Ron Paul Collecting Fans, Big Money

[Denny Crane]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8...;show_article=1</p>

<font size="5">Ron Paul Collecting Fans, Big Money</font></p>

<span style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; white-space: nowrap;">Nov 15 02:10 PM US/Eastern</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; white-space: nowrap;">By CHARLES BABINGTON
Associated Press Writer</span></p>

<span style="font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; white-space: nowrap;">

</span><span class="lingo_region">WASHINGTON (AP) - Those who dismissed Rep. Ron Paul as a joke in the Republican presidential primary campaign aren't laughing so hard these days.

The Texas libertarian's rise in the polls and in fundraising proves that a small but passionate number of Americans can be drawn to an advocate of unorthodox proposals such as returning to the gold standard and abolishing the income tax, CIA and Federal Reserve.</p>

Paul, 72, recently set a one-day, online GOP presidential fundraising record, and pulled slightly ahead of Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee in a New Hampshire poll, where he had 8 percent of the Republicans' support. In Iowa, he tied John McCain for fifth place, with 4 percent each.</p>

Paul remains a very long shot for the nomination. But as the only Republican candidate backing a prompt troop withdrawal from Iraq&mdash;and an airing of possible impeachment charges against Vice President Dick Cheney&mdash;he appeals to a mix of liberals and conservatives who feel alienated and deeply distrustful of the government.</p>

"Where the extreme left and the extreme right meet, you'll find Ron Paul," said Merle Black, an Emory University political scientist and co-author of the book "Divided America."</p>

"He strikes a chord with some segments of the population," especially with his quixotic, uncompromising style, Black said. "But there's a pretty low ceiling in terms of his actual vote."</p>

Paul, who earned a medical degree from Duke University and embraces the nickname "Dr. No," often casts the only House vote against proposals he sees as too meddlesome or unworthy of taxpayers' money.</p>

In recent months he was the only House member to oppose an expression of support for Northern Ireland's new power-sharing government, a condemnation of "the persecution of labor rights advocates in Iran" and a statement citing the importance of "providing a voice" for relatives of Americans who have vanished.</p>

He was one of two Republicans to vote against funding the Defense Department in 2008, and against urging the release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.</p>

Paul is Congress' most prominent advocate of returning to the gold standard, which the country abandoned in the 1930s. In its purest form it would mean that all paper currency in circulation could be redeemed for gold.</p>

Supporters say the gold standard would curb inflation and boost confidence in the economy. But others say it would trigger severe recessions because the Federal Reserve could no longer manage the money supply in times of economic weakness.</p>

For that matter, Paul would eliminate the Fed altogether as an impediment to free markets.</p>

Paul breezily talks of eliminating the personal income tax, saying it provides about 40 percent of federal revenues, which spending cuts could absorb. The government's funding level would approximate that of he says, although government statistics put the figure closer to 1995.</p>

In a phone interview Wednesday, Paul said he is inching up in the polls "because more people have heard the message."</p>

He said he was stunned when supporters raised $4.2 million for him on Nov. 5, mostly through the Internet. It broke Mitt Romney's one-day fundraising record, $3.1 million, for Republican presidential candidates.</p>

"Something is going on," Paul said. "It's all spontaneous," he said, and reflects a hunger for smaller government, greater adherence to the Constitution and "a pro-American foreign policy."</p>

Paul said the United States should leave the United Nations. "I don't like giving up our national sovereignty," he said.</p>

The government should gather intelligence, he said, but dismantle the CIA, which he accused of blunders and abuses of power.</p>

Democratic-drafted charges that could lead to a House impeachment vote against Cheney, Paul said, deserve careful deliberations by congressional committees.</p>

Presidential debate moderators typically pay scant attention to Paul and two other House members seen as fringe candidates. But he has triggered some crackling exchanges on the Iraq war, unusual for primary campaign debates in which most candidates hold similar views.</p>

At a mid-May debate in South Carolina, Paul infuriated Rudy Giuliani and others by saying U.S. troops' presence in Saudi Arabia contributed to al-Qaida's decision to attack the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.</p>

"If we think that we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred, then we have a problem," Paul said. "They don't come here to attack us because we're rich and we're free. They come and they attack us because we're over there."</p>

Many Republicans condemned the remarks. But Paul's supporters rhapsodize about his candor and integrity on Web sites and at "meet ups."</p>

"We didn't really believe we could find an honest politician," said Cecelia Poole of Elkton, Md., describing how she and her husband intensely researched Paul's record. First drawn to Paul's hardline stance against illegal immigration, Poole said she found herself agreeing with him on monetary policy, the war and other issues.</p>

"He would turn this country around in the way that it needs to go," said Poole, a semiretired mortgage broker. She and her husband now travel to several states, she said, "promoting him everywhere we go."</p>

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[cpawfan]

</p>

 

[Denny Crane]

He's like one of few people in congress I actually like. Unfortunately, he's 72 years old and probably not fit for the presidency for that reason alone.</p>

I'm good with the gold standard, no income taxes, eliminating the fed, cutting spending by 40%, and all the rest.</p>

</p>

 

[MikeDC]

Paul's biggest issue seems to be his supporters... as best I can tell, rank and file republicans are no longer libertarians.

</p>

 

[Denny Crane]

Republicans are also no longer conservatives

</p>

</p>

 

[cpawfan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

I'm good with the gold standard, no income taxes, eliminating the fed, cutting spending by 40%, and all the rest.</p>

</div></p>

Those would be the items that generate the smilies I used above</p>

</p>

 

[cpawfan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

Republicans are also no longer conservatives

</p>

</p>

</div></p>

The religious right is neither</p>

See I can play the cliche game too</p>

</p>

 

[Shapecity]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

Republicans are also no longer conservatives

</p>

</div></p>

Yes this is the major issue for this country far too, much overspending. We need someone to come and clean up the books. I agree with getting rid of income tax and also getting rid of the Fed.</p>

</p>

 

[Denny Crane]

In my book, Conservatism is based on three principles: Anti-Communism, Libertarianism, and Traditionalism. Religion has nothing to do with Conservatism, though I don't see why a religious person might also want smaller government and more Liberty.</p>

The Republican Party has been co-opted by the Religious Right, and it's been a long time coming. The Party figured out that organizations like Pat Robertson's and Jerry Falwell's could hit the streets and do the grass-roots kinds of things. Now those people have so much pull, that the politicians have to pander to them, and it's not pretty.</p>

I'm personally not a religious person (agnostic), but I see no reason why religious persons should be denied the right to vote for whoever they want for whatever reasons they want, nor should they be denied fair treatment under the laws.</p>

FWIW, I'm a registered indenendent, but I may go to the Republican caucus here just to vote for Paul. If he's not the nominee, I'll be voting Libertarian Party as usual (the last 6 elections).</p>

</p>

 

[Chutney]

Conservatism's a constantly changing concept, though (kind of ironic, I suppose). I mean, there was a time when liberalism with synonomous with the free market, while conservatism supported considerable government intervention. I think the only constant within the conservative system is a committment to traditionalism, but what's considered traditional is never the same. So it might just be that the traditional values that American conservatives defend have changed and no longer contain libertarianism (anti-communism doesn't need to be mentioned since every significant party holds the same stance).</p>

 

[MikeDC]

While I agree in principle with a lot of the Libertarian platform, I see a distinction between most of their platform and the accomplishments of their core goal. The core libertarian value, as I see it, is promoting individual liberty and enforcing public control over the government rather than government control over the public.</p>

Eliminating the income tax or the fed, for example, don't necessarily further these goals all that much. They're commonly associated with them, but I think a lot more could be done to improve things with less eye-catching but more effective policies.</p>
<ul>[*]Flatten income taxes and replace some with sales taxes
[*]Go back to the days of the executive having the authority to not spend appropriated money and having a real line item veto
[*]Reduce Social Security growth rates to inflation rates instead of wage growth rates
[*]Change the tax-writeoff and regulatory structure of the health care industry to channel it into a non-employment based system. There's no particular reason beyond the goofy incentives that have been created that health insurance should be treated as an employment benefit and you can get car insurance wherever the hell you want.[/list]