Ron Paul

Ron Paul

Ronald Ernest “Ron” Paul (born August 20, 1935) is a libertarian 10th-term Congressman, a former Air Force Flight Surgeon, a medical doctor (M.D.) and was a 2008 and 2012 candidate for the Republican Party's nomination, and the 2008 Libertarian nominee for President of the United States. He is from the U.S. state of Texas. As a Republican, he has represented Texas's 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997, and had previously served as the representative from Texas's 22nd district in 1976 and from 1979 to 1985.

In Congress he has proposed doing away with personal income taxes, federal antitrust laws and the minimum wage. He advocated pulling the United States out of the United Nations, NATO and the International Monetary Fund. Republicans ignore him; most of his bills fail to attract a single co-sponsor.

However in 2009 he has attracted over 300 votes for his bipartisan proposal to subject the Federal Reserve to unprecedented scrutiny by allowing the Government Accountability Office to audit all central bank operations, including its decisions on interest rates, lending to individual banks and transactions with foreign central banks. He has a separate bill to abolish the Fed altogether. (He is the lone sponsor.)

Ron Paul advocates letting states decide how to handle social issues. He supports federalism and therefore wants to leave the issues of same-sex marriage, drug legalization, and others up to the decision of individual states. The main exception to this is the issue of abortion, which he is strongly opposed to.

Paleolibertarian

Paul is a pro-life states' rights libertarian, also known as a paleolibertarian. Paleolibertarians advocate a limited role of government as well as supporting low taxes, free markets, strict construction of the U.S. Constitution, and a return to monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. He has earned the nickname "Dr. No" for voting against any bill he believes violates the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill. He has never voted to raise taxes or congressional pay. He has always voted against the USA PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and the Iraq War.

Congressional record

Ron Paul is noted for his authorship of the We the People Act, an act which removed the ability of the US Supreme Court to hear cases involving discrimination based on sexual orientation or religion. He is also noted for submitting several bills banning abortion, and somewhat controversially was the only person to oppose the Darfur Divestment Act of 2007, a bill which disallowed the US government, corporations, and individuals from sending money to or doing business with the janjaweed rebel group of the Sudan.

Early life and education

Dr. Ron Paul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Howard Caspar Paul and Margaret Paul. He graduated from Dormont High School in Dormont, Pennsylvania, in 1953. Paul attended Gettysburg College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957, and the Duke University School of Medicine, receiving M.D. in 1961. He did his internship and residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, from 1961 to 1962, and was a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1968. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He and Carol, who reside in Lake Jackson, Texas, are the proud parents of five children and have seventeen grandchildren.

Paul is a Baptist.

Political affiliations and support

Although a Republican, Paul remains on good terms with the Libertarian Party and addressed its national convention as recently as 2004.

Paul served as the honorary chairman of and is a current member of the Republican Liberty Caucus, a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party.

Unlike many political candidates, Paul receives the overwhelming majority of his campaign contributions (96.8% in 2005-2006), from individuals.

Political Views

Paul wants to "reinstate the Constitution and restore the Republic." He rejects a welfare state or nanny state role for the federal government, and advocates a strong non-interventionist foreign policy.

He voted against the Iraq War in 2002 and has offered alternatives such as granting the President authority to grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and arming pilots. He is the only Republican presidential candidate to have voted against the Iraq War.

Paul's desire to secure U.S. borders remains a key topic in his 2008 presidential campaign. He opposes the North American Union proposition and its proposed integration of Mexico, the United States of America, and Canada. Paul voted "yes" on the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which authorizes the construction of an additional 700 miles of double-layered fencing between the U.S and Mexico. Paul opposes illegal immigration as well as amnesty for illegal immigrants.

In the May 3, 2007 GOP Debate, Ron Paul stated that as President, he would seek the immediate abolition of the IRS and the abolition of the income tax. As Congressman, he has long fought for the prohibition of direct taxes by repeal of the 16th Amendment which created the income tax. Ron Paul supports a return to the gold standard of currency particularly newer theorized pure strain gold.

On March 5, 2008, Ron Paul was the only member of the house to vote against a bill "Condemning the ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and for other purposes"

On Libyan civil war

Why did the US intervene in a civil war in a country that has neither attacked us nor poses a threat? We are told this was another humanitarian intervention, like Clinton’s 1999 war against Serbia. But as civilian victims of the US-led coalition bombing continue to add up, it is getting difficult to determine whether the problem we are creating on the ground is worse than the one we were trying to solve. [1]

Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit, explained in a recent article that there is plausible reason to believe the rebels are current or former Islamist mujahedin, eager to engage in jihad. Indeed, Gaddafi has fought against Libyan Islamists for years and is seen by them as a bitter enemy. Astoundingly, it may well be that we are assisting Al-Qaeda in this new war! Ibidem

2008 Presidential Campaign

Paul formally declared his candidacy for the 2008 Presidential election on 12 March, 2007 as a guest on Washington Journal on C-SPAN. . In regards to his candidacy, he had a 30-minute interview with online political analyst James Kotecki regarding foreign policy, Congress and the Constitution, and personal liberties.

Paul participated (along with nine other Republican presidential candidates) in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates Debate on May 3, 2007. Ron Paul finished first in the MSNBC poll following the GOP primary debate with 43 percent -- beating second place Mitt Romney by 5 percentage points.[2]

Paul seemed to have dropped slightly in the polls that followed the second Republican debate in Columbia, South Carolina, to 25 percent. This was probably as a result of his suggestion that weekly bombing of Iraq following Operation Desert Fox in December 1998 may have contributed sufficiently to Arab anger at the United States as to make the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks inevitable. Paul was excoriated by Rudy Giuliani, who said that this was the most bizarre explanation for the attacks he had ever heard. Other Republican commentators sought to explain Paul's continued strength in post-debate polls as the result of multiple votes by his supporters or voting by non-Republicans. In response to Rudy Giuliani, the next day at the National Press Club, Ron Paul offered Rudy a book list to read regarding the issue of American foreign policy. These books are Imperial Hubris by Michael Scheuer, Dying to Win by Robert Pape, Blowback by Chalmers Johnson, and The 9-11 Commission Report by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.

Eric Dondero, a former Ron Paul staffer, declared himself a candidate against Paul in the 2008 Republican primary election to represent the 14th District of Texas in Congress. Dondero (called "Dumbdero" by libertarians) dropped out shortly thereafter. Considering the trouncing Paul ended up giving to Chris Peden in the 2008 Republican congressional primary, it was likely for the better.

Paul has garnered large amounts of support from activists, particularly on the Internet. Many have come up with creative ways to campaign for their candidate. For example, some Paul supporters, who are not officially affiliated with his campaign, purchased a blimp to fly overhead with the phrases "Who is Ron Paul? Google Ron Paul" and "Ron Paul Revolution". The neo-Nazi organization Stormfront also provided widgets on its internet site to enable people to electronically donate cash to Paul's campaign. Stormfront's founder, former Ku Klux Klan member Don Black, also gave financial support to Paul's campaign.

He dropped out of the race on June 12, 2008, but will keep spreading his message by working to help elect libertarian-leaning Republicans to public office around the U.S.

Possible Campaign censorship by the Media

Fox News has frequently excluded Ron Paul from its programs, even in at least one case removing him from Iowa Straw Poll results. Fox News' results left out Paul (as well as Tom Tancredo), even though they scored 9.1% and 13.7%, respectively.

Straw Poll results

Ron Paul was recently established as the most frequent winner of Straw Poll.

Ron Paul Quotes

• on Congressman Larry McDonald, passenger on Korean Airlines Flight 007, shot down by the Soviets near Moneron Island on Sept. 1, 1983 - "He was the most principled man in Congress"

Telephone Hotline

Ron Paul runs a toll-free telephone hotline with a recorded message of conservative commentary. It is updated every Monday.

Criticism

Despite being honest and consistent, many conservatives have problems with some of Ron Paul's views. He is anti-war, anti-Patriot Act, believes the War on Drugs should end, supports legalization of marijuana, supports stem cell research, opposes capital punishment, gave support for the Occupy "movement" (although he supported the Tea Party as well), is against corporate welfare, and is supported by many liberals. On the other hand, he opposes public healthcare, abortion, and welfare so remains popular with libertarians and some conservatives. (Source http://www.amnation.com/vfr/archives/018652.html)

Books by Ron Paul

• Challenge to Liberty. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education
• Gold, Peace, and Prosperity. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education
• Ten Myths About Paper Money. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education
• The Case for Gold. Reprinted by the Cato Institute, 1982; Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2007. ISBN 0-932790-31-3. ([3])
• A Republic, If You Can Keep It
• Mises and Austrian Economics: A Personal View. Auburn, Ala.: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 1984.
• Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200 Years. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 1987. ([4] Book distributed with permission in 7 parts in pdf-format)
• A Foreign Policy of Freedom. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 2007. ISBN 0-912453-00-1
• The Revolution: A Manifesto, Hachette Book Group USA, 2008. ISBN 978-0446537513

Videos

• Ron Paul on Larry McDonald

References

• Gwynne, Sam (1 October, 2001). Texas Monthly.
• Bernstein, Alan (May 23, 1996). “Newsletter excerpts offer ammunition to Paul's opponent; GOP hopeful quoted on race, crime”, The Houston Chronicle, p. A33.

• "Ron Paul Background". Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: Religion & Politics '08. Pew Research Center. September 2007. http://pewforum.org/religion08/profile.php?CandidateID=15. Retrieved on 2007-10-21.

External Links

Official Sites and Publications

• Official Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign Site
• Official web site of Congressman Ron Paul
• Ron Paul's MySpace page
• Ron Paul Grassroots Campaign
• Rep. Ron Paul's Column for Antiwar.com
• Commentary by Rep. Paul on U.S. policy in the Middle East
• The Broadcast Indecency Act, An Indecent Attack on the First Amendment by Ron Paul
• Is America a Police State?, speech before the U.S. House of Representatives on June 27, 2002
• Ron Paul's introduction to Video of Cong.Larry McDonald on Crossfire made a few months before Larry McDonald went down with Korean Airlines Flight 007 brought down by the Soviet Union in 1983

Positions and Quotations

• Quotes by Ron Paul on Wikiquote
• On the Issues - Ron Paul issue positions and quotes
• Project Vote Smart - Ron Paul
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Ron Paul
• Congressman Ron Paul and Medical Marijuana
• "He was the most principled man in Congress" - On 2nd Chairman of John Birch Society, Congressman Larry McDonald passenger on Korean Airlines Flight 007 shot down by the Soviets on Sept. 1, 1983

Third Party Sources about Ron Paul

• OpenSecrets.org - Congressional campaign contributions
• Vote 2008: Ron Paul - Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
• Federal Election Commission - Presidential campaign contributions
• Advocates for Self-Government profile of Ron Paul
• Virtue Magazine Political profile of Ron Paul
• The American Dream - Through the Eyes of Mrs. Ron Paul by Mrs. Ron Paul on TheDailyPaul.

Articles and Editorials about Ron Paul

• Congressman Ron Paul Talks About Gold, Oil & the Economy
• National Taxpayers Union Honors Ron Paul as one of 29 Congressmen who are "Taxpayer's Friends"