Ron Paul, John Sununu Lend New Hampshire Primary Coverage Crotchety Excitement

When New Hampshire designed the quarter commemorating their state, they chose to venerate a much-beloved rock formation on Cannon Mountain that once overlooked the town of Franconia before it collapsed in 2003. Prior to its collapse, however, it was a well-known New Hampshire attraction because its craggy ledges, viewed in profile, resembled the face of a firm-jawed, resolute elderly man. Hence the popular nickname, "Old Man Of The Mountain."

It seems awfully fitting, then, that during last night's coverage of the New Hampshire Primary -- an affair that yielded a quick result, little drama, and few surprises -- the bulk of the excitement was delivered by two elder statesmen, former Granite State Gov.John Sununu and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who's been running with New Hampshire's "Live Free Or Die" motto since the start of his career.

Paul worked hard to steal his fellow contenders' thunder last night by opting out of the standard post-result speech and instead delivering a long oration on monetary policy and libertarianism, as if to remind his ardent supporters of the reasons they had chosen to cast their vote for him, just a few hours before he started talking. And Sununu stole the show on the pundit and commentary side, hurling crotchety quips and acid-laced barbs all around the MSNBC studio.

Our own Ben Craw has woven together the highlights of each man's night to form a sort of dialogue, in the hopes that we can convince Sununu and Paul to team up with former Georgia Senator and celebrated duellist Zell Miller for some sort of awesome septuagenarian buddy comedy.

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Comments

[JackFoobar]

10:22 PM on 01/26/2012

I see some comments saying that he's a "confederate", as in Republicans are slave owners. Let me skip the history lesson, and end with you are stupid. Feel free to name the party of Lincoln and MLK and then get back to me.

Next you say he wants corporations to be government. He wants government to be government by upholding the contract that it was created to uphold.

If you follow the law, you follow the law. There's no corporation involved. There is only the contract that we all agreed to. The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land. It's a contract with all 50 States. That is the law. Everything else in Heaven or Earth that conflicts with that contract is null and void. Your "corporations" included.

So let me skip the history lesson yet again, and sum this up. Here is the real problem. Government is your God. You are not just stupid, but logically and morally bankrupt.

Following the law is what government's are supposed to do- not have you suckle on it's teat and imposing your slavery on others.

And here's the final zinger. Government is a corporation you geniuses. Government is a group of people that upholds contracts. Corporations are a group of people that uphold contracts. People uphold contracts.

And if you need a history lesson on your socialist governments slaughtering hundreds of millions, do bother asking me for that either. You are the problem, not Ron Paul.

[vierge99]

03:28 PM on 01/11/2012

About Ron Paul: "...since the start of his career." I LOVE consistency. Ron Paul 2012!

[chirstopherstanwood]

03:21 PM on 01/11/2012

I was surprised to learn that my very intelligent, highly-educated, 30 year old cousin was backing Ron Paul. Only Paul will bring home troops, cut the military, cut federal spending, and remove the government from our daily lives.

My gripe with both is their ignorance of the past. Sincerely or not, Paul trumpets the naive belief that if only government would step aside our problems can be solved. America’s discriminatory past, for example, should be ignored.

My cousin, explaining his Paul support, showed a lack a historical perspective on which to weigh Paul’s views. “States Rights,” in his view, is a way to get the federal government out of American’s daily lives. Yet he doesn’t know that “States Rights” has also provided the legal basis for all sorts of discriminatory policies.

I was shocked at my cousin’s lack of knowledge about the very past to which Ron Paul wants America to return. He knew nothing about late 19th c. working conditions, management abuses, and rampant injuries. The rise of unions is a mystery. And FDR’s 1930s infrastructure spending did little but extend the Great Depression.

Recently I skimmed a few articles about why Paul resonates with “young” Americans. None however touched on a lack of historical knowledge. That my cousin may be bright, but he lacks a firm enough grasp on history to understand Presidential campaigning and the consequences of what the candidates are REALLY talking about.

[Xenopus]

03:02 PM on 01/11/2012

John Sununu has always been a rude blowhard.

[chris hatala]

04:26 PM on 01/11/2012

Especially when he was governor.

[Scent]

01:27 PM on 01/11/2012

Ron Paul wants corporations be the new government. - Nothing can be more dangerous than that. Already in the nations they rule slavery, child labor, massrape, massmurder and wanton wars abound. Ron Paul wants to bring all that home to us by freeing those who commit all those crimes from ALL restraints.

Because the free market is free only for those who rule it. And that by any accounts is not the people. It is the parasites that feed on us.

[Just logic]

01:43 PM on 01/11/2012

Educate yourself before you talk about things you don’t understand. Economics is sometimes hard to understand but do not think for one second that we have a free market in place. We have a government that bows to the wishes of major corporations. Do you honestly think that regulations really create a free market. Regulations cause corporations to make billions. In return they donate millions to the status quo. Want proof then ask yourself why Obama and Mitt are donated by millions from the same places on Wall Street. Hint its called hedging your bets. One will be pushed in and that one who wins will do their bidding. But then ask yourself why Ron Paul’s donations come from people like me at $20.12 increments? Educate yourself and don’t let the fear the Government hands out to control you get the best of you.

[Scent]

02:01 PM on 01/11/2012

Right. Ron Paul wants to give all power to corporations to improve our lives. Because that has worked so well for all peoples so far.

And education does not mean I have the same opinion as You. Thinking YOU hold the sole way to truth though makes You very much of an American - the kind Palin call "the GOOD Americans".

Dearie, I went to Iraq and saw first hand what happens when corporations take over. Utter ruin, a million innocents massacred, and an illegal war on our conscience. Sure Ron Paul wants wars to end. All HE wants is corporations to have the power and freedom to conduct their own wars. - And Iraq and Afghanistan have shown what happens when corporations do that. Just be glad You were not there to fight for the freedom of the richest to make soldiers massacre innocents for profit.

[Scent]

04:16 PM on 01/11/2012

The standard "argument": I am right and everyone else is stupid / uneducated.

Sorry pal, but maybe You need a bit of information yourself. I suggest "The Shock Doctrine". And guess the nationality of the author who thoroughly researched instead of calling all not of her mind stupid: NOT american ;o).

[raker]

12:56 PM on 01/11/2012

Ron Paul is an unreconstructed confederate. He call is liberty, but his mission is to restore slavery.

[blackraisin]

02:49 PM on 01/11/2012

ummm ... no. Unless freedom is slavery like big brother says.

[raker]

02:55 PM on 01/11/2012

Ron Paul's notions of freedom and liberty require quotation marks around them. He does not advocate for freedom, he advocates for making it easier for the powerful to exploit the weak.

Ron Paul's "freedom" is indeed slavery.

[chris hatala]

04:27 PM on 01/11/2012

Fanned and faxed. I think he fought in the Civil War.

[DRouss3977]

12:47 PM on 01/11/2012

Sununununu, or however you spell his name, is a man who left government under a cloud of accusations. He thinks of himself as a intellect and a guard dog, when in reality he is a partisan clown and an old hound dog. His performance last night on MSNBC shows why the GOP is on its downward collapse. Some political hacks just don't know when they should exit stage right!

[Mateo Smith]

12:41 PM on 01/11/2012

Dr. KranKKy hopefully will run as a 3rd party candidate after McRomney buys the Republicon nomination; he could call it the DNWP (Drag Negros With Pickups) party.

A few quotes from RON PAUL: "I've urged everyone in my family to know how to use a gun in self defense. For the animals are coming." And another: "If you have ever been robbed by a black teenaged male, you know how unbelievably fleet of foot they can be." Wait, one more: "The criminals who terrorize our cities -in riots & on every non-riot day- are not exclusively young black males, but they largely are." Okay okay wait, just one more! "At least 39 white women have been stuck with used hypodermic needles -perhaps infected with AIDS- by gangs of black girls."

[marinfan]

01:13 PM on 01/11/2012

Those were written by James B. Powell, as was revealed last week when the original newletter (that had a byline) was finally produced by James Kirkpatrick, after he sat on it for 5 years.

http://www.fox19.com/story/16458700/reality-check-the-name-of-a-mystery-writer-of-one-of-ron-pauls-racist-newsletters

[Just logic]

01:45 PM on 01/11/2012

Did you know that it has been proven to be written by someone else? Why do you think you don’t hear about it in the media.

http://www.fox19.com/story/16449477/reality-check-the-story-behind-the-ron-paul-newsletters

[littlepuffycloud]

12:24 PM on 01/11/2012

Sununu is what is wrong with this country.

[sfbbmom]

12:39 PM on 01/11/2012

I was going to write the very same.

[barkingcat]

12:58 PM on 01/11/2012

Amen -- he grates on my nerves, as well.

[truthsayer4ever]

01:33 PM on 01/11/2012

And, he should stop borrowing Rand Paul's hairpiece. Yuk!

[Summer77]

12:09 PM on 01/11/2012

MSNBC should never have given Sununu a spotlight them man is a bad as Trump theirs egos are huge and the Grandiose sprit lives happily inside them both!

[Cratewasher]

11:58 AM on 01/11/2012

Paul may be just nibbling at Romney's heels now, but when he gets to the south and western states, he may start taking chunks of flesh.

[fredpa]

11:47 AM on 01/11/2012

As if I didn't have enough reasons to dislike Mitt Rmoney, he goes and give John Sununu a podium. Unforgivable.