The Gospel of (Ron) Paul

[question everything]

The Wall Street Journal

POTOMAC WATCH
By KIMBERLEY STRASSEL

The Gospel of Paul
December 14, 2007; Page A20

Ron Paul is no compassionate conservative. His supporters love him for it. If there's been a phenomenon in this Republican presidential race, it's been the strength of a fiery doctor from Texas and his message of limited government. As the GOP front-runners address crowds of dispirited primary voters, Mr. Paul has been tearing across the country, leaving a trail of passionate devotees in his wake.

(snip)

Mr. Paul isn't going to be president. He trails in national polls, in no small part because his lack of a proactive foreign policy makes him an unserious candidate in today's terror world. But his success still holds lessons for the leading Republican candidates, as well as those pundits falling for the argument that the future of the GOP rests in a "heroic conservatism" that embraces big government. Mr. Paul shows that the way to many Republican voters' hearts is still through a spirited belief in lower taxes and smaller government, with more state and individual rights.

It helps, too, if voters know you mean it. In nearly 20 years in the House, Mr. Paul can boast he never voted for a tax hike. Nicknamed "Dr. No," he spent much of the time Republicans held a majority voting against his own party, on the grounds that the legislation his colleagues were trying to pass -- Sarbanes-Oxley, new auto mileage standards, a ban on Internet gambling -- wasn't expressly authorized by the Constitution. He returns a portion of his annual congressional budget to the U.S. Treasury -- on principle.

(snip)

"Compassionate conservatism" was a smart move on George W. Bush's part, maybe even necessary to win. The GOP was dogged by a reputation as the heartless party, amplified by the 1995 government shutdown and the clunky Dole campaign. And it had learned from the success of welfare reform that message matters. Many Republican voters believed Mr. Bush's "compassionate conservatism" was just that: a way of selling conservative reforms. Tax cuts would help the working poor. Vouchers would help minority kids. Charities would fare better getting people off drugs than government bureaucrats.

Mr. Bush got his tax cuts, but voters found out too late that he was no small-government believer. School vouchers were traded away for more education dollars. A new Medicare drug entitlement has added trillions to the burden on future taxpayers. Government-directed energy policy is larded with handouts to political patrons in the corn and ethanol lobbies. A lack of budget discipline encouraged a Republican Congress to go spend-crazy, stuffing bills with porky earmarks. Much of this was simply a Republican majority that had lost its way. But at least some of it was promoted by Bush advisers who specifically argued that "compassionate conservatism" was in fact a license to embrace government -- so long as government was promoting Republican ideals.

(snip)



URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119760224589328823.html (subscription)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I find it interesting that around here

there are more signs for Ron Paul than for any other Republican candidate.

[abelenkpe]

2. Ron Paul

is the absolute worst candidate out there. That he keeps being supported by progressives and liberals is confusing. Our country is on the brink of a very serious recession brought on by deregulation and the last thing it needs is a president who would seek to further de-regulate the markets. Libertarianism is bullshit concocted to support the very rich at the detriment of workers everywhere. When will people wake up and stop this absurd Ron Paul baloney? Yes he is the only candidate talking about the devaluation of the dollar, but every other stand he makes on every other issue makes him a dangerous candidate. Hello....he supports a bill to declare human life begins at conception. Goodbye Roe vs Wade if Ron Paul is elected. He claims to have brought 4000 babies into the world and that none of his patients pregnancies ever were life threatening to the mother as if his experience alone means that no mothers are ever in a life threatening position due to pregnancy. I'd just like to say: "Fuck you Ron Paul. My close friend would be dead had she been forced to carry her clearly doomed pregnancy to term while also suffering from lupus." Why O why do I keep seeing Ron Paul crap on this site? I thought it was a place for more informed and intelligent readers.

[ORDagnabbit]

3. you have no grasp on monetary policies.

[Hannah Bell]

6. neither

does ron paul.

[ORDagnabbit]

7. how does he not?

[Hannah Bell]

20. gold

fetishism.

[abelenkpe]

12. incorrect

Anyone who thinks deregulation will help our current economic crisis has no understanding of history or of human nature.

[POAS]

18. Your seeing support for Paul because

some people tend to be one issue voters.

In Paul's case the issue is Iraq. His supporters can ignore or rationalize every other position he has as long as he stands firmly against the Iraq occupation.

[NavyDavy]

4. all post for RP should be banned from this site period

[question everything]

5. I do hope that you don't consider this post as "for RP."

I am hoping that the (too many) DUers who expressed their support for him, perhaps even sent him money, will realize how anti-liberal and anti-Democrats he is.

[ORDagnabbit]

8. cause banning stuff makes it safer? then you're no better than a freeper

its scary or different so I dont want to hear about it, talk about it, know about it = freepervile

[MrsBrady]

11. i agree...i thought it was against the "rules" to support a repuke here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules_detailed.html

[question everything]

19. And the OP "supports" a Republican, how, exaclty?

There have been so many posts here in support of him and, no doubt, many DUers have been sending him money that I was hoping the above introduces him as the real "small government" anti programs that he is.

[Chrisy5558]

9. White Nationalists Support Ron Paul

If you go to White Nationalist Websites you will see sign after sign and post after post for Ron Paul. Don Black founder of Stormfront donated 500 dollars to his campaign. David Duke posts articles written by Ron Paul on his website.

Why would DU have support for the same candidate that White Nationalists support and plan on voting for?

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ronnie Roach]

13. The 2 party system made a Libertarian run as a Republikan.

The Libertarian Party has been around since 1972, they haven't got one canidate elected office past the local stage. Ron Paul is using the GOP as a his own vehicle to get notice. It is a sad commentary on our Democracy that only the 2 parties are taken seriously. Yeah, Libertarians beleive in personal feedom but they are indifferent to the suffering of under-class, but they support their right to get high on crack! Libertarians have a bad case of Socialist-phobia, like some Democrats. So Ron Paul on election night can go to a cheap motel with a hooker and get stoned out of his mind and we Social-Democrats will protect his right to do so.

http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/videolinks/videolink_354.html

[Chrisy5558]

17. The WN don't support the War In Iraq

WN do not support the War in Iraq as they say it is a War for Israel. They also like his stand on the Immagration. A lot of WN support Ron Paul and have sent him money. That is just a fact. You would have to ask them why they support Ron Paul.

[biermeister]

14. I'm following Dr Paul's campaign

for a couple of reasons. I don't agree with all of his positions. I don't understand some of his monetary policies. I believe the Constitution has been shit on by the democrats and republicans alike. I think Dr Paul is honest and that's more than I can say about any of the candidates in either party.

[libertariandemocrat]

15. I whole heartedly agree

He has some nutty ideas like going back to gold standard and the libertarian message does not fully address inequality. But, he also states he would gradually cut many of the social programs. He knows they can't be abolished tomorrow. His first priority is to cut down the size of the military. He would do that on day one. None of these democrats except kucinich has the backbone to do that.

He addressed taking money from white nationalist on Bill Moyers program. He doesn't agree with their message, but they aren't going to change his message, so why not. He's very principled. That's hard for the followers of Hillary to digest.

I personally like the fact that he wants to abolish the education department. Try actually making a difference in your local school today. Your voice means squat, because the federal gov't is the authority. The more and more power that's given to the federal gov't, the less your voice matters.

[Hannah Bell]

21. he who pays the piper calls...

rp's candidacy, & the characteristics of his followers, at this point in history, are rather interesting.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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