Pajamas Media Repeats and Magnifies Story

[MrX]

http://pajamasmedia.com/2008/01/ron_paul.php

A damning New Republic expose on Ron Paul shows the “libertarian” Republican candidate to be a racist, a homophobe and an anti-Semite. Will his diehard supporters continue to defend a man who called Martin Luther King a gay pedophile? Daniel Koffler, a former Paul sympathizer, has a compendium of the Texas congressman’s creepiest hits, pulled straight from his decades-old newsletter.


by Daniel Koffler

James Kirchick of the New Republic has a devastating piece on Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) online today on the TNR website. Kirchick provides a meticulously detailed history of the “Ron Paul Political Report,” a newsletter Paul had circulated to a network of some 7,000 subscribers from the late 80s and early 90s.

As Kirchick reports—whether describing post-apartheid South Africa as a “destruction of civilization,” alleging that Martin Luther King “seduced underage girls and boys,” warning of “tens of thousands of well-placed friends of Israel in all countries who are willing to wok [sic] for the Mossad in their area of expertise,” or urging white readers to arm themselves after “the first skirmish in the race war of the 1990s,”—virtually every historic trope of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-gay bigotry, or conspiracy theorizing featured in the “Ron Paul Political Report” in one way or another. For his part, Paul has alternately acknowledged writing some of the material that went out under his name, only to deny authorship when confronted with the most disturbing details. In any case, Paul has taken “moral responsibility” for the contents of the “Ron Paul Political Report.” What follows is a quick digest of some of his greatest, which is to say most disgraceful, hits.

I might add, on a personal note, that as a libertarian with significant sympathy for Paul’s platform, I initially viewed claims of his past history of racism skeptically. But the evidence is so overwhelming that the defense of Paul is now, itself, indefensible.

 

[american2]

Everyone visit the page now, and attempt to shut down their server before it spreads....

 

[itshappening]

where is the campaign? 40 minutes and nothing from them, issue an immediate statement campaign , call them and ask for an immediate statement

 

[i2ambler]

This is all a little too much.. I certainly dont want to be seen as a racist, or supporting a racist. Anyone who thinks this is all going to be 'debunked' is a fool. This far worse than anyone would have imagined.. Im quite certain this will be all over FOX by tonight... nice timing, wouldnt you say? Its too bad they didnt include any actual page numbers, pictures of the newsletters.. and new republic is known for its slander. However, that wont really matter.. I could be scared to get a freaking brick through my car window if i keep my RP bumperstickers.

 

[allyinoh]

Well DRUDGEREPORT has is top of page, left side in BRIGHT RED lettering!

 

[AAjax]

This is all a little too much.. I certainly dont want to be seen as a racist, or supporting a racist. Anyone who thinks this is all going to be 'debunked' is a fool. This far worse than anyone would have imagined.. Im quite certain this will be all over FOX by tonight... nice timing, wouldnt you say? Its too bad they didnt include any actual page numbers, pictures of the newsletters.. and new republic is known for its slander. However, that wont really matter.. I could be scared to get a freaking brick through my car window if i keep my RP bumperstickers.

Calm down, did you think they would make this easy for us? Did you think they wouldnt time their attack for the most effect?

In a manner of speaking we are at war with the status quo, they will do anything.

Expect it

 

[Talldude1412]

IF the campaign says nothing, we are done. Period. This cannot go unchallenged.

 

[i2ambler]

IF the campaign says nothing, we are done. Period. This cannot go unchallenged.

What are they going to say? Yes, Ron Paul was stupid enough to publish newsletters with his name upon it that had a history of being insanely racist. But, he never knew about the racism rants, he never read it. Yeah.. that sounds greeeeeeat. The campaign can come back to say "We challenge you to provide hard proof of this" then, when/if they submit photocopies of the newsletters - we are done.

 

[Vaughn]

This is all a little too much.. I certainly dont want to be seen as a racist, or supporting a racist. Anyone who thinks this is all going to be 'debunked' is a fool. This far worse than anyone would have imagined.. Im quite certain this will be all over FOX by tonight... nice timing, wouldnt you say? Its too bad they didnt include any actual page numbers, pictures of the newsletters.. and new republic is known for its slander. However, that wont really matter.. I could be scared to get a freaking brick through my car window if i keep my RP bumperstickers.

Thats what they hope for, that all Ron Paul supporters will take down their yard signs. Labeling someone a racist is the kiss of death in politics, happened to Pat Buchanan and it is happening to us. I just cannot believe that the campaign has NO RESPONSE! Where the hell are they, these allegations can be easily refuted... yet they stay silent. dont they realize silence indicates guilt?!?!

It is pathetic...

 

[Bradley in DC]

More damning is the truth about the author
http://gays-for-ron.blogspot.com/2008/01/jamie-kirchick-i-dont-think-ron-paul-is.html

and the attempt to smear an institute as anti-Semetic named after the Jewish Ludwig von Mises.

 

[Talldude1412]

What are they going to say? Yes, Ron Paul was stupid enough to publish newsletters with his name upon it that had a history of being insanely racist. But, he never knew about the racism rants, he never read it. Yeah.. that sounds greeeeeeat. The campaign can come back to say "We challenge you to provide hard proof of this" then, when/if they submit photocopies of the newsletters - we are done.

They have to address it regardless.

 

[Vaughn]

What are they going to say? Yes, Ron Paul was stupid enough to publish newsletters with his name upon it that had a history of being insanely racist. But, he never knew about the racism rants, he never read it. Yeah.. that sounds greeeeeeat. The campaign can come back to say "We challenge you to provide hard proof of this" then, when/if they submit photocopies of the newsletters - we are done.

Well what they could say is that Paul is one of the few who argued against the war on drugs because it was unconstitutional and it discriminated against African Americans-just look at the clip on Morton Downey, that does not sound like a racist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88REf0tjZHo

Also Paul has said in past interviews (for instance the Google interview) that he supports the rights of individuals (gay or straight) to get married. Stating stuff like this would totally debunk the attacks. He needs to show that he is the tolerant candidate. At the same time the campaign has to attack TNR credibility.

 

[anotherone]

This is all a little too much.. I certainly dont want to be seen as a racist, or supporting a racist. Anyone who thinks this is all going to be 'debunked' is a fool. This far worse than anyone would have imagined.. Im quite certain this will be all over FOX by tonight... nice timing, wouldnt you say? Its too bad they didnt include any actual page numbers, pictures of the newsletters.. and new republic is known for its slander. However, that wont really matter.. I could be scared to get a freaking brick through my car window if i keep my RP bumperstickers.

We can't drop our support, hours after a smear job begins.

Everyone should stay with Ron on this. These allegations have been previously analyzed by the New York Times - they decided there was no substance.

 

[i2ambler]

Thats what they hope for, that all Ron Paul supporters will take down their yard signs. Labeling someone a racist is the kiss of death in politics, happened to Pat Buchanan and it is happening to us. I just cannot believe that the campaign has NO RESPONSE! Where the hell are they, these allegations can be easily refuted... yet they stay silent. dont they realize silence indicates guilt?!?!

It is pathetic...

Can they be easily refuted? You have a newsletter in your name and it is published once a month. In (what sounds like) serveral editions of this newsletter there are a shitload of racist tirades. How exactly do you dispute it? Say "I never read the newsletter" ? Or do you come out and just sue the shit out of new republic?

 

[Talldude1412]

Can they be easily refuted? You have a newsletter in your name and it is published once a month. In (what sounds like) serveral editions of this newsletter there are a shitload of racist tirades. How exactly do you dispute it? Say "I never read the newsletter" ? Or do you come out and just sue the shit out of new republic?

New York Times seemed to think it held little water.

 

[LinearChaos]

this smear is new and interesting... this was tried before, it is in his wikipedia article.

 

[i2ambler]

New York Times seemed to think it held little water.

I dont think there was as much information available at the time.. unless this New Republic guy added his own new "quotes" .. I would however, like the original writer of the articles to come forward and apologize for using Dr. Paul's name to promote his own hateful ideas. Obviously this was an opinion piece.. as this author hates RP because of the fact that he stands behind not allowing israel to continue being a 51st state w/o having to pay taxes..

 

[Granat]

New York Times seemed to think it held little water.

Link?

 

[Adam Smith]

I think it's intellectually dishonest of Pajamas Media to run this story!!!

They themselves have written damning articles about New Republic's lack of journalistic integrity for publishing phony Iraq War stories.

Go google Scott Beauchamp Pajamas Media.

 

[korch]

The Pajamas story links the original document.

Click the link and read it--seriously. Basically an essay on the post-Rodney King verdict riots.

http://www.nizkor.org/ftp.cgi/people/g/ftp.py?people/g/gannon.dan/1992/gannon.0793

Actually not a bad story and very representative of opinion pieces written in conservative circles at the time. It then goes into how this is a byproduct of the welfare state.

Goes to show how taking a few quotes and jumbling them can be used to form a hit piece. The other quotes on the Pajamas site aren't bad at all--although they are somehow supposed to be conspiratorial and anti-semitic. Beats me on how though. And I'd love to read those full articles too.

This is a true hit piece, and frankly, even if Ron did write it, I wouldn't care. I read dozens of articles just like it during the same period. It's not even remotely racist. All it does is address the panderings of the Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton crowd and how they affect policy. It may be harsh at points, but the truth often is.

Also, despite my low post count, I've been on various boards (mostly sports) a long time, and there are change agents at work in these forums right now sowing discord. Keep an eye open for them, they're not hard to spot.