Bradley in DC
10-21-2007, 01:06 PM
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/state/epaper/2007/10/21/c1a_RON_PAUL_PROFILE_1021.html
Paul, yet to dent polls, challenges common GOP views on war, spying
Click-2-Listen
By W. GARDNER SELBY
Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service
Sunday, October 21, 2007
VICTORIA, Texas — When U.S. Rep. Ron Paul paused to honor veterans at a medal ceremony in southeast Texas this summer, constituents instantly applauded mentions of his latest grandchild and his 50th wedding anniversary.
They were politely quiet, though, when he spoke against undeclared wars abroad and expanded spying at home.
"This is a great country, and we don't want to lose it," the Texas Republican said. "That's why we have to keep our eye on the real issue, and that's the preservation of liberty."
While failing to trigger a big surge of support, the 72-year-old former doctor has no desire to putter into obscurity. Besides seeking reelection to his House seat next year, he's seeking the GOP nomination for president.
Critics characterize Paul as a nuisance candidate with wacky (or at least hard-to-grasp) ideas, but supporters tout him as a straight-talking wise man who will eventually catch on.
Paul has not been registering among the top five candidates in national polls; he drew 2 percent in an October Gallup poll. Yet he takes encouragement from surges of interest on the Web. As of early October, his site was drawing more daily visits than those of the other GOP candidates, according to Alexa.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.com that provides information on Web traffic to other companies.
His fund raising has been on the rise, and Paul says the frugality of the campaign means he'll have enough money to advertise through the primaries.
Paul's campaign ended September with $5.4 million cash in hand, up from $500,000 at the end of March. His balance topped John McCain's $3.5 million, though it trailed the balances of Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, who ended the third quarter with $16.6 million, $9.2 million and $7.1 million, respectively, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Paul said at midsummer that he hoped to gain ground if front-runners disparaged him, as Giuliani did when Paul suggested at a May debate that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks had roots in United States' meddling in the Middle East.
"The more they attack me, the more it helps me," Paul said. "My whole philosophy brings people together. Everyone agrees with me at one time or another."
His wife, Carol, whose campaign work was interrupted in Iowa when doctors gave her a pacemaker, wasn't sure voters would heed him.
"I know what he has to offer the country. I don't know if they will be smart enough to accept it," she said.
Shifting affiliations
Paul, whose family ran a dairy in southwestern Pennsylvania, delivered milk as a teenager. A track star, he met Carol Wells in high school, and they married after he graduated from Gettysburg College. After he finished medical school and served as an Air Force flight surgeon in San Antonio, the couple settled in sedate Lake Jackson near Houston.
While practicing obstetrics and gynecology, he purchased a 40-acre farm 3 miles from there. As he and Carol raised their family, he grew fascinated by books on economics.
He credits his wife with encouraging him to test public service: "I was very reluctant to do this (run for president). I am just not by nature thinking I should be in those kinds of positions. ... I am always a pessimist - thinking nobody is going to listen. 'They are going to listen,' she says. 'People want to hear this.' She's very, very encouraging."
Paul lost his first try for the House in 1974 before winning a 1976 special election as a Ronald Reagan Republican. He lost the seat to a Democrat that November but got it back in 1978. Paul didn't seek reelection in 1984, instead running for the U.S. Senate, losing to Phil Gramm in the primary. His House seat fell to Tom DeLay.
In 1987, Paul excoriated the GOP, saying, "I want to totally disassociate myself from the policies that have given us unprecedented deficits, massive monetary inflation, indiscriminate military spending, an irrational and unconstitutional foreign policy, zooming foreign aid, the exaltation of international banking and the attack on our personal liberties and privacy."
As the 1988 Libertarian Party choice for president, he called for ultimately wiping out the CIA and FBI, eliminating the federal income tax, ending federal regulation of banking and currency, and ending the war on illegal drugs - positions he hasn't abandoned. He drew less than 1 percent of the vote.
Paul's public career seemed to be over until he resurrected himself by winning the Republican nod for a second House seat in 1996, upsetting Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Greg Laughlin in a runoff despite Laughlin's toting endorsements from former President Bush and then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
Paul called rejoining the GOP a practicality.
"The Democrats and Republicans have made it virtually impossible for people to compete in a democratic sense outside the two-party system. ... To participate, you have to be realistic," he said.
Racial remarks taint past
Paul seems inspired by regional groups founded around his candidacy. More than 50,000 people have organized "meet-up groups" in 789 cities.
One night at the University of Texas, Paul Davis, who manages a martial arts school, told fellow meet-up volunteers, "It's so fortunate to be behind someone as pure as Ron Paul."
Critics credit Paul with fanning political passion but say voters might balk at his racially tinged past writings. As cataloged by Daily Kos, a pro-Democratic Web site, Paul once said in a self-published newsletter that 95 percent of black males in Washington are semi-criminal or entirely criminal. Of gang crime, Paul wrote, "If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be."
Paul separately criticized Barbara Jordan, a former U.S. House member who died in 1996, saying: "Everything from her imitation British accent, to her supposed expertise in law, to her distinguished career in public service, is made up. If there were ever a modern case of the empress without clothes, this is it. She is the archetypical half-educated victimologist, yet her race and sex protect her from criticism."
Paul, while attributing the newsletter comments to a ghostwriter, has apologized. He also has been quoted calling Jordan a delightful lady. Spokesman Jesse Benton said recently: "People have always tried to smear him on this. It's real old news."
Message stands out
Paul's message sets him apart. It always has.
Laughlin, who lost his seat to Paul and is now a Washington lawyer, said of a Paul presidency: "He'd be fiscally very conservative. We'd have very little international involvement. He would be different than anyone we've seen in my lifetime."
Paul intrigues some with his advocacy of civil liberties, including opposition to the Patriot Act. He told the veterans: "Especially after 9/11, we in the Congress have been too careless; we have been undermining our civil liberties. ... The danger is not only from those who come to commit terrorist attacks but also our careless attitude about protecting our liberties here at home."
He encourages other supporters by remaining adamantly anti-abortion. He also favors abolishing the Federal Reserve and restoring gold to back currency.
He says the Constitution has been disregarded partly through undeclared wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. As president, Paul would bring troops home from around the planet, from Japan to South Korea to the Middle East to Europe. His view: It costs too much to stay.
"Empires always die because they extend themselves too far," he said.
Paul would assign these returning troops to border security. He said nobody knows how to address illegal immigrants already living here.
"Nobody can conceivably round them up. But I certainly wouldn't give them citizenship," Paul said.
There's been speculation that Paul might hunt momentum by shifting to an independent or third-party run for president, though he told CNN in October that's not his plan. "I never think about that," Paul said. "I have no intention of doing it."
He claims no master strategy.
"All I know is I have to do my best," he said. "I have the advantage of low expectations by the public."
Paul, yet to dent polls, challenges common GOP views on war, spying
Click-2-Listen
By W. GARDNER SELBY
Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service
Sunday, October 21, 2007
VICTORIA, Texas — When U.S. Rep. Ron Paul paused to honor veterans at a medal ceremony in southeast Texas this summer, constituents instantly applauded mentions of his latest grandchild and his 50th wedding anniversary.
They were politely quiet, though, when he spoke against undeclared wars abroad and expanded spying at home.
"This is a great country, and we don't want to lose it," the Texas Republican said. "That's why we have to keep our eye on the real issue, and that's the preservation of liberty."
While failing to trigger a big surge of support, the 72-year-old former doctor has no desire to putter into obscurity. Besides seeking reelection to his House seat next year, he's seeking the GOP nomination for president.
Critics characterize Paul as a nuisance candidate with wacky (or at least hard-to-grasp) ideas, but supporters tout him as a straight-talking wise man who will eventually catch on.
Paul has not been registering among the top five candidates in national polls; he drew 2 percent in an October Gallup poll. Yet he takes encouragement from surges of interest on the Web. As of early October, his site was drawing more daily visits than those of the other GOP candidates, according to Alexa.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.com that provides information on Web traffic to other companies.
His fund raising has been on the rise, and Paul says the frugality of the campaign means he'll have enough money to advertise through the primaries.
Paul's campaign ended September with $5.4 million cash in hand, up from $500,000 at the end of March. His balance topped John McCain's $3.5 million, though it trailed the balances of Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, who ended the third quarter with $16.6 million, $9.2 million and $7.1 million, respectively, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Paul said at midsummer that he hoped to gain ground if front-runners disparaged him, as Giuliani did when Paul suggested at a May debate that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks had roots in United States' meddling in the Middle East.
"The more they attack me, the more it helps me," Paul said. "My whole philosophy brings people together. Everyone agrees with me at one time or another."
His wife, Carol, whose campaign work was interrupted in Iowa when doctors gave her a pacemaker, wasn't sure voters would heed him.
"I know what he has to offer the country. I don't know if they will be smart enough to accept it," she said.
Shifting affiliations
Paul, whose family ran a dairy in southwestern Pennsylvania, delivered milk as a teenager. A track star, he met Carol Wells in high school, and they married after he graduated from Gettysburg College. After he finished medical school and served as an Air Force flight surgeon in San Antonio, the couple settled in sedate Lake Jackson near Houston.
While practicing obstetrics and gynecology, he purchased a 40-acre farm 3 miles from there. As he and Carol raised their family, he grew fascinated by books on economics.
He credits his wife with encouraging him to test public service: "I was very reluctant to do this (run for president). I am just not by nature thinking I should be in those kinds of positions. ... I am always a pessimist - thinking nobody is going to listen. 'They are going to listen,' she says. 'People want to hear this.' She's very, very encouraging."
Paul lost his first try for the House in 1974 before winning a 1976 special election as a Ronald Reagan Republican. He lost the seat to a Democrat that November but got it back in 1978. Paul didn't seek reelection in 1984, instead running for the U.S. Senate, losing to Phil Gramm in the primary. His House seat fell to Tom DeLay.
In 1987, Paul excoriated the GOP, saying, "I want to totally disassociate myself from the policies that have given us unprecedented deficits, massive monetary inflation, indiscriminate military spending, an irrational and unconstitutional foreign policy, zooming foreign aid, the exaltation of international banking and the attack on our personal liberties and privacy."
As the 1988 Libertarian Party choice for president, he called for ultimately wiping out the CIA and FBI, eliminating the federal income tax, ending federal regulation of banking and currency, and ending the war on illegal drugs - positions he hasn't abandoned. He drew less than 1 percent of the vote.
Paul's public career seemed to be over until he resurrected himself by winning the Republican nod for a second House seat in 1996, upsetting Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Greg Laughlin in a runoff despite Laughlin's toting endorsements from former President Bush and then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
Paul called rejoining the GOP a practicality.
"The Democrats and Republicans have made it virtually impossible for people to compete in a democratic sense outside the two-party system. ... To participate, you have to be realistic," he said.
Racial remarks taint past
Paul seems inspired by regional groups founded around his candidacy. More than 50,000 people have organized "meet-up groups" in 789 cities.
One night at the University of Texas, Paul Davis, who manages a martial arts school, told fellow meet-up volunteers, "It's so fortunate to be behind someone as pure as Ron Paul."
Critics credit Paul with fanning political passion but say voters might balk at his racially tinged past writings. As cataloged by Daily Kos, a pro-Democratic Web site, Paul once said in a self-published newsletter that 95 percent of black males in Washington are semi-criminal or entirely criminal. Of gang crime, Paul wrote, "If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be."
Paul separately criticized Barbara Jordan, a former U.S. House member who died in 1996, saying: "Everything from her imitation British accent, to her supposed expertise in law, to her distinguished career in public service, is made up. If there were ever a modern case of the empress without clothes, this is it. She is the archetypical half-educated victimologist, yet her race and sex protect her from criticism."
Paul, while attributing the newsletter comments to a ghostwriter, has apologized. He also has been quoted calling Jordan a delightful lady. Spokesman Jesse Benton said recently: "People have always tried to smear him on this. It's real old news."
Message stands out
Paul's message sets him apart. It always has.
Laughlin, who lost his seat to Paul and is now a Washington lawyer, said of a Paul presidency: "He'd be fiscally very conservative. We'd have very little international involvement. He would be different than anyone we've seen in my lifetime."
Paul intrigues some with his advocacy of civil liberties, including opposition to the Patriot Act. He told the veterans: "Especially after 9/11, we in the Congress have been too careless; we have been undermining our civil liberties. ... The danger is not only from those who come to commit terrorist attacks but also our careless attitude about protecting our liberties here at home."
He encourages other supporters by remaining adamantly anti-abortion. He also favors abolishing the Federal Reserve and restoring gold to back currency.
He says the Constitution has been disregarded partly through undeclared wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. As president, Paul would bring troops home from around the planet, from Japan to South Korea to the Middle East to Europe. His view: It costs too much to stay.
"Empires always die because they extend themselves too far," he said.
Paul would assign these returning troops to border security. He said nobody knows how to address illegal immigrants already living here.
"Nobody can conceivably round them up. But I certainly wouldn't give them citizenship," Paul said.
There's been speculation that Paul might hunt momentum by shifting to an independent or third-party run for president, though he told CNN in October that's not his plan. "I never think about that," Paul said. "I have no intention of doing it."
He claims no master strategy.
"All I know is I have to do my best," he said. "I have the advantage of low expectations by the public."