The controversy that just won't go away, a series of newsletters published by aging Texas representative Ron Paul that clearly contain racist content. They have haunted him for several years now and in spite of several denials from Ron Paul, they just won't go away.
Thanks to the efforts of the New Republic we can now view portions of several newsletters that clearly contain racist and offensive content.
Much speculation has been made over who authored such inflammatory rhetoric in the newsletters. Unconfirmed claims state that it was Murray Rothbard and Lew Rockwell who were the main authors, but Ron Paul remains mum on just who authored the newsletters bearing his name if he did not.
In an October 2001 Texas Monthly interview Paul admitted, "I could never say this in the campaign, but those words weren't really written by me. It wasn't my language at all. Other people help me with my newsletter as I travel around," but those "other people" remain hidden.
But, in 1987 he was promoting the newsletter during his failed Libertarian run for president.
Although he denies authorship of the newsletters, his signature appears on a 1993 solicitation letter that warns of a "coming race war" and is filled with paranoid ramblings on the "new money" introduced in the early 1990's.
The letter warns, "The New Money will steal our freedom and our prosperity; it will accelerate the transfer wealth and power from the people to the government and its friends" as we would be forced to exchange all money for these new bills that would be used to track our transactions and monitor us.
Other than some questionable comments on Israel, claims made by former Ron Paul senior aid Eric Dondero and the newsletter published under his name, you would be hard pressed to find any racist comments actually made by Ron Paul.
Personally, I feel the use of such racist material as a political strategy, failed or otherwise and to raise campaign funds even more offensive than actual racism.
Paul is looking more and more as just another cheap political opportunist, willing to say anything and pander to whatever group he feels will help propel him forward. We can see that in his long held stance of being against earmarks, but packing more earmarks onto bills than any other Republican in congress. That he then votes against them, knowing the bill will pass anyway is an old political trick, allowing him to divert federal dollars to keep buying votes while claiming he opposes them.
Ron Paul has long showed he is not suited to hold any office higher than he now has. It matters not exactly who authored the racist newsletters as they appear to have only been a poorly designed political strategy of pandering to fringe groups in hopes of building political power.
It also accounts for why they will forever haunt him as long as he strives to be elected to the presidency.
No, it is doubtful Ron Paul is actually a racist. But, he is not fit to be president either. The newsletters that continue to haunt him only reveal his willingness to pander and say what he thinks people wish to hear.
I too believe that beside being racist , Ron won't be a great President.
Ron Paul would be a disaster.