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disorderlyvision
02-11-2010, 10:50 AM
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/02/09/ron_wyden__ron_paul_on_rachel_maddow_100252.html


Joining us now is Republican congressman, Dr. Ron Paul.

Dr. Paul, it‘s really nice to have you back on the show. Thank you for your time.

REP. RON PAUL (R-TEXAS): Thank you, Rachel.

MADDOW: You are being challenged in your re-election primary by several tea partiers. What is your relationship with the tea party movement now?

PAUL: Well, it‘s about the same. You know, sometimes the tea party represents those views that I expressed during the campaign. The tea party-type movement, the people who are unhappy with the government, where I go, generally are on the campuses, and we still get large crowds out.

But my message is somewhat different. I think the message gets a little bit diluted when a lot of people come in and the Republican Party wants to make sure there‘s a neo-con type of influence. But no - what we‘re doing with the campaign for liberty is alive and well and the young people are responding.

But I talk a lot about different foreign policy. I talk about civil liberties. And I talk about where we ought to cut the budget. And this is what they want to hear. I talk about the war on drugs.

This is not what is generally heard from the Republican Party. And sometimes, the tea party accepts these ideas, and sometimes they don‘t. But I think the one thing that brings people together is they know there‘s something wrong in Washington.

But you have progressive Democrats that know there‘s something wrong in Washington. They‘d like a better foreign policy, too. And they‘re not exactly totally satisfied.

But the people are coming together because they‘re unhappy. They know that debt is outrageous. It‘s out of control. Countries are going bankrupt. California‘s bankrupt. Our country really is bankrupt, and that‘s what they‘re unhappy about.

And it‘s out of control government. And I think I have been much more precise in what we should do in changing foreign policy, caring about civil liberties and being true as fiscal conservatives.

And believe it or not, I do have quite a few Democrats who are willing to agree with these basic principles in general, even the balanced budget issue. I mean, there are Democrats that actually have joined with me in saying, "You‘re right. We may want to balance the budget in a different manner."

But they do agree that there‘s something seriously wrong when you‘re spending $2 trillion dollars a year you don‘t even have. That is nothing but danger for us in this country.

MADDOW: Congressman, I don‘t want to cause any family rifts in the Paul household, but I know your son, Rand Paul, is running for Senate. And he, in fact, made his campaign announcement on this show, which was great for us. We are honored by that.

Now, Sarah Palin has sort of emerged as the unofficial leader of the tea party movement. She has endorsed your son‘s run for Senate. Is there anything about her platform, either now or as a vice presidential candidate, that gives you pause about that endorsement?

PAUL: Well, I guess I could say that about most Republicans. I wouldn‘t be any different. Yes, there is, but you know, I am in the Republican Party. And I‘ve worked, you know, with Republicans. And I - but I work with the Democrats, too.

But I try to find issues that cross party lines. You take

transparency of the fed or personal privacy, or maybe ending the war or

talking about the war on drugs. So on these issues, I can get support from

both parties. So sure, there‘s a lot of things that the average Republican

I might disagree with them and they will disagree with me as well.

But I think the - what was really happening in the presidential campaign was they‘re surprised to find out, as a matter of fact, to my surprise too, that there were a lot of people out there that really cared about it, and considered themselves is even conservatives, not only libertarians, but conservatives, constitutionalists that wanted somebody to talk about these issues.

And I think it will continue. But to say, "Oh, yes. That‘s what the whole tea matter movement is all about, and that‘s all they‘re going to talk about," I think I would be naive to believe that‘s going to happen because everybody likes to join what looks like a popular movement.

And then, they want to come in and influence that movement. But I think that happens to the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. For instance, I think the deal - because neo-con issues on foreign policy is not exactly dead these days, you know. There‘s an influence.

And progressive Democrats aren‘t all that happy with the foreign policy where the war keeps expanding and more troops in Afghanistan, bombing Yemen and bombing Pakistan and thinking about going into Iran.

So that‘s the infiltration, philosophically, of different positions. And I deal more in that arena hoping that the ideas of sound money and transparency of the fed and a better foreign policy will actually affect both parties because I know there‘s a lot of Americans who agree with this issue. And I know the young people are very open to these ideas.

MADDOW: Republican Congressman Ron Paul who, for a long time now, has represented a movement that I think really does cross some partisan lines and upset things in a mostly conservative way, thank you very much for your time, sir. Really glad you‘ve been able to be with us. Appreciate it.

PAUL: Thank you, Rachel.

grizzums
02-11-2010, 11:19 AM
YouTube - Ron Paul talks Tea Party with Maddow 02/09/2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFFPHC13uEY)