Ogre’s Politics and Views

Politics always brings out the worst in people. Well, at least it’s a darn dirty business and it’s always filled with half-truths and outright lies. That’s just the way it is. And sometimes (quite often) the lies go unanswered. But sometimes the truth actually shows up to counter the lies. I don’t think one person could ever counter all the lies that come from politicians these days. In fact, I’m reminded of a fellow that once asked me a question when I was campaigning myself:

Me: Can I count on your vote come election day?
Potential Voter: Son, are you an honest man?
Me: Yes sir, I believe I am.
Potential Voter: Now why would you want to change that?

Many people are terrified of Ron Paul. And when you scare people, often they react by attacking you. Well, Andrew Walden of the American Thinker has decided to attack Ron Paul. I don’t know if he’s scared of Ron Paul, scared of what a Ron Paul presidency might bring, or whether he just doesn’t like Ron Paul’s ideas. No matter why, Mr. Walden is spreading a few stories about Ron Paul that are half-truths, or just designed to scare others away from Ron Paul. I’d like to answer Mr. Walden here.

But there are many questions about Paul’s apparent unwillingness to reject extremist groups’ public participation in his campaign and financial support of his November 5 “patriot money-bomb plot”

That’s not factually true. The November 5th event, wherein tens of thousands of people donated to Ron Paul’s campaign was not “his plot.” Calling it a plot was intentional, trying to make it sound scary and evil. Do you suppose there’s a reason it wasn’t called a “campaign?” But it also was not “his.” Ron Paul had nothing to do with that event whatsoever. One individual came up with the idea and it spread as people joined with him. Most of those who participated had no idea the significance of the day – they just wanted to support Ron Paul.

Mr. Walden quotes a letter by Michael Medved that asks Paul to “disassociate” himself from the American Free Press. And Mr Walden complains that

Medved has received no official response from the Paul campaign.

First, that just damn silly. Here’s me doing the same thing:

Mr. Romney, I read on the Internet that you hate Jews. In fact, I read on one page where someone claimed that you actively work to kill Jews at night. Can you confirm or deny that?

Oh, I haven’t received any official response from the Romney campaign, so Romney must want to kill all Jews. That’s so specious it doesn’t even really warrant a response. But Mr. Walden is trying to scare people away from Ron Paul, so I guess he’ll stop at nothing.

Second, the Paul campaign HAS responded to such ludicrious talk, but perhaps not directly to Mr. Medved:

Dr. Paul is a modest man with a sparkling record and unimpeachable personal integrity. I understand why you need to attack him by linking him to less-than-savory individuals (there is simply nothing else to use), but it is just not going to work. Some of your charges are silly. Dr. Paul’s “Texas Straight Talk Column,” for example, is public record and anyone, from the American Free Press to Cat Fancy, has the right to reprint it.

Mr. Walden continues with what is now (at least in Internet time) an old complaint:

The Texas-based Lone Star Times October 25 publicly requested a response to questions about whether the Paul campaign would repudiate and reject a $500 donation from white supremacist Stormfront.org founder Don Black and end the Stormfront website fundraising for Paul. The Times article lit up the conservative blogosphere for the next week. Paul supporters packed internet comment boards alternately denouncing or excusing the charges. Most politicians are quick to distance themselves from such disreputable donations when they are discovered. Not Paul.

Again, the campaign itself responded, quite well, I think:

Dr. Paul stands for freedom, peace, prosperity, and the protection of inalienable individual rights. He knows that liberty is the antidote for racism, anti-Semitism, and other small minded ideologies. Dr. Paul has focused all of his energy on winning the presidency so he can cut the size of government and protect the freedom of every American. Neither he nor his staff is going to waste time screening donors. If a handful of individuals with views anathema to Dr. Paul’s send in checks, then they have wasted their money. I cannot profess to understand the motivations of Don Black as neither Dr. Paul nor I know who he is, but a simple Google search shows that his $500 contribution has netted him at least 88 news hits, including Charen’s column. Perhaps a better explanation for his “contribution” is not support for Ron, but the attention he knew he would receive.

Then Mr. Walden’s article gets even weaker in attacking Ron Paul, but more vitriolic:

Daniel Siederaski of the Jewish Telegraph Agency tried to get an interview with Paul, calling him repeatedly but not receiving any return calls. Wrote Siederaski November 9: “Ron Paul will take money from Nazis. But he won’t take telephone calls from Jews.”

Holy crap! Hey, I called Hillary and the campaign didn’t immediately hand the phone to her. So, Hillary will take cash from blacks, but won’t take telephone calls from white males! Wow, that’s just so weak. But Mr. Walden actually continues:

Finally on November 13 the Paul campaign responded. In a short interview JTA quotes Jim Perry, head of Jews for Paul describing his work on the Paul campaign along side a self-described white supremacist which Perry says he has reformed.

So apparently Jim Perry and Ron Paul are not only liars, according to Mr. Walden, but the association is clear: no white supremacist can be reformed and once a white supremacist, always a white supremacist.

Just below links to information about the “BOK KKK Ohio State Meeting”, and the “BOK KKK Pennsylvania State Meeting”, Stormfront.org website announced: “Ron Paul for President”

Apparently Mr. Walden is unaware of how the Internet works. Quite literally anyone can put up any content on a web page and link it to any other page. Ron Paul has already stated that he does not agree with nor support any sort of racist group. And the Paul campaign has made it quite clear that if groups like this are supporting him because he will help them, they are sorely mistaken. But Mr. Walden wants to attack Ron Paul, so things like facts and truth are clearly not part of the descriptions.

Mr Walden goes on and on, apparently hoping that by repeating the same thing over and over again that it will become true – or at least that people will believe him. Ron Paul has already stated over and over again that he does not support racist groups. He has a voting record and a public record decades long that shows that he does not support them. But again, Mr. Walden doesn’t appear to care about reality – his goal is to make Ron Paul look like a scary racist, no matter how he does it.

Further along in the article, Mr. Walden goes on and on and on. He lists, one after the other, every “evil” person and group he can find that might be remotely associated with donations to the Ron Paul campaign. He doesn’t ever mention that again, Paul has disassociated himself with all sort of hate groups. But hey, if someone bad likes you, you’re evil – according to Mr. Walden – even if you don’t even know that person.

Finally, Mr. Walden shows that he is clearly confused when it comes to freedom and the Constitution. He says:

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Daily Paul, Paul’s “fair” supporters are organizing to call radio stations and demand they yank Medved’s show, thus demonstrating that censorship is a Libertarian value.

No, Mr. Walden, individuals banding together to attempt to influence the operations of a public business is called freedom. When government is used (as Mr. Walden implies) to STOP people from taking such actions, THAT’S censorship.

Finally, Mr. Walden ends up with:

If Paul wants to be taken seriously, he must stop cowering behind the internet and face these questions. Until then it is only reasonable to presume that Paul is happy to wallow in well-financed obscurity accepting the support of some of the worst enemies of freedom and liberty within American society.

In other words, if you, individually, don’t do exactly what Mr. Walden wants you to do, he’s going to call you names and make up stories about you. He’s going to find someone who likes you who is a bad person and apply all their motivations and personality to you. Unless you specifically do as Mr. Walden wants you, then you’re automatically guilty.

Hey Mr. Walden – I like to throw rocks through windows that don’t belong to me. I clicked on an ad on your web page. Therefore, rock-throwers are financially linked with you and if you don’t immediately call a press conference and repudiate those charges, then you must be a rock-thrower, too.

I like the way Jesse Benton, Ron Paul’s director of communications responded to another lunatic fringe attack on Ron Paul with half truths:

I can not expect everyone to support Dr. Paul…In fact, Dr. Paul welcomes open and spirited discussions, and even legitimate criticism.

Unfortunately, Mr. Walden isn’t interested in discussions or legitimate criticism – just lies and fear.

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Tags: 2008 Elections //