you're a thief!
and the proof is that some other guy's sister's friend's cousin in a neighboring county probably stole something, maybeI'm ready and willing to hear the argument that Ron Paul is a bigot and a nutjob, or whatever else. But maybe someone who wants to make that argument could actually, you know, make that argument. Meanwhile, we have these kinds of bizarre rhetorical curveballs, hosted by a generally smart and sane blogger-journalist:
But does Paul's ideology represent something more sinister — or crazy? I think Neiwert is right to raise these issues and parse Paul's speeches and legislative record. And it's not the first time issues like this have been raised over an affable, principled, fringe conservative. The late Washington Rep. Jack Metcalf of Whidbey Island shared many of Paul's beliefs regarding the Federal Reserve, the UN, etc. Metcalf once demanded that his state legislative salary be paid in coin because paper money wasn't mentioned in the Constitution. Metcalf was also widely criticized for speaking to groups with racist and extremist agendas, and he had to answer for his father's onetime membership in the pro-fascist Silver Shirts, a group run by a fan of Adolph Hitler.Ron Paul is nuts, because Jack Metcalf's dad was in an organization run by a fascist. Bam! Case closed! A direct line of evidence linking Ron Paul and Adolf Hitler himself!
Elsewhere, we have a report from a Jewish journalist who called Paul's campaign, couldn't get the candidate on the phone...and concludes, calmly and reasonably, that this is clear and final evidence of the fact that Ron Paul will not as a matter of principle speak on the telephone with all Jews.
What the fuck? Have people been taking lessons from Michelle Malkin?
This is the source of my opinion about Ron Paul. I don't get where Jack Metcalf's dad comes into the picture.
ADDED LATER:
Meanwhile, here we have "Obama's Muslim Ties." That are rumored. Fucking assholes.
posted by Chris Bray @ 6:26 PM
6 Comments:
I don't think you're being entirely fair to Neiwert (especially since the quote you pull is from someone else): nowhere that I can recall does he say that Paul is a bigot -- though nutjob is probably a fair description -- but that he has long-standing, carefully managed, deliberate and substantial ties to bigots.
Paul has "ties to" bigots. Obama has ties to radical Islam -- his stepfather attended a mosque! Duncan Black has ties to George Soros!
Sooooo very not interesting. I'd like to see Ron Paul's bigoted statements, racist legislation, deliberate acts of racial exclusion in his social life or medical practice or legislative office, etc., as evidence. The "ties to" game is infinitely malleable.
To put it another way, let's say you had to choose between having a president who...
1.) ...has never spoken to a group of yahoos, has no ties to any Bircher types, has no fans among the Idaho militias, and strongly supports the Military Commissions Act, the suspension of habeas corpus for non-citizens, extraordinary rendition, waterboarding, an attack on Iran, more war in Iraq, detention without charges for years on end in places like Guantanamo and secret CIA-run prisons in Iraq, and so on, or...
2.) ...a president who has big fans in the Idaho militias and the John Birch Society, but won't allow the government to kidnap and torture people who seem a little Muslimy? And won't attack Iran, and etc.
We're years deep into a barely restrained garrison state, with state security officers sucking up Internet traffic in data collection rooms at the phone company, kidnapping and torturing people, and retrofitting the B-2 to carry bunker busters, and we're talking about, well, I don't know, this guy digs the gold standard...
So instead we'll end up with some much more glib and careful politician, and more state torture. Great.
Oy -- I should really read the comments before I hit "post." Typing in a hurry, sorry. I apologize to the English language.
I still think you're being unfair to Neiwert's analysis (though your latest post suggests that you're being fairer), but I will say that Neiwert isn't doing a terribly good job of distinguishing between ordinary libertarianism (into which category the goldbug stuff falls) and "Jewish Bankers are Behind Everything"ists (which category Paul very carefully avoids without, it must be said, ticking off those people who do fall into it).
That's a good way to say it.
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