RSDavis
12-29-2007, 12:48 PM
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Ron Paul Roundup (12-29-07)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=342327182&Mytoken=BDE8AAC3-8A93-4ECC-AF4DA7EDEFEFB5DF34648077)
Hello Freedomphiles! The Seattle Times tells (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004096850_aponthe2008trail28.html) us something we already know - Ron Paul is a hit on the internet:
Ron Paul registers in the single digits in most polls, but he's the top searched Republican presidential candidate on Google, according to the Web site's trend history.
A large volume of hits for Paul in the last 30 days are coming from Iowa, as voters there prepare to caucus Jan. 3. The same holds true for most of his rivals, with the exception of Mitt Romney and John McCain.
Disproportionally, more of Romney's searches in that span are coming from Utah, the seat of his Mormon faith. More of McCain's hits are disproportionally coming from New Hampshire, where he won the Republican presidential primary in 2000.
Blogger New Network says (http://www.bloggernews.net/112699) that the situation in Pakistan vindicates Ron Paul:
The situation, however, may serve particularly well as vindication for the often criticized foreign policy positions of Congressman Ron Paul, whose recent fund raising successes and gains in early-state polls have vaulted the candidate into top-tier status on the Republican side.
Paul's foreign policy position, as discussed on his website, contends that the time has come for the United States to cease its imperialistic foreign policy tendencies. This would include political intervention in countries such as Pakistan, where US funds and clout have been used to prop up military dictator Pervez Musharraf, the former and current Army Chief General who ousted Pakistan's elected government in 1999 by way of a military coup.1
While Paul makes no claims suggesting Musharraf had direct involvement in Bhutto's death, he frequently warns of the potential backlash produced by US intervention in foreign political landscapes. Findings outlined in a recent report on Pakistan-US relations prepared for members of Congress by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) indicate that indeed such unintended consequences may be visible in the current Pakistani political front.
Right-Libertarian Gary Wood writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article771.html) on The Nolan Chart about why he is a Ron Paul Republican:
Anyone following the candidacy of Ron Paul has heard the question asked and answered many times regarding his party affiliation. Each time he reminds the questioner he is probably the most Republican of any of the Republican candidates in the race. Many articles and discussions are now referring to him as a libertarian Republican; a part of the Republican Liberty Caucus which many Republican voters do not even seem to know exists. Is his claim more spin or is it accurate? Are the roots of the Republican Party set in ideas of liberty?
While visiting my county's website, to find the location of the precinct caucus for where I live, there was a reminder that the party roots are as Ron Paul claims. What I found can be found on Republican Party websites across the country. It is a listing of beliefs within the party and given as the reasoning behind affiliating with them. Let's take a look at each one and consider Ron Paul's ideals.
Megan McArdle over at The Atlantic writes (http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/12/ron_paul_on_taxes.php) about Ron Paul and taxes:
Entitlements are by far the largest part of our budget; if you're serious about cutting spending, you need to get serious about attacking entitlements. But Dr. Paul makes no mention of slashing Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, and for good reason: the senior lobby would slaughter him. In fact, he's not only going to leave Social Security benefits intact, but also, he's planning to eliminate taxation of Social Security benefits. His plan for dealing with the entitlement problem seems to consist of saying that we should keep the federal government from spending the "trust funds". Okay, Dr.; into what financial assets should the government invest this trust funds, and what taxes will you raise, or spending will you cut, in order to plug the several-hundred-billion-dollar hole this will open in the general fund?
Nor are seniors the only ones he plans to cut taxes on. His ideas include no taxes for active duty military, tax credits for health care, tax credits for paying property taxes . . . apparently, the only people Dr. Paul thinks should pay taxes are, well, me, a young urban worker who doesn't own a home.
He promises to veto new spending. But new discretionary spending is simply not the major driver of our budget. The major driver of our budget is entitlements, which will grow unchecked even if he, and Congress, adjourn to play golf for the next eight years. This is not economically serious, fiscally responsible policy; in fact, it's just another variant on what everyone else is doing, which is ignoring the entitlement programs that are about to turn into the sucking chest wound of the US budget.
It's not exactly pro-Paul, but she raises some good points. And I have seen her defend Ron Paul from baseless attacks, so she is trustworthy as a source.
Left-Libertarian DigitalBob writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article765.html) over at The Nolan Chart about Dr Paul's chances in Iowa:
Ron Paul is typically ignored by the major media and dismissed by Republican old hands. Any candidate who cannot get more votes than Paul in the Iowa primary needs to seriously reconsider his viability.
But where should this line be set? For the optimistic Paul supporter, Chase Martyn at the Iowa Independent blog puts Paul as third. Huckabee's recent rise gives him first, and Romney's deep pockets gives him second.
Most polls I've seen put Paul as fifth, sometimes sixth, and sometimes not even listed. Taking third in Iowa would be huge.
Below this line, drawing on Martyn's analysis, are McCain, Thompson, Giuliani, and then Hunter.
Bill Stiegerwald over at The Moderate Voice thinks (http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/ron-paul/16737/guest-voice-dr-paul%E2%80%99s-glorious-drive-for-freedom/) Ron Paul has already won:
It won't matter how high Ron Paul finishes in the Iowa caucuses this Thursday or in the New Hampshire primary Jan. 8 or anywhere else.
He's already won his prize...
...In April, shortly after he announced he'd run for president, Paul told the Trib that his goal — besides winning, of course — was to make an impact on the race and to spread his ideas about maximizing freedom, limiting the federal government and practicing nonintervention overseas.
Though his presence at the debates has shown what a bunch of unprincipled, flip-flopping, war-loving, faux conservatives Messrs. Romney, Giuliani, Huckabee and McCain are, Paul's political impact on the primaries has been minimal — so far.
The "Paulistas" who are fomenting and funding "The Ron Paul Revolution" in the virtual streets of the Internet complain that the mainstream media have ignored Paul.
But it's not true.
He could be the most widely publicized libertarian politician in U.S. history. He and his "radical" ideas have been publicized, praised or treated with respect by everyone from the constitutionally impaired Tim Russert to Jay Leno, Stephen Colbert and Tucker Carlson.
NPR thinks (http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/12/ron_paul_could_do_well_in_new.html) Paul could do very well in New Hampshire:
It's all about the independents in New Hampshire. How well a candidate does in the Granite State's primary can often depend on how many of those independents he or she attracts. And Felice Belman, executive editor of the liberal Concord Monitor, and Joe McQuaid, publisher of the conservative New Hampshire Union Leader, say the candidate who might get a lot of support from independents this year is Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul.
"He doesn't show up much in the polls, but yes I do think he could do very well here," McQuaid told Melissa Block on All Things Considered. "I don't think he'll do well past here, but I think he'll surprise people."
Belman agreed
"His issues are so disparate that he'll pull from a lot of different groups ...fiscal conservatives ... anti-abortion people ... anti-war people. That's not a typical kind of primary voter. He'll take away from everybody."
FoodConsumer.org has a profile (http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/Non-f_ood_Things_27/122804402007_Who_is_the_presidential_cadidate_name d_Ron_Paul.shtml) of Paul:
Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th congressional district of Texas. He presently serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He continues to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.
Congressman Paul's consistent voting record prompted one of his congressional colleagues to say, "Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers' ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are." Another colleague observed, "There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few."
And finally, The Flint Journal reports (http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2007/12/republican_presidential_candid.html) about a new office opening in Michigan:
Flint Township is home to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's first campaign office in the state.
The office at 3068 Miller Road opened Thursday. A second office in Detroit is set to open Saturday in Detroit.
About 50 supporters gathered for the grand opening of the office, said Adam Ford, of Flint, who volunteers for the campaign.
"There's a great group of grassroots supporters ... and with their help, we know we'll be ready for the primary on Jan. 15," state coordinator Leslie Roszman said in a news release.
http://www.brendangates.com/forumlogo.jpg
Ron Paul Roundup (12-29-07)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=342327182&Mytoken=BDE8AAC3-8A93-4ECC-AF4DA7EDEFEFB5DF34648077)
Hello Freedomphiles! The Seattle Times tells (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004096850_aponthe2008trail28.html) us something we already know - Ron Paul is a hit on the internet:
Ron Paul registers in the single digits in most polls, but he's the top searched Republican presidential candidate on Google, according to the Web site's trend history.
A large volume of hits for Paul in the last 30 days are coming from Iowa, as voters there prepare to caucus Jan. 3. The same holds true for most of his rivals, with the exception of Mitt Romney and John McCain.
Disproportionally, more of Romney's searches in that span are coming from Utah, the seat of his Mormon faith. More of McCain's hits are disproportionally coming from New Hampshire, where he won the Republican presidential primary in 2000.
Blogger New Network says (http://www.bloggernews.net/112699) that the situation in Pakistan vindicates Ron Paul:
The situation, however, may serve particularly well as vindication for the often criticized foreign policy positions of Congressman Ron Paul, whose recent fund raising successes and gains in early-state polls have vaulted the candidate into top-tier status on the Republican side.
Paul's foreign policy position, as discussed on his website, contends that the time has come for the United States to cease its imperialistic foreign policy tendencies. This would include political intervention in countries such as Pakistan, where US funds and clout have been used to prop up military dictator Pervez Musharraf, the former and current Army Chief General who ousted Pakistan's elected government in 1999 by way of a military coup.1
While Paul makes no claims suggesting Musharraf had direct involvement in Bhutto's death, he frequently warns of the potential backlash produced by US intervention in foreign political landscapes. Findings outlined in a recent report on Pakistan-US relations prepared for members of Congress by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) indicate that indeed such unintended consequences may be visible in the current Pakistani political front.
Right-Libertarian Gary Wood writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article771.html) on The Nolan Chart about why he is a Ron Paul Republican:
Anyone following the candidacy of Ron Paul has heard the question asked and answered many times regarding his party affiliation. Each time he reminds the questioner he is probably the most Republican of any of the Republican candidates in the race. Many articles and discussions are now referring to him as a libertarian Republican; a part of the Republican Liberty Caucus which many Republican voters do not even seem to know exists. Is his claim more spin or is it accurate? Are the roots of the Republican Party set in ideas of liberty?
While visiting my county's website, to find the location of the precinct caucus for where I live, there was a reminder that the party roots are as Ron Paul claims. What I found can be found on Republican Party websites across the country. It is a listing of beliefs within the party and given as the reasoning behind affiliating with them. Let's take a look at each one and consider Ron Paul's ideals.
Megan McArdle over at The Atlantic writes (http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/12/ron_paul_on_taxes.php) about Ron Paul and taxes:
Entitlements are by far the largest part of our budget; if you're serious about cutting spending, you need to get serious about attacking entitlements. But Dr. Paul makes no mention of slashing Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, and for good reason: the senior lobby would slaughter him. In fact, he's not only going to leave Social Security benefits intact, but also, he's planning to eliminate taxation of Social Security benefits. His plan for dealing with the entitlement problem seems to consist of saying that we should keep the federal government from spending the "trust funds". Okay, Dr.; into what financial assets should the government invest this trust funds, and what taxes will you raise, or spending will you cut, in order to plug the several-hundred-billion-dollar hole this will open in the general fund?
Nor are seniors the only ones he plans to cut taxes on. His ideas include no taxes for active duty military, tax credits for health care, tax credits for paying property taxes . . . apparently, the only people Dr. Paul thinks should pay taxes are, well, me, a young urban worker who doesn't own a home.
He promises to veto new spending. But new discretionary spending is simply not the major driver of our budget. The major driver of our budget is entitlements, which will grow unchecked even if he, and Congress, adjourn to play golf for the next eight years. This is not economically serious, fiscally responsible policy; in fact, it's just another variant on what everyone else is doing, which is ignoring the entitlement programs that are about to turn into the sucking chest wound of the US budget.
It's not exactly pro-Paul, but she raises some good points. And I have seen her defend Ron Paul from baseless attacks, so she is trustworthy as a source.
Left-Libertarian DigitalBob writes (http://www.nolanchart.com/article765.html) over at The Nolan Chart about Dr Paul's chances in Iowa:
Ron Paul is typically ignored by the major media and dismissed by Republican old hands. Any candidate who cannot get more votes than Paul in the Iowa primary needs to seriously reconsider his viability.
But where should this line be set? For the optimistic Paul supporter, Chase Martyn at the Iowa Independent blog puts Paul as third. Huckabee's recent rise gives him first, and Romney's deep pockets gives him second.
Most polls I've seen put Paul as fifth, sometimes sixth, and sometimes not even listed. Taking third in Iowa would be huge.
Below this line, drawing on Martyn's analysis, are McCain, Thompson, Giuliani, and then Hunter.
Bill Stiegerwald over at The Moderate Voice thinks (http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/ron-paul/16737/guest-voice-dr-paul%E2%80%99s-glorious-drive-for-freedom/) Ron Paul has already won:
It won't matter how high Ron Paul finishes in the Iowa caucuses this Thursday or in the New Hampshire primary Jan. 8 or anywhere else.
He's already won his prize...
...In April, shortly after he announced he'd run for president, Paul told the Trib that his goal — besides winning, of course — was to make an impact on the race and to spread his ideas about maximizing freedom, limiting the federal government and practicing nonintervention overseas.
Though his presence at the debates has shown what a bunch of unprincipled, flip-flopping, war-loving, faux conservatives Messrs. Romney, Giuliani, Huckabee and McCain are, Paul's political impact on the primaries has been minimal — so far.
The "Paulistas" who are fomenting and funding "The Ron Paul Revolution" in the virtual streets of the Internet complain that the mainstream media have ignored Paul.
But it's not true.
He could be the most widely publicized libertarian politician in U.S. history. He and his "radical" ideas have been publicized, praised or treated with respect by everyone from the constitutionally impaired Tim Russert to Jay Leno, Stephen Colbert and Tucker Carlson.
NPR thinks (http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/12/ron_paul_could_do_well_in_new.html) Paul could do very well in New Hampshire:
It's all about the independents in New Hampshire. How well a candidate does in the Granite State's primary can often depend on how many of those independents he or she attracts. And Felice Belman, executive editor of the liberal Concord Monitor, and Joe McQuaid, publisher of the conservative New Hampshire Union Leader, say the candidate who might get a lot of support from independents this year is Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul.
"He doesn't show up much in the polls, but yes I do think he could do very well here," McQuaid told Melissa Block on All Things Considered. "I don't think he'll do well past here, but I think he'll surprise people."
Belman agreed
"His issues are so disparate that he'll pull from a lot of different groups ...fiscal conservatives ... anti-abortion people ... anti-war people. That's not a typical kind of primary voter. He'll take away from everybody."
FoodConsumer.org has a profile (http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/Non-f_ood_Things_27/122804402007_Who_is_the_presidential_cadidate_name d_Ron_Paul.shtml) of Paul:
Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th congressional district of Texas. He presently serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He continues to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.
Congressman Paul's consistent voting record prompted one of his congressional colleagues to say, "Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers' ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are." Another colleague observed, "There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few."
And finally, The Flint Journal reports (http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2007/12/republican_presidential_candid.html) about a new office opening in Michigan:
Flint Township is home to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's first campaign office in the state.
The office at 3068 Miller Road opened Thursday. A second office in Detroit is set to open Saturday in Detroit.
About 50 supporters gathered for the grand opening of the office, said Adam Ford, of Flint, who volunteers for the campaign.
"There's a great group of grassroots supporters ... and with their help, we know we'll be ready for the primary on Jan. 15," state coordinator Leslie Roszman said in a news release.
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