Great reason for a lefty to be leary of Ron Paul......

[ingac70]

http://www.whitecivilrights.com/is-ron-paul-the-one_818.html

[LBJDemocrat]

1. Why should we be concerned about Ron Paul?

There are so many threads about him here that it's bizarre. He has no chance of winning the GOP nomination and won't get the financial resources to run as an independent. Who is he threatening?

F***ing enough already.

[ingac70]

3. The debates helped him raise a load of cash....

http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=43192

[LBJDemocrat]

4. Give me a break

The cash he's getting has very limited upside potential because his supporters are cult-like internet geeks, not big banks or companies.

No one on DU thinks he's a liberal.

[EST]

5. Hi.

One answer to your question-and I don't claim to be some sort of universal barometer-is there is an impressive number of highly disgruntled democrats and republicans who could serve as the core of an independent run for the white house and Paul is uniquely positioned to head that effort.

As I noted above, most people can't be bothered to make a concerted effort to investigate, in depth, of the many aspirants to the office. An angry electorate and a slick talking crook could well produce a totally unexpected result.

People are angry-very angry- and a really sly manipulator could be a real problem. Paul is an ultra right wing idiot but he could lie his way to the head of an angry mob and bring about the rest of the destruction of our democratic republic. Likely? Probably not, but you've seen some of the less than well informed efforts right here on DU. Stranger things have happened. I am a little worried.

[hansberrym]

11. Much the same was said about Buchanon by the GHW Bush camp

Paul is an ultra right wing idiot but he could lie his way to the head of an angry mob and bring about the rest of the destruction of our democratic republic. Likely? Probably not, but you've seen some of the less than well informed efforts right here on DU. Stranger things have happened. I am a little worried.


I don't think Paul has much chance of winning, but compared to the One World Order, Neo-Fascist, Amercan Empire, War mongering Neo-cons he would be the lesser problem than another Bush clone.

The Bush presidencies have brought the Republic close to destruction as it is.
That seems to be a big part of their overall plan to establish a North American Union.


Hopefully a Dem candidate can take the few issues that Paul has (anti-Iraq war, US sovereignty) that resonate with "less well informed" memebers of DU to help win the election and put a stop to the Neocon BS.

[elocs]

8. Well, we do have our own candidtae that has no chance of winning

the Democratic nomination, but there are many threads about him. But, then again, this is the
DEMOCRATIC-Underground.

[EST]

2. There are many reasons to be leery of Mr. Paul.

Unfortunately, there are far too many who can't be bothered to actually examine the record when someone says something they agree with.

Ron Paul has a number of supporters and advocates whe make it their business to call in to C-span, and other public venues, and pretend to be regular citizens although their general demeanor and choice of words tend to unmask them.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

6. He's about as "liberal" as Cheney LOL... n/t

[snowbear]

7. And as white as Cheney's dog...

[tblue]

9. Holy cow! That is one freaky website. nt

[David__77]

10. I don't think anyone supports him here.

Many hope he does well in order to split the right, that's all. These Buchanan and Ron Paul types are certainly American fascists, but they serve a useful function presently.

[Bjorn Against]

14. He won't split the right, Giullani is more likely to split the right than him

There have been plenty of supporters of Ron Paul on this site, and I am willing to bet if you keep watching this thread they will be here very soon. The guy is barely registering in the Republican polls. He is dividing us far more than he is dividing them, his candidacy is not going to help the Democrats in any meaningful way.

[Recursion]

27. Funny, I think he's the least fascist of all of the GOP candidates

Because he opposes the corporate/government power-money-cesspool that is the hallmark of fascism.

I'd never vote for the guy but he has some very well-argued positions and it's refreshing to hear someone say what he's saying.

[Totally Committed]

12. Here's a REALLY great reason for a lefty to be leary of Ron Paul......

HE'S

A

REPUBLICAN.

And, he's not even a "moderate" Republican, either. WHat the hell is so hard about that for people here to understand? I repeat:

HE'S

A

REPUBLICAN.

TC

[madfloridian]

13. Against Social Security and social safety nets.

Not for women's rights.

[Pyrzqxgl]

17. We have too many ONE ISSUE POSTERS at DU.

The war is important (maybe the most important) issue, but it's not the only one.
For God sake look at Paul's stand on any of the social issues we care about and
forget about him.

[NobleCynic]

15. It's a balancing act

Ron Paul is undeniably a nutcase. His supporters are equally nuts. But as long as he is helping further fragment the Republican base, he his serving a purpose. The moment it starts actually looking like he could win, which I don't expect to ever happen, we should come down hard on him. Until then, he is a decent enough ally and should be encouraged.

And yikes that is a disturbing site.

[thethinker]

16. Ron Paul is a libertarian, not a republican

I can't think of one person posting on DU that would back him. He takes some extremist positions. For instance, if I recall correctly, he is against the Federal Reserve and wants to return to the gold standard.

He is getting very popular with republicans since the debates. He may split the republican down the middle. That would be OK with me. That would be very good for the democrats. It must be driving the RNC and Rove crazy. He is one they would not be able to control.

Most republicans I talk to really don't like anyone running on the republican ticket. They are feeling very let down by their party and Bush. Many republicans have turned against Bush. The current candidates don't offer much change.

So I am hoping Ron Paul does well because of the damage it will do to the republicans.

[Bullet1987]

18. Getting rid of the Federal Reserve and IRS would be a GOOD thing...lol

[ingac70]

19. No real Libertarian is "pro-life"....

or blathers on about the "war on Christmas", Ron Paul does.....

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul148.html

About the "war on religion".

Actually, I think he is what Republicans used to be. Still scumbags, none the less.

[thethinker]

20. Ron Paul

has some very strange ideas. He is one of a kind.

[DemBones DemBones]

21. So if, say, James Dobson endorsed Obama, we should be leary of Obama?

A candidate is not responsible for the beliefs of those who support him on their websites, or in posts at DU.

A candidate is responsible only for his or her own beliefs.

I decided to check out Ron Paul's website

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/


I like what Paul says about foreign policy:

"Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women."

"We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing America and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution."

I discovered that not only is he opposed to the Iraq War,

he's opposed to the WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT,

he's opposed to the PATRIOT act,

he's opposed to eminent domain,

he's opposed to national ID cards,

he's opposed to amnesty for illegal aliens,

he's opposed to regulation of the internet,

he's opposed to high taxes and high spending. I want to know more about his plans for cutting spending because I've heard he has talked about eliminating Social Security, but I agree with what he says here:

"Worse, our economy and our very independence as a nation is increasingly in the hands of foreign governments such as China and Saudi Arabia, because their central banks also finance our runaway spending."

"We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It’s called the Constitution of the United States."


It would seem that DUers would agree with many of Ron Paul's positions. He's taking a number of positions that all the Democrats should take.

Like Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul voted against both the Iraq War and the PATRIOT ACT, and is opposed to the WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT.

Is there any other candidate who equals their records on the above?

I'm not suggesting that anyone vote for Ron Paul but he seems to be a lot better than the average Republican.

[ingac70]

22. He's 100% social conservative.....

:puke:

[Solon]

24. There is a key difference between Kucinich and Ron Paul, Kucinich is sane...

Ron Paul is GREAT when it comes to foreign policy, but he is batshit insane on EVERYTHING else!

[SergeyDovlatov]

23. He is quite good on Social Security

http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/co...2/cr052202.htm

The first bill, the Social Security Beneficiary Tax Reduction Act, repeals the 1993 tax increase on Social Security benefits. Repealing this increase on Social Security benefits is a good first step toward reducing the burden imposed by the federal government on senior citizens. However, imposing any tax on Social Security benefits is unfair and illogical. This is why I am also introducing the Senior Citizens’ Tax Elimination Act, which repeals all taxes on Social Security benefits.

http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/co...3/cr010803.htm

Introduction of the Social Security Preservation Act

Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to protect the integrity of the Social Security trust fund by introducing the Social Security Preservation Act. The Social Security Preservation Act is a rather simple bill which states that all monies raised by the Social Security trust fund will be spent in payments to beneficiaries, with excess receipts invested in interest-bearing certificates of deposit. This will help keep Social Security trust fund monies from being diverted to other programs, as well as allow the fund to grow by providing for investment in interest-bearing instruments.
The Social Security Preservation Act ensures that the government will keep its promises to America's seniors that taxes collected for Social Security will be used for Social Security. When the government taxes Americans to fund Social Security, it promises the American people that the money will be there for them when they retire. Congress has a moral obligation to keep that promise.

The return of massive federal deficits, and the accompanying pressure for massive new raids on the trust fund, make it more important than ever that Congress protect the trust fund from big spending, pork-barrel politics. I call upon all my colleagues, regardless of which proposal for long-term Social Security reform they support, to stand up for America's seniors by cosponsoring the Social Security Preservation Act.
-----

and you can find many more speeches and legislation done by Ron Paul to save and improve social security, even though, philosophically he may be against government funded insurance, he does care about the people who become dependent on it

Still, go Dennis!

[unlawflcombatnt]

25. Ron Paul: More on Social Security

Below is an excerpt from a speech on Social Security by Ron Paul.

"The only honest solution to the future insolvency of Social Security is for Congress to stop spending so much money. When Congress outspends federal revenues, it raids Social Security funds to cover the difference. Unless Congress makes real cuts in spending-- and stops spending Social Security taxes on completely unrelated programs-- millions of Americans simply will not receive even a fraction of the money they paid into Social Security. Ignore the rhetoric about tax increases and cuts in benefits, as though you are to blame for the problem! All Social Security obligations could be met if Congress did not spend so much on other things....

Social Security contributions are supposed to be set aside from general revenues and placed in a trust fund. The truth, of course, is that your contributions are not put aside. Over the decades Congress found itself simply unable to sit on a big pile of money, so it began treating Social Security contributions as general revenues to fund the ever-growing federal government. Today your Social Security account is nothing more than a ledger filled with IOUs.

I introduced legislation to end this terrible practice. Under my bill, HR 219, your Social Security contributions are set aside in an interest-bearing account and cannot be spent. In other words, your Social Security account would be treated as YOUR account and not a slush fund for Congress. This is the simplest approach to Social Security reform, and it has the added benefit of making it harder for Congress and the administration to mask the deficit spending that is the real cause of our problems."

Sounds like he's one of the best friends Social Security recipients have ever had in Congress.

And he's also one of the biggest friends American workers have ever had, having voted against 100% of free trade agreements, and having voted against every wage-suppressing illegal immigrant amnesty bill, while protecting workers from wage suppression by both job outsourcing and labor insourcing.

[Recursion]

26. I just heard him on CSPAN... interesting guy

He's very conservative; anti-communist and anti-fascist. And he's very upfront about how the corporate-government alliances today are fascism (people seem to forget the fascists loved outsourcing government functions to their rich cronies -- sound familiar?)

I'd never vote for the dude, but he's kind of refreshing to hear. Hopefully he'll run 3rd party and draw off some of the more literate freepers.

[snowbear]

28. ingac, that is a creepy website!

Very strange!