Thread: Ron Paul on the Issues

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Agree with Ron Paul on Foreign Policy

President Obama has maintained a foreign policy similar to that of George W. Bush. Mitt Romney thinks it isn’t enough and that we need to spend even more overseas to the tune of $2.1 trillion.

Ron Paul has made the point time and again that our hyper-interventionist foreign policy is too costly and counterproductive. Many Republicans still say “I like Ron Paul, except on foreign policy.”

Well, they had better start liking Dr. Paul on foreign policy if they want to win the military vote. Americans are tired of wars that make absolutely no sense. So are our soldiers. From Reuter’s:

Mack McDowell likes to spend time at the local knife and gun show “drooling over firearms,” as he puts it. Retired after 30 years in the U.S. Army, he has lined his study with books on war, framed battalion patches from his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a John Wayne poster, and an 1861 Springfield rifle from an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.

But when it comes to the 2012 presidential election, Master Sergeant McDowell is no hawk.

In South Carolina’s January primary, the one-time Reagan supporter voted for Ron Paul “because of his unchanging stand against overseas involvement.” In November, McDowell plans to vote for the candidate least likely to wage “knee-jerk reaction wars.”

Disaffection with the politics of shock and awe runs deep among men and women who have served in the military during the past decade of conflict. Only 32 percent think the war in Iraq ended successfully, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. And far more of them would pull out of Afghanistan than continue military operations there…

While the 2012 campaign today is dominated by economic and domestic issues, military concerns could easily jump to the fore. Nearly 90,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. Israeli politicians and their U.S. supporters debate over whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities as partisans bicker over proposed Pentagon budget cuts…

Mitt Romney has accused President Obama of “a dangerous course” in wanting to cut $1 trillion from the defense budget – although the administration’s actual proposal is a reduction of $487 billion over the next decade…

Romney, along with his primary rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, had also accused Obama of “appeasement” toward U.S. enemies…

If the election were held today, Obama would win the veteran vote by as much as seven points over Romney, higher than his margin in the general population.

The GOP’s heated rhetoric, aimed at the party’s traditional hawks, might be expected to resonate with veterans. Yet in interviews in South Carolina, a military-friendly red state, many former soldiers expressed anger at the toll of a decade of war, questioned the legitimacy of George W. Bush’s Iraq invasion, and worried that the surge in Afghanistan won’t make a difference in the long run.

“We looked real cool going into Iraq waving our guns,” said McDowell, 50, who retired from the 82d Airborne Division in November with a Legion of Merit and two Bronze Stars. “But people lost their lives, and it made no sense.”

Now he worries. “I really don’t like the direction we are going, how we seem to come closer daily towards a war with Iran…”

“I went to war for George Bush,” said Grafton, 48, a retired Army master sergeant who served in special operations units in Somalia and Iraq. “But we can’t keep policing the world.”

Now he is “watching the primaries very closely to see who will be the least careless with soldiers and their families…”

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Agree with Ron Paul on Foreign Policy*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign CommitteeRon Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee

Ron Paul to Attend Minnesota State GOP Convention

Addresses Republican activists in key voting state as part of delegate-attainment strategy

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul will attend the Minnesota state Republican convention, addressing attendees live and in person as part of his far-reaching delegate-attainment strategy. The 12-term Congressman from Texas will attend the convention in St. Cloud on Friday, May 18^thbeginning at 6:00 p.m.

Details of the event are as follows. Time is Central.

Friday, May 18, 2012
6:00 p.m.
Ron Paul speech
Minnesota State Republican Convention
St. Cloud Rivers Edge Convention Center
10 4th Avenue South
St. Cloud, MN 56303
For a map of the location, please click here.

Ron Paul to Attend Minnesota State GOP Convention*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign CommitteeRon Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee

Moving Forward: Mitt Romney, Tampa and The rEVOLution

Let me be blunt: Mitt Romney represents the same, old Republican Party I’ve been fighting against my entire adult life. The question today is, to what degree is the GOP the same, old Republican Party? To what degree will it remain the same, old Republican Party?

When I signed on with the 2012 Ron Paul campaign I viewed it as Part 2 of the Part 1 of our movement that Paul had inspired in 2008. Before 2008, the Republican Party was a depressing wilderness, offering absolutely nothing for constitutional conservatives.

I had supported Pat Buchanan’s presidential runs in 1996 and 2000 in my early 20’s because he was the only candidate willing to take on the neoconservatives who were steadily influencing American foreign policy. With the election of George W. Bush, the neoconservatives would dominate on foreign policy. The GOP became so obsessed with championing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that the party became little more than apologists for big government so long as it was Republican. Medicare Plan D, No Child Left Behind, doubling our national debt, destroying the 4^th amendment with The Patriot Act—nobody cared. That period of the GOP was all about support for war at any cost, literally. At the 2008 RNC convention, neocon liberal Joe Lieberman was even given a prime time speaking spot while strict constitutionalist Ron Paul wasn’t even allowed in the building.

Like I said, during that time there was literally nothing of worth to constitutional conservatives in the Republican Party.

This is no longer true.

In his quest to save America, Ron Paul is also saving the Republican Party. The Democrat-lite, big government hacks and neoconservative maniacs who still think the George W. Bush model represents Republicanism defined—and believe me, they do—are quickly becoming yesterday’s news. Yes, they’re still there, and yes, they still have much influence.

But that influence is shrinking. Their base is shrinking. Want to know why more than half the votes cast by the under 30 crowd in each GOP primary state were for Ron Paul?

Because the rising generation of libertarians and conservatives understand something many of their elders don’t—that we can’t afford the status quo anymore. Sure, many Americans share Paul’s young supporters fear that the country is going bankrupt, yet they still jealously guard the entitlements that are bankrupting us, or can’t imagine the U.S. not being militarily engaged all over the world, another massive drain on American taxpayers. The rising generation does not have these attachments. In fact, they can’t wait to detach themselves from them. American youth don’t expect to ever see Social Security or Medicare. Nor do they find it particularly strange that perhaps America shouldn’t police the world anymore.

In short, while the GOP establishment’s base is shrinking, Ron Paul’s is growing. For the first time in a long time—the Republican Party might actually become the limited government party it has always pretended to be. This is due to the ideas and influence of Ron Paul.

This is not wishful thinking on my part. Last month, renowned pollster John Zogby broke down the numbers at Forbes, citing what he calls “First Globals” (18-29 year olds):
Mitt Romney has spent months selling himself to the Republican base. Now, Barack Obama is working overtime trying to re-sell himself to his base of voters age 18-29. Team Obama knows that hard times and the growing libertarian leanings of young voters will make them a more difficult target than four years ago…

However, on some key issues, majorities of First Globals are not doctrinaire liberals. The poll found less than majorities agree with liberals on some of their most cherished beliefs. For example: 44% agree health insurance is a right government should provide for those who can’t afford it, 43% agree with the same statement about food and shelter, 37% agree government should spend more to reduce poverty, 20% agree government spending is an effective way to economic growth…

Lest Republicans get too giddy at those findings, they should also know less than majorities agree with these conservative and neo-con ideals: 22% agree it’s sometimes necessary to attack potentially hostile countries rather than waiting until we are attacked, 23% are willing to give up some personal freedoms for the sake of national security…

These attitudes betraying both the traditional left and right fall generally within the bounds of libertarianism. Live and let live. Individual responsibility is as important as collective responsibility. Avoid military interventions. Distrust both government and corporations. Protect civil liberties.

Young voters have been the energy behind Ron Paul…

Ron Paul and his supporters have not yet taken over the Republican Party. But they are taking over the Republican Party. In many states, Paul supporters have become significant parts of the GOP apparatus and even Republican Party leaders. I remember the head of the Iowa GOP saying that Ron Paul shouldn’t be allowed in the next debate after Paul’s spat with Rudy Giuliani about “blowback” in 2007. That same position in Iowa is now held by a Ron Paul supporter.

It is Paul’s ideas of liberty and individual freedom that are winning the day. There has been much written about how Ron Paul’s ideas about the Federal Reserve, sound money, civil liberties and even foreign policy have become standard Republican talking points. But more importantly, only Paul’s ideas address the emerging attitudes and concerns cited by Zogby. Conventional liberalism is bankrupt, and with Obama in office millions of Americans have come to this realization. But also conventional Republicanism, or establishment “conservatism,” is bankrupt, which millions of Americans learned under Bush and still see in too many Republican candidates. Paul’s constitutional conservatism is as old as the Founding Fathers, yet refreshing and new to a whole new generation. We could very well see an electorate emerging that doesn’t even immediately identify with conservatism or the GOP per se, but that is still more conservative in a true limited government sense than the current Republican partisans who brandish that label.

These are Ron Paul’s supporters. They are the future.

When I signed on with the campaign, we were all in it to make Ron Paul President of the United States. But I knew that even if Dr. Paul did not get the nomination, this fight—our fight—would be the most important political course of action in 2012. Ron Paul in 2008 and 2012 is the Barry Goldwater campaign in 1960 and 1964.

Goldwater failed twice in trying to win electoral victories (VP slot in 1960, President in ’64) but the Arizona Senator’s campaigns changed the Republican Party forever. Ask Ronald Reagan.

Likewise, the Texas Congressman’s two campaigns are changing the Republican Party before our very eyes. Ask Rand Paul. Ask Justin Amash. Ask Thomas Massie, Kurt Bills or any of the other countless liberty candidates running for national office in 2012—who actually have a shot at winning those offices. Ask the liberty candidates who end up running in 2014, 2016 and beyond how much Ron Paul has changed the Republican Party.

Ask me—before Ron Paul I had little to no hope for this country. Today, I’m filled with hope thanks to Paul and his movement. In saving the Republican Party, Ron Paul also, at least politically, saved me.

By most accounts, Mitt Romney will likely be the Republican nominee. Though still confusing, the delegate counts are what they are. This is significant. But from the perspective of any Paul supporter, a nominee Romney should be far less significant than it sounds.

If Romney loses the general election, we will have to endure another 4 painful years of Obama—but the Ron Paul movement remains, and the Republican Party will continue to be cast even more in the mold of Ron Paul.

If Mitt Romney wins the election, there will be a different dynamic in the GOP than what we suffered through under Bush.

There was no conservative pushback against Bush’s big government offenses because, as I noted earlier, there was really no conservatism to be found in the Republican Party. Now we have Senator Rand Paul, and regular allies like Senators Mike Lee and Jim DeMint. We have Congressman Justin Amash. We have a number of Ron Paul-inspired candidates running in 2012 that might be joining these leaders on Capitol Hill. There will be even more in 2014. If a President Romney were to insist on protecting and expanding the status quo, like Bush did, there is a genuinely liberty-minded and limited government wing of the Republican Party to resist any such agenda. This is the first time this has occurred in my lifetime.

The current fight over the direction of the Republican Party will continue to be fought whether or not a Republican or Democrat wins the next presidential election. And that fight has been defined, and will continue to be defined, by the philosophy and person of Ron Paul.

The campaign will continue to rack up delegates, and needs to rack up as many delegates as possible, so that we roll into Tampa with as much influence as possible. Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton has stressed that rewriting not only some platform tenets—but also, and perhaps most importantly, standing Republican rules—will be necessary to loosen the establishment’s stranglehold on the process and to give future liberty candidates some leverage.

Running for office has always been about two things: Winning elections and building coalitions. The latter is as important as the former, precisely because you can’t eventually win elections without first building coalitions. Ask coalition-builder Goldwater and election-winner Reagan. The coalition we’ve built—and continue to build—will withstand and triumph over anything that happens in this particular election. What we represent is bigger than Mitt Romney. Seriously.

This is precisely why Ron Paul is not suspending his campaign or dropping out. He can’t. This campaign remains the most important in the entire 2012 race, no matter how little the mainstream media gets it, or even if sometimes Paul supporters don’t get it. Ups and downs, confusion, happiness and sometimes bewilderment are inherent in any genuine grassroots movement. But we can’t lose focus of the big picture.

I signed on with this campaign for Part 2 of the Revolution that Paul began in 2008. After Tampa, we will begin Parts 3, 4, 5 and however many are necessary until this movement triumphs philosophically, ideologically, electorally—totally.

And we will. This is why it’s vitally important not to give up on Part 2 before it is complete. Even if he wins, I predict Mitt Romney will be an asterisk in the history books—while Ron Paul and his movement will help write the history books.

Ron Paul is the most important political figure of our time. In time, the whole world will know it.

Moving Forward: Mitt Romney, Tampa and The rEVOLution*|*Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign CommitteeRon Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee

Ron Paul Not Suspending Campaign, It is a Media Hoax

Memo outlines strategy for influencing party platform at RNC

Steve Watson
Infowars.com
May 15, 2012

As the mainstream media continues to idiotically blather on about Ron Paul “quitting”, the campaign is forging ahead, today releasing a memo outlining Paul’s strategy for the GOP national convention.

“Let me be very clear,” writes chief strategist Jesse Benton in the opening lines of the memo, “Dr. Paul is NOT dropping out or suspending his campaign.”

“As Dr. Paul has previously stated, he is in this race all the way to the Republican National Convention in Tampa this August,” Benton adds, noting that the campaign will look to maximize the resources it has, thus it will not fruitlessly pour money into the remaining primary states.

“We will continue to run strong programs at district and state [party] conventions to win more delegates and alternate delegates to the national convention.” Benton continues, noting that the campaign will enter a “new phase” on Friday at the Minnesota state GOP convention, where Paul will make an appearance.

While Benton acknowledges that “barring something very unforeseen”, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will now secure enough delegates to win the nomination, he asks Paul supporters to stay positive and help the Congressman secure a legacy for the future of the liberty movement.

“We are in an excellent position to make sure the Republican Party adds solid liberty issues to the GOP platform, which our delegates will be directly positioned to approve.” Benton states.

“Our delegates can still make a major impact at the national convention and beyond.” Including, he adds, using their influence “to shape the process for future liberty candidates.”

“By sending a large, respectful, and professional delegation to Tampa, we will show the Party and the country that not only is our movement growing and here to stay, but that the future belongs to us,” Benton notes, perhaps tacitly asking supporters to rise above the recent dirty tricks that Romney supporters and GOP insiders have attempted to pull at state conventions.

In comments to reporters, Benton elaborated on the calls for decorum, noting “We our doing everything in our power to work with out supporters to make sure decorum and respect are the name of the game.” Benton added that he was well aware that “our supporters are going to get an excessive amount of blame for problems that arise at heated conventions.”

Senior Paul advisor Doug Wead also elaborated, noting “Shouting people down is not Ron Paul’s way. Winning a battle of ideals based on principles, in a respectful way, is how he approaches the contest and it is how he wants others to approach the contest as well.”

The strategy memo outlines three key areas where the Paul campaign will seek to influence policy at the national convention; monetary policy reform, prohibitions on indefinite detention and internet freedom.

Benton also told reporters that the campaign has been discussing the party platform with Mitt Romney’s team.

“I’d like to thank them for the respect that they’ve showed us,” Benton said. When asked if Ron Paul would endorse Romney, Benton said “I do not believe that is likely”. When asked if Paul would work with Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, Benton said “No, there’s no chance of that.”

“Some will say that it is a lost cause,” Doug Wead said in his written statement today, referring to Paul’s ongoing campaign for liberty. “I will not concede but it does remind me of Clarence Darrow’s famous line, “Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for” he concluded.

“Our people have been punched, yelled at, lied to and worked until they can hardly stand.” Wead added. “But on they come, fighting for their children, fighting for their future, angry at the corruption of the banks, of Wall Street, of the lobbyists, of the Congress, of the White House. The battle for liberty is not over. It has just taken on a new phase. It cannot be stopped by the national media. If that were the case it would never have been born in the first place.”

—————————————————————-

Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.net, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham in England.

http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-cam...belongs-to-us/

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Ron Paul Revolution California: $10 Million Dollars

Submitted by Wisdom Strategies on Tue, 05/15/2012 - 20:07
Ron Paul 2012
California

Hello, everyone.

Just a thought:

Some of us have spent years working for a truly beautiful ideal and goal: ♥ World Peace ♥

That is my most passionate motivation to be a part of this Once-In-A-Lifetime Movement.

Dr. Ron Paul has recently indicated that, quite frankly, Primary States are too expensive and to shift focus to caucus states for delegates.

Well: California is a CRUCIAL STATE.

California Could Change Everything. SERIOUSLY.

Last I checked - a few years ago - California was THE SEVENTH LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD.

Let's Show The World What California and The People Of The United States Of America Can Accomplish:

***PLEASE LET US START A CALIFORNIA MEGA-MONEY BOMB: $10 MILLION DOLLARS***

That Would Make Headlines Across The World.

Please talk to all your friends. Your neighbors. Your Family.

Text, E-Mail, Facebook, Tweeter, Myspace: COPY/PASTE/SEND: ***ALL NETWORKS***

---> Ron Paul Revolution: Only One More To Go. Mitt Romney Out! | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

Thank You and God Bless You.

RON PAUL R[3]VOLUTION 2012 - ♥ WORLD PEACE ♥

Ron Paul Revolution California: $10 Million Dollars | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

"The Fires of Liberty Are Blazing!" Video ~ "Ron Paul Is Our President" ... Yes!

CNN Now Reporting Dr. Paul Won Minnesota

Submitted by Gupone on Tue, 05/15/2012 - 11:08
Ron Paul 2012
Texas

Yesterday I posted that CNN has officially reported that Ron Paul won 21 Maine Delegates which means he WON Maine. Now they are reporting that Dr. Paul has 22 Delegates in Minnesota and that puts him the official winner of that state.

Now again, CNN, Fox news and other MSM outlets have the whole Delegate counts messed up but by them showing that Dr. Paul had officially WON 2 States, we all know he has won more and has met the requirement for being able to be nominated from the convention floor in Tampa.

As to the events in the last 2 days, we are not really sure what Dr. Paul wants to do when he gets to the convention and could be nominated as a nominee. Let’s just pray that he will fight and participate in the process.

CNN Now Reporting Dr. Paul Won Minnesota | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

The Cat Is Over The Bath

Submitted by Spinoza on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 00:40
Patriots:

I do not need to tell you that this week has been difficult. However bad things may have seemed this week, I assure you that they will only get worse in the coming months.
Let's not be naive. We are taking away serious amounts of power from people who have, for probably 50-60 years, wielded this power without ever encountering a threat as serious, as organized and (incredibly) as incorruptible as we have now assembled. They never imagined this day would arrive, and now that it has, they will not just hand over the keys to the castle without a fight. As our opponents have shown, they will stop at nothing to retain their power. What we saw in Arizona and Oklahoma was just the beginning.

If you have ever given a cat a bath you know what we can look forward to.

Nothing terrifies a housecat quite like the prospect of getting soaked in water. With the water running in the bathtub, you run down stairs to find little Scratchy and the moment she sees you she knows something is not right. She acts relatively normal until she hears the running water about 10 feet from the bathroom door. Then her claws come out and she starts to squirm a bit.

As you enter the bathroom, you have to grip her hard to keep her from jumping out of your arms. Then she starts to make a sound. A terrible, horrible sound, so deep and unnatural that it reminds you of the exorcist. As you reach the bathtub, you can no longer pin her against your body and you have to drop her in over the water. She seizes this opportunity and claws at your wrists with her back feet, trying to shake herself loose. But you have to remain committed, or she will get loose and then you have to start the process all over.

Then as soon as she touches the water all hell breaks loose into something that could only be described as a “Cat Explosion.” Sometimes, the cat explosion works, and the creature breaks free and hides under the bed. But even if she has only her back claws, and you manage to hold her firm in the water, your hands and your forearms will likely be shredded. If she has her front and back claws, you will be bleeding by the time you have her soaking wet and wrapped in a towel to dry off.

Patriots, we are giving the establishment cat a bath, and we are now over the water. Do not falter, do not lose your grip. As the claws come out, it will be vicious, painful and we will want to loosen our grip. But we will not. No amount of clawing or scratching will break our resolve. We will get this cat soaking wet and squeaky clean, and their ain’t a damn thing that can stop us.

The Cat Is Over The Bath | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012

What is wrong with this PICTURE!! Don't leave the answer if you figure it out...just share the picture and keep it moving!!!



Must be how its done in other countrys... either that or they got hearts on the other side of their body; just like evil... everything is done the opposite of good ... in this case the heart is on the opposite side of the body and the left arm and hand is used in stead of the right

Why Ron Paul's new campaign strategy just might work - Great Alaska Dispatch article

Submitted by Brazil4Paul on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 02:22
Ron Paul 2012

Instead of installing a more "establishment" Republican to fill the seat, it was Paul supporter Russ Millette who was picked to lead by Republicans at the convention. Millette, 66, was a virtual unknown, having lived off and on in Alaska over the years. Debra Holle Brown, another Paul backer, was elected to co-chair of the state GOP.

Failed U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller -- a tea party supporter perhaps best known for having his security detail handcuff Alaska Dispatch's editor during his 2010 run -- and Paul supporters alike celebrated the toppling of Alaska's old-guard Republicans.

But that wasn't the only hubbub caused by Paul supporters at the convention.

Some of them booed Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and guest speaker Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) when they addressed the crowd. Barrasso drew fire from some members of the audience when he announced his support for Mitt Romney, prompting chants for Ron Paul.

Though Paul won only six delegates in Alaska, the changing of the guard within the party could also change the way that Republican activities are carried out within the state. And based on the Paul campaign's recent announcement, that might be good enough to change the "politics-as-usual" that Paul campaigns against.

"Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process," the statement reads. "We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future.

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul embarks on new campaign strategy. Will it work? Well, look to Alaska. | Alaska Dispatch

See also this other RP article: How Ron Paul won Maine and Nevada, and why Mitt Romney should worry
How Ron Paul won Maine and Nevada, and why Mitt Romney should worry | Alaska Dispatch

Why Ron Paul's new campaign strategy just might work - Great Alaska Dispatch article | Peace . Gold . Liberty | Ron Paul 2012