Category Archives: Ron Paul

UPDATE III: ‘That’s How Ron Paul Rolls’ (Tosses & Gores Trump )

Energy, libertarianism, Liberty, Republicans, Ron Paul

Finally, Ron Paul takes the gloves off and goes hard-core. Yes, we want to drain the swamp. Yes, we are tired of the Tea-Party bark which has turned into the whimper of little Shih Tzus (or is it shit-so-and-sos). Department of Education? Gone. Interior, Energy, HUD, Commerce? Gone. Later bureaucrats. That’s how Ron Paul rolls.”

Excellent ad (thank you Roy Bleckert for sending the link). Give me more. If Ron Paul shakes off the shackles of the Beltway libertarians, and sticks to his original Old-Right instincts, we’re there. One problem: My man Ron forgot the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The goons must go. That is the first peace offering any candidate of mine must offer up.

Now how does a president do all this without his party taking both Houses? And how does he do all this as a pragmatic matter?

UPDATE I: JT (on Facebook): We need a uniter in this fractured country of ours. If Ron Paul can drum some sanity into the Nation of Islam, what’s wrong with that? Today I heard the Left speak fondly of him, on MSNBC, and joke about Paul’s cutting everything. Good. We want the Left neutralized. Paul is the candidate most likely to remain on the Right, and unite all factions.

UPDATE II: Newt; Serial Hypocrite and worse—serial statist. I feel a visceral urge to vomit each time I see that sanctimonious so-and-so. Still, this anti-Newt ad is unfocused and confusing. It’s hard to tell that its subject is Ron Paul. The new ad above is in a new mold.

UPDATE III (Dec. 6): Paul tosses and gores Trump. Needless to say, BAB won’t be covering the upcoming Idiocracy debate—and not because Trumpt promised to attend, but was a no-show at the Republican Party of Iowa’s annual Reagan Dinner:

“The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee rejects the selection of Donald Trump as moderator for the Republican presidential debate to be held on December 27th in Iowa.
“We have conferred with our Iowa campaign chairman Drew Ivers and vice-chairmen David Fischer and A.J. Spiker who are all RPI State Central Committee Members, and they concur with this decision.
“The selection of a reality television personality to host a presidential debate that voters nationwide will be watching is beneath the office of the Presidency and flies in the face of that office’s history and dignity. Mr. Trump’s participation as moderator will distract from questions and answers concerning important issues such as the national economy, crushing federal government debt, the role of the federal government, foreign policy, and the like. To be sure, Mr. Trump’s participation will contribute to an unwanted circus-like atmosphere.
“Mr. Trump’s selection is also wildly inappropriate because of his record of toying with the serious decision of whether to compete for our nation’s highest office, a decision he appeared to make frivolously. The short-lived elevation of Mr. Trump’s stature as a candidate put him on the radar of many organizations and we recall that last spring he was invited to keynote the Republican Party of Iowa’s annual Reagan Dinner, yet at the last minute he left RPI holding the bag by canceling. In turn, RPI canceled its biggest fundraising gala of the year and suffered embarrassment and in addition RPI was required to engage in refunding measures. Our candidate will not even consider participating in the late-December debate until Mr. Trump publicly apologizes to Iowa party leaders and rectifies in full the situation.
“Therefore our candidate Ron Paul, the champion of the Constitution, has advised he will not attend.”

UPADATE III: Fox News And Its Truth Deniers (Left-Libertarianism)

Business, Economy, Founding Fathers, History, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, libertarianism, Liberty, Media, Political Philosophy, Propaganda, Ron Paul, Socialism

The following is excerpted from “Fox News And Its Truth Deniers,” now on WND.COM:

“The dueling perspectives political panel is compatible with the aims of CNN, MSNBC, and the other progressive broadcasters. Here is how it works: You invite a member of the Republican establishment; often a RINO—preferably a bimbo—to do battle with a lefty from similar circles. The sides are ideologically so close, that, in all likelihood, the panelists hang out after the show.

This format is positively postmodernist. Why? Because, by presenting the public with two competing perspectives—you mislead viewers into believing that indeed there are two realities, and that it is up to them to decide which one is more compelling.

The one parallel universe is represented on Fox Business by the likes of Nancy Skinner, Caroline Heldman, Tara Dowdell, Carl Jeffers, Joe Sibila, Erika Payne, and others. …

The philosophical filth spewed by such characters – almost nightly on freedom-promoting programing, no less – is that government can spend and lend to good effect; that it can tax without discouraging and disrupting production; and that our overlords in D.C. can regulate “better” (read energy-squandering) industries into being by steering capital and labor away from bad (energy-efficient) industries (oil and gas). …

The truth is that truth is immutable, never relative. The little truth there is in mainstream media should not be diluted or presented by its adherents as dueling with untruth.

The above Fox News fixtures no more represent truth or promote it than does your average Holocaust denier.

With an exception: Libraries have long since engaged in a robust debate as to how to classify Holocaust-denying literature. While admirably advocating for unfettered free access, Professor of Library Services John A. Drobnicki has suggested moving Holocaust denial out of the History section in US libraries and closer to the ‘Bigfoot books,’ so that Holocaust denial’s Dewey Decimal designation is with ‘hoax materials.’

Indeed, hacks are not historians. Although the dueling-perspectives panel format would suggest it is—the economic bunk spewed by the likes of Skinner, Heldman, Dowdell, Jeffers, Sibila, and Erika Payne is no version of the truth, but a perversion of it.” …

The complete column, “Fox News And Its Truth Deniers,” is now on WND.COM. Read it.

My book, “Into the Cannibal’s Pot: Lessons for America from Post-Apartheid South Africa,” is available from Amazon. (Don’t forget those reviews; they help.)

A Kindle copy is also on sale.

Barnes and Noble is always well-stocked and ships within 24 hours.

Still better, shipping is free and prompt if you purchase Into the Cannibal’s Pot from The Publisher. Inquire about an Xmas special on bulk buys.

UPDATE I (Nov. 18): MSNBC has just inaugurated the nauseating “NOW,” which utilizes the dueling-perspectives panel discussed in my WND column to great effect. Here is the little RINO Lolita S. E. Cupp making a weak case for the right of a man to hire a lawyer, in a pathologically litigious country, which jails more individuals than any other: the USA. By “a weak case,” the hallmark of an establishment Republican (or whatever one chooses to dub this political species), I mean that grimaces, gestures, and a paraphrasing of the host replace serious argument. In particular, earlier in the debate, Cupp picked up on a catchy phrase the host had used, and repeated it again and again (“precipice politics) in order to conceal her vacuity. In the loud talking (for it wasn’t intelligent debate) about the Super Committee, Naomi Wolf was the only individual to zero in on the issue of a soviet-style politburo making decisions in a so-called representative democracy. (Wolf didn’t put it this way, but she made the point effectively. And, of course, the US was supposed to be a republic, not a mobocracy.) Otherwise, everything is all very friendly and flirty.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

UPDATE II: Via Facebook: What uncharacteristic intellectual pettiness it is to zero in on a trivial convention used in the column, instead of addressing the issue of natural law and reality, also the core of the column. This is what the column is about. However, maybe some here disagree that “truth is immutable, never relative.” And that “the little truth there is in mainstream media should not be diluted or presented by its adherents as dueling with untruth.”

UPDATE III: LEFT-LIBERTARIANISM. To the “there is nothing wrong with Judge and Stossel” crowd: ‘Cmon: They are the best we have, but there is plenty wrong. They are left-libertarians. For a while, Paul was teetering there too, but was pulled back from the brink by the conservatism of the his base, the majority of whom do not think that, at 1 million a year, the US needs more immigration and that anchor babies are dictated by the Constitution.

Everything You Always Waned to Know About The CNBC Presidential Debate* But Were Afraid to Ask

BAB's A List, Elections, Politics, Republicans, Ron Paul

BAB’s Myron Pauli has a “quickie” take on the debate that CNBC moderated at Oakland University:

Michele Bachmann (U.S. Representative, Minnesota, State Senator; Attorney): Was she even allowed to speak for 5 minutes? She made a point about the feckless payroll tax cuts and overspending BUZZ! Shut up!

Herman Cain (Chairman/CEO, Godfather’s Pizza): If you train Oscar-Wood, ilana’s adorable parrot, to say “Nine Nine Nine” repeatedly, does OW get into the next debate [yes!]? My problem is with the people who buy into this “999-solves-all-ills” nonsense.

Jon Huntsman (Ambassador to China, Governor, Utah; Deputy U.S. Trade Representative): Somewhat avuncular centrist who recognized that China is actually floating our economy and that starting a trade war over their subsidies is rather pointless. [A case of Pot. Kettle. Black, as far as the US goes. But Myron: was it not Rick Santorum who made this point? I thought so.—IM]

Newt Gingrich (Speaker of the House, U.S. Representative, Georgia, History Professor): Makes some good points from time-to-time. Most assuredly comes out better than Cain, Perry, Santorum, and insipid Romney.

Rick Santorum (U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Pennsylvania, Attorney): He talks and words come out – sound and fury signifying nothing. But compared to Perry, the man is Socrates. [Myron: I think you hate Santorum enough to credit Huntsman with a point about China Santorum had made. But then my memory could be failing.—IM]

Ron Paul (U.S. Representative, Texas, Physician): Prophet Jeremiah speaketh the truth – let’s all stone the prophet!

Mitt Romney (Governor, Massachusetts; CEO, 2002 Winter Olympics Organizing Comm.; Co-Founder, Bain Capital): An automated bloviation machine with no philosophical anchor. He emits some good points and some bad points – but he is waiting for the others to slowly flame out and leave him standing by default. [MyRon: another of your pet peeves. Romney is quick on his feet. He can think; but he’s a utilitarian, as are most Americans. “It doesn’t work” must be the most frequent, and most pathetic, counterpoint to an argument Americans make.—IM]

Rick Perry (Governor, Texas: State Representative; State Agriculture Commissioner): Oh my F****NG G*d! Call the men with the white coats – quickly!

Ilana here: I’m still laughing. As I put it in the “Rick Perry Infarct” post: Perry stroked again. He mentioned three government departments he’d eliminate, but was unable to come up with the third. Commerce and Education were the first two.

Ten minutes later, Perry got his vim back and remembered the department he’d axe: Energy.”

[* For our youngster readers, the title of the post comes from this Woody Allen film.]

UPDATED: Rick Gets Rabid; Ron Paul Endures

Economy, Elections, Political Philosophy, Politics, Private Property, Ron Paul, Taxation

The following is from my new WND.COM, “Rick Gets Rabid; Ron Paul Endures”:

“CNN must be desperate for the ratings the network receives whenever it hosts a Republican presidential debate. As moderator of the Tea Party Debate in Tampa, Florida, last month, Wolf Blitzer worked it. And not once did leftist activist-cum-anchor Anderson Cooper mention bullying in Las Vegas, Tuesday night: Viewers of the Western Republican Debate got off lightly. The excuse for a newsman known as Anderson Cooper did only one stupid thing: Demonstrate to the seven presidential contenders how to introduce themselves.

CNN was on its best behavior, which is more than one can say about Governor Rick Perry (R-TX). He sounds a lot like a slightly less stupid ‘W,’ which is still plenty stupid (and cunning to boot). The man is so much like The Decider in demeanor that it’s unsettling.

In bashing Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax-reform plan, Perry persistently called Cain ‘brother’ (‘I love you, brother, but…’). This phony, patronizing touch was plainly insulting.

For colorful metaphors that capture the tapped arteries of taxation in the Cain plan—destined to balloon with the lifeblood of the taxpayer—it’s hard to beat Grover Norquist. The president of Americans for Tax Reform likened 9-9-9 to putting ‘tapeworms in your tummy to try and maintain your weight.’ And to ‘having three needles in your arm drawing blood instead of one.'” …

Read the complete column, “Rick Gets Rabid; Ron Paul Endures,” now on WND.COM.

My book, “Into the Cannibal’s Pot: Lessons for America from Post-Apartheid South Africa,” is available from Amazon.

A Kindle copy is also on sale.

Barnes and Noble is always well-stocked and ships within 24 hours.

Still better, shipping is free and prompt if you purchase Into the Cannibal’s Pot from The Publisher.

UPDATE: Barely a Blog participants and readers, please “Like” “Rick Gets Rabid; Ron Paul Endures” on WND.COM. Remember to “Like” the “Return to Reason” column on WND.COM, every week. Thanks.