Is this the end of Ron Paul?

[Dos Equis]

Getting more problematic for him. 

Ron Paul Touts Newsletters In 1987 Interview (VIDEO)
First Posted: 12/23/11 12:25 PM ET Updated: 12/23/11 12:58 PM ET

It is hardly a new revelation that newsletters sent under Rep. Ron Paul's name often contained provocative and occasionally racist material. When the Texas Republican ran against Lefty Morris for Congress in 1996, the issue first surfaced as a potentially crippling skeleton in the closet. When Paul gained popularity as a truth-telling Libertarian-leaning presidential candidate in 2008, it came up once again.

Each time, Paul has denied that he knew what was being published in the Ron Paul Political Report, Ron Paul’s Freedom Report, the Ron Paul Survival Report and the Ron Paul Investment Letter. They may have contained screeds against urban black culture; they may have ridiculed Martin Luther King Jr. as a philanderer; they may have accused the federal government of covering up the AIDS crisis; but none of it was being done with the congressman's sign-off, he claimed.

"I didn’t write them. I disavow them. That's it," Paul told CNN in a recent interview.

Now that he is poised to potentially win the Iowa Caucus in a matter of weeks, the idea that Paul was blissfully unaware of what was happening with his newsletters is being seriously challenged. On Thursday, USA Today reported that Paul had told the Dallas Morning News in 1996 that the contents of his newsletter were accurate -- including accusations that 95 percent of black men in Washington were "semi-criminal or entirely criminal" -- but that they needed to be taken in proper context. That same day, Reuters reported that Paul's signature was on a 1993 direct mailer warning of a "coming race war" and a "federal-homosexual cover-up," though the Paul campaign said he didn't write the mailer and disavows its content.

On Friday, The Huffington Post located an Oct. 11, 1996, article from the Houston Chronicle in which a Paul spokesman once more didn't dispute that he had authored some of the newsletters but accused the candidate's opponent of trying to make a political issue of something written in an "abstract" sense. Reviewing old videos in the C-SPAN Video Archive, The Huffington Post also uncovered previously unreported footage of Paul talking about how in his time away from public office he spent time on his newsletter.

"I also put out an investment type of letter because I've always been fascinated with the hard money school, and been interested in the gold standard, so I put out an investment letter on those lines," he said in a C-SPAN interview on May 29, 1987, amidst his run for the presidency on the Libertarian ticket.

WATCH the original video:


It is worth noting that the most controversial of the Paul newsletters -- Ron Paul Political Report -- was started in 1987, while the Ron Paul Investment Letter and the Ron Paul Survival Report began in 1985. Likewise, most of the inflammatory material that has surfaced (much of it published Friday by the New Republic) came years after the C-SPAN interview.

Paul may, indeed, have not authored the political and cultural commentary that would make these newsletters such a political liability. The most common suspicion is that the material was written by Lew Rockwell, his former chief of staff and the man listed as editor on these letters' mastheads.

But the notion that he was totally unaware is increasingly difficult to believe. Certainly, in May of 1987, he was acknowledging that he knew about and was invested in the success of these newsletters, and they would generate an estimated $1 million in one year alone. And as reported by Andrew Kaczynski, the video archivist, he continued to take ownership of them through 1995.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/ron-paul-newsletter-interview_n_1167645.html

[Soul Crusher]

He was mostly spot on.   God forbid anyone tell the truth anymore.   

[Bindare_Dundat]

The full, unedited interview. This woman asks some stupid questions.

[Dos Equis]

Any chance he had of performing well outside of Iowa is done.  Not that he was going to do much anyway, but this is really going to hurt him. 

Newsletters, Statements Cause Campaign Trail Problems for Ron Paul
Published December 24, 2011
FoxNews.com


Ron Paul is facing new questions on the campaign trail about inflammatory newsletters dating back to the 1980s, as the outsider Republican candidate gains steam in Iowa just days before the caucuses.
The newsletters from the 1980s and 1990s, under names like Ron Paul's Freedom Report and the Ron Paul Investment Letter, contained several instances of racially charged language and other offensive statements. While the newsletters have attracted renewed scrutiny in the media over the last few days, Newt Gingrich piled on Friday, saying the missives raise "fundamental questions" about the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman.

"These things are really nasty, and he didn't know about it? Wasn't aware of it?" Gingrich said at a stop in South Carolina.

Paul has since denied writing, and in some cases even reading, some of the newsletters that bore his name. But the issue could continue to haunt him as he rides a wave of support in Iowa at just the right time.

A line from one of the newsletters referring to the 1992 riots in Los Angeles said: "Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks."
Reuters this week also reported on an ad for the newsletters from the early '90s that discussed "the coming race war in our big cities" and the "federal-homosexual cover-up on AIDS" -- all under Paul's name.

Paul told Fox News on Friday that if he's guilty of anything, it's negligence.

"I think the charge, which could be a correct charge, is I was pretty negligent as a publisher of a newsletter, not paying more attention," Paul said, adding: "I think that if someone thinks I'm perfect, then they are going to be disappointed."

But he said any attempt to portray him as racist would be "ironic," because as a civil libertarian he "champions civil liberties, regardless of race, creed, or color."

"The judicial system is very unfair to minorities. Nobody else would dare touch that," Paul said.

Paul said the controversial passages in those newsletters represented "probably one-hundredth of 1 percent or even less of all the thousands and thousands of pages."
He said they were mostly about financial and economic issues.

Paul's explanation has attracted skepticism from Gingrich and others.

"Now Ron Paul wants us to believe he didn't know anything about these newsletters even though he was profiting from them?" questioned Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review.
Paul's well-known positions on foreign policy and other issues are also attracting new scrutiny.

After Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., got in a tense dispute with Paul at the most recent presidential primary debate over his foreign policy views, Gingrich on Saturday assailed Paul's "isolationist" policies.

"The only person I know who's for a weaker military than Barack Obama is Ron Paul," Gingrich said. "His positions are fundamentally wrong on national security."

Paul wants to dramatically shrink the U.S. military presence around the world and has rejected as war propaganda warnings about the Iranian nuclear program.

Paul also once criticized the government's treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning.

"Should he be locked up in prison or should we see him as a political hero? Maybe he is a true patriot -- who reveals what's going on in government," Paul said.

Karl Rove, former adviser to former President George W. Bush, said if any other candidate had made that kind of a statement, "it would be on the front page of the newspaper."

Analysts say most GOP contenders don't take Paul seriously enough to spend any of their campaign cash on ads highlighting his edgy positions, and that the statements actually work against him with the GOP base. For the time being, Paul's numbers are soaring in Iowa, where several recent polls have put him a few points ahead of Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

But while it may be unlikely that Paul will be the GOP nominee, some experts believe he will have a significant impact on who ultimately is.

"My sense like the last time -- he stayed in the race all the way. He'll have delegates this time and he can play some kind of a role if the race is close," said Republican strategist Ed Rollins.

Fox News' Shannon Bream contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/24/newsletters-statements-cause-campaign-trail-problems-for-ron-paul/

[Bindare_Dundat]

Any chance he had of performing well outside of Iowa is done.  Not that he was going to do much anyway, but this is really going to hurt him. 

Newsletters, Statements Cause Campaign Trail Problems for Ron Paul
Published December 24, 2011
FoxNews.com


Ron Paul is facing new questions on the campaign trail about inflammatory newsletters dating back to the 1980s, as the outsider Republican candidate gains steam in Iowa just days before the caucuses.
The newsletters from the 1980s and 1990s, under names like Ron Paul's Freedom Report and the Ron Paul Investment Letter, contained several instances of racially charged language and other offensive statements. While the newsletters have attracted renewed scrutiny in the media over the last few days, Newt Gingrich piled on Friday, saying the missives raise "fundamental questions" about the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman.

"These things are really nasty, and he didn't know about it? Wasn't aware of it?" Gingrich said at a stop in South Carolina.

Paul has since denied writing, and in some cases even reading, some of the newsletters that bore his name. But the issue could continue to haunt him as he rides a wave of support in Iowa at just the right time.

A line from one of the newsletters referring to the 1992 riots in Los Angeles said: "Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks."
Reuters this week also reported on an ad for the newsletters from the early '90s that discussed "the coming race war in our big cities" and the "federal-homosexual cover-up on AIDS" -- all under Paul's name.

Paul told Fox News on Friday that if he's guilty of anything, it's negligence.

"I think the charge, which could be a correct charge, is I was pretty negligent as a publisher of a newsletter, not paying more attention," Paul said, adding: "I think that if someone thinks I'm perfect, then they are going to be disappointed."

But he said any attempt to portray him as racist would be "ironic," because as a civil libertarian he "champions civil liberties, regardless of race, creed, or color."

"The judicial system is very unfair to minorities. Nobody else would dare touch that," Paul said.

Paul said the controversial passages in those newsletters represented "probably one-hundredth of 1 percent or even less of all the thousands and thousands of pages."
He said they were mostly about financial and economic issues.

Paul's explanation has attracted skepticism from Gingrich and others.

"Now Ron Paul wants us to believe he didn't know anything about these newsletters even though he was profiting from them?" questioned Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review.
Paul's well-known positions on foreign policy and other issues are also attracting new scrutiny.

After Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., got in a tense dispute with Paul at the most recent presidential primary debate over his foreign policy views, Gingrich on Saturday assailed Paul's "isolationist" policies.

"The only person I know who's for a weaker military than Barack Obama is Ron Paul," Gingrich said. "His positions are fundamentally wrong on national security."

Paul wants to dramatically shrink the U.S. military presence around the world and has rejected as war propaganda warnings about the Iranian nuclear program.

Paul also once criticized the government's treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning.

"Should he be locked up in prison or should we see him as a political hero? Maybe he is a true patriot -- who reveals what's going on in government," Paul said.

Karl Rove, former adviser to former President George W. Bush, said if any other candidate had made that kind of a statement, "it would be on the front page of the newspaper."

Analysts say most GOP contenders don't take Paul seriously enough to spend any of their campaign cash on ads highlighting his edgy positions, and that the statements actually work against him with the GOP base. For the time being, Paul's numbers are soaring in Iowa, where several recent polls have put him a few points ahead of Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

But while it may be unlikely that Paul will be the GOP nominee, some experts believe he will have a significant impact on who ultimately is.

"My sense like the last time -- he stayed in the race all the way. He'll have delegates this time and he can play some kind of a role if the race is close," said Republican strategist Ed Rollins.

Fox News' Shannon Bream contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/24/newsletters-statements-cause-campaign-trail-problems-for-ron-paul/

Im kind of surprised that you would be posting so many of these articles considering you don't believe he thinks that way. So what is the popint of posting so many? Just curious.  By the wway, his national poll numbers are up.

[Dos Equis]

Im kind of surprised that you would be posting so many of these articles considering you don't believe he thinks that way. So what is the popint of posting so many? Just curious.  By the wway, his national poll numbers are up.

I'm posting them because they're newsworthy and will hurt him at a time when he was actually getting some traction in the polls. 

Also highlights how poorly he prepared for what he should have known was coming. 

He's at 12.6 percent.  I never thought he'd get above 10, so he has proved me wrong.  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-1452.html

[Bindare_Dundat]

I'm posting them because they're newsworthy and will hurt him at a time when he was actually getting some traction in the polls. 

Also highlights how poorly he prepared for what he should have known was coming. 

He's at 12.6 percent.  I never thought he'd get above 10, so he has proved me wrong.  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-1452.html

That makes no sense. They would only be newsworthy if you felt they were true. Otherwise, you are just fanning the flames on an individual who doesnt deserve the negative press.

[Shockwave]

That makes no sense. They would only be newsworthy if you felt they were true. Otherwise, you are just fanning the flames on an individual who doesnt deserve the negative press.

Thats what is going to happen everywhere to Paul ;  He doesnt pander to anyone, so he's not going to get support from anyone.
The 2 parties are going to annihilate his character. He's fucked - even if all of its bullshit - the american public is just too stupid to think for themselves.... Theyll take whatever is shown on TV as gospel.

[Bindare_Dundat]

Thats what is going to happen everywhere to Paul ;  He doesnt pander to anyone, so he's not going to get support from anyone.
The 2 parties are going to annihilate his character. He's fucked - even if all of its bullshit - the american public is just too stupid to think for themselves.... Theyll take whatever is shown on TV as gospel.

As much as I would like to beleive this wont hurt him in long run....I think it will, which sucks. You're right. They will just keep bringing this up over and over and over again untill he's gone. Too bad as he's the only one that would really change things. Whta a fucked up system.

[Shockwave]

As much as I would like to beleive this wont hurt him in long run....I think it will, which sucks. You're right. They will just keep bringing this up over and over and over again untill he's gone. Too bad as he's the only one that would really change things. Whta a fucked up system.

Im hoping that people are just so fed up with the political bullshit that they figure out its just that; bullshit, and vote on the candidates stances instead of the person the media tries to potray him to be.
Cause you can already see the damage - just look at Benny.
Bennys already convinced a man known for his stances on racial fairness is a anti-semetic racist. 

[Dos Equis]

That makes no sense. They would only be newsworthy if you felt they were true. Otherwise, you are just fanning the flames on an individual who doesnt deserve the negative press.

What??  I post plenty of stories or opinions that are newsworthy, but that I disagree with.  

This isn't a situation where someone is accusing Paul of doing something.  It's not "he said, she said," or anything like that.  It's something he produced with his name all over it.  He's the only one responsible for letting kooky stuff get published under his name.  Of course this will be an issue if he starts to cross over from fringe candidate to contender in a primary.  

[Bindare_Dundat]

What??  I post plenty of stories or opinions that are newsworthy, but that I disagree with.  

This isn't a situation where someone is accusing Paul of doing something.  It's not "he said, she said," or anything like that.  It's something he produced with his name all over it.  He's the only one responsible for letting kooky stuff get published under his name.  Of course this will be an issue if he starts to cross over from fringe candidate to contender in a primary.  

So its not an issue of racism for you but lack of judgement for having his name unknowingly attached to this material?

[Soul Crusher]

Ron paul was just doing what our esteemed attorney general said we needed to do, have an honest discussion about race.   I don't see the problem at all. 

[Dos Equis]

So its not an issue of racism for you but lack of judgement for having his name unknowingly attached to this material?

Yes.  Just be clear:

1.  I do not believe he is a racist or a 911 Troofer. 

2.  I believe he is solely responsible for letting all that stuff get published under his name.  He admits this:  "I think the charge, which could be a correct charge, is I was pretty negligent as a publisher of a newsletter, not paying more attention . . . ."

3.  I think he deserves criticism for failing to properly prepare for this and for the way he has handled the questions (walking out on an interview).   

[Hugo Chavez]

Paul did absolutely the right thing walking out of that CNN interview.  They acted like they had not already asked about this with Paul.  Blitzer already did an extensive interview with Paul over the newsletters and then Blitzer sicks this other reporter on Paul with the exact same questions pretending they needed to be asked and insisting they needed to be answered?  WTF...  Usually when the questions have already been asked and answered they will refer back to that interview instead of acting like this is the first time for it  Paul is busy running a campaign right now, the last thing he needs to do is spend time doing an interview on the same thing twice.  CNN should have aired the old interview if they just wanted to ask the same questions.

[Hugo Chavez]

by the way, paul just jumped a little more in the polls.  I hope they dig up some more lame shit against him

Maddow saying that Paul is absolutely finished because of these newsletters.  I hope maddow keeps attacking Paul, best thing that could happen she is so hated.

[Soul Crusher]

Madcow is another far lestist thug who ignored obamas racism and and now attacks everyone else.   Typical pofs obamabot who needs a beating within an inch of her life. 

[Bindare_Dundat]

Madcow is another far lestist thug who ignored obamas racism and and now attacks everyone else.   Typical pofs obamabot who needs a beating within an inch of her life. 

Someones in the Christmas spirit. 

[Soul Crusher]

Someones in the Christmas spirit. 

I can get my hate on for those commies no matter the day or occasion.

[Dos Equis]

Former Ron Paul Aide: He's Anti-Israel
Wednesday, 28 Dec 2011

WASHINGTON — A former aide to Ron Paul has labeled the Republican White House hopeful as "anti-Israel" after the rediscovery of racially charged newsletters published under the lawmaker's name in the 1980s and 1990s.

The staunchly libertarian candidate "wishes the Israeli state did not exist at all," Eric Dondero wrote in a column for website RightWingNews.com published Monday. "He expressed this to me numerous times in our private conversations."

Dondero, a senior aide from 1997 to 2003 and earlier an assistant in various campaign roles beginning in the late 1980s, said the Texas lawmaker "sides with the Palestinians, and supports their calls for the abolishment of the Jewish state, and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs."

However, he insisted that Paul is not a racist, as some critics have charged after the newsletters released in recent weeks foretold a "coming race war" in U.S. urban centers.

"Is Ron Paul an anti-Semite? Absolutely no. As a Jew [half on my mother's side], I can categorically say that I never heard anything out of his mouth, in hundreds of speeches I listened to over the years, or in my personal presence, that could be called, 'anti-Semite.' No slurs. No derogatory remarks," Dondero said.

"Is Ron Paul a 'racist'[?] In short, no. I worked for the man for 12 years, pretty consistently. I never heard a racist word expressed towards blacks or Jews come out of his mouth. Not once," Dondero added.

In a statement to CBS, the Paul campaign on Tuesday dismissed Dondero as a "disgruntled former staffer who was fired for performance issues."

The former aide "has zero credibility and should not be taken seriously," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton told CBS.

The Paul campaign did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.


Paul already lacked key support from Republican Jewish leaders for his White House bid, largely over his consistent opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel, in synch with his views across the board against sending U.S. aid overseas, and scaling back U.S. military ambitions.

Backing from influential Jewish leaders in the party is seen as key to gaining the Republican party nomination for president.

Polls suggest that only around 2 percent of voters nationwide are Jewish, but they could wield decisive power in vital swing states such as Florida and Pennsylvania.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/paul-israel-aide-iran/2011/12/27/id/422272

[Shockwave]

Former Ron Paul Aide: He's Anti-Israel
Wednesday, 28 Dec 2011

WASHINGTON — A former aide to Ron Paul has labeled the Republican White House hopeful as "anti-Israel" after the rediscovery of racially charged newsletters published under the lawmaker's name in the 1980s and 1990s.

The staunchly libertarian candidate "wishes the Israeli state did not exist at all," Eric Dondero wrote in a column for website RightWingNews.com published Monday. "He expressed this to me numerous times in our private conversations."

Dondero, a senior aide from 1997 to 2003 and earlier an assistant in various campaign roles beginning in the late 1980s, said the Texas lawmaker "sides with the Palestinians, and supports their calls for the abolishment of the Jewish state, and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs."

However, he insisted that Paul is not a racist, as some critics have charged after the newsletters released in recent weeks foretold a "coming race war" in U.S. urban centers.

"Is Ron Paul an anti-Semite? Absolutely no. As a Jew [half on my mother's side], I can categorically say that I never heard anything out of his mouth, in hundreds of speeches I listened to over the years, or in my personal presence, that could be called, 'anti-Semite.' No slurs. No derogatory remarks," Dondero said.

"Is Ron Paul a 'racist'[?] In short, no. I worked for the man for 12 years, pretty consistently. I never heard a racist word expressed towards blacks or Jews come out of his mouth. Not once," Dondero added.

In a statement to CBS, the Paul campaign on Tuesday dismissed Dondero as a "disgruntled former staffer who was fired for performance issues."

The former aide "has zero credibility and should not be taken seriously," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton told CBS.

The Paul campaign did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.


Paul already lacked key support from Republican Jewish leaders for his White House bid, largely over his consistent opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel, in synch with his views across the board against sending U.S. aid overseas, and scaling back U.S. military ambitions.

Backing from influential Jewish leaders in the party is seen as key to gaining the Republican party nomination for president.

Polls suggest that only around 2 percent of voters nationwide are Jewish, but they could wield decisive power in vital swing states such as Florida and Pennsylvania.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/paul-israel-aide-iran/2011/12/27/id/422272

Well, we all knew this was coming... weather true or not doesnt matter, it was only a matter of time until they came up with something to try and slander him.

[Dos Equis]

The unfortunate dirty nature of politics. 

[240 is Back]

and another former ron paul aide has come out to say the opposite is true.

what have ron pauls VOTES been for his 10 terms in office?  Pro or Anti Israel?

[Dos Equis]

He is solely responsible, but it's good that he is taking at least some responsibility. 

Paul Admits 'Some Responsibility' for Racist Newsletters
Thursday, 29 Dec 2011
By Newsmax Wires

Ron Paul now says he accepts "some responsibility" for controversial newsletters, published in the 1980s and 1990s under Paul's name, that spoke of coming race wars in the United States.

"These were sentences that were put in, I think it was a total of eight or 10 sentences and it was bad stuff — it, it wasn't a reflection of my views at all," said Paul in response to a caller's question on WHO's Jan Mickelson radio show in Iowa. "I think it was terrible. It was tragic and I had some responsibility because the [letter went out under my name]."

Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign released a new video Thursday attacking Paul for the publications, and Newt Gingrich slammed the Texas congressman last week for what he called "really nasty" content, The Hill reported.

The newsletters once referred to Martin Luther King Jr. as "the world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours" and who "seduced underage girls and boys."

In another article, the author writes that "given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal."

In 2008, Paul said that he did not know who had written the offending essays and that they did not represent his views.

He told listeners Thursday that he acted as a publisher rather than an editor of the newsletters.

"If you think about publishers of newspapers every once an a while they get some pretty chunky stuff in their newspapers and they have to say 'this is not the sentiment and position of that newspaper' and this is certainly the case ... this is probably 10 sentences out of 10,000 pages for all I know," Paul said.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/paul-racist-newsletters-responsibility/2011/12/29/id/422542

[Bindare_Dundat]

He is solely responsible, but it's good that he is taking at least some responsibility. 

Paul Admits 'Some Responsibility' for Racist Newsletters
Thursday, 29 Dec 2011
By Newsmax Wires

Ron Paul now says he accepts "some responsibility" for controversial newsletters, published in the 1980s and 1990s under Paul's name, that spoke of coming race wars in the United States.

"These were sentences that were put in, I think it was a total of eight or 10 sentences and it was bad stuff — it, it wasn't a reflection of my views at all," said Paul in response to a caller's question on WHO's Jan Mickelson radio show in Iowa. "I think it was terrible. It was tragic and I had some responsibility because the [letter went out under my name]."

Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign released a new video Thursday attacking Paul for the publications, and Newt Gingrich slammed the Texas congressman last week for what he called "really nasty" content, The Hill reported.

The newsletters once referred to Martin Luther King Jr. as "the world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours" and who "seduced underage girls and boys."

In another article, the author writes that "given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal."

In 2008, Paul said that he did not know who had written the offending essays and that they did not represent his views.

He told listeners Thursday that he acted as a publisher rather than an editor of the newsletters.

"If you think about publishers of newspapers every once an a while they get some pretty chunky stuff in their newspapers and they have to say 'this is not the sentiment and position of that newspaper' and this is certainly the case ... this is probably 10 sentences out of 10,000 pages for all I know," Paul said.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/paul-racist-newsletters-responsibility/2011/12/29/id/422542

 He's always said he should have payed more attention. This is nothing new.