GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is not a racist. But he's a class-A opportunist. The smoking gun proof is his much-maligned racist newsletters. Proof, not because they spewed racial bile, or that Paul pretty much knew that the writers of the racially loaded quips were fanning racial flames. Enough persons that were familiar with Paul's Ron Paul Survival Report have publicly blown the lid off of Paul. They made it clear that he knew what was being said in the newsletters, and approved it.
But Paul didn't greenlight the racist stuff in the newsletters because he is a racist, or in the purity of literary license. He approved the digs because they were a quick and dirty way to make a fast buck. A then out-of-political-office Paul was in debt. His consulting business wasn't doing very much, and few were breaking down the subscription doors to lap up his newsletters that mostly focused on financial and investment tidbits weren't up. There are tons of financial investment chit-chat, tips and advice from far more reputable investment houses and financial gurus then from a seemingly washed-up former congressman. Paul lost a Senate bid in 1984 and was out of Congress until 1996.
So Paul hit on the perfect angle to ramp up interest, sales, and jingle the cash registers: toss out inflammatory zingers on gays, Jews, and, especially, blacks. The newsletter put some whoppers out there. This was done all under Paul's watchful dollar sign eye. The predictable happened. Paul made money, lots of money, off of them. He discovered that there are legions of unreconstructed bigots here and abroad that feast off anything that demeans, ridicules, and lies about gays, Jews and blacks. The newsletters were a gold mine and Paul soon retired his debt.
The dangling questions now are what does this say about a politician who has billed himself, sold himself, and got millions of others to buy into the sell, that he's a Simon pure, principled citizen politician that stands above the inherent muck, corruption, deal making, and money grab that hopelessly taints politics and politicians? The other is if Paul was an opportunist, up to and including using racial and anti-Semitic digs to make money, get attention, and resurrect his then-faded political career, what else would Paul do if he were by some stroke to get the GOP nomination to sell out his stated principles?
The great tragedy of Paul, then, is not that he's been unmasked as a racist. He hasn't, but that so many put so much stock in his seemingly tireless pursuit of political integrity and selfless duty. This is the single biggest reason that Paul has stirred such fierce and rabid passion among so many backers, especially young persons. They truly look to him as a political deus ex machina that poses a real contrarian to the status quo politicians, both Democrats and Republicans. It's also the biggest reason for the mainstream press's fascination with Paul. He was, well, different, or at least sounded different, on everything from whacking the Federal Reserve to shutting down America's military machine overseas. At a time when endless public opinion polls show that Congress has ocean-bottom approval ratings and often wide swings downward in President Obama's ratings, the disgust and distrust of politicians couldn't be more absolute.
This has provided the fertile soil for Paul to get maximum mileage out of railing against top-heavy government interference and intrusion into the lives of Americans. Paul also knows that spicing up the horribly distorted Jeffersonian principle of limited government with race has broad implications for scrapping regulations on environmental and civil liberties, and consumer protections, gutting regulations to prevent corporate abuses, and of course, slashing funding or eliminating government health services, education, welfare, and labor rules and laws. That the root of America's woes -- bloated spending, soaring deficits, congressional gridlock, crippling energy dependence, massive tax disparities, the drug plague, and even America's wars are money tainted federal government. He has drilled home in his talks, lectures, and innumerable GOP presidential debates. Paul's seeming anti-establishment, anti-party, maverick position plays well to the legions of frustrated, disgusted, even enraged GOP rank and filers and purported libertarians that are desperate to have an alternative to the GOP establishment anointed presidential contenders.
This has even forced the GOP and to an extent some Democrats to give a grudging nod to Paul's presence and at least as far as the GOP is concerned consider him a real threat to their fixation on making Obama a one-term president if he sulks in his tent a la Achilles and does not rev up his backers to support the ultimate GOP nominee, which will not be him.
Paul did not lie when he said that he didn't write the racist stuff in his newsletters. He told the truth when he repudiated them. That's the easy part, but repudiating his opportunism in having them in their first place, that mocks the principles he spouts, is another matter. The newsletters are sad proof of that.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on American Urban Radio Network. He is the author of How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is host of the weekly Hutchinson Report Newsmaker Hour on KTYM Radio Los Angeles streamed on ktym.com podcast on blogtalkradio.com and on thehutchinsonreportnews.com
Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/earlhutchinson
Aw, what the heck. Here ya go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1dhyuZdY9c
If what you're saying is true, then those opinions espoused in his newsletters and video tapings are only to make money for himself. Why then would a person who is out to make money, not be shocked by some of the words, opinions, and statements made? At what point did he say, "I must say this because I want to make money, even though I don't believe a word of it?"
I agree somewhat with what you're saying about prostituting oneself, but in prostituting yourself, you become what you seem to stand for. Ron Paul did this to himself, he has no one else to blame. He put his name on racist rants for whatever reason, so he must accept the old nomenclature.
He has a following of young people behind him. They were not around when he was making most of these "claims." Most of us oldsters, with good memories, and who were paying attention are not supporters of Ron Paul. We recognize that he is a prostitute. What we cannot forgive, is that he now bashes his chosen occupation from which he grew rich.
Obama, the Chicago machine politician is hardly as pure as the driven snow.
"Corrupt Newt Gingrich" is a pleonasm
Mitt Romney is an out of touch corporate shill, whose positions change more often than his empty suit.
Dr. Paul is the only candidate to have actually served his country in the military; the only candidate who realizes that another major war would be a catastrophe for America. When faced with the rest of the field- an absolutely corrupt hack, the insider heir to a fortune, and the Chicago politician, the country physician who predicted the current financial meltdown, who has been right about the FED for decades, wants to support our mostly poor and middle class troops by bringing them home alive-Ron Paul stands real tall.
"The great tragedy of Paul, then, is not that he's been unmasked as a racist. He hasn't, but that so many put so much stock in his seemingly tireless pursuit of political integrity and selfless duty. "
It doesn't at all repudiate his thirty-plus years of tireless support for various causes -- his movement will not end when he ends his campaign as his ideas and his diligence are models of virtue.
His supporters will never stop trying. In an age where "perfect" messengers are preferred over a "perfect" message, they will continue to inform, debate, and educate. You will never hear of an ex-Ron Paul supporter because of the message, not the messenger, matters. In the preponderance of evidence in terms of constitutional, financial, and foreign matters, the mistake of the newsletters does not dim the glowing hot issues of the day.
what you say here
" But Paul didn't greenlight the racist stuff in the newsletters because he is a racist, or in the purity of literary license. He approved the digs because they were a quick and dirty way to make a fast buck. A then out-of-political-office Paul was in debt. "
Ron Pauls OWN record of UNCORRUPTED service prove you are a liar.It blows your , very biased and wrong assumption..all to hell.
Your bigotry and your desire to keep Obama President has Blinded you. If I were Obama I'd ask you to stop your BS,it makes you no better than Hannity ,Beck ,Rush. It reflects badly on Obama.
He has NEVER voted to raise congressional pay.
He has NEVER taken a government-paid junket.
He has NEVER voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He DOES NOT participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Those people who claim they KNOW Ron Paul Knew about the comments and signed off on it . They are Neocons and they are Liars. Paul's own record Proves him innocent
" 1 Pet 2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1 Pet 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."
I'll post part of it
Ron Paul has NEVER Pandered. he has the same message for over 25 years.He does not change it to suit an audience, unlike the others. EVEN when his OWN Party Booed him publically many times and called him a KOOK for years..he NEVER changed his view.
so why the HellWould he do what you have accused him of ? He doesn't CHANGE in order to recruit voters..he stays the same and THEY eventually come to him.
Being DR. No darn well IS leadership; when you're surrounded by Yes Men, it's the height of courage and integrity!
Take the piece on the LA riots, for example: given that the riots entailed four days of racially-motivated violence against whites (not to mention looting and arson), the ONLY thing that Ron Paul’s detractors find in the “Race-War” piece is the following sentence: “Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks three days after rioting began”. This is arguably true—because of the rioting, mail wasn’t being delivered in the affected area, and by day #4 there was a line (stretching blocks) of residents waiting to get their checks at the post office. How do I know this “racist” fact? It was covered on television news at the time --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cNxYTOfhsc (post office line @11:28).
If the ONLY insult that a supposedly-racist organization can muster (given the inflammatory subject matter) is a condescending crack about a factual occurrence involving a social-program that conservatives have ALWAYS been against, regardless of recipient’s race, then they’re pretty bashful racists, wouldn’t you say? What-- no name calling? No threats of revenge or violence? Just a crack about welfare checks from a fiscally-conservative newsletter. Shocking stuff, this!
You can't teach that to a bunch of people who are insanely sensitive.
I don't have a problem with bringing this issue up --- 10 years ago. And maybe in 2008, which is did, but again, weekly for the last few months? COme on. Give it a rest. No one cares, except the people that try to use it as a political weapon, but you have failed miserably.
He must be afraid Paul can and will Beat Obama if nominated.
That would depend on the public. but he and his buddies on the right Hannity,Rush and beck,lie their arses off in order to take our choice away.
Obama " Hamilton" and Ron Paul " Jefferson" need to have this debate
Party's over, guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dmNUX0Xms1k#!
The man is 76 years old, has been in politics for more than 30 years and you can not find one special interest group or lobby that you can tie to him and this "journalist" has the audacity and arrogance of calling Paul an opportunist?
Hahaha