Based on his record of speeches, books, and policies, I trust that Ron Paul himself did not pen the unconscionable and inflammatory words of the newsletters bearing his name. However, people who are not familiar with Dr. Paul's long record will not be able to evaluate this story as we have.
Since this has been rekindled in the news in light of his emergence as a front-runner, I have been following the news carefully to see how the campaign handles this potentially disastrous story. Here is an example from CBS: "Asked by CBS News and National Journal if the newsletters are fair game on Tuesday, Paul responded, 'I don't know whether fair is the right word. I mean, it's politics,' he continued. 'Nobody talked about it for 20 years until they found out that the message of liberty was making progress. And everybody knows I didn't write them, and it's not my sentiment, so it's sort of politics as usual.'"
He needs to go further.
1) Admit that it was *wrong to lie*, for the sake of convenience, about authorship in 1996. It was bad advice from his campaign managers, and he should have just told the truth.
2) Admit that while he was very busy, it was wrong to publish a newsletter without personally reviewing the content. If he didn't have time to read the articles, then he shouldn't have published them. I think this is especially important in light of the Eric Holder news, where Holder claims that he didn't know about Fast and Furious, while GOP candidates have taken the position that it is irrelevant whether he knew about it - because he *should* have known. If you are a leader of any kind - Attorney General, CEO, Congressman, etc. - "The buck stops here."
3) After taking full responsibility with points (1) and (2), he should clearly highlight his record for people who don't know. He should say that, as he recently pointed out in a debate, the one place where racism still exists is in the Judiciary, and that the War on Drugs, which he is pushing to end, has been discriminating against people of color. And he voted to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
That's what people want: an explanation, and a sincere apology where due. I really hope somebody in the campaign will see this, because I am very worried that inaction or half-action will irrevocably damage the campaign.
Since this has been rekindled in the news in light of his emergence as a front-runner, I have been following the news carefully to see how the campaign handles this potentially disastrous story. Here is an example from CBS: "Asked by CBS News and National Journal if the newsletters are fair game on Tuesday, Paul responded, 'I don't know whether fair is the right word. I mean, it's politics,' he continued. 'Nobody talked about it for 20 years until they found out that the message of liberty was making progress. And everybody knows I didn't write them, and it's not my sentiment, so it's sort of politics as usual.'"
He needs to go further.
1) Admit that it was *wrong to lie*, for the sake of convenience, about authorship in 1996. It was bad advice from his campaign managers, and he should have just told the truth.
2) Admit that while he was very busy, it was wrong to publish a newsletter without personally reviewing the content. If he didn't have time to read the articles, then he shouldn't have published them. I think this is especially important in light of the Eric Holder news, where Holder claims that he didn't know about Fast and Furious, while GOP candidates have taken the position that it is irrelevant whether he knew about it - because he *should* have known. If you are a leader of any kind - Attorney General, CEO, Congressman, etc. - "The buck stops here."
3) After taking full responsibility with points (1) and (2), he should clearly highlight his record for people who don't know. He should say that, as he recently pointed out in a debate, the one place where racism still exists is in the Judiciary, and that the War on Drugs, which he is pushing to end, has been discriminating against people of color. And he voted to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
That's what people want: an explanation, and a sincere apology where due. I really hope somebody in the campaign will see this, because I am very worried that inaction or half-action will irrevocably damage the campaign.
