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How Ron Paul's Career Ended With Extremism
by Alex Birch
Like Frank and many others who are Right-oriented and just want to get on with our lives without bureaucrats making life more troublesome, I supported Ron Paul's cause for the American presidency. I still do, kind of. Ron Paul's campaign was simply amazing, but then it quickly regressed into pure conspiratorial extremism. Today only his dogmatic fans listen to what he's got to say. What happened?
Ron Paul's world view is a Conservative libertarian critique of all forms of organized authority. This led him to become a strong critic of globalism. Many of us signed up for it--who wants commerce to become a religion? The problem was that Ron Paul's grass roots gradually transformed into anti-globalists with a totally different agenda. Alex Jones became a frequent interviewer, the 9/11 Truth movement took interest in him, and Israel critics followed his campaign. If you're an alienated candidate like Ron Paul, you try to consolidate whatever agreements you have with other alienated groups. Bad idea, Ron.
Bad, because looking back in the mirror, what became of it? Conspiracy theories melted with extreme anarchism, and occasionally, anti-Semitism. His fans spammed YouTube with insane ideas about the Bush Administration planning 9/11 (since long debunked by scientists), evil capitalists plotting to take over the world and kill off millions of people (I wish), and perhaps most controversially, how all of this tied in with Israel and Jews. Maybe Half-Sigma did have a point about Ron Paul being an anti-Semite, after all.
After Ron Paul's campaign became more and more centered around these topics, it was clear that the conspiratorial element had become dominant. It alienated common people who just believed in the Constitution or wanted a thin government installed, and it drew lots of crazy young people whose only political message was that America and Israel are evil and "true" capitalism will solve all problems. Ron Paul became a symbol for marginalized extremism made mainstream. For this he probably served an important purpose, but it also was a major factor in the end of his career. Ron Paul is still one of the sanest political leaders in America right now, but due to his involvement with these groups, it's questionable whether he really would have been a better President than, say, McCain.
Don't shoot the messanger...
I don't really understand why you chose the extremism label. You're sticking Ron Paul with stuff Alex Jones fanboys said...Why can't we look into 9/11?
(9/11 is very much NOT debunked, anyone can hire an offical scientist to say whatever you want, but it doesn't make the questions go away. Besides, even if the attack went down like they said it did, it doesn't chage the fact that intelligence knew about it way ahead of time, so either way...)
Why can't we end the federal reserve? That's not anti-semitism, that's just common sense; what the hell do we WANT a tyrannical central bank for?
I read a most of his stuff and really, it's nothing like you are saying it is. And he has a lot more supporters than you'd think.
But really, go vote for some collectivist dillhole and throw away more freedom, what do I care?
Sigh
Iconoclast sez:
What a fucking joke this site has become.
Basically half-assed attacks, guilt-by-association fallacies, and joining up with "mainstream" thought in a cynical attempt to seem reasonable to misanthropic, bitter fucks.
First of all, half of this post is a guilt-by-association riddled diatribe. Maybe there is some truth in that, but association in any form doesn't mean that Paul subscribes to any of them.
Extreme anarchism? Who fucking cares if that is true or not. Beats some hippie-idealized "wisdom in hierarchy" society this site seems to advocate for.
anti-Semitism? God, what a fucking joke.
His fans all approach 9/11 conspiracy theories? Nice job taking a minority and making them a majority with a wave of the hand.
I wouldn't put it above the Bush admin. to, if anything, allow 9/11 to happen. Though who knows. The USS liberty was a false flag operation, MKULTRA really happened, and operation northwoods was on the table until JFK wouldn't go along with it. So who knows? Or cares if some of Paul's fans subscribe to such theories?
Kill off millions of people? Wouldn't shock me if that was talked about by "global elites." Hell, you talk about it, and you're a nobody in the scheme of things. Not as difficult to see the people with real power feel that way. Not that I believe it is true, but it is possible, especially since humanity enjoys playing the "pat yourself on the back" game.
OMG A PENTTI LINKOLA AD ON THE VERY LEFT HOW IRONICZ.
This blog entry was terrible. I know the political ideas on this blog suck for the most part, but you guys should be smarter than this.
Media alienated Paul from the (dumb) mainstream
'Scientists' had nothing to do with 'proving' that 911 was for real in the link you provided. The elites purposely stigmatized Paul from the televized debates & the news, which is where you need to be seen to have to appeal to simple TV-addicted mainstream voters, so that his base became extremist & Paul had to accomodate to get any votes at all. The media NEVER reported seriously on Paul since he entered the race. YOU & especially FRANK are tools & morons for missing that.
First comment validates the blog's point
Somehow it seems very appropriate that the very first sentence in the very first comment would be from a Ron Paul supporter about how 'scientists' didn't 'prove' 911 was real.
You're wrong
We reported about his poor media treatment all the time, for example here:
http://www.corrupt.org/news/the_establishment_fears_ron_paul
The question is, since you're factually incorrect: Are you incompetent, or just intellectually dishonest?
No Alex, you're wrong, incompetent or dishonest
How can you report on RP's marginalizing by the media & then months later blame his campain for degenerating into a conglomerate of conspiracy fanatics? Many RPers dont take inspiration from tv, but suffer from wild ideas while the tv-drugged mainstream from narrow ideas. RP had the best strategy possible, media image is too pervasive in the mainstream for sense to break through. That scares you. YOU KNOW it does. The Futility. Admit it scares you. Be the truth you fear, Alex
Use your head
"How can you report on RP's marginalizing by the media & then months later blame his campain for degenerating into a conglomerate of conspiracy fanatics?"
Because they are two separate things and are both true. Projecting terms like "futility" unto me doesn't change that fact.
Well
Iconoclast sez:
You're correct in this argument, neglecting the soundness of your points in the blog entry.
The anti-Semitism argument was just childish considering Paul's love of Rothbard, Friedman, and etc.
Both can't be true at the same time, Alex
If the media treated RP like a li'll retard from day 1, he never stood a chance to reach the tv-drugged mainstream but only realized it late in his campain, which explained the inevitable disproportional presence of conspiracy fans in his ranks toward the end of his campain who RP then had to pander to, just to keep their vote or be forced to drop out if he had alienated them. Futility.
over 200 unaffiliated
over 200 unaffiliated scientists/architects/physicists/engineers/planners ALL weighed in on 9/11...but still people want to side with a filmmaker who IS NOT A PHYSICIST or expert on the behavior of steel/metal under flame/fire after over an hour of burning....the very same clandestince gov/t orvganization that pulled off the biggest conspiracy in history......couldn't stop fatass michael more from making an innaccuracy laden movie about it. riiiiiight. good. wow. you guys are brilliant.