A little over a month ago, we noted that Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul had received contributions from a thoroughly despicable source--an avowed Neo-Nazi. What's more, the racist organization had established a link from its web site to that of the Paul campaign, making it easier for other Neo-Nazis to donate to the Texas Congressman.
More disturbingly, Andrew Walden at the American Thinker found a pattern of hate groups coalescing behind Dr. Paul. Walden discovered that the aforementioned Neo-Nazi group, Stormfront.org, recently endorsed Paul for president, and learned that its leader, Don Black, personally donated $500 to the campaign. Additionally, Walden reported that one of Dr. Paul's top internet organizers in Tennessee is a Neo-Nazi leader named Will Williams. Better known as "White Will," Mr. Williams organized a discussion called "The Israel Factor Revisited" on the Ron Paul meet-up site, which used heavily by the campaign to organize supporters.
Mr. Walden found that Williams also provided a link from a white supremacist web page to that of Dr. Paul's "grassroot" fundraising effort. On that former site, "White Will" left no doubts about his racist and anti-Semitic beliefs, encouraging other Neo-Nazis to "game" YouTube and push a Paul video to the top of the rankings. As Williams wrote: "Everybody here can do this except BJB and his n----rberry." BJB stands for "Burn Jew, Burn." The same poster has an internet signature that reads "Nothin' says lovin' like a Jew in the oven."
Mr. Walden also uncovered endorsements for the Paul campaign from other, high-profile white supremacists. David Duke, the former KKK leader, has described Dr. Paul as
"our king" and his website touts the candidate's fund-raising efforts.
As we wrote last month, you'd think that Dr. Paul and his handlers would actively distance themselves from such vile and loathsome "supporters." But then again, you'd be wrong.
Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters is reporting that, after a month of "consideration," the Paul campaign has decided to keep Don Black's $500 donation. Spokesman Jesse Benton offered a laughable explanation for their decision:
"Dr. Paul stands for freedom, peace, prosperity and inalienable rights. If someone with small ideologies happens to contribute money to Ron, thinking he can influence Ron in any way, he's wasted his money," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said. "Ron is going to take the money and try to spread the message of freedom."
"And that's $500 less that this guy has to do whatever it is that he does," Benton added.
Captain Ed isn't buying it--and neither should you:
Sorry, but that doesn't sell. It's one thing to get a donation from a neo-Nazi; after all, Paul didn't solicit it. It's another thing entirely to keep the money after its source becomes clear. Keeping the money makes it look like the campaign approves of the source, and that is a very, very bad message to send when one is bragging about the success of recent money-bomb events.
What kind of money will Ron Paul refuse? Drug money? Extortion rackets? Mob skim? Those are the questions people will want answered. Paul's response does not give confidence in the judgment of his campaign, and by extension its candidate.
Equally amazing is the MSM's treatment of this story. Aside from a brief AP article on 19 December, Congressmen Paul's racist supporters have received virtually no attention from the MSM. True, Dr. Paul isn't a factor in the polls, but we believe there's another reason for the media's "kid glove" treatment of the candidate on this issue. Having Paul around allows them to depict Republicans as kooks and extremists. If he accepts donations from Neo-Nazis and other racists, that's fine--as long as he stays in the campaign.
We agree with Ed Morrissey. Refusing to return money from a known racist speaks volumes about the candidate and his run for the White House. With Dr. Paul's recent success at internet fund-raising, you'd think he would be more selective about his donors and their beliefs. But apparently, that doesn't matter to the Congressman; money from hate-mongers is gladly and willingly accepted. We can only wonder how many other Neo-Nazis and anti-Semites chipped in during his latest campaign blitz.
Attempting to explain Don Black's contribution, spokesman Benton tried to stress Dr. Paul's independence--the only thing missing was the standard declaration that "our candidate isn't for sale." Still, taking money from a Neo-Nazi leader hardly inspires confidence. Dr. Paul may not be for sale, but he appears available for rent, and by the most repugnant elements within our society.
Ron Paul vs. The Philosophically Bankrupt
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the name-calling and other non sequiturs from the anti-Ron Paul crowd, I am of the view that their hostility arises less from his opposition to war, or the direction American foreign policy has taken for decades, or any of the other specific programs he has criticized. What troubles them the most is that Paul has a philosophically-principled integrity in what he advocates and that, to challenge him, one must be prepared to deal with him at that higher level.
But modern political discourse long ago gave up on principles, in favor of the pursuit of power as a sufficient end. There is an intellectual bankruptcy exhibited by writers and speakers on the political "left," "right," or "middle." Competing ideas and values that once engaged the minds of thoughtful men and women have given way to little more than pronouncements on behalf of narrowly-defined political programs; the validity of a proposition no longer depends upon reasoned analysis, but upon the outcome of public opinion polls.
Ron Paul's campaign interjects an energized, principled inquiry into the political realm, an undertaking for which men and women with no philosophic center or rigorous minds find themselves woefully ill-prepared.
Neocon Neil Tries To Smear Ron Paul - But Cavuto, apostle of war and monetary destruction, doesn't get away with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcLSLGXypMY
Looks like you're running the plays directly from the "The Official Media Guide to Attacking Ron Paul"
http://www.libertymaven.com/2007/12/19/the-official-media-guide-to-attacking-ron-paul/
Chris--This posting has nothing to do with Dr. Paul's "principled stand" on the war or any other issue. Rather, it focuses on an issue that any Paul supporter should be concerned about, namely, his support among white supremacist and Neo-Nazi groups.
ReplyDeleteTrue, a candidate can't choose his supporters. But he can repudiate avowed racists who openly support them, and Dr. Paul can certainly afford to return their campaign contributions. Keeping that $500 check from the leader of a major Neo-Nazi group sends the wrong signal to the entire electorate, pure and simple. If Dr. Paul were interested in putting this matter to rest, all he has to do is issue a statement repudiating Don Black, David Duke and the rest of that crowd, and instruct his web team to block any links from their sites.
Yet, for whatever reason, Congressmen Paul has not done that. That's not a show of integrity or independence, IMO. It suggests, as Ed Morrissey writes, the Dr. Paul is willing to take money from almost anyone, no matter how vile and repugnant their message might be. There's no intellectual bankruptcy in saying that. Instead, the Paul operation's refusal to deal with the issue says something very disturbing about the campaign. Taking money from Neo-Nazis is anything but principled, no matter how you parse it.
After reading this story, this tittle makes no sense. It is amazing how many times RP campaign tells the media that RP is not involved in these organizations they look for anything to bring it up to manipulate anyone who will buy into it. The "rent" statement part is the silliest part of it all. One can tell this author is desperately looking beyond imagination to discredit RP. How petty people will run is almost amusing.
ReplyDelete