Who is: Ron Paul?

I keep reading about people who LOVE Ron Paul. He's so great. But i never knew anything about the man.

So.

I went searching. Here's what i found. Of course, these are my opinions of "good and bad" ... what are yours?

Ron Paul - The Good

• On Abortion - Get the federal government out of abortion decision
  
• On Abortion - No federal funding of abortion
  
• The Economy - Repeal 16th Amendment and get rid of the income tax
  
• The Economy -We're worse off than in 2000, due to Bush & Congress
  
• The Economy - The people, not government, are supposed to run the economy
  
• The Economy - We spend too much, tax too much, & print too much money
  
• The Economy - Weak economy is source of resentment against immigrants
  
• The Economy - We can't afford a trillion-dollar war in Iraq
  
• Civil Rights - Protect all voluntary associations; don't define marriage.
  
• Civil Rights - No affirmative action for any group
  
• Civil Rights - Voted NO on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman
  
• Civil Rights - Voted NO on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage
  
• Civil Rights - Voted YES on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance.
  
• Civil Rights - Voted YES on ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions
  
• On education - School prayer is not a federal issue.
  
• On Oil - Repeal the gas tax.
  
• Foreign Policy - Can't spread our goodness through the barrel of a gun
  
• Foreign Policy - Allow Americans to travel to Cuba. (May 2000)
  
• Gun Control - Individual right to self-defense at home and as self-defense.
  
• Immigration - Amend Constitution to remove aliens' birthright citizenship
  
• On Social Security - Abolish Social Security, but not overnight
  
• Technology - Voted YES on promoting commercial human space flight industry
  
• Spending without taxation causes inflation
  
• Legalize industrial hemp
  
• Drug War fosters violence at home & breeds resentment abroad
  
• War on Drugs has abused Bill of Rights
  
• Legalize medical marijuana
  
• Allow rehabilitated drug convicts get student loans
  

Ron Paul - The Bad

• Abortion is murder
  
• Define life at conception in law, as scientific statement
  
• Voted YES on restricting bankruptcy rules.
  
• Allow $3 on 1040 form to pay off National Debt
  
• Don't ask, don't tell is a decent policy for gays in army
  
• Rights belong only to individuals, not collective groups
  
• Voted YES on banning gay adoptions in DC
  
• Big business demand for easy money causes inflation (we have inflation right now - without the demand.)
  
• Voted YES on Bankruptcy Overhaul requiring partial debt repayment.
  
• Not appropriate to prosecute all illegal adult pornography
  
• Voted NO on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime.
  
• Abolish the federal Department of Education
  
• Voted NO on $9.7B for Amtrak improvements and operation thru 2013
  
• Voted NO on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M.
  
• Let parents decide on mental health screening for kids
  
• Free trade agreements threaten national sovereignty
  
• The "living Constitution" is the death of democracy
  
• Dismantle agencies that have no Constitutional role
  
• Voted NO on granting Washington DC an Electoral vote & vote in Congress
  
• Voted YES on limiting attorney's fees in class action lawsuits.
  
• Let airlines make rules about passenger guns to fight terror.
  
  
• Limit anti-trust lawsuits on health plans and insurers.
  
• Suicide terrorism stops when we stop intervening abroad (fact check: Suicide terrorism happened long before we ever existed)
  
• Terminate Selective Service
  
• End draft registration; all-volunteer forces (on these two- i say you merely force ALL citizens to register. Its important to have one in the case that the unforseen happens, but its also important to make EVERYONE have to register, so its not gender biased)
  

Ron Paul - The Ugly?

I have to admit. Reading the things Ron Paul has said, sounds very peachy and wonderful. He sounds like a great candidate for president.....though not everything he says matches what he does when it comes time to vote...i still wont hold that against him - he is - after all - a politician (who looks like magneto from the xmen movies )

Anyways.

It was refreshing to see a different candidate, IMO.
The Ugly part is that he's not a major choice for this election.

Though - its not election time - i could still hold out some hope that he'd run.

In the likely event he doesnt run - ill still be voting for Obama. But a ron paul ticket would surely make me think twice.....after reading into the man myself.


A question keeps popping up in the back of my mind though;

How strong would Ron Paul be in the face of adversity?
How strong would his convictions hold
How much dirt could be dug up on Ron Paul
How would public opinion of Ron Paul change

IF

He was a major contender?

Look what happened to John McCain. He's had every bad thing he's ever done in his professional life thrown back at him. Most of which is buried under someone desk in an old newspaper somewhere that the rest of us forgot about.

Ron Paul seems like a great guy, he looks like a nice guy, and votes like someone i could vote for.

But, in my lifetime, i've learned that when something comes along that seems too Good to be true - it usually is.



Comments?

[edit on 8/6/2008 by Andrew E. Wiggin]

[edit on 8/6/2008 by Andrew E. Wiggin]

who cares? the corporate media wouldnt give him any attention and vote fraud was commited to keep him from winning. why are you bringing this up now, its moot and irrelevant? we have two idiots to choose from now not paul who would actually have helped america.

this is not decision 2008. its lack of choice 2008. have fun with your red tie fraud or your blue tie fraud.

Wow.

Said out of sheer ignorance.

Do you have anything constructive and intelligent to contribute, "TheRepublic" ?

You dont know what the choices are yet. Its not November. :shk:

Or can you predict the future through your all knowing crystal ball?



I post this because nobody else has said WHO Ron Paul is. They just talk about him.

Thanks for taking the time to actually read it though (end sarcasm here)

reply to post by Andrew E. Wiggin

You dont know what the choices are yet. Its not November.

Or can you predict the future through your all knowing crystal ball?

yes i can predict the future.
in corner one: corporate clown #1 barak obama
in corner two: corporate clown #2 juan mccain

its not rocket science.
there is nothing to say about ron paul. he was a good guy thats why the corporate media shafted him. you cant have a good guy actually be elected in america. that would be bad for the major corporations. i think this whole thread is a fishing exspidition though...

Click here for more information.

Half of your "Ron Paul - The Bad" is not bad at all.

I can find a block of statements that I think you're off on every one:

Legalize industrial hemp
Drug War fosters violence at home & breeds resentment abroad
War on Drugs has abused Bill of Rights
Legalize medical marijuana
Allow rehabilitated drug convicts get student loans
Abolish the federal Department of Education
Voted NO on $9.7B for Amtrak improvements and operation thru 2013
Voted NO on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M.
Let parents decide on mental health screening for kids
Free trade agreements threaten national sovereignty
The "living Constitution" is the death of democracy
Dismantle agencies that have no Constitutional role

When it comes to dirt dug up on him, I doubt there's much. The man delivered babies and even then doesn't think his views on abortion should matter from a federal gov't point of view. Also, being a doctor is a great quality to have in a leader, they make quick and intelligent decisions. I will probably write him in anyways.

The guy is extremely smart when it comes to money and our budget. His views will probably be used by future politicians. It is sad the media didn't give him any amount of the attention Obama got. I think that was the first indicator I had on how much sway and control media has over who can win.

reply to post by Andrew E. Wiggin


ron paul was a choice. he was not 3rd pary, he ran as a republican.
yes you can write in 3rd party but you might as well write in big bird so there is no real decision. its just Jerk A or Jerk B.
but you know all this and are just trolling so have fun.

edit: removed off-topic content

[edit on 6-8-2008 by chissler]

A reminder to members to discuss the topic and not one another.

If your post consists of "you are...", it's probably something you should refrain from posting. Political discussion is too well known for this type of behaviour, and we're striving to be better than that on ATS.

Thank you.

I like most of your points there, although I have to disagree with abortion, I dont believe we can rule out abortion. I believe that under certain circumstances it should be available, but interms to the public in general, no i dont think abortion should be legalized. Im not a Ron Paul supporter but I know he stands strong for what he believes in.

Im just getting real sick of some flip floppers here, they say their for Ron Paul, whine all day about how corrupt the two party system is, then push for some revolution, then the next day you find these same people posting propaganda coming from one of the two parties. Its pathetic...

This is why Ron Paul lost, there were alot of people who didnt take what he said to heart. They may claim they voted for him, they may say they'll write him, but the vast majority will turn their backs come november just like they did before. Thats why Ron Paul only got 8% of the republican vote, thats why theres no revolution, this is why the media doesnt bother or the fact the Republican party shut him out.

-People say they support him because most others on the net do.
-They say they support him so that they sound impartial when they make an argument in favour for one of the two parties, or when they post propaganda against the other.

[edit on 6-8-2008 by southern_Guardian]

reply to post by southern_Guardian


obviously you know nothing about ron paul or what his supporters believe. i gave more money to his campaign then any other ever and i am not rich. i did it because he was the real deal he said what he ment and he stuck with it. ron isnt a good speaker, his platform spoke for him. he didnt need media praise to get attention his ideas got him more money in one day than any canidate ever! he was the real thing, and that is why he lost. because he was the real deal. just because you people are stuck in the two party mindframe dont try and put ron paul people in the same box.

we know the system is a joke. thats why he lost, not because a lack of enthusiasm on the part of his supporters. and all you who support the major canidates are just playing along in a giant joke. have fun with that. i will continue to make fun of BOTH canidates. dont just cry when you dont like it when i make fun of yours.

-They say they support him so that they sound impartial when they make an argument in favour for one of the two parties, or when they post propaganda against the other.

what a ridiculous statement. you know did it ever occur to you that ron paul people might actually like their canidate because of his positions? no its all a conspiracy to make fun of your canidate. sure.

[edit on 6-8-2008 by TheRepublic]

Originally posted by TheRepublic

obviously you know nothing about ron paul or what his supporters believe.

Yes I do. Yet for the past few months from all the political sites including this one, iv seen an increasing trend where by more Ron Paulers flip flop on what they claim to believe in. I see plenty of em complaining about two party system, complaining about the media propaganda, whining about how Ron Paul was cheated etc. yet at the same time these very same members are the ones posting this propaganda on behalf of one of the two parties, defending either McCain or Obama, supporting the rumours coming from one the two parties and turning their backs to "Ron Paul values". Its called hypocrisy.

i gave more money to his campaign then any other ever and i am not rich. i did it because he was the real deal he said what he ment and he stuck with it. ron isnt a good speaker, his platform spoke for him.

Yes and thats great, you believe in Ron Paul and support him through and through, you stand for his platform. But let me ask you this, dont you think for instance its well hypocritical to claim that your against the two party system, against the Bush administration, for Ron Pauls policies/ values, that your "centrist", yet in other bias topics you outright support either McCain or Obama and you defend their policies? You participate in the rumours and propaganda from one of these two parties, you always defend one of these two candidates. Wouldnt that make you part of the problem as you would claim to stand against? Do you see where im coming from here?

he didnt need media praise to get attention his ideas got him more money in one day than any canidate ever! he was the real thing, and that is why he lost.

Ron Paul lost because he didnt appeal to the wider population of americans. He may be the real thing to you but not necessarly to the rest america. Too often people try to find excuses to blame others for why their candidate lost. I see it with Hill supporters, Ron Paul supporters, Romney supporters. "Oh its the media" "oh everybody else is ignorant because they dont support my candidate", theres never really responsibility put onto the candidate him/herself, theres never an understanding that in politics you either gain enough votes or you loose. I admit the republican party was abit unfair to Paul but at the same time he did not appeal to most americans, only a minority of americans shared his belief, and thats why he lost the nomination, simple as that.

Theres no need to put a conspiracy spin to make an excuse for what things really are.

because he was the real deal. just because you people are stuck in the two party mindframe dont try and put ron paul people in the same box.

Yes all the while I see plenty of supposed Ron Paulers defending one of the two party candidates, posting or supporting the propaganda from the two parties. Im not the one putting Ron Paul people in that box, it is the members that claim to be for Ron Paul that choose to place themselves there when they think nobodies looking.

we know the system is a joke. thats why he lost, not because a lack of enthusiasm on the part of his supporters.

I am refering to many of the flip floppers among the Ron Paul supporters who will claim to be against the system and for Ron Paul in one forum yet will say something totally different in another. Thats my point, this tactic where by people use Ron Paul or one of the other third party candidates to sound impartial, centrist, independent, but at the same time will lean far right or left and support much of the propaganda thats coming out from either side.

and all you who support the major canidates are just playing along in a giant joke.

Iv always been a Democrat. I supported Kerry in 2004 and was prepared to support any democrat candidate running for president in 2008. I was against the Iraq war and Bush at a time when you were labelled unpatriotic for speaking out against the lies. I was for the Democrats at a time when it was "cool" to say you were Bushie in public. Obama was always my candidate, I support Obama right now. Just because you believe your candidate is all wonderful and what not does not mean everybody else has to run with that belief. Just because Ron Paul lost the nomination does not mean these some conspiracy afoot, its an excuse for the fact he didnt gain enough support.

have fun with that.

Hey Im happy my candidate got through, but if Obama lost in anycase I would have support Hillary or Edwards because I want a Democrat in the whitehouse, not a republican, not Ron Paul. I support the Democrats. If Obama lost the nomination, I wouldnt automatically assume its some "game" or conspiracy to get my candidate out of the elections, I would accept the fact that he just didnt appeal to enough americans. Am I totally taking out corruption from the government and the election process? No im not. But I would understand that he lost because he simply didnt gain enough favourability with the voters, and thats just how politics works.

i will continue to make fun of BOTH canidates. dont just cry when you dont like it when i make fun of yours.

Do you mean you'll stick with the rest of the anti-Obamanians, pro-McSames? Thats fine, it further proves my point.

what a ridiculous statement. you know did it ever occur to you that ron paul people might actually like their canidate because of his positions?

That wasnt my arguement, read it again. There are flip floppers trying to sound impartial, using the Ron Paul or Bob Barr name yet at the same time being verymuch for one of the two party nominees. Thats my point, the hyporisy of Ron Paulers. Show me where I said "all Ron Paulers"... neither am I refering to the former Ron Paulers who are now voting for either McCain or Obama and admitting so.

I am refering to some of these members behind these smear threads who claim they are Ron Paul supporters and then some how this makes them "impartial". One day you find them speaking out against the injustice and propaganda and lies of the two party system, the next day you see them posting and supporting some propaganda thread from one of the two parties.

Very hypocritical if you ask me.

no its all a conspiracy to make fun of your canidate.

Yes everythings a conspiracy when Ron Pauls not included eh?

[edit on 6-8-2008 by southern_Guardian]

reply to post by GoldenFleece


Hmm, im not sure how that happened.

Honestly - those were to belong in the good.....

i was adding to each column as i went down the list


should be corrected now

Ron Paul is the guy that operates from an instruction manual called the Constitution.

His votes, the "good" and the "bad" are based on the Constitutionality of the bills as presented.

I like him because of his consistency.

Or, put another way:


The Ballad of Ron Paul. My lyrics.

Sung to the Tune of "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"
(Beverly Hillbillies theme song)

Get out your banjo, and sing along.


The Ballad Of Ron Paul
Lyrics by spacedoubt

"Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Paul
In speech after speech, he continued to enthrall
And then one day he was shootin' for some votes
But the MSM said he wasn't in their notes.

Coverage that is, Say his name, Ron Paul

Well the next thing you know 'ole Paul's a millionaire.
At twenty bucks a pop, his supporters put him there.
Sixteen hundred Pennsylvania is the place he oughta be
It's the big white house, in the land of Liberteeee

Freedom, that is. Happiness, security.

------closing theme

Well now it's time to say goodbye to Bush and all his ilk.
Now all of us, we CAN afford that gasoline AND milk.
You're all invited back to play a part in historeeeeee
And have a heapin' helpin' of your wages, they're tax free

your money, that is. keep it all, Pay your debts off.

y'all come back now, y'hear?"



[edit on 6-8-2008 by spacedoubt]

reply to post by southern_Guardian


obviously you never read what i write because i criticise both juan mccain and obama. you only get notice when i criticise obama because you are caught up in being a democrat. i am an indepandant i dont care about parties i only care about the issues and i can say whatever i want about either canidate. because i care about the issues is the reason i voted for ron paul, not because the party he belonged to and many of his supporters felt the same. who are you to say that because im independant i cant comment on the two major canidates? thats pretty totalitarian if you ask me. ill say whatever i want.

Originally posted by TheRepublic
reply to post by southern_Guardian

 

obviously you never read what i write because i criticise both juan mccain and obama. you only get notice when i criticise obama because you are caught up in being a democrat. i am an indepandant i dont care about parties i only care about the issues and i can say whatever i want about either canidate. because i care about the issues is the reason i voted for ron paul, not because the party he belonged to and many of his supporters felt the same. who are you to say that because im independant i cant comment on the two major canidates? thats pretty totalitarian if you ask me. ill say whatever i want.

how does this have ANYTHING to do with the topic at hand?

I post what i like about Ron Paul, and what i don't like about ron paul, and you come in here creating an argument that doesnt exist.

This post is not about "therepublic" its about RON PAUL.

Can
you

PLEASE

stick to the topic of Ron Paul.

Care to tell us some of the things he does that you like or dislike?
Care to tell us why?
Care to tell us your opinion on the man?

I'd love to hear them, thats why i started this thread.

Nobody that i could remember every posted anything about Ron Paul.
And i knew nothing of the man.

Now, we all know a little more.