It’s the question that continues to pop up campaign cycle after campaign cycle – if Ron Paul maintains that he never wrote the racist and extremist content in his newsletters, then who did?
In 2008, Julian Sanchez and Dave Weigel reported that a source close to the Ron Paul campaign claimed that Lew Rockwell actually penned the offending articles, but Paul didn’t want to publicly acknowledge it because the two were still close friends.
Rockwell is something of a fringe extremist, so it’s believable that he could have ghosted the newsletters. But it does seems strange that Rockwell – who has published plenty of offensive columns in his own newsletter and website – would be so concerned about being exposed as the author of these particular articles that he’d let Paul take the heat instead.
Plus, if Paul believes the racist content in the newsletters was repugnant, as he claims, why would he still be friends with the guy who allegedly wrote it? Why would he still associate with him professionally? Could Paul really be that forgiving of someone who supposedly churned out bigoted content under his name, and then let Paul take the fall?
Apparently, a lot of Paul’s supporters think so. And now they’re ready to shut the book on this uncomfortable topic.
Of course, it’s not that simple. At the Washington Examiner, Phil Klein takes issue with Paul’s supporters who expect the media to give the congressman a pass on the newsletters:
Rick Perry and Mitt Romney have both attacked each other for what was written in their respective books. If either of those books had included a number of overtly racist statements, their candidacies would be over before they started. If they used the Ron Paul defense – that they didn’t write the words themselves, they didn’t know what was in the books and don’t even know who wrote them, it would only make matters worse. They could kiss their political careers goodbye.
Forget a book – remember how hysterical the media became over something that was written on a rock at a house Rick Perry’s father once rented?
Even if Paul didn’t write the newsletters, he defended the content when it was first exposed in 1996. At the time, he even took responsibility for writing the bigoted comments himself, and blasted his opponents for taking his words “out of context.” A few years later, he backtracked and claimed he never wrote them, demanding the media move on. Of course, nobody can move on until he answers the questions that have gone unanswered for years: Who wrote the newsletters? Did Paul know what was in them? And if not, why?
The interesting dynamic is that the MSM avoids this otherwise juicy topic because they like the fact that Paul is a thorn in Republicans side.
A cynical and Machiavellian take but nothing else makes much sense, does it?
On to targeting the next threat to Romney, eh?
It's a strange anomoly in the man's career. Almost everything he has said and done are related to the same things like the federal reserve, the gold standard and then there are these newsletters. n nThe press is so intent on ignoring him that I doubt this will be explored, ironically. So far it's mainly just oppnents of his foreign policy looking for anything to use against him who have expressed their concern. and liberals who would never vote for him anyway. n nI would disagree with others who say they are like no big deal and meaningless though.
This is just the start. When Ron wins Iowa the mainstream media will be blasting this nonsense everywhere. I personally think Lew Rockwell wrote the letters. But either way, this will not be the last time we hear of it.
MIchael-you're probably right. I think In general those guys were trying to create a version of libertarianism that was conservative in nature, rather than being about pot smoking and so forth. As others have noted, Rothbard had written a memo of sorts along the lines of creating a kind of old right/ libertarian alliance. That side of libertarianism has evolved alot, if what they release through mises.org as opposed to those newsletters is any indication.
So where is the Constitutional foundation for federal drug prohibition?
Lew Rockwell was Ron Paul's congressional chief of staff. No accident. And Ron Paul is on record claiming the newsletters as his.
If Lew Rockwell wrote the letters, why won't Paul just say so?
sorry, Paul-bots. the guy is as wacky as medical marijuana. he's an isolationist, he's quite anti-Semitic, and he doesn't understand why Iran can't have a bomb. he also implied that the border fence "could keep us in"…which is just so amazingly strange I don't know why it didn't get more play in the news. n nRon Paul shouldn't be let any closer to the White House than a weekday tour with the wife and kids.
Who cares who wrote the newsletters? They were obviously not written by Dr. Paul. Back in those days they had all kinds of Government Provocateurs infiltrating the “patriot movement.” Remember the government entrapment at Ruby Ridge that got a young boy and a mother holding a baby killed by the FBI? There were other government-sponsored infiltrators that went around saying things like, “if there was a fringe on the flag in the courtroom the court is operating under maritime law, not Constitutional law. These infiltrators wanted the “patriots” to look like fools and discredit them. The infiltration of patriot groups and militias was a government device to stop a movement that wanted to restore liberty and sound money. The government under, Bill Clinton, used the Oklahoma bombing to destroy the integrity of all of the good people who wanted the Constitution restored. Clinton said, “how dare Tim McVeigh call himself a patriot”, painting the whole movement with that bloody brush. I have no doubt in my mind that it was the same type of government provocateur who wanted to tarnish Ron Paul in case he ever went back into politics. Isn’t that the tool those in power still use whenever Dr. Paul is building momentum?
Ron Paul said he wrote them. He distributed them. His campaign staff manned the subscription phones. And now we are in Ruby Ridge, Waco territory. Point made. QED.
They never did!
keep in mind the Tax Records show he paid his Wife and Daughter with the Profits a salary. Perhaps someone should ask Paul if his Wife or Daughter wrote them or if they knew the content?r nr nr nThe newsletters are wrote in First Person and have Paul himself listed as the Editor
It doesn't matter. Ron Paul's base as with OWS only illustrate that for Jews (and this is Commentary) there is no natural political home that cannot be infiltrated, subverted by those attracted to the siren calls of the great absolutes and the irrational pursuit, in Richard Hofstadter's words, of the Paranoid Style in American politics.
He defended the newsletters in 1996 and acknowledged writing them. He is also on record attacking the Civil Rights Act of 1964 notwithstanding the matrix of state coercive authority responsible for literally but literally depriving African Americans of their civil and human rights, and lives, below the Mason Dixon line and fundamentally curtailing their opportunity to pursue happiness north of it. And on and on. If he becomes the GOP nomination either the GOP implodes and Obama wins or this country is in for a longer harder road than that we are currently on.
Race card? America is waking up to the fact that fellow Americans have fallen in love with a kook who is obsessed with conspiracies and would deny basic civil rights to minority citizens under a southern so-called-libertarian misreading of the Constitution, American history, and common sense. Drink the kool-aid, buy the robe.
Earth to Michael: The truth is not a "smear tactic." n nAt best, we have an inattentive, absent-minded dolt who allowed someone with extremist views diametrically opposed to his own to ghostwrite a newsletter with his name on every masthead, or, at worst, we have a mean, nasty piece of work who goes off half-cocked so easily that it endangers the perception of whatever ideas he has that are logical and viable. There is NO middle ground. n nEither way, the incompetence of Barack Obama has not sufficiently impacted his likeability levels, the "guy you wanna have a beer with" factor. That may not be important in the real world, but like it or not, those people vote, and if you run a guy people would leave a bar to get away from against BHO, America as we knew it will soon be a wistful memory.
"Ron Paul also beats his wife, kicks dogs when nobody's watching, and obviously hates Jews, Blacks, and EVERYBODY but White folk." I find all this easy to believe. As Dick Morris said tonight on Sean Hannity's FOX, the guy is a wacko and a disgrace to the GOP. One reason that he has targeted Gingrich with negative ads aplenty, is that Gingrich has shown incredible support for Israel. This obviously sickened the incredible idiot bigot Paul. One thing that I cannot understand is how Iowa could go heavily for Mike Huckabee 3 years ago and now lean toward the TOTAL wacko Paul. This entire business must have Oduma loudly laughing.
The article is factual and if the facts were true of any other candidate, they would be done. Only fanatics ignore facts.