RealClearPaulitics.com - New website!! I can use your help.

[PRIEST]

RealClearPaulitics.com (http://www.realclearpaulitics.com/)

I made this website after being inspired by this post (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?312197-Ron-Paul-needs-to-shapen-his-message.) and my own observations of people who are either malicious or just don't "get" Ron Paul's positions. I aimed to create a simple way to look at the oft-repeated mistruths and answer them with a short, clearly-explained statement, followed by Ron Paul's own words and links to further reading/watching.


I want to add the following to what is already live:


Ron Paul would let America be attacked without retaliation (refute: declaration of war, letters of marque for bin laden)

Ron Paul is not a republican and is destroying the party (refute: RP true conservative, repubs lost their way)

Economists disagree with ron paul (refute: only the ones who have been wrong, look at schiff, jim rogers, etc who made the right calls)

Ron Paul wants to end education in this country by ending department of education (refute: dept of ed is the problem)

Ending the income tax would shut down the government (refute: govt gets lots of money from other places and with smaller budget it could be eliminated)

Ron Paul is unelectable (refute: been elected 11 times, support growing, 100,000 donors, etc)


Advice, ideas, fixes, are welcome. You could even work on the ones that I have planned (or come up with your own).

Format is as follows:

-Concise mistruth
-Slightly elaborated, clear answer
-Dr. Paul's words (can be house floor, texas straight talk article, whatever)
-Additional resources

I'll be checking this thread regularly. Thank you!

[JoshS]

do one about how abortion is irrelevant and people should stop putting all their stock in it

[pauliticalfan]

Love the design on this site. All you need is a snappy logo and you're set.

Myth: Ron Paul wants people to fend for themselves in natural disasters with no assistance.

Fact: He believes the federal government is not as effective and efficient in providing aid to people as the states, churches, and other local organizations. Etc...

[Xenophage]

I like this idea a lot. I like the minimalist design, too. Off the top of my head, the first suggestion I have is to use a different picture for each "clarified" section as it is revealed. Also, you should provide some links to the campaign website and campaignforliberty.com.

I like the idea of using direct quotes rather than elaborating on interpreted versions of his statements. I suggest soliciting ideas for introductory sentences from members of this community, as many of us are quite well written and well versed in the positions.

Finally, I suggest keeping the list short to focus on the *biggest* issues of misunderstanding. Don't clutter it with dozens of issues or people will be put off and disinclined to read any of it. Focus on issues republicans care about. Most important right now are positions that put off social conservatives and militarists.

Clarify his positions on Israel, on Iran, on immigration, and on drug legalization.

[Darin]

I like the way that works... clicking the issue for the dropdown. Nicely done! There was a post a week or so ago trying to put together a similar site: RonPaulMyths.com (http://ronpaulmyths.com/)

Here's the thread. (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?307959-New-Website-Ron-Paul-Myths.-Volunteers-needed!&p=3468702&viewfull=1#post3468702)

There seems to be some overlap.

- Darin

[Matthew Zak]

Myth: Ron Paul wants to make abortion illegal in all 50 states.

Myth: Ron Paul wants intelligent design taught in all schools.

[ronpaulitician]

I would definitely link to Paul's "My Plan for a Freedom President" (http://www.yaliberty.org/yar/plan-for-a-freedom-president).


While the president can do a great deal on his own, to really restore the Constitution and cut back on the vast unconstitutional programs that have sunk roots in Washington over 60 years, he will have to work with Congress. The first step in enacting a pro-freedom legislative agenda is the submission of a budget that outlines the priorities of the administration. While it has no legal effect, the budget serves as a guideline for the congressional appropriations process. A constitutionalist president’s budget should do the following:

1. Reduce overall federal spending

2. Prioritize cuts in oversize expenditures, especially the military

3. Prioritize cuts in corporate welfare

4. Use 50 percent of the savings from cuts in overseas spending to shore up entitlement programs for those who are dependent on them and the other 50 percent to pay down the debt

5. Provide for reduction in federal bureaucracy and lay out a plan to return responsibility for education to the states

6. Begin transitioning entitlement programs from a system where all Americans are forced to participate into one where taxpayers can opt out of the programs and make their own provisions for retirement and medical care

If Congress failed to produce a budget that was balanced and moved the country in a pro-liberty direction, a constitutionalist president should veto the bill. Of course, vetoing the budget risks a government shutdown. But a serious constitutionalist cannot be deterred by cries of “it’s irresponsible to shut down the government!” Instead, he should simply say, “I offered a reasonable compromise, which was to gradually reduce spending, and Congress rejected it, instead choosing the extreme path of continuing to jeopardize America’s freedom and prosperity by refusing to tame the welfare-warfare state. I am the moderate; those who believe that America can afford this bloated government are the extremists.”
This addresses both the "he's going to kill social plans" and "even if he is president, he can't do the things he wants to do" arguments.

[RonRules]

If I may suggest: Please don't even show the misleading statements about Ron:

In other words, don't even show this:
CLICK A MISLEADING STATEMENT FOR CLARIFICATION
Ron Paul would abolish the Federal Reserve and cause a catastrophic market collapse.
Ron Paul is anti-government and votes "no" on everything.
Ron Paul would dismantle the social safety net, leaving seniors to die in the street.

(Think about how the misleading statements will show up on Google searches, and how you are creating doubt for new people that know nothing about Ron. If these are misleading statements, don't repeat them!)

Show only the results of clicking on those three links as the main page.
Only show this instead:
Ron Paul would not simply shut down the Fed. He'd legalize competing currencies and let the market decide which is best. People could then save in sound money and protect themselves from currency inflation.
Excerpt from the January 25th, 2010 edition of Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk:
"We have been on a disastrous course for a long time. The money supply has doubled in the last year, our debt is unsustainable, the value of the dollar is going to continue its drop, and those Americans who understand where we are headed feel helpless and held hostage by foolish policy makers in Washington. When the bills finally come due and the dollar stops working we are in for some real social, economic and political chaos. That is, unless we take some major steps now to allow for a peaceful transition in the future. These steps are laid out in my legislation to legalize competing currencies."
"First of all, no one should be compelled by law to operate in Federal Reserve notes if they prefer an alternative. We should repeal legal tender laws and allow Americans to conduct transactions in constitutional money. Only gold and silver can constitutionally be legal tender, not paper money. Instead, it is illegal to conduct business using gold and silver instead of Federal Reserve notes. Simply legalizing the Constitution should be a no-brainer to anyone who took an oath of office. Consequently, private mints should be allowed to mint gold and silver coins. They would be subject to fraud and counterfeit laws, of course, and people would be free to use their coins or stay with Federal Reserve notes, as they see fit. Finally, we should abolish taxes on gold and silver, which puts precious metals at a competitive disadvantage to paper money."

[Crickett]

I like this idea a lot. I like the minimalist design, too. Off the top of my head, the first suggestion I have is to use a different picture for each "clarified" section as it is revealed. Also, you should provide some links to the campaign website and campaignforliberty.com.

I like the idea of using direct quotes rather than elaborating on interpreted versions of his statements. I suggest soliciting ideas for introductory sentences from members of this community, as many of us are quite well written and well versed in the positions.

Finally, I suggest keeping the list short to focus on the *biggest* issues of misunderstanding. Don't clutter it with dozens of issues or people will be put off and disinclined to read any of it. Focus on issues republicans care about. Most important right now are positions that put off social conservatives and militarists.

Clarify his positions on Israel, on Iran, on immigration, and on drug legalization.

Great suggestions. Site really nice. The back button does not work on my browser, though, so I can't just go back to view another page.

[Lafayette]

Myth: Ron Paul blames America for terrorist attacks

Hit them with facts from the 9/11 commission report, Micheal Scheuer and Osama's own words

[InTradePro]

I like the idea here and the one on ronpaulmyths.com and ronpaulcan.com but why not buy a better domain name such as PaulTruth.com

[PRIEST]

I like this idea a lot. I like the minimalist design, too. Off the top of my head, the first suggestion I have is to use a different picture for each "clarified" section as it is revealed. Also, you should provide some links to the campaign website and campaignforliberty.com.

...

Finally, I suggest keeping the list short to focus on the *biggest* issues of misunderstanding. Don't clutter it with dozens of issues or people will be put off and disinclined to read any of it. Focus on issues republicans care about. Most important right now are positions that put off social conservatives and militarists.

Great ideas. It crossed my mind to use different images but now I know that it's a good idea. I'll do it.

Keeping the list short is important. I want to do 10, maybe 12. Otherwise this design will be too hard to follow.


I like the way that works... clicking the issue for the dropdown. Nicely done! There was a post a week or so ago trying to put together a similar site: RonPaulMyths.com (http://ronpaulmyths.com/)

Here's the thread. (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?307959-New-Website-Ron-Paul-Myths.-Volunteers-needed!&p=3468702&viewfull=1#post3468702)

There seems to be some overlap.

- Darin

Good call. I saw that thread but I think this is a slightly different angle. I plan to look into the overlap and see if there's a way to work together.


I would definitely link to Paul's "My Plan for a Freedom President" (http://www.yaliberty.org/yar/plan-for-a-freedom-president).


This addresses both the "he's going to kill social plans" and "even if he is president, he can't do the things he wants to do" arguments.

Awesome! Thanks for the link. I'll make sure to feature that one.


If I may suggest: Please don't even show the misleading statements about Ron…(Think about how the misleading statements will show up on Google searches, and how you are creating doubt for new people that know nothing about Ron. If these are misleading statements, don't repeat them!)

It's possible for me to put the misconceptions in images so Google won't pick them up. This is a lot more work but I will do what is necessary to make this a useful resource.


I like the idea here and the one on ronpaulmyths.com and ronpaulcan.com but why not buy a better domain name such as PaulTruth.com

I'm not crazy about the name either. It's the first thing I felt okay going forward with. I'm willing to buy a different domain if something better comes up.


THANKS FOR THE RESPONSES! Great community!

[HeyArchie]

I REALLY love the site design. It's great! I agree with RonRules about having the misleading statements. Maybe just clarifying his position on things in a nice format would be the best way to go. Also on the name. Paultruth.com is a good idea, but it's not a make-or-break if it stays wrongonpaul.

Places like "On the Issues" and even the campaign website are a bit hard to trek through and find what he actually thinks. "On the Issues" cites -to the average person- confusing house bills and the campaign website tries to be sort of neutral on things (I can't explain what I'm thinking very well, haha).

People I talk to about RP often say that they like what he believes, but they don't really understand what he's trying to say half the time. I understood most of what Ron meant and what he believes, but I will admit that I had to do a bit of outside research to be sure on his stance on things like abortion and gay marriage. I think it would be great to have a website that carefully laid out the way the RP thinks, votes, etc on issues like that.

Anyways, I love what you're doing and if you need any help/input outside of this thread feel free to shoot me a message. I actually used to have a Harry Potter vBulletin message board, as embarrassing as that was. I also "dabbled" (I feel extremely lame using that word) in basic flash, java, html. But, I'm also just another opinion... it's always good for feedback.

Best of luck to you. I'll be visiting the website and checking to see when it's done. And when it is, I will tell people about it definitely!

[Darin]

But to me, you want these to show up when people search on Google. If they're images and hidden from google, someone may search for those things, and they will link instead to a Paul smear story.

The google search would show the results with the site title. So as long as the title makes it clear that it is not true, I think it wouldn't be an issue.

- Darin

Edit: Also, it might be easier for some people to come across here if you put the URL in your sig.

[Tod]

Most cool site design and excellent approach to clearing up misconceptions!!! Yes, a catchy logo would be good. Maybe make it easier to tell what you've already read by having it change color after reading?

[Darin]

Hey, I just noticed... some of the words are cut off.

Here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/185397/RonPaul/wrongonpaul1.png) the word collapse is cut off.
Here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/185397/RonPaul/wrongonpaul2.png) the word street is cut off.

Also, I'm not sure if you can change the title when they are clicked. But you see the check mark and the blue, while the statement is still false. So maybe when you click "Ron Paul is anti-government" when it turns blue and has a check, it reads "The role of government is to protect Life, and Liberty" or whatever.

- Darin

[matt0611]

Myth: Ron Paul was against capturing Bin Laden

There's tons of other ones, I'll post back when I think of more.

I really do think you should change the name though. Something more positive, like Ron Paul and truth or something.
But its your call.

Also, check out this website:
http://paulitifact.com/
maybe work with him if you want?

[Chainspell]

keep going! your site inter-twines with part 2 of my video 'We the People'. Let's keep going with this. The misconceptions and fears of the people are what's driving some people not to vote for him. This is a big portion of the non-Ron Paul supporters, if we can turn these people around it will be a big win for us. I don't want Ron Paul to just slip by with a win, I want to see a LANDSLIDE! That re-assures me that Americans have woken up and will continue to fight this corruption in our society even after Ron Paul.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?312126-We-The-People-Part-2-Why-are-people-afraid-of-Ron-Paul

[HeyArchie]

Hey, I just noticed... some of the words are cut off.

Here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/185397/RonPaul/wrongonpaul1.png) the word collapse is cut off.
Here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/185397/RonPaul/wrongonpaul2.png) the word street is cut off.

Also, I'm not sure if you can change the title when they are clicked. But you see the check mark and the blue, while the statement is still false. So maybe when you click "Ron Paul is anti-government" when it turns blue and has a check, it reads "The role of government is to protect Life, and Liberty" or whatever.

- Darin
Off topic, but what OS are you using?

[Shane Harris]

love it. love the simplicity. love the design, love the drop down answers, love using his own words, great idea. keep it simple and dont ruin it.

[Darin]

Off topic, but what OS are you using?

I'm using Linux (Ubuntu). But the toolbar at the bottom is from my browser, which isn't off topic! I forgot to mention it!

I'm using Opera. When I use Firefox and Chrome/Chromium, the full text appears.

- Darin

[Shane Harris]

Myth: Ron Paul wants to make abortion illegal in all 50 states.

Myth: Ron Paul wants intelligent design taught in all schools.

these should not be on the list until the general, as this is trying to appeal to republican primary voters, and those are things they like.

[PRIEST]

Hey, I just noticed... some of the words are cut off.

Here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/185397/RonPaul/wrongonpaul1.png) the word collapse is cut off.
Here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/185397/RonPaul/wrongonpaul2.png) the word street is cut off.

Also, I'm not sure if you can change the title when they are clicked. But you see the check mark and the blue, while the statement is still false. So maybe when you click "Ron Paul is anti-government" when it turns blue and has a check, it reads "The role of government is to protect Life, and Liberty" or whatever.

- Darin

Darin, I made some CSS changes so the text, when clicked, should disappear for you. I was using a text-indent: -9999px but instead went with an h2.active span with the css set to "display:none;" ... hopefully that fixes it for you. I also made the statements more succinct so they wouldn't have a chance of going out of the 800 pixel width I set for the bars.

On a side note.. how do your X's and Checks look like that? I didn't put them in the site that way...

[NJames]

I would like to suggest changing the red boxes to read "FALSE: Ron Paul would abolish the Federal Reserve"

[PRIEST]

What do you all think of ronpaulclarified.com? Seems like that's mainly what I'm doing here.

Other domain ideas:

truthinpaulitics.com

ronpaulmistruths.com

realclearpaulitics.com

[realtonygoodwin]

I love it.

[Buchananite]

do one about how abortion is irrelevant and people should stop putting all their stock in it

Wrong, the President will appoint judges.

Of course, RP has signed a pledge to appoint pro-life judges.

[Buchananite]

How about one regarding the alleged racist letters?

[Darin]

Darin, I made some CSS changes so the text, when clicked, should disappear for you. I was using a text-indent: -9999px but instead went with an h2.active span with the css set to "display:none;" ... hopefully that fixes it for you. I also made the statements more succinct so they wouldn't have a chance of going out of the 800 pixel width I set for the bars.

On a side note.. how do your X's and Checks look like that? I didn't put them in the site that way...

Cool, works great! I actually like the text disappearing rather than alternate text anyway, looks good!

The X's and checks... I was just messing around in Opera's devtool editor, sorry. I haven't played around with websites for a long time, and was trying to see the code you used for the collapse boxes. Then I just started playing around with colors and images and stuff for fun, ha.

- Darin

[Monique]

Fact Ron Paul is for Civil Rights but here is why he is against the civil rights act....

Fact Ron Paul is for education for children and that is why he is against the Dept. of education interfering...

Fact Ron Paul is for equal rights for all and of course that includes lesbian gay bi, (I can't remember the acronym)...here is why a RP president would be great for all.

Regarding abortion, I don't know what you can do there. The official campaign says under abortion that Ron Paul will "effectively repeal Roe v. Wade" That statement is killing me for anyone prochoice. Plus, abortion is his number 1 issue on his issues page. Some people don't like the We the People act too, but that is so little known we may not need to worry about it. I used to be able to say that abortion wasn't his main issue and he just wanted the states to deal with the issue, but saying he will repeal Roe is hard to deal with for the pro choice people. Maybe we just can't win them over. I don't know.

Fact Ron Paul wants a strong defense at home and we can only have that if we stop having our troops in offensive positions all over the world.

Fact Ron Paul wants competing currency, not a gold standard. He wants people to be able to choose whatever store of money they trust the most and not have to be wedded to the consistently diluted U.S. dollar.

Those are the issues I saw from one person on one post a little while ago. Of course, they presented them all with the most negative views possible, and you said you wanted to make this positive, so I tried to write it that way. :)

I think this is a great idea. It is so tiring saying the same thing over and over. I think it would be great to have short answers to these questions, but then also have links to Ron's writings on the issues so they can read more if they want.

[PRIEST]

Okay folks, I've made some updates.

1. Snazzy banner
2. Different pictures of Ron
3. Fixed up some graphics

I hope you like it! Next step from here is to add more content and links.

Keep up the comments and suggestions! I'd love to see some content made for it using the structure of the layout which is:

-Concise mistruth
-Slightly elaborated, clear answer
-Dr. Paul's words (can be house floor, texas straight talk article, whatever)
-Additional resources

RealClearPaulitics.com (http://www.realclearpaulitics.com)

[JoshLowry]

The site is beautiful! Way to step it up a notch. :)

[Cleaner44]

I love the design! Simple is best.

You can certainly have more than one domain name forwarded and masked to the site.

Having the misconception picked by google would be a good thing, not bad. We want people to find the correct answers when doing their searches. Think about the most fucked up things people might search and make those searches lead to you.

[JoshLowry]

I love the design! Simple is best.

You can certainly have more than one domain name forwarded and masked to the site.

Having the misconception picked by google would be a good thing, not bad. We want people to find the correct answers when doing their searches. Think about the most fucked up things people might search and make those searches lead to you.

Yea, I'd suggest playing with the google autocomplete.

http://i.imgur.com/vrDvg.png

[wstrucke]

This is basically the same idea as this thread (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?307959-New-Website-Ron-Paul-Myths.-Volunteers-needed!), right? I'm all for as many ways to promote the message as possible -- you could probably take all of the content from that site and put it on yours and give them anything new you come up with.

[PRIEST]

Yea, I'd suggest playing with the google autocomplete.

http://i.imgur.com/vrDvg.png

Brilliant! I'll fashion the next set of truths around the top autocompletes.

[HeyArchie]

You need colored sidebars for the background.

[PRIEST]

Added "FALSE: Ron Paul is an isolationist" to the site. I'm going to aim to do one of these per day.

[PastaRocket848]

The site looks awesome! I have a suggestion though...

You should have an area where people can post (without having to register with the site) questions that could then be answered individually by registered admins. That way prospective supporters could ask for clarification on issues, or ask about something that isn't mentioned on the site at all. Such a page should be quick and fairly simple to put together. If you need help I'd certainly be willing to do whatever I can. just an idea...

[NiceneTruth]

This is basically the same idea as this thread (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?307959-New-Website-Ron-Paul-Myths.-Volunteers-needed!), right? I'm all for as many ways to promote the message as possible -- you could probably take all of the content from that site and put it on yours and give them anything new you come up with.

+1000

Synergy here would be ideal... Looks like you have the frame and they have the content.

[FreeTraveler]

Great site! Item 4, Ron Paul wants to dismantle the social safety net, needs work, though.

Your heading is great:
Ron Paul would save trillions of dollars by eliminating our worldwide militarism and would use these funds to support people who depend on the government.

But then the quote is about debt. It doesn't directly support the heading. There are several quotes that do. I've heard him say "use 50% for the debt, 50% to protect people dependent on the programs, etc..."

I think this is critical, because people afraid for their social security checks, welfare checks and medicare bills are going to pick that for their first choice. If they don't see how he plans to keep those checks coming, they'll dismiss him immediately.

Thinking about that being their first question of interest prompts me to remind you to think about the order in which statements are presented on the page. Can you track clicks and put the most-often clicked question on the top, etc?

ETA: If you could post a list, maybe in the OP, of questions you'd like to put up, some of us could help research the answers and find appropriate quotes.

[PastaRocket848]

yeah those two ideas definitely sort of cannibalize each other. i like the design of this one way better, though. there is no content on the other yet, correct? maybe we could merge the threads if the owners of the domains agree to consolidate?

[Paul Fan]

The Realclearpaulitics website looks great. Good idea, well executed. Please feel free to use any of the work I have posted on thr Ron Paul Myths thread. You could easily adapt and trim the bolded sections to create the "truth" sentences you are using as the introductions to the Ron Paul excerpts.

[PRIEST]

Great site! Item 4, Ron Paul wants to dismantle the social safety net, needs work, though.

Thanks - I knew that one was a stretch. Just need to find a better speech or article for the body there.


The Realclearpaulitics website looks great. Good idea, well executed. Please feel free to use any of the work I have posted on thr Ron Paul Myths thread. You could easily adapt and trim the bolded sections to create the "truth" sentences you are using as the introductions to the Ron Paul excerpts.

Thank you!! I didn't make this to cannibalize your idea/progress as some have mentioned so I definitely appreciate the support.

[Paul Fan]

You're welcome. If you tell me what mistruths you are aiming to do next, I can try to do some "truth sentences" in your format. I can't find videos that easily, but I really like the idea of long excerpts from Dr. Paul's own words.

Just to be clear, i cannot take any credit for the idea of Ron Paul Myths. I just saw the thread and wanted to help. I'm actually a bit discouraged as nothing has gone live yet. But I think there is definitely a place for both sites!

[mczerone]

I think the big ones yet to be covered are: "MYTH: Ron Paul is a Racist/Anti-semite" and "MISTRUTH: RP wants to deregulate industry and let corporations rule"

[PRIEST]

Made the Social Security one better. Thanks for the feedback, all. I will be compiling the next set based on your suggestions.

[PastaRocket848]

Any chance at a user-submitted q/a section? It'd be nice if people could get follow up info or ask questions.

[PRIEST]

Any chance at a user-submitted q/a section? It'd be nice if people could get follow up info or ask questions.

Pasta, I like that idea. I think at first, though, that I'll be spending the time populating the site with content in the format that you see there already. I would rather link people to places that could answer all potential questions and let people follow their own truth compass.

[Paul Fan]

Here is a reworking of the post on racism I did for Ron Paul Myths. I've put it into the RealClearPaulitics format. I hope this is useful - if only for the typing in of the long Ron Paul quote.

MISTRUTH: Ron Paul is a racist/anti-Semite.

TRUTH: Ron Paul is an individualist. He believes each person should be defended and respected as an individual. He opposes racism and other forms of collectivism.

Excerpt from The Revolution: A Manifesto, page 64:

“In the long run, the only way that racism can be overcome is through the philosophy of individualism, which I have promoted throughout my life. Our rights come to us not because we belong to some group, but our rights come to us as individuals. And it is as individuals that we should judge one another. Racism is a particularly odious form of collectivism whereby individuals are treated not on their merits but on the basis of group identity. Nothing in my political philosophy, which is the exact opposite of the racial totalitarianism of the twentieth century, gives aid or comfort to such thinking. To the contrary, my philosophy of individualism is the most radical intellectual challenge to racism ever posed.”

Government exacerbates racial thinking and undermines individualism because its very existence encourages people to organize along racial lines in order to lobby for benefits for their group. That lobbying, in turn, creates animosity and suspicion among all groups, each of which believe that it is getting less of its fair share than the others.

Instead, we should quit thinking in terms of race – yes, in 2008 it is still necessary to say that we should stop thinking in terms of race – and recognize that freedom and prosperity benefit all Americans.”


Watch Ron Paul discussing racism on CNN [link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKBlk1Vpeuw]

[Is it possible just to show a few short excerpts from this? This video is longer than necessary because it starts and ends with inflammatory stuff about the newsletters. But two parts in the middle are great. I don’t know how to excerpt from videos, but the really good stuff is from 1:39 – 2:24 and again from the 3:14 – 3:36 minute marks. From 2:24 to 3:14 is stuff about the drug wars, which isn’t too bad but it’s not as targeted. If the excerpts can’t be made then a different video might be better.]

Read Ron Paul explaining that the antidote to racism is liberty [link at http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1096&Itemid=69]

[PRIEST]

Here is a reworking of the post on racism I did for Ron Paul Myths. I've put it into the RealClearPaulitics format. I hope this is useful - if only for the typing in of the long Ron Paul quote.

Rock on, brother. Updated with your work. Really appreciate it. I have a busy few days of work coming up and updates of my own content will be sparse.

Also, I used your bolding of Read, Watch, etc., throughout the rest of the items. Thanks for the great idea.

EDIT: I think RP stands on his own in that video and it's okay to show the controversy. They are likely going to slander him like crazy this election so it's something we just have to accept. The real work is in getting people to understand the whole philosophy and RP does an awesome job of that in his honest and clear words.

[InTradePro]

These need to be on seperate pages so they can be linked from twitter.

[InTradePro]

All these projects, RealClearPaulitics.com, wrongonronpaul.com and ronpaulmyths.com have a domain name that limit it to only ron paul. Have a bit of forsight guys!
There needs to be pages on all the candidates that presents information in a truthful honest way - obvoiusly that still makes Dr Paul look good, because truth outs. But these three sites all have an obvious conflict of interest before they start and hence reduces credibility and the message greatly.

[PRIEST]

These need to be on seperate pages so they can be linked from twitter.

Good idea. After I get the site populated a bit more I'll see about setting up permalinks for individual "clarifications."

[wstrucke]

All these projects, RealClearPaulitics.com, wrongonronpaul.com and ronpaulmyths.com have a domain name that limit it to only ron paul. Have a bit of forsight guys!
There needs to be pages on all the candidates that presents information in a truthful honest way - obvoiusly that still makes Dr Paul look good, because truth outs. But these three sites all have an obvious conflict of interest before they start and hence reduces credibility and the message greatly.

Come up with some domain names, content ideas, and get the process started and I suspect you'll get people involved. We really can't do enough at this point.

[mosquitobite]

Use something about the Matrix or 1984 or Paul Revere or the like. People are starting to question the truth from the MSM and the establishment.

[agaiziunas]

This is a great site, love the design!! I would split the "defensive" Myths column onto one side though, and then add a "Truth/Positions" column next to it.. to make it seem less defensive; so take some of the top "Truths", like wanting sound money, and when clicked, a content section for how he's been consistent & talking about it forever.. or a truth like "Ron Paul predicted the Financial Crisis" and in the content, add a link to a video where he was predicting it. :-)

[Paul Fan]

Here’s an adaptation of the Stormfront one I just did for Ron Paul Myths. Actually, you might not want to post this just yet; with not many other issues posted so far, it might overload the site with personal attack-type untruths. It might be better to do a few more issues-based ones first. I just did it now since it was easier to do them both at the same time.


MISTRUTH: Ron Paul took money from Stormfront – he’s a white supremacist!

TRUTH: Ron Paul doesn’t return donations from people who hold unpleasant or bigoted views, because he puts the money to better use than they do. He uses the funds to promote freedom.

Transcript of Ron Paul Interview with Neil Cavuto, Fox News, Dec. 19, 2007:

Neil Cavuto: Congressman, let me ask you, talking about the amount of money you’ve raised over the internet and for your campaign in general - and it is staggering, last Sunday alone, six million dollars plus - There are reports, sir, that your campaign has received a $500 campaign donation from a white supremacist in West Palm Beach, and your campaign had indicated you have no intention to return it. What are you going to do with that?

Ron Paul: It’s probably already spent. Why give it back to him and use it for bad purposes? You know, I don’t even know his name. I never heard of it. You know, when you get 57,000 donations in a day, are we supposed to screen them and find out their beliefs? He sent the money for my beliefs. And, if he’s promoting my viewpoints and my attitudes why give it back to him if he has bad viewpoints? I don’t endorse anything that he endorses or what anybody endorses.

They come to me to endorse freedom and the Constitution and limited government, so I see no purpose for me to start screening everybody that sends me money. I mean, it’s impossible to do it. It’s a ridiculous idea that I’m supposed to screen these people.

Neil Cavuto: All right, so Congressman, when you find out that it’s Don Black who made the donation and who ran a site called Stormfront: White Pride Worldwide, now that you know it, now that you’re familiar – after the fact – you still would not return it?

Ron Paul: Well, if I spent his money and then I took the money that maybe you might have sent to me and donated it back to him that doesn’t make any sense to me. Why should I give him money back to promote his cause? That doesn’t make any sense to me.

Watch the whole video [link at http://lifeinmotion.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/ron-paul-has-a-problem-and-its-the-white-mans-fault/]

Read why the Ron Paul Campaign wouldn’t return Don Black’s donation [link at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22331091/ns/politics-decision_08/t/paul-keeps-donation-white-supremacist/]


Watch Ron Paul repudiating white supremacists [link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gKXyBgr24c]

Watch Ron Paul explaining that libertarianism is the enemy of racism [link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qzPt_Ykse4&feature=related]


[Note: In case you want it, here is a transcript of the rest of the relevant part of the video:

Neil Cavuto: So what do you think, Congressman, of the candidates who do this? Either – they say we got money from a group now we’re aware was kind of sticky, we don’t want to give it – Hilary Clinton has had to do this, a number of other candidates have had to do this. You think that just is a bad practice?

Ron Paul: I think it’s pandering. I think it’s playing to political correctness, so that when you quiz them, then they can say, ‘I did exactly what you suggested I should do,’ and brag about how pure they are.

You know, I think that’s a bit of pandering. There is no way that I’m going to institute a policy of looking at a hundred, two hundred thousands of these donations and find out.

What about the people who get donations from special interests, from the military-industrial complex? They bundle their money and send millions of dollars in there, and they want to rob the taxpayers. That is the real evil. It is the evil that buys influence in government. This to me is the corruption that should be corrected. Not to pick out one of my donors out of a hundred thousand donors and say, Ron Paul isn’t doing the right thing because he hasn’t sent the money back.

I think you’re missing the whole boat because it’s the immorality of government, it’s the special interests in government fighting the illegal wars and financing and taxing the people destroying the people through inflation and undermining the prosperity of the country. Now there is a moral problem that we should be dealing with and that should be the responsibility of government.

That’s what I stand for. And if people send me money, and I spend it for that purpose, I feel good about it.

Neil Cavuto: All right, Congressman, and to be fair, your campaign has raised well over ten million dollars in just a little more than a week. It’s kind of hard to keep track of contributions as little as $500. Thank you very much.

Ron Paul: People believe in our message.]

[PastaRocket848]

i just bought factcop.com. i'm going to turn it into a liberty-minded politifact, basically.

[Paul Fan]

Here is one about earmarks.

MISTRUTH: Ron Paul favors budget ‘pork’ because he uses earmarks.

TRUTH: The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to direct spending, and earmarks allow the Congress to do so. Earmarks don’t increase the total amount spent. Ron Paul votes against bills that contain unconstitutional or excessive spending.

Excerpt from Texas Straight Talk: Earmarks Don’t Add Up, Mar. 15, 2009:

To be sure, if earmarks were the driving force behind explosive government spending as some have been led to believe, that would be a good reason for all the fuss. The misconception seems to be that members of Congress put together a bunch of requests for project funding, add them all together and come up with a budget. The truth is, it is not done that way. The total level of spending is determined by the Congressional leadership and the appropriators before any Member has a chance to offer any amendments. Members’ requests are simply recommendations to allocate parts of that spending for certain items in that members’ district or state. If funds are not designated, they revert to non-designated spending controlled by bureaucrats in the executive branch. In other words, when a designation request makes it into the budget, it subtracts funds out of what is available to the executive branch and bureaucrats in various departments, and targets it for projects that the people and their representatives request in their districts. If a congressman does not submit funding requests for his district the money is simply spent elsewhere. To eliminate all earmarks would be to further consolidate power in the already dominant executive branch and not save a penny.

Furthermore, designating how money is spent provides a level of transparency and accountability over taxpayer dollars that we don’t have with general funds. I argue that all spending should be decided by Congress so that we at least know where the money goes. This has been a major problem with TARP funding. The public and Congress are now trying to find out where all that money went.

Read the rest [link at http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1673&Itemid=69]

Read Ron Paul noting that earmarks don’t affect total spending levels [link at http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1087&Itemid=69

Watch Ron Paul speaking about earmarks on the House floor [link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoOX9p07xOk]

[Paul Fan]

And here is another one.

MISTRUTH: Ron Paul has crazy ideas.

TRUTH: Ron Paul threatens the status quo. He wants to bring the troops home and return to Constitutionally-based government. His opponents call him names to try to silence his growing support.

Excerpt from The Revolution: A Manifesto, page x:

With national bankruptcy looming, politicians from both parties continue to make multitrillion-dollar promises of ‘free’ goods from the government, and hardly a soul wonders if we can still afford to have troops in – this is not a misprint – 130 countries around the world. All of this is going to come to an end sooner or later, because financial reality is going to make itself felt in very uncomfortable ways. But instead of thinking about what this means for how we conduct our foreign and domestic affairs, our chattering classes seem incapable of speaking in anything but the emptiest platitudes, when they can be bothered to address serious issues at all. Fundamental questions like this, and countless others besides, are off the table in our mainstream media, which focuses our attention on trivialities and phony debates as we march toward oblivion.

This is the deadening consensus that crosses party lines, that dominates our major media, and that is strangling the liberty and prosperity that were once the birthright of Americans. Dissenters who tell their fellow citizens what is really going on are subject to smear campaigns that, like clockwork, are aimed at the political heretic. Truth is treason in the empire of lies.

Buy The Revolution [link at http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Manifesto-Ron-Paul/dp/0446537519]

Read Ron Paul on why the nanny state can’t last [link at http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1846&Itemid=69]

Watch Ron Paul explain his views to the editorial board of the Concord Monitor [link at http://www.concordmonitor.com/codesnippet/video-ron-paul-editorial-board]

[Paul Fan]

Here's one on drugs.


MISTRUTH: Ron Paul wants to legalize heroin and other drugs.

TRUTH: Ron Paul thinks states should deal with drugs.


Excerpt from The Revolution: A Manifesto, pages 131-32:

[T]he constitutional solution would get the federal government out of the picture and leave the issue to the states.

Regardless where one stands on the broader drug war, we should all be able to agree on the subject of medical marijuana. Here, the use of an otherwise prohibited substance has been found to relieve unbearable suffering in countless patients. How can we fail to support liberty and individual responsibility in such a clear-cut case?
…
The constitutional arguments in favor of allowing the federal government to prosecute medical marijuana users even in states in which ballot initiatives have made the practice legal are an insult to the American people. They are based on a complete misunderstanding of the Constitution’s commerce clause and what its scope was supposed to be.”

Buy The Revolution [link at http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Manifesto-Ron-Paul/dp/0446537519]


Read Ron Paul’s reasons for ending the federal war on drugs [link at http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1671&Itemid=69]

Watch Ron Paul discussing why the federal government should leave drug regulation to the states [link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpgWAAmVwDM]

[JoshLowry]

bump

[Rocket_pilot]

First off, awesome idea.

My only comment: Find a stronger image of him for the photo at the top of the page. That image kinda makes him look like the nutty, old professor. There are plenty of much better images you can use. One that represents strength and the air of someone presidential. Image is a lot, unfortunately.

My two cents. Good work!

[John F Kennedy III]

The Time Magazine pic :)

[runamuck]

What can we do to help? This site really needs our attention. The misconceptions and attacks on Ron are stronger than ever! We need to educate and this is a great way!

[JoshLowry]

I emailed Priest about his thread/site.

Hopefully he checks in soon. :)

[PRIEST]

Thank you for the encouragement, folks. I got discouraged for a bit because I didn't think this format would be able to capture the breadth and depth of Ron Paul. I see now that it has its place and could be a useful resource. I'm going to be adding more and doing a bit of categorizing, aiming for three per category (foreign policy, civil liberties, etc) so it all fits on one page but it broken up enough to make sense to a viewer's eyes.

Haven't been inactive though. I've been donating, got relatives to donate/support, and I've been working on a RP song with my SO... I know there are lots of songs out there but I hope to surprise people with a potential "hit" song.

[PRIEST]

Website updated (http://www.realclearpaulitics.com) with new, organized design. I'm resuming development!

I'll be adding more refutes in the coming days. Thank you Paul Fan, I see the ones you did and I will use your work.


If anyone wants to help, I'm planning to add the following:


Ron Paul would let America be attacked without retaliation (answer: declaration of war, letters of marque for bin laden)

Ron Paul is not a republican and is destroying the party (answer: RP true conservative, repubs lost their way)

Economists disagree with ron paul (answer: only the ones who have been wrong, look at schiff, jim rogers, etc who made the right calls)

Ron Paul wants to end education in this country by ending department of education (answer: dept of ed is the problem)

Ending the income tax would shut down the government (answer: govt gets lots of money from other places and with smaller budget it could be eliminated)

Ron Paul is unelectable (answer: been elected 11 times, support growing, 100,000 donors, etc)


Thanks for the encouragement! Onward!

[Carole]

In addition to all the information you can check at Paul's campaign and congressional website, this one below has a lot of information on all the candidates (for contrast).

On the Issues
h xxp://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

I like your website. :)

Can you get in trouble for the title page? (RealClear.-this part-Paulitics)? When I hear Real Clear, I think of _itt _omney.

[Carole]

do one about how abortion is irrelevant and people should stop putting all their stock in it

Referring to any issue, especially such a personal and volatile issue, as irrelevant will antagonize people, regardless of the merit of your view. This could chase away support rather than persuade support. :)

[Shane Harris]

cant please everyone, but i preferred your very first original format and pull down more than this current one. just me and my minimalist tendencies

[Lymeade-Lady]

I'd put on the ''unelectable" part that he is one of 2 who can beat Obama according to polls. (only conservative). Also, add something about letting uninsured suffer.

[brenton]

great idea!

[Shane Harris]

I'd put on the ''unelectable" part that he is one of 2 who can beat Obama according to polls. (only conservative). Also, add something about letting uninsured suffer.

great idea! that harris poll kicks ass haha

[NiceneTruth]

Bump... with the upswing of new visitors and soft Paul supporters taking a looksee this site is most important...

[JamesButabi]

By the name of the site, I thought you were going to do a play on realclearpolitics polling. Maybe at the top you could add the rolling averages of the polling in Iowa and NH to show how awesome Ron is doing there.