Candidate Ron Paul's Newsletters have come to light is he a Racist?

Question

A BLACK MANS TAKE ON THE RON PAUL LETTERS
an open letter to his various critics in the media

Unlike many Ron Paul supporters I don't duck from the allegations that Ron Paul is a racist based on his newsletters. I've examined them myself and find them repugnant. Given the writing style, I believe someone else wrote them. They don't match his prose and the contents are generally uncharacteristic of anything I find in his numerous books. I think that they show poor judgment on his part and he's apologized for their contents. I also feel that he knows the authors and out of allegiance, friendship or not wanting to ignite scandal he's decided to say very little about it.

Let's assume that Ron Paul's news letters were handwritten by him and that his denials are 100% false. Let's assume that if this is not the case that he read every newsletter sent in his name and is aware of exactly who the author is. What exactly is the concern? Will Ron Paul's inauguration consist of him personally handing out white hoods and crosses marinated in kerosene? Will he use military force to round up everyone from Oprah to "that black guy" you saw earlier today to send them to slave camps. Will a man who believes in a limited executive branch single-handedly call for re-instituting Jim Crow laws? If he did, would anybody listen?

Answer 1

A good point. Even if hypothetically speaking Ron did write those words, he would still be a better president (for blacks and whites alike) than anyone we've seen in recent history.



And the truth is, Ron did not write the newsletters. The ones containing the controversial material were produced when he was out of politics and busy practicing medicine. Ron's mistake was not supervising or reviewing the newsletters before they were published. If he had, then the material in question would definitely have been removed. Ron has acknowledged that he bears responsibility because they had his name on them, but he did not write any of these passages (if you're familiar with him, the tone, wording, etc. sound nothing like him) and has totally disavowed them on numerous occasions.



His personal heroes are Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. The leader of the local NAACP chapter and other black leaders have praised him and vouched for his character. As a doctor, he provided free medical care to numerous poor people in his area, including minorities. For years, he has spoken out against the bias of our criminal justice system, which incarcerates and executes blacks at a disproportionate rate. His entire political philosophy is based on viewing people as individuals, not just as members of racial/sexual/ethnic groups.



Ron Paul is as far from being racist as you can get. If you're going to argue otherwise, you'd better have an airtight case because he has a 30-year record to back him up.

Answer 2

I don't think the letters were written by Paul, and while he has admitted *some* responsibility for them, I don't personally think it's a big deal. But I think the question being asked here is, what if he *were* responsible for the letters? Would it matter?



Of course it would!



Look, President Paul wouldn't be able to enact a racist agenda on his own. No President gets even half of what he wants (and when you have radical views like Paul, you can expect even less). But that doesn't mean the candidate's views don't matter. If you don't judge a candidate on what he would like to do, what else are you going to judge him on?



In Paul's case, I think it's a safe bet that he would abolish all anti-discrimination laws if he had his druthers. He would leave it up to the states. He wouldn't call for re-instituting Jim Crow, but he presumably wouldn't have the federal government intervene if states decided to do it on their own. Of course, none of that is based on what was said in the newsletters, but on what he's said himself, on the record.



This is all so hypothetical anyway. If Paul somehow won the nomination, those newsletters would be the least of his worries. The man thinks every social program of the 20th century is unconstitutional. By the time he gave 3-4 really tough interviews, he would be done.

Answer 3

Ron Paul voted as a representative of his district to make Martin Luther King Jr Day a holiday. This was what the people wanted, and it was fair to Black Americans , cause they are citizens too, and there already were enough whites that were represented by holidays. I never heard of state holidays. Holidays are nationwide generally.

Answer 4

The media is trying to act like those old newsletters are a big deal but they are nothing but a cheap smear against Ron Paul.



It actually works in his favor. It shows how squeaky clean his closet really is seeing as the worst thing they can find on him is that some other guy wrote semi-racist remarks 20 years ago.

Answer 5

Ron Paul opposes racism and favors policies that will benefit minorities.



◦ Ron Paul has called racism "odious."



◦ Ron Paul opposes the drug war and the death penalty, which disproportionately affect minorities



◦ The smear regarding decades-old newsletters has been investigated and dismissed; The New York Sun says Ron Paul "has never voiced views that we would call racist or anti-Semitic."



◦ President of the Austin NAACP, Nelson Linder, who has known Paul for 20 years "unequivocally dismissed charges that the Congressman was a racist in light of recent smear attempts."



DETAILS:

Racism "Odious": In his book The Revolution, Ron Paul explains that racism "is a particularly odious form of collectivism."1 He further explains that "the only way that racism can be overcome is through the philosophy of individualism, which I have promoted throughout my life."1 Therefore, Paul also goes on to say: "We should not think in terms of whites, blacks, Hispanics, and other such groups. That kind of thinking only divides us. The only us-versus-them thinking in which we might indulge is the people - all the people - versus the government."2



Opposition to Drug War and Death Penalty: "Paul's position on the drug war alone-which he has acknowledged disproportionately affects minorities-would do more for blacks in America than any proposal any of the other [2008] candidates currently has on the table. Paul has also recently rescinded his support for the federal death penalty, also due to its disproportionate impact on blacks."3



Smear Campaign Refuted: The New York Sun has addressed the newsletters in an editorial as follows: "[I]n the dozen or so conversations we've had with Dr. Paul over nearly 30 years, he has never voiced views that we would call racist or anti-Semitic. On the contrary, we have heard a tone altogether different."4 Ron Paul has said regarding the newsletters: "The quotations [from the newsletters] are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts. In fact, I have always agreed with Martin Luther King, Jr. that we should only be concerned with the content of a person's character, not the color of their skin . . . When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publically taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name."5 Many reputable journalists subsequently investigated the issue. In addition to the New York Sun editorial cited above, see also Justin Raimondo, "Why the Beltway Libertarians Are Trying to Smear Ron Paul," Takimag.com, January 18th, 2008 and Julian Sanchez & David Weigel, "Who wrote Ron Paul's newsletters?"



Austin NAACP President Dismisses charges: President of the Austin NAACP Nelson Linder, who has known Paul for twenty years, publically stated he "unequivocally dismissed charges that the Congressman was a racist in light of recent smear attempts."6 He went on to state, "Dr. Paul has . . . praised Martin Luther King as his hero on many occasions spanning back 20 years."6

Answer 6

Ron Paul is not a LIAR like the rest though All the others are FAKE & want our FREEDOMS taken away Its time 4 REAL CHANGE isnt it?

Answer 7

Okay, what's the question?



Those newsletters are fake.

He's not a racist and his actions and words prove he is not.

Answer 8

I am half black



but he is a Texan- look@ Bush with Hurricane Katrina.





Everybody knows he is racist good for him w/e



he is not ever going to be president so it doesn't bother me