Thread: Ron Paul on the Issues

Ron Paul Endorsed By Payette County, Idaho Republican Party Chairman Nate Jones

Praises Dr. Paul’s understanding of individual liberty and the proper the role of government

BOISE, Idaho – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul was endorsed today by the Chairman of the Payette County Republican Party, Nate Jones of New Plymouth. Payette County’s main population centers include Fruitland, New Plymouth and Payette.

In making his endorsement public, Mr. Jones issued the following statement:

“I support Paul because he’s the only candidate that understands how absolutely crucial individual liberty is. He is the only candidate that has a correct understanding of the proper role of government. Congressman Paul is a ‘statesman’ in every sense of the word. He’s humble, but unafraid and unashamed to forcefully speak the truth, even when it’s unpopular…for it is often said that ‘truth is treason in the empire of lies.’

“I decided several years ago to vote by principle, no longer by popularity or persuasion, and have never looked back. My wife and I, along with our parents and many of our closest friends, have been awakened. We forever will be grateful for the knowledge Paul has given us. His message, if heeded, is the only one that will preserve this nation, God willing.”

Describing himself as “simply a husband and father of four,” Mr. Jones is by trade a web developer when not furthering the cause of freedom as a longtime activist. In addition to currently serving as the Chairman of the Payette County Republican Party, he is also Treasurer of the Idaho Young Republicans.

Providing a strong boost to Ron Paul’s Idaho state organization, such endorsements present Ron Paul as the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. They also demonstrate that the 12-term Congressman from Texas has the only campaign organization capable of maintaining a 50-state competition with the moderate-establishment Romney.

Ron Paul Endorsed By Payette County, Idaho Republican Party Chairman Nate Jones*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee

Ron Paul: The choice of the troops | Washington Times Communities

Has Ron Paul Formed a Political Alliance With Mitt Romney?

Santorum claims two are in cahoots, Rand Paul would be “honored” to be VP pick

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Thursday, February 23, 2012

Special comment from Alex Jones: Ron Paul is an intelligent man of total integrity. I am willing to wait and see how this all shakes out before passing judgment.

However, just the idea of Paul’s campaign working with Mitt Romney to do some kind of political deal seems like a bad idea, and my initial reaction is that it’s unlikely to come to fruition.

The suggestion that Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are in cahoots because Paul is in the frame to be Romney’s VP pick has again surfaced following last night’s Republican debate in Mesa, Arizona, after which Rick Santorum claimed the two were coordinating attacks against his candidacy.

“You have to ask Congressman Paul and Governor Romney what they’ve got going together,” Santorum told reporters. “Their commercials look a lot alike and so do their attacks.”
Santorum’s campaign strategist John Brabender repeated the charge, stating, “Clearly there’s a tag team strategy between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. For all I know, Mitt Romney might be considering Ron Paul as his running mate. Clearly there is now an alliance between those two and you saw that certainly in the debate.”This is by no means the first time that the notion of Ron Paul becoming Romney’s VP has been mooted.As we reported earlier this month, GOP strategist Jack Burkman put his reputation on the line during an appearance on Fox Business when he boldly predicted that Ron Paul would be on the Republican ticket as a result of a brokered convention.“The likely leader will be Romney, but he won’t have enough delegates to win,” Burkman told Judge Andrew Napolitano, forecasting that Romney would pick Paul as his VP because “Gingrich and Santorum have extremely high negatives, nobody in their right mind would want them on the ticket.”“I am now affirmatively predicting that Ron Paul will be on the ticket, I’ll lay odds,” emphasized Burkman.The idea of Paul being subordinate to Romney, an establishment type with flip-flopping political positions, has split Paul supporters, with the majority of them seemingly hostile to any kind of deal being done that could compromise Ron Paul’s legacy as a rock when it comes to standing by his principles.However, others might suggest that Ron Paul maneuvering himself into a position where he will be one step away from the office of President in a potential Romney administration merely represents a smart political ploy, a way of beating the establishment at their own game. After all, Rand Paul’s successful Senatorial campaign, after which he has proven his stripes as a champion of liberty, was achieved partly by pandering to establishment Republican rhetoric on a limited number of issues such as the Iranian nuclear issue.

When reporters asked Rand Paul, a Tea Party favorite, what his response would be if Romney approached him with the offer of VP, he hardly poured cold water on the idea.“I don’t know if I can answer that question, but I can say it would be an honor to be considered,” said Senator Paul.Ron Paul campaign chairman Jesse Benton has also promoted Rand Paul as a suitable VP. “Any Republican should be looking at Rand Paul as a potential running mate, because he’s the smartest guy in the room. And he has tremendous credibility with conservatives. Any Republican should have Rand Paul on his short list,” Benton told the Dallas Morning News.While Ron Paul himself would never endorse Romney, some have speculated that the GOP establishment has infiltrated the Paul campaign in a desperate bid to prevent Paul from running third party. Certain Paul campaign officials are ready to “sell out” on huge areas of Paul’s platform – such as non-interventionism – in the belief that it will give them a seat at the table in a Romney administration.For their part, the Romney campaign has completely dismissed the idea of an alliance with Ron Paul.“If ever there was an iconoclast who got up there and said what he believed, it’s Ron Paul,” said Stuart Stevens, Romney’s chief strategist.

“The President of the United States’s political action committee is now running ads that are just like Rick Santorum’s. Is Rick Santorum coordinating with the President of the United States? I don’t think so,” Stevens added, labeling Santorum’s claims “whiney silliness” and a means of distracting from legitimate criticism of his conservatism.
Given the overwhelming amount of evidence that suggests the Republican establishment is trying to cheat Ron Paul out of being able to build the kind of momentum that could see him challenge Romney, has the Paul campaign attempted to one-up the system by pulling off such an audacious political stunt?

What do you think? If in fact Ron Paul is coordinating with Romney as a shortcut to securing an influence in the next administration, whether through his son Rand or himself being in line for the VP slot, is this a necessary evil where the rewards outweigh the costs, is it a clever political move, or does it represent an abrogation of the principles that helped build the Ron Paul Revolution in the first place?

» Has Ron Paul Formed a Political Alliance With Mitt Romney? Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Rick Santorum struggles to defend his record in heated debate

By Felicia Sonmez, Published: February 22

After weathering a media firestorm this past week over a series of provocative comments he made regarding President Obama’s religion, prenatal testing and other issues, former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) had entered Wednesday night’s presidential debate in Mesa, Ariz., aiming to portray himself as the “authentic” candidate and only consistent conservative in the race.

Instead, he fell fall short of that goal.

Santorum, who has been riding a surge of momentum in the polls, found himself struggling to defend his record in Congress as his presidential rivals blasted him on earmarking, contraception and the No Child Left Behind law at the CNN debate, the last showdown before next month’s Super Tuesday contests.

“Politics is a team sport, folks,” a resigned Santorum said at one point when challenged to explain his support for George W. Bush’s signature education law, which Santorum had later said he regretted supporting.

He explained Wednesday night that he’d backed the law because sometimes in politics it’s necessary to “take one for the team” – an explanation that contrasted sharply with his previous scrappy debate performances, and one that’s likely to leave him vulnerable to criticism ahead of key primaries in Arizona and Michigan next week.

Romney, in turn, came under fire for his newly-released tax plan, which Santorum argued amounted to “raising taxes on the top one percent, adopting the Occupy Wall Street rhetoric.” Santorum also questioned Romney’s record as governor, saying he required hospitals to provide the “morning after” pill to victims of rape, a charge that Romney dismissed as untrue.

The debate, sponsored by CNN and held at the Mesa Arts Center, was the 20th of the primary race and is perhaps the final showdown of the GOP primary race. It came as Santorum is eroding Romney’s lead in several key states, including Michigan and Arizona.

Also taking part in the debate were former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), both trailing in the polls. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), who dropped his White House bid and endorsed Gingrich last month, was also in the crowd, seated next to Gingrich’s wife, Callista.

Paul, who has begun airing sharp attack ads against Santorum, kept his sights trained on the former Pennsylvania senator Wednesday night, reprising his charge that Santorum is “a fake” and arguing that he has previously supported Planned Parenthood.

Gingrich, meanwhile, took a lower profile than during previous debates, although he made the claim at one point in the night that “not once in the 2008 campaign did anyone in the elite media ask Barack Obama why he voted in favor of infanticide.”

With an eye toward regaining lost ground in the race, Romney on Wednesday released a new tax plan hours after President Obama released his own tax proposal.

In response to Santorum’s criticism, Romney contended Wednesday night that his plan is “going to cut taxes on everybody across the country by twenty percent,” including taxes on the very wealthy.

Romney’s plan includes changes such as lowering the top tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent and reducing the corporate tax rate to 25 percent. The White House plan, meanwhile, would cut the corporate tax rate to 28 percent and would raise revenue through closing various loopholes and eliminating deductions.

Romney also found himself defending his contention during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month that he had a “severely conservative” record as governor of Massachusetts.

Asked to clarify what he meant, Romney doubled down: “Severe. Strict. I was without question a conservative governor in my state.”

But it was Santorum who had the most at stake in the debate – and who floundered when challenged time and again by his rivals on various parts of his record as senator from Pennsylvania, such as his record on earmarking.
“What happened is there was abuse,” Santorum said of the legislative pet projects. “When abuse happened, I said we should stop the earmarking process. But I did say there were good earmarks and bad earmarks.”

He then pivoted to offense, attacking Romney for having sought earmarks for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. But Romney appeared to turn back the attack with ease.

“While I was fighting to save the Olympics, you were fighting to save the Bridge to Nowhere,” he told Santorum.

Romney also hammered Santorum for his support in 2010 of Arlen Specter, the longtime Pennsylvania senator who changed parties and ran as a Democrat when faced with a tough primary challenge from conservative former congressman Pat Toomey. The endorsement has haunted Santorum on the campaign trail, and Romney on Wednesday slammed the senator’s explanation of his support as “tortuous.”

A CNN/Time/Opinion Research poll released Tuesday showed Romney taking 36 percent in Arizona to Santorum’s 32 percent, with Gingrich taking 18 percent and Paul garnering six percent. And surveys in Michigan also show the momentum in the race is on Santorum’s side, in large part because former supporters of Gingrich are now flocking to the former Pennsylvania senator’s side.

The Arizona debate was to be followed by another CNN debate early next month in the Super Tuesday state of Georgia. But Romney, Paul and Santorum all signaled that they would not participate, and plans for the debate were scrapped.

Noteworthy about the debate was the fact that all four candidates were seated together at a table, as opposed to standing, as they have done at previous debates; the format meant that they were lobbing heated attacks at one another while seated somewhat uncomfortably side-by-side.

At one point in the debate, the candidates were asked to explain themselves in one word, “without caveats or explanations.”

Ron Paul’s answer: “Consistent.”

Santorum? “Courage.”

Mitt Romney: “Resolute.”

And Newt Gingrich answered, “Cheerful.”

Rick Santorum struggles to defend his record in heated debate - The Washington Post

Similar/Related Articles

Ron Paul Trounces Santorum on Foreign Policy in CNN Debate
Santorum’s ‘hopes were dashed’ in South Carolina
Ron Paul Gives Rick Santorum a History Lesson on Iran
White House Struggles to Defend Sotomayor’s Race Statement
Santorum revives campaign with wins in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota
Tough guys: GOP’s Rick Perry and Rick Santorum go neocon on Iran
How Rick Santorum Ripped Off American Veterans
Obama and Santorum: Two Peas in a War Pod
Ron Paul blasts back at Santorum after being called ‘disgusting’
Santorum, Romney in virtual tie, with Ron Paul in third
New Ron Paul 2012 Ad Slams Santorum As “Fake”
Will Ron Paul win more delegates this week than Gingrich, Santorum?

Report: Debt would grow under all but one GOP contender

National Journal
February 23, 2012

The national debt would expand under three of the four GOP presidential candidates, according to an analysis of the candidates’ proposals, The Washington Post reported.

The debt would grow by about $4.5 trillion by 2012 under former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum and by about $7 trillion under former House speaker Newt Gingrich, reaching a level greater than 100 percent of the nation’s economy, according to a report to be released on Thursday by U.S. Budget Watch, a project of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s proposals would pair $1.35 trillion in tax cuts with $1.2 trillion in spending reductions, setting the debt to rise “on a trajectory that closely tracks current policies,” The Post reported. But the 20 percent, across-the-board federal income tax cut proposed by Romney on Wednesday could reduce revenues by an additional $3.5 trillion over the next decade, The Post reported.

Read more

» Report: Debt would grow under all but one GOP contender Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Similar/Related Articles


CBO chief says debt ‘unsustainable’
Obama’s Spending Plans Will Nearly Double the National Debt
National debt soars to highest level since WWII
Obama Says U.S. Long-Term Debt Load ‘Unsustainable’
Obama Signs Law Raising Public Debt Limit from $12.4 Trillion to $14.3 Trillion
Debt now equals total U.S. economy
US Government ‘hiding true amount of debt’
U.S. Debt Actually $200 Trillion?
Eastern European currencies crumble as fears of debt crisis grow
Next Debt Crisis May Start in Washington: Bair
US needs plan to tame debt soon, experts say
The Debt Ceiling Deal From Hell

Impartial Analysis Finds Only Ron Paul Would Cut US Debt Burden


Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/23/2012 20:11 -0500

When one puts aside all the histrionics, all the melodrama, all the irrelevant secondary bullshit such as appearance, charisma, ability to tele-evangelize, all the irrelevant policies such as what planet the US should colonize or how women should procreate, and focuses on just one thing: which presidential candidate (not to mention president) will do the right thing for America, which is to make sure that it doesn't collapse under a record debt load, there is just one answer. And it is not even ours: it comes from the impartial Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Project, aka US Budget Watch ("U.S. Budget Watch neither supports nor opposes any candidate for office. Its reports are intended to promote understanding and discussion of the federal budget and how specific policy proposals would affect the deficit") which today released an analysis on debt sustainability titled "The GOP Candidates and the National Debt." The answer is in the chart below.




That's it. That's all that matters. The rest is noise.

Full report below (pdf)


Impartial Analysis Finds Only Ron Paul Would Cut US Debt Burden | ZeroHedge

Jim Rogers: "The Only One That Understands What's Going On Is Ron Paul"