Ron Paul's Racist, Homophobic Newsletters Gain New Life On Twitter

With Rep. Ron Paul's rise in the Iowa polls, reporters are once again scrutinizing the congressman's old racist and homophobic newsletters.

At various times over the years, Paul has claimed that the newsletters were the product of ghostwriters and hazy oversight, and that some of the writings on race were based on a study by a criminal justice think tank (that no one has heard of). At other times, he offered a spirited defense of the newsletters. Last week, Paul stormed out of a CNN interview after being questioned about the offensive essays.

Paul is lucky that that the most offensive newsletters were published in the pre-Internet era -- from the '70s through the early '90s -- when newsletters existed as a productive and lucrative way for politicians to share their ideas. While these newsletters have resurfaced on the web as photocopied PDFs, they have yet to go viral like Rick Perry's Strong ad or become a Internet meme like the pepper-spraying cop.

The snark may still come. The newsletters have recently spawned a new Twitter feed -- @RP_Newsletter -- which posts quotes directly from the offensive texts. Here's a sampling:

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

Washington, with its racist gov't, racist radio, racist ministers, racist universities, and racist attitudes, is the black New Jerusalem.

December 28, 2011 9:15 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

Homosexuals, not to speak of the rest of society, were far better off when social pressure forced them to hide their activities.

December 28, 2011 8:39 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

Is it any coincidence that the AIDS epidemic developed after they came "out of the closet," & started hyper-promiscuous sodomy?

December 28, 2011 8:41 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

...I've urged everyone in my family to know how to use a gun in self defense. For the animals are coming.

December 28, 2011 3:05 pm via HootSuite Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

Do your very best to keep your family away from inner cities.

December 28, 2011 1:36 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

3. Boil all [the AIDS patient's] laundry for at least 15 minutes.

December 28, 2011 4:01 am via web Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

8. Do not allow the [AIDS] patient to eat in a restaurant.

December 28, 2011 4:04 am via web Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

Am I glad I voted in Congress against an expensive federal holiday for this man [MLK].

December 28, 2011 3:42 am via web Reply Retweet Favorite

@RP_Newsletter
Ron Paul Newsletter

On the holiday honoring MLK, the films shown in the government schools depict whites as evil.

December 28, 2011 3:32 am via web Reply Retweet Favorite

To date, @RP_Newsletter has tweeted more than 1,100 times. And Paul's fans are less than thrilled. One described the page as spam:

@libertyclick
Liberty Click

LibertyForest: Report this twitter account for spam! @rp_newsletter http://t.co/8wCEmtgT #ronpaulgrassrootscentral

December 28, 2011 4:25 am via Google Reply Retweet Favorite

Another decried the slant of the tweets:

@TheGloryofMan
Ted Metrakas

@RP_Newsletter it's still shitty of you to contribute to idea that ron Paul is racist. It isn't true, and that should matter.

December 28, 2011 3:04 am via Twitter for iPhone Reply Retweet Favorite

He also defended Paul's "unorthodox beliefs":

@TheGloryofMan
Ted Metrakas

@RP_Newsletter oh no!!! A passionate person has unorthodox beliefs!! Let's paint him with the scarlet letter!

December 28, 2011 3:13 am via Twitter for iPhone Reply Retweet Favorite

Comments

[subliminaut]

05:51 AM on 03/10/2012

I've heard, read, and seen the man spreading racism and bigotry numerous times. I downloaded 8 of the newsletters and they were just as depraved and backwards as I'd expect from a christian fundamentalist. It is amazing that the cult of personality here won't let me people see the man for what he truly is. A wolf in sheep's clothing trying to empower states laws by working for popular causes, but at the heart of his campaign is the desire to replace laws with specifically christian ones.

[RainbowPie]

12:00 PM on 01/03/2012

Well I didn't know who exactly I should respond to, so I'll just do it here. I'm a Ron Paul supporter, but I think he is lying in this one instance. Allow me to explain.

If you actually read the most often quoted parts of the newsletters in the context they originally appeared in, they are much less insulting than I think we're lead to believe. For instance, the quote...

“[O]ur country is being destroyed by a group of actual and potential terrorists—and they can be identified by the color of their skin.”

...appears racist when taken by itself, but look at the original context:

"[In light of the LA riots, m]any more are going to have difficulty avoiding the belief that our country is being destroyed by a group of actual and potential terrorists—and they can be identified by the color of their skin. This conclusion may not be entirely fair, but it is, for many, entirely unavoidable.”

The author actually saying that racism will increase because of the LA riots. Is that really so controversial? You can read the rest of the article here (and I strongly encourage everyone to do so):

http://takimag.com/article/why_the_beltway_libertarians_are_trying_to_smear_ron_paul/#ixzz1iPV4U1Me

[...continued...]

[islandon22]

10:55 AM on 01/02/2012

When commenting on the '64 Civil Rights Act impinging on property rights a freedom of choice, it was quite evident he was arguing from the position of one not being discriminated. Had he been born black or brown, somehow I am sure his altuistic libertarian opinions would have been different.

[Cecil Cain]

02:42 AM on 01/02/2012

While the "I didn't know these racist editorials were being published over this 20-year period" defense is a bit far-fetched, what seems to really drive the nail home is the fact that Ron Paul defended some of these comments in 1996 when pressed on them. I have yet to see Ron Paul pressed on his '96 defense.

http://www.obamaftw.com/blog/ron-paul/ron-paul-racist-newsletters-racism

[El Jefe]

11:13 PM on 12/30/2011

Misleading title, he's not racist or homophobic himself

[Wrongway62]

01:10 AM on 02/24/2012

Are you trying to say he's just the front man for racist or homophobic beliefs, but really doesn't get into it him self?

[wizkid14]

06:26 PM on 12/30/2011

Ron Paul is quick the slippery one isn't he? If indeed he didn't write the newsletters printed in his name, then simply tell the concerned public who did? Paul's inability or unwillingness to clarify the orgins of these writings renders him un-fit to lead in the eyes of many Americans!

[Remmic Lewis]

11:09 PM on 12/30/2011

No he is not slippery. First, he didn't storm out of an interview. CNN has already been busted for editing the footage of the interview. Secondly, he has been interviewed countless times over the years and made it clear that he didn't write all of the newsletters, there were many contributors which makes him a publisher. Thousands and thousands of pages went out and count how many comments there are. He is the most fit candidate we have if you could take a minute and look at his policies and wake up to the fascist state we live in.

[BiznessLady]

07:16 AM on 01/01/2012

First of all that was Fox saying he stormed out. They didn't do a deceptive edit, they showed him not answering a reasonable question and leaving, which is his right. But then don't get mad when your called out on leaving without answering a valid question.

Secondly he hasn't been consistent on his message on this issue first defending them , then disavowing them. His answers are not sufficient to those of us who don't believe the "I didn't write them , never read them and don't know who did defense" that he parlays now.

He couldn't run my local
mcDonalds

[Cecil Cain]

02:45 AM on 01/02/2012

He is not the most fit candidate. Even ignoring this skeleton in the closet, his policies would take us back to pre-New Deal America. Ron Paul's economics is a more exaggerated version of Reaganomics, which has already destroyed the middle class enough.

http://www.obamaftw.com/blog/ron-paul/ron-paul-2012-ron-paul-economy

[El Jefe]

11:14 PM on 12/30/2011

He said many of them were from Lew Rockwell, I guess you like to assume you know everything without researching

[BiznessLady]

07:17 AM on 01/01/2012

no he didn't

[Basement Dweller]

11:53 PM on 12/29/2011

Justin Raimondo of Antiwar.com has a more thorough assessment of the Ron Paul newsletters here: http://takimag.com/article/why_the_beltway_libertarians_are_trying_to_smear_ron_paul/#axzz1huWlFn2D

[battlinbob]

07:26 PM on 12/29/2011

What is very funny is no one is quoting the letters on how they are racist, etc.... I'd like to see a more narrowed article on why they are so bad....

[subliminaut]

06:03 AM on 03/10/2012

They are easy to find and available for all to read. There is no shortage of remarks about how blacks behave like animals and are criminal in nature. He mentions how gays should be rounded up and kept seperate from society. Even had he not written every single word, these newsletters were spewing hate and christian supremacy for over 15 years, always with his name loudly attached. "The Ron Paul Congressional Newsletter"... I find it very difficult to believe someone would let a white supremacist run his own congressional newsletter with no oversight. The letters just a month before the OKC bombing are quite frightening, as Paul seems to openly embrace militia violence by white supremacist/christian terror groups.

[RLOVEUTION]

06:34 PM on 12/29/2011

Wish I could play the race card everytime I was dealt a losing hand like alot of individuals on here seem to be doing.

[Michael Johnson2]

06:00 PM on 12/29/2011

This twitter account isn't even run by Ron Paul... Huffington post is a joke

[battlinbob]

07:27 PM on 12/29/2011

Hopefully people arent that stupid to fall for such propaganda....

[tennwilliams1970]

04:33 PM on 12/29/2011

I can almost understand and pardon his behavior towards AIDS and AIDS patients. Just about everyone was a little freaked out about it before it was studied and we learned more about it. I bet we would be appalled at some of the things that were said about AIDS patients in the early 80's, but we grew. The racism, on the other hand, is inexcusable. The good news is that all republicans and conservatives are racist in the 2000's, so he's got nothing to worry about.

[MoreFreedom]

08:53 AM on 12/30/2011

If Paul is racist - explain this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rv0Z5SNrF4

[Cecil Cain]

02:52 AM on 01/02/2012

One way to explain it is "Dr first, racist second." Of course, him being a racist isn't the only explanation for the newsletters. He may have simply been race-baiting to gain 'the racist vote.' According to a testimony from a former staffer of his, he was never comfortable with black or Latino people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi3z37w47K8

[kazvorpal]

11:45 AM on 12/30/2011

What do you mean "his behavior toward AIDS and AIDS patients"?

Since he was a medical doctor, he probably knew enough about AIDS not to have the attitudes that Lew Rockwell allowed to be printed in that newsletter.

Are you foolish enough to ignore all the evidence that Paul wasn't writing the offending columns, and didn't even know about them?

[Remmic Lewis]

11:11 PM on 12/30/2011

Thousands and thousands of pages of newsletters with many different names went out over a span of years with many contributors which means RP was a publisher, not the author of all of the columns. Count how many controversial comments there are ... not many. Don't fall for this crap.

[threelittlepigs]

04:07 PM on 12/29/2011

This Huff & Puff on a man who's record stays the same "Constitution" "Bill of Rights" is the only one of the candidates I can " TRUST" !

[Remmic Lewis]

03:44 PM on 12/29/2011

I can't believe this article says he stormed out of the interview. CNN is already being criticized now that the full unedited interview has come out that clearly shows him not storming out. Sigh.

[JoeMomma]

04:18 PM on 12/29/2011

Propaganda. Plain and simple.

[d991]

02:15 PM on 12/29/2011

Ron Paul's racist side exposed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rv0Z5SNrF4

Absolutely disgusting!

[Michael Suede]

02:12 PM on 12/29/2011

Ron Paul was busy delivering poor black babies for free when the news letter came out.

http://youtu.be/8Rv0Z5SNrF4