the course of decades–he would have done something about it.
Here’s a simple way to clear thing up– Ron Paul, name names.
- Who were your ghostwriters?
- What terrible, immoral men published this poison without your knowledge and unjustifiably sullied your good name?
- Tell us, Honorable Doctor, so that we might absolve you and instead make the truly responsible parties the target of our opprobrium.
I can’t know for certain (or course), but I’m betting he won’t, because to do so would reveal that the actual authors are either…
- Staffers who held official, paid positions with either his D.C. or district offices;
- Individuals with reputations for bigotry now so well known and ugly (or a paper trail so extensive) that it simply “better” to take the hit himself.
Prove me wrong doctor; call my bluff.
Name names.
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I think in one of those newsletters, written by ghost writers, there was a personal message wishing everyone a happy holiday…… and mentions his family and wife’s name. I agree, name the ghost writers.
Newsletters are published for 10 years under his name and he didn’t read ONE of them?
If true, that makes him too much of an idiot to be dog catcher, let alone Congressman—–and president is right out.
If not, it makes him, at the very least, a person of questionable moral character, and it explains a lot about the Nazi Gold.
No legs.
yawn…
No helium.
Crash.
It’s the blimp! It’s the blimp, Frank! It’s the blimp!
“My candidate is a racist moron. No legs. Yawn.”
Sums it all up nicely, doncha think?
Ron Paul also had ghost writers funding the Corbin poll.
Sorry I just find it ironic that we are asking Ron Paul to name names but aren’t making the same requests for the anonymous district 130 poll
What an article ! ! Had to print that one .
Sargevining
Yes I Do !
This blimp?
# 6 Sarge
“My candidate is a racist moron”
Really? I’m sorry to hear that.
Who’s your candidate?
Sunday, hours before its release various sites billboarded Kirchick’s hit piece. So I give LST credit for waiting until today to start kicking its favorite dead horse again. There’s is nothing about the newsletters that has not been discussed in primaries long past.
You’re right bob, but his explanations still ring just as hollow.
# 9 Faster
Reminds me of a Country and Western song.
Lets go out
In a blaze of glory
All good things must end
David - The timeline and Occam’s razor both defy your speculation. The newsletters in question were from the late 80’s and early 90’s. Paul was not in Congress at the time and therefore would not have had the paid staffers you describe.
Remember your history though. What was Paul doing then, especially circa 1988, and you will find the likely candidates amidst his associations. They aren’t congressional staffers, or friends he’s trying to protect, or neo-nazis, but members of a little thing called the Libertarian Party.
Now as someone who knows a little about the inner workings of the Libertarian Party (as you and I both do) and - to put it bluntly - the types of freaks and wierdos it attacts, can you tell me with a straight face that some of those newsletter articles don’t sound like something that came from the pen of a Libertarian Party freak or wierdo in the late 80’s or early 90’s?
Big Chief say….”Dead horse dont walk!”
So the Blimp is madeout of recycled unread pamphlets?
Here’s a scary thought, those nut case look at me look at me NH voters waded through deep snow to vote for him en mass
Phil– to clarify, not necessarily on Paul’s then current staff, but someone who at one time (before or since) was a paid Paul staffer.
And yeah, I can think of plenty of freaks and weirdos attracted to (what they understand to be) libertarian politics who could have written those things.
For me, this is like the fringe Jews who advocate racism & violence against Arabs.
I’m a pretty darn right-wing Jew. I’ve actually lived in Samaria (i.e., the “West Bank”) and carried a machine gun for self-defense, and don’t think Israel should have to relinquish a square inch of land, etc. etc.
But I (and the vast majority of other right-wing Jews I knew who lived there) had no sympathy whatsoever for the Kahanists and “Baruch Goldstein” types who advocated or engaged in racism or violence against Arabs.
If anything, I (and others) felt a special obligation to distance ourselves from the extremists and let them know that they were unwelcome and beyond the pale. Still do.
If you care about something, you’ve got to clean up messes in your own back yard to protect its value.
Same thing with UpChuck and the Harris Co. DA’s office.
Same thing with Ron Paul and limited-government politics.
Phil_M
Ron Paul had the staffers, he said as much.
DailyKos quotes Ron Paul to the contrary:
Although Paul’s racist screed first appeared under his byline in 1992, he waited nine years to disclaim those words. In 1996, Paul told reporters from the AP and Houston Chronicle that those words were written in the context of “current events and statistical reports of the time.” [FN 4] Yet there were no statistical reports claiming that the vast majority of African-American males in our nation’s capital were criminals. That was, and is, a racist myth.
Paul attempted to distance himself from those words, telling the Texas Observer in 2001:
Rather convenient don’t you think?
Written in current context of events?
He even admits he could not deny the newsletter in the campaign?
I agree. I’m just saying that in the backyards of the political world, the Libertarian Party is that weird guy down the street who never mows, dumps his food and other waste in something he calls a “compost heep” that really looks like a hole in the ground, plants vegetables in an old bathtub on the porch, and keeps an overcrowded rickety chicken wire pen full of pit bulls that he always forgets to feed.
The simple nature of that group makes it a heck of a lot harder to police for decency reasons - even to the point that people who would be considered “freaks” in most political spheres begin to appear normal by comparison to what else that party has to offer. To put it another way, I think the simplest and probably most realistic explanation of who the ghostwriter was is the Libertarian Party angle. It was probably a typical product of their movement who Paul picked up when he was affiliated with them. The author probably got paid very little if anything, but also thought of himself as the Karl Rove to Paul’s presidential bid in 88 (Libertarians are the absolute worst when it comes to the biggest-frog-in-smallest-pond syndrome). He probably thought those newsletters were the chance to spread his own screwy conspiratorial version of “righteousness,” and he did so until circa 1992 or 93 when somebody saner in the Paul household had an “oh sh#t, what’s that guy doing?” moment and dumped him.
Paul still bears some responsibility for letting it go on as long as he did, but that sort of thing is far from atypical in Libertarian movement circles. I also find Kirchick’s attempted preemption completely unconvincing. That part of his article reads more like a Morris Dees press release than a piece of investigative journalism.
C’mon Squawkie, you know Bhagwan Ron has been blessed with Paulpal Infallibility.
20 hammie
So, was the newsletter a Paulpal Bull?
You know my Uncle???? You forgot “drives through the neighborhood picking up everyone’s bags of leaves.”
#18 - Squawk - If you have to go to the Daily Kos and the Texas Observer to get the spin you want, chances are there’s something weak about your story to begin with. The word “staffer” means everything from congressional staff employee to campaign assistant to the guy who gets paid minimum wage to stick stamps on a newsletter (and maybe write an article every now and then). I don’t excuse Ron Paul’s culpability in the newsletter thing, but the conspiracy-minded speculation about the author’s identity really is far fetched.
When in want of evidence, always take the simplest explanation. And if you’ve ever known anything about Libertarian politics the simplest explanation is that people who would potentially write that stuff (and even crazier stuff) are not hard to come by in the Libertarian Party.
You are right Phil take the shortest route.
Ya know Phil words mean things and I just quoted Ron Paul’s own words no matter where they are sourced from. Ron Paul’s own words contradict your Ronpaulogy.
Paulpal Infallibilty?
ROFLOL
Give that boy the prize.
I find it intersting that the libertarian view is considered the weird guy down the street yet the liberal view is considered mainstream. hmmm
Maybe its just me but I find liberalism the most destructive force known to this Republic.
DJ, I don’t think they are attacking Libertarian ideas, just some of the crazies that are attracted to them.
And who is attracting them. One can be a libertarian and denounce the racist, discount conspiracy theories and still support Constitutionally based policies.
RP and UpChuckie are fools or idiots and posses other forms of “not for public” characteristics but are they a threat to society more than the vanilla white, squeaky clean, Harry Hairshirt, I’m not sure.
Is the information and emotion bestowed upon these two persons by LST equivalent to their actions, no, LST diminishes itself be rewarding them with too much attention for their bad actions that have little affect upon the people.
It’s about character and integrity, sir–virtues still sought out and demanded of their leaders by some of us.
#22 hamous
Whew, that was close, I thought he was talking about Squawk there for a minute. I mean he does live in Deep East Texas.
…and his dining room (never used for dining) contains five big cardboard boxes full of Schlitz bottle caps and 15 years worth of unread unsheathed newspapers.
DJ, at this point your defense of Ron Paul would seem the equivalent of somebody still insisting that President Bush is a conservative in spite of the spending he approved, the lack of border control, and his signing off on bills that are a slap in the face of our liberties. When you’re sitting in a room on fire, choking on the smoke, don’t blame second hand cigarette smoke. There is so much evidence here that Ron Paul has been supported by and accepted the assistance of blatantly racist groups that you simply have to be willing to turn your head the other way.
I don’t believe you are the type of man to do that DJ. Sure hope I’m wrong. I’d bet if we went back over time and looked at RP’s emails, they would very much resemble Chuck Rosenthal’s.
Some Paul Bearers obviously believe Dr. Paul speaks ex cathedra.
Nat #29, when the elected office a person holds literally has the power of life and death over a citizen, then it damned sure does matter. This not a case of “their bad actions that have little affect upon the people.”. Their attitude through either misconduct or lack of appropriate investigation can cause an innocent man to either be executed or spend a long time in prison. I’d guess if you were black, accused of a crime, and innocent, you would sure as heck feel less than comfortable that Chuck Rosenthal was going to be interested in truth and justice for you. To the contrary, I could see where it would cause great despair of ever being proved innocent. The loss of your job, your family, the shame, what you would endure in prison….all of these go with the character of the person holding that office of the highest public trust.
The citizens of Harris County could sure do alot better. It’s time to ask Rusty Hardin to come back.
Rusty’s too busy defending Roger Clemens right now.
#36 hamous
And unlike James Woods on TV, Rusty’s not gonna take the paycut. Unless, of course, that blonde agrees to come work for him.
Ron now admits that members of the far Reich Wing do his writing for him. So does that make him a puppet leader of the white supremacists or merely a useful idiot? It doesn’t really matter which end of the turd he stepped on, he’s still got stink on his shoe.
Ron now admits that members of the far Reich Wing do his writing for him. So does that make him a puppet leader of the white supremacists or merely a useful idiot? It doesn’t matter which end of the tootsie roll he stepped on, he’s still got stink on his shoe.
Bigs
I am not defending him. I hate to say it but at this juncture we’re screwed. WE have liars, bigots, and plane ole traitors running the show.
DJ, how about Duncan Hunter. He’s probably going nowhere, but is he acceptable to you?
#38 Exactly right. If he can’t manage a freakin’ newsletter responsibly how in the hell can he manage a country?
I like Hunter. Infact I think he is the only real deal. Does it matter? This country loves liars.
Daniel, bubba, you need to quit listening to Alex Jones for a while and cheer up ; - )
Hamous, there you go. Reminds me of a story of a Marine. He was in the desert for 4 days. No food, no water, has lost both legs and one arm. He gets to the top of a sand dune and sees an oasis at the bottom. He crawls down only to find the oasis dry. Propping himself up on his one arm he looks around and declares, “If this keeps up, I might be depressed”.
We are Americans. No whining. We find solutions. We get the job done. Might take days, weeks, months, years, or decades. No quitters. No whining. Determination with a bright smile! That attitude is demoralizing to the enemy….liberals.
Cheer up?
I am as cheery as one can get. I had a great new year.
America is stuck on liars. This is a fact bubba.
I see this big ging bing taking place and quite frankly makes me wanna hurl. The media/pundits act like we are watching a football game.
Hope and vision…barf!
I lets see how chipper you are when Hillary says…
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
“I lets see how chipper you are when Hillary says…
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
I actually shuddered when I read that…
Big #35
‘It’ being unseemly jokes and nasty e-mails - ‘ oh mommy, Chuckies lookin’ at dirty pictures again’, and if there has been mention of `lack of appropriate investigation’ I misread the article, the things presented are no different than any of his predecessors, I am not excusing him I am saying his actions do not merit the intensity LST’s exclamatory reaction.
Nat, maybe I misread. Correct me if so. I understood that many of the mails were racist in nature. Did I misread or get some bad info?
DJ, take a look at this timeline of what lead up to the Revolutionary War: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline1c.html
Across the top are events in two year increments leading up to Lexington and Concord. Just click on each two year period to get a bullet on each event.
The American people will endure alot before they explode in righteous anger. Also remember that only 1/3 of the colonists supported the revolution.
DJ, there are enough good people in this country to keep us afloat. If this nation managed to survive the civil war, it can survive just about anything. It might get bloody and messy, but as a nation we’ll be okay.
#47 It’ll be Hillary if we’re lucky. It could very well be Obama and who knows what book his hand will be on when he gives the oath.
Ex catheter is more like it.
I have a pretty good source that was on site during the time the news letters in question were created. They were composed by Dr. Ron Paul and by Lew Rockwell mostly. Dr. Paul would do them on a legal tablet and fax them to his office on Fuque neat Hobby Air port. Dr. Rockwell would fax his composition to the same office. Then Mark Eland who had a print shop at the time in that same office complex would edit and compose and produce the news letter and print it. Then Mark would distribute it. So there you go. If you think this is not correct, David B, Please give me a call. I think you may see some information about this show up in the New York Times and some other publications on Thursday and Friday. We shall see.
Regards Dr Stereo
If you would like to verify this with Mr. Lew Rockwell and Dr. Ron Paul, they will be at Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant, 2019 Post Oak Blvd on Jan 26 from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. It will cost you $75 to get in. I suggest that if you really would like to do follow up on David B’s post then you might go there, spend the $$$ and ask those folks about David’s B’s comments. Regards Dr. Stereo
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=e2f15397-a3c7-4720-ac15-4532a7da84ca
HI David B:
This link no longer works for me. Did U save it in a mirror somewhere? Regards Dr Stereo
Dr. Stereo– do you still have your mac email account?
I’ve tried emailing you something there.
Correction– I meant the hotmail account