Ron Paul is Not the Answer, Unless the Question is “Who Can Destroy the Republican Party for the Rest of My Lifetime?”

You know things are getting just a little crazy in Conservative Land when the name Ron Paul pops up as a possible savior for the Republican Party. Jayson Taylor (no, not waste of $8 million dollars who plays for the Redskins) suggests that Ron Paul can still ride to the rescue of the GOP if only he can figure out how to communicate his message to the voters better. Taylor contends that Paul’s ideas were so long and sophisticated that we just didn’t “get” him.

Sorry. I’m trying really hard not to laugh here.

The real kicker is that he wants Paul to be “included in a leadership position for the rebuilding of our conservative platform”.

Yeah…okay.

Before we put the laurel wreath on his head and all that, can we take a quick look back at some of the things we learned about Paul this campaign?

• His newsletter was laden with anti-Semitism, some of it published over his signature. Paul professed complete ignorance even though the newsletter was published over twenty years and netted him a fair amount of money. His supporters never did manage a good defense of the slurs.
• In 2007, Paul hypocritically scooped up about 400 million dollars in pork, even though he crusaded against pork throughout his entire campaign. His initial claim was that the money was going to be spent anyhow. Later, he claimed they were “tax credits” to bring some tax money back to the people of his district. Based on the earmarks, though, it seems his district is largely populated by the shrimping industry.
• He claimed in a debate that a US warship captain “shouldn’t start World War III” by easily sinking three Iranian speedboats that threatened it because the speedboats were no threat to the ship. USS Cole, anyone?
• He claimed in an appearance on Meet the Press that Iran had no army or navy, that the President could not use our military at all unless Congress authorized it, and that it’s okay to take earmarks if you feel really guilty when you do it.
• He claimed that the United States is to blame for Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro and that we should talk to tyrants “with friendship and opportunity”.
• Ron Paul accepted the donations and fundraising help from white supremacists, 9/11 Truthers, and anti-Semites even after his campaign was pressed on the matter several times.

These are on top of his insistence that we should dissolve the Federal Reserve and put us back on the gold standard (beliefs which, by the way, smack of anti-Semitism, with references to shadowy “international bankers”). Taylor says that people oppose those ideas see them as “as unrealistic and politically suicidal”. He misses the point that they are also economically suicidal and foolhardy. You think the economy is volatile now? Just imagine how crazy it would be without the steadying foundation of the Federal Reserve (local bank collapses, anyone?).

I’d say the voters “got” Ron Paul just fine. They saw that he is an isolationist, hypocritical, anti-Semite who believe the United States is to blame for the problems of this world and they rejected his repugnant, ridiculous, anachronistic opinions. He hasn’t earned a place in the Republican leadership. I say he’s earned no place in the party at all. Conservatives do not need Ron Paul’s toxic beliefs and if they listen to the Paul supporters and give him any sort of platform, it will damage the party for generations.

Other Posts of Interest:

• It’s Not Pork. It’s a Sweetener!
• “Republican stupor is not a result of lack of moderation; it’s about a lack of purpose.”
• It’s Time for John McCain to Put Up or Shut Up on Earmarks

Tags: 9/11 Truthers, Anti-Semitism, Conservatism, Libertarians, Republicans, Ron Paul

Category: Anti-Semitism Everywhere, Conservatism, The Economy and Your Money