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[Note: I’ve read and do appreciate the valedictory comments already filed after my last post, but God help me, I’ve written some more during the hiaitus after the daily post devoted to raising money to support the place. So bear with me a bit longer; you know you’d be disappointed if I didn’t get within shouting distance of Steve’s productivity!]
Now that we’re all being forced, at least for a bit, to take Ron Paul somewhat seriously as a presidential candidate, the Doctor is rapidly discovering the downside of a long career marching through the fever swamps of extremist politics.
I’m sure most readers have heard about the racist and homophobic comments in his newsletters, which his campaign is blaming on ghostwriters. Now it transpires that Paul had some pretty controversial stuff to say in a book he published over his own, un-shared byline back when he was about to run for president as a Libertarian (and then re-published in 2007 before his last presidential run), according to CNN’s Peter Hamby:
In his 1987 manifesto “Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution after 200-Plus Years,” Paul wrote that AIDS patients were victims of their own lifestyle, questioned the rights of minorities and argued that people who are sexually harassed at work should quit their jobs….
Paul’s campaign manager Jesse Benton defended the book and said the candidate “has been speaking out for decades that rights do not come from belonging to a group.”
“Rights come because we are all individuals, endowed by our creator, and Americans must look beyond race or creed and recognize that we all deserving of the same Liberty,” Benton told CNN in an email. “This truth is a tenant of natural law and the only way we will achieve a color blind and truly free society.”
The vigorous pushback from Paul’s campaign probably reflects the fact that an awful lot of Republican caucus and primary voters have zero problems with the views expressed in the book. Certainly the idea that anti-discrimination laws are a violation of “natural law” is the kind of thing you hear in Tea Party/Christian Right circles, where “natural law” is regularly equated with “divine law” to condemn anything the self-righteous oppose.
So the ongoing ghosts in Ron Paul’s record probably won’t much affect his immediate prospects—certainly no more and probably less than his recent remarks on Iran which his opponents are shouting about all over Iowa.
Paul’s real problem in the long run is that because the GOP has moved so rapidly in his direction on monetary policy and the ideal size of the federal government, he seems to think it will now move in his direction on everything. So no wonder he’s not too worried about his past, which he and his devoted minions thinks is their party’s and country’s future.
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Quicksand on December 30, 2011 5:16 PM:
Does that truth have a lease, or is it month-to-month?
c u n d gulag on December 30, 2011 6:17 PM:
There is no hard and set truth - any "truth" is both flexible and negotiable for Republicans and Conservatives.
Their truth today is the direct opposite of anything Obama, the Democrats, and any Liberals believe that day.
Actually, their truth any second varies according the what I just said.
Neil B. on December 30, 2011 8:44 PM:
For convenience, a relevant Ron Paul book quote (from Meteor Blades of Daily Kos):
"The individual suffering from AIDS certainly is a victim—frequently a victim of his own lifestyle—but this same individual victimizes innocent citizens by forcing them to pay for his care," Paul wrote. ...
"Every year new groups organize to demand their 'rights,'" he continued. "White people who organize and expect the same attention as other groups are quickly and viciously condemned as dangerous bigots. Hispanic, black, and Jewish caucuses can exist in the U.S. Congress, but not a white caucus, demonstrating the absurdity of this approach for achieving rights for everyone." ...
"Employee rights are said to be valid when employers pressure employees into sexual activity," Paul wrote. "Why don't they quit once the so-called harassment starts? Obviously the morals of the harasser cannot be defended, but how can the harassee escape some responsibility for the problem? Seeking protection under civil rights legislation is hardly acceptable."
Simon on December 30, 2011 11:32 PM:
"Every year new groups organize to demand their 'rights,'" he continued. "White people who organize and expect the same attention as other groups are quickly and viciously condemned as dangerous bigots. Hispanic, black, and Jewish caucuses can exist in the U.S. Congress, but not a white caucus, demonstrating the absurdity of this approach for achieving rights for everyone." ...
This is not so absurd. If affirmative action explicitly gives minorities preferences over equally qualified whites, why can't those whites organize to represent their interests? Just stating the quote does not refute his argument.
President Lindsay on December 31, 2011 2:51 AM:
“This truth is a tenant of natural law..."
The word is "tenet", doofus!
Anonymous on January 01, 2012 4:17 PM:
"If affirmative action explicitly gives minorities preferences over equally qualified whites, why can't those whites organize to represent their interests? "
Duh. We are (by far) the majority, so democracy takes care of our needs quite readily without us needing a caucus to promote our interests. The democratic process didn't enslave us and then force us to live under a violent apartheid regime for the 2 centuries.
I've been white for many decades now and it ROCKS.
And I've noticed that the people who feel the need for a 'white caucus' are people who tend to not like other races in the first place.
Subee on January 02, 2012 4:33 PM:
Excellent article. I wanted to commend you quickly before the RP cult members take over and start their vicious attacks because you dare raise questions and had anything but positive things to say about the "god of their understanding". Even if a Paul nomination was a possibility, his supporters are so over the edge that the rest of the country is growing weary of their relentless attacks, cyber bullying, and sheer meanness. Thanks for taking this issue and them on.
JOHN ANDERSON on January 02, 2012 4:48 PM:
SO BIAS. YOUR EVIL
Werewolf on January 02, 2012 5:21 PM:
@JOHN ANDERSON-
You have just brilliantly illustrated Poe's Law-I actually can't tell if you're a Ron Paul supporter or a parody troll.