While Ron Paul was just a taken-none-too-seriously-slightly-nutty-uncle of the Republican Party he seemed relatively harmless. Harmless candidates that aren't being taken seriously don't receive a lot of vetting or critical analysis in a race for a Presidential nomination where there is plenty of serious stuff to critically analyze. The end result is that the only real message that has been going out about Ron Paul, is Ron Paul's message about Ron Paul. That's a problem. For the Republican Party, Paul's rise in the polls couldn't be happening at a worse time. Some of the things that Ron Paul says are silly enough that they don't even get a response. In the last GOP debate Paul made the case that the Cuban missile crisis was easily solved by simply getting two heads of state together on the phone to sort it out. The assertion has Kennedy and Khrushchev rolling in their graves, and serious people rolling their eyes. Unfortunately, Ron Paul has done a lot of things worthy of eye rolls over the years. Some of those things could be pure poison to the GOP.
In an effort to be amicable, many people that are not Paul supporters routinely refer to him as a "nice guy". They think of him as a well meaning constitutional expert, an originalist, good on most things but bad on foreign policy, 90% good 10% nuts, that sort of thing. Somewhere along the line we lost track of the fact that there is an implied acceptability in such remarks. Newt Gingrich is the only primary candidate to single Paul out as an unacceptable candidate for the Presidency. That's a lead that the other candidates should be following, but it poses a conundrum for the GOP. How excusable is it that Ron Paul has been able to interlope as a Republican Congressman with no serious challenge for his seat in Texas?
Ron Paul's newsletter controversy illustrates some deep and troubling flaws in the character of the man. The idea that he was unaware of the content of his newsletters is preposterous, and doesn't merit much analysis. He was listed as the editor of the newsletter, was clearly involved in the promotion of the newsletter, financially benefited from the sale of the newsletter, and accepted responsibility for its content up until the time he started running for President. How much benefit of the doubt would Rush Limbaugh get if there were racist or anti-Semitic articles routinely showing up on the pages of the Limbaugh Letter? Even if Paul's assertions that he misled subscribers into buying something he had nothing to do with weren't laughably absurd, why is even that acceptable behavior?
It is not possible for Ron Paul to win the GOP nomination for the Presidency. It is possible for him to make a mockery of the GOP primary and harm the Republican Party in the bargain. The GOP should have dealt more honestly with "Dr. Paul" long ago. Instead, he has been expediently tolerated because of the House seat that he has brought along with him. A man that is willing to entertain the insane theories of those that think the US government was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, and that Israel was behind the first World Trade Center bombing, or include alarmist articles about an impending "Race War" in his publications, and endear himself to White Nationalists, and make multiple guest appearances on the Alex Jones show, and exhibit a cold indifference to the idea of Israel being subjected to nuclear attack, and more, should not receive a stamp of legitimacy from the Republican Party. That stamp of approval has misled many potential voters into thinking of Ron Paul as a serious candidate for the GOP nomination. It can't end well.
Ron Paul has made a career out of exploiting the fears and prejudices of those from whom he seeks support. There are certainly honorable people that support Paul and appreciate his compelling statements on personal liberty, fiscal discipline and nation building. I agree with his positions on some things and disagree with his positions on others, but his positions are incidental. The problem with Ron Paul is the man himself, and no position on any issue is going to fix that.
Ron Paul's newsletter controversy illustrates some deep and troubling flaws in the character of the man. The idea that he was unaware of the content of his newsletters is preposterous, and doesn't merit much analysis. He was listed as the editor of the newsletter, was clearly involved in the promotion of the newsletter, financially benefited from the sale of the newsletter, and accepted responsibility for its content up until the time he started running for President. How much benefit of the doubt would Rush Limbaugh get if there were racist or anti-Semitic articles routinely showing up on the pages of the Limbaugh Letter? Even if Paul's assertions that he misled subscribers into buying something he had nothing to do with weren't laughably absurd, why is even that acceptable behavior?
It is not possible for Ron Paul to win the GOP nomination for the Presidency. It is possible for him to make a mockery of the GOP primary and harm the Republican Party in the bargain. The GOP should have dealt more honestly with "Dr. Paul" long ago. Instead, he has been expediently tolerated because of the House seat that he has brought along with him. A man that is willing to entertain the insane theories of those that think the US government was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, and that Israel was behind the first World Trade Center bombing, or include alarmist articles about an impending "Race War" in his publications, and endear himself to White Nationalists, and make multiple guest appearances on the Alex Jones show, and exhibit a cold indifference to the idea of Israel being subjected to nuclear attack, and more, should not receive a stamp of legitimacy from the Republican Party. That stamp of approval has misled many potential voters into thinking of Ron Paul as a serious candidate for the GOP nomination. It can't end well.
Ron Paul has made a career out of exploiting the fears and prejudices of those from whom he seeks support. There are certainly honorable people that support Paul and appreciate his compelling statements on personal liberty, fiscal discipline and nation building. I agree with his positions on some things and disagree with his positions on others, but his positions are incidental. The problem with Ron Paul is the man himself, and no position on any issue is going to fix that.
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