Just watch tivo of Ron Paul on Mathews. Didn't disagree with him once. Is my soul lost?

[DuaneBidoux]

I had never really listened to him on foreign policy. Even what he said on domestic policy had a ring of truth.

My God, will I burn in hell?

Please reassure me that I'm not a libertarian or conservative. I beg.

[Armstead]

1. Ron Paul has been in tune with the "anti-war left" for a long time

Unlike many conservatives, he is intellectually consistent and does not believe America should spend its resources on being a global empire.

His ideas on domestic policies are kind of, er, unrealistic, but he is intellectually honest and occasionally hits the mark.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Apart from the fact that he's rabidly anti-choice, believes in eliminating

most federal government agencies and regulations, especially those relating to the environment (because property rights are more important); believes the "free market" should regulate health care, and thinks the 1964 Civil Rights Act is unconstitutional, he's just the guy every liberal should support.

:sarcasm:

[Armstead]

23. I didn;t say he was right on everything....

I think his ideology is off base totally. However, when people have similar opinions on a particular issue, the differences on other issues should not preclude focused alliances.

[DuaneBidoux]

35. In retrospect maybe I should have said I could listen to him without gagging. Not what I expected.

Anyway, the point of my original question was did I lose my soul by not gagging every time he made a point.

[FSogol]

2. F' Ron Raul. Broken clocks are correct twice a day. n/t

[Drale]

10. Not when the hands fall off they're not.

[w8liftinglady]

3. If it helps,I protested with Paul and Sheehan in 2005 in Ft Worth

Paul anti-war activists were VERY vocal at the Republican Straw Poll in Ft Worth.
Paul is what he is. it's OK..come here :pals:

[Luminous Animal]

4. Could you elaborate on the domestic policy? Because on domestic policy, I find Paul odious.

[Motown_Johnny]

6. Yep, gonna burn in hell... sorry

[DuaneBidoux]

36. Damn, my Southern Baptist dad just told me the same thing (for other reasons having to do with being

a liberal. Fucked if you do and fucked if you don't.

That's fucked.

[xchrom]

7. Sorry, but yes.

There is nod worthy agreement with Libertarians.

But they are essentially Conservative.

And that is not economic progressive, socialist POV.

[OwnedByFerrets]

34. As my hero Thom Hartmann says, "Libertarians are just

conservatives who want to get laid and smoke pot."

[DuaneBidoux]

37. Are liberals just conservatives who also want to get laid and smoke pot?

Help me with the details here.

[OwnedByFerrets]

48. Your sentence was/is absolutely absurd.

[baldguy]

8. He sounds reasonable at first.

Then he starts talking about the reptiloids in control of the Trilateral Commission.

[DuaneBidoux]

38. He didn't talk about it on Matthews. (I still get the impression he is actually kinda' smart)

[elocs]

9. Yes. On top of everything already listed is that he is a big fan of Ayn Rand.

Don't mistake small parts of the picture as being the entire picture. It is there you are deceived.

[JVS]

11. He was probably showing his good side.

[Mnemosyne]

12. I have an actual 'Get Out of Hell Free" card; it could be for sale at the right price... n/t

[socialist_n_TN]

13. The thing about all libertarians that I've found.......

is that they want the big items on their agenda done NOW (dismantling the Commons), but the small personal freedom types of things (things that I could agree with them on) done in some nebulous future utopia. It's bullshit.

I'm exactly the opposite. I'd socialize the big things IMMEDIATELY so that NOBODY is hungry and homeless, NOBODY is incarcerated for bullshit victimless crimes, EVERYBODY has health care and a job or at least an income of some sort if they can't work. After we take care of the "Commons", then we could worry about "private" property

[Luminous Animal]

14. I'm starting to think this is a fan boy post given that the OP seems unwilling to respond.

We do not need to reassure you of anything, dude. You need to come back to your OP and defend yourself.

[DuaneBidoux]

39. Sorry. I travel hard (40,000 miles a year). I'm a serious DU kinda' guy.

And I was seriously interested in the fate of my eternal soul (okay, another question, are we seriously so unsophisticated here that I have to use a "satire" emoticon?).

I spend a lot of time on layovers, when I get into my hotel am frequently exhausted or don't have Internet access (or I just lay in bed watching MSNBC all evening).

But, I'm baaaaaaackk (home thank-god)/

[DuaneBidoux]

40. Defense...(see above)

[DuaneBidoux]

41. Defense...(see above)

[DuaneBidoux]

42. Defense...(see above)

[DuaneBidoux]

44. Oh,,,and also now see below.

[arcane1]

15. There are some points that many on the left can agree with

And there is nothing wrong with that.

There are some points that are antithetical to any left-leaning world view. Nothing wrong with that either.

As with any issue or topic, I appreciate those who are on my side. It doesn't mean they are on my side about every topic or issue.

[OhioDoink]

16. He was on Stephanie Miller once and she couldn't disagree with him either.

I don't know if he was trying to win her listeners over or if he was just being Ron,but I remember seeing him on the House floor during the build up to Iraq.I was also agreeing with him at the time.Haven't really payed much attention to him since though.

[Luminous Animal]

22. You have a link for that?

[OhioDoink]

33. No it was about 5 or 6 years ago,when he was bitchin about the war.............

It seemed to me that's the way the interview went.Better?:shrug:

[Rhiannon12866]

17. Nope. I agree with his views on the war(s) too. *sigh*

:(

[BOG PERSON]

18. i'm not even sure if libertarianism is the bogeyman it's made out to be

it's kind of impoverished theoretically, and it attracts weirdos and dorks and idealists - in the pejorative sense - so in a way it's the obverse of American leftism. so it's natural there might be convergence there between libertarians and leftists i suppose.

[slipslidingaway]

19. Agree with him on some issues and disagree on other issues ...

at least you know where he stands.

For years he has said that artificially keeping interest rates low and printing money does nothing to help the majority of people, a friend of Greenspan and Bernanke, aka helicopter Ben, he is not.

[PassingFair]

27. He is exactly half crazy and half sane.

When he has a sane stance on a subject, he's a breath of fresh air.

But when he's crazy, he's really BATSHIT CRAZY.

He doesn't think we should fund public schools.

:crazy:

[DBoon]

20. Repent!!

Watch a video of Noam Chomsky! You may still be saved!!

[DuaneBidoux]

43. (I'm the OP). I studied Chomsky in theoretical linguistics (I am a linguistic anthropologist....

...by training).

I've watched Chomsky but I feel he has lost a bit of an intellectual edge in empirical rigor. Even saying that however I consider him one of my ten personal philosophical icons.

...and probably one of the ten greatest social theoreticians of the 20th century (Levi-Strauss being the other I consider great specifically in linguistics).

My only concern outside of his linguistic theories is his foray into politics where I feel just a bit too little data and a bit too much evangelism for my taste. In this regard he doesn't say much I disagree with, just a bit much that doesn't seemed backed up by data--and just enough zeal that reminds me too much of a true believer in (place your proper noun here).

[DBoon]

47. Dude you are awesome!

nt

[Buzz Clik]

21. I voted for Ron Paul for President back in my foolish days.

He appealed to me back then. Not at all any more.

[Enthusiast]

24. Ron Paul is alright if

you don't mind a nation with no social security and medicare.

[LeftinOH]

25. Ron Paul's domestic policy is shite- he prefers a 'confederacy' of states, each of

which would (in his world) go its own way; Federal law would have little bearing. Think about that.

[blogslut]

26. This is because his anti-government stance coincides with your anti-war stance

Do you support the elimination of public education? Ron Paul does.

Do you support the elimination of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid? Ron Paul does.

Do you support the elimination of enforcement of safety standards for everything from food, to infrastructure? Ron Paul does.

Do you support the elimination of taxpayer-funded infrastructure? Ron Paul does.

Do you support the elimination of laws that protect the poor, the aged, minors and minorities from discriminatory practices by private employers and providers such as home sellers? Ron Paul does.

[PassingFair]

28. +1...crazy, crazy, crazy! n/t

[Dokkie]

30. His position are more nuanced than that

As someone who gave serious thoughts to Ron Paul and someone who still troll Ron Paul type websites I can tell you this.

Do you support the elimination of public education(federal)? Ron Paul does.
State schools existed before Jimmy Carter created the DOE

Do you support the elimination of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid(federal run)? Ron Paul does.
Massachusett has a universal healthcare system, Vermont is about to adopt a single payer aka medicare for all and Galvaston texas has their own retirement plan albeit a less efficient one

Do you support (federal) elimination of enforcement of safety standards for everything from food, to infrastructure? Ron Paul does.

Do you support the (federal) elimination of taxpayer-funded infrastructure? Ron Paul does. S
State run utility, raods, water plants etc etc et

Do you support the elimination of (federal) laws that protect the poor, the aged, minors and minorities from discriminatory practices by private employers and providers such as home sellers? Ron Paul does.

State constitution, food liscencing, inspection boards, police system etc etc.

Most of these programs have very high support even among the tea baggers but supporting a more decentralized nation is not the problem with Ron Paul. Put those programs to a vote in a state election and see what a landslide looks like. My problem with him is that am afraid what he would do to the american monetary system if he gets his hands on it.

[DuaneBidoux]

45. I knew that. He just seemed so sweet at the moment.

For whatever reason (because perhaps God forbid he knew he was on a show watched primarily by liberals?) he didn't discuss those things.

I needed a grounding. thanks.

[cali]

29. yes. your soul is lost unto perdition. forever and ever. amen.

[DuaneBidoux]

46. Can I even get into purgatory?

(For what it's worth I did grow up Catholic. At least for me that myth has validity, right?)

[upi402]

31. He avoided the 'birther' question

Tweety started to hold him to it, but trailed off a bit finally.

Ron Paul and Jessi Ventura are like Perot, just radical enough to challenge corporatism and the military industrial complex.

[Peacetrain]

32. You should always look at what is behind the sheet (so to speak)

Who ever said a stopped clock is right 2 seconds out of 86,400 in a day got it right when it come to Ron Paul and his followers

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/01/08/433066/-Ron-Pauls-Racist-Newsletters-Revealed