Presidential candidates’ standing in polls undergoes another change as ‘fringe’ candidate Paul rises
Ron Paul
For entertainment’s sake, it just doesn’t get any better than watching Republican candidates vying for the 2012 presidential nomination give it their all — or lack of it — for a national TV audience.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who is now polling as a frontrunner in Iowa and New Hampshire, is the most recent to take center stage after months of sharing his political views on the sidelines and being dismissed as a “fringe” candidate by the political establishment and the national media.
Judging from his appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation broadcast Sunday, Nov. 20, he intends to make the most of it.
TV news host Bob Schieffer often showed signs of exasperation as he struggled to get in the last word during the interview with the controversial candidate.
After the broadcast it was clear Paul, who is known as the “intellectual godfather” of the Tea Party movement, had burst out of the “media blackout” his campaign flacks claim has thwarted him since he entered the race in May.
While his fellow Texas presidential candidate — Gov. Rick Perry — might often be at a loss for words, that’s obviously not the case with Paul, who lobbed the ball back to Schieffer every time it came flying at him.
In the process, Paul probably left most federal employees — especially career bureaucrats and military brass — a bit shaken now that he is rising in the polls.
Paul’s most controversial theory focused on the reason he believes Al Qaeda attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. He claimed it occurred because of the influence of “flawed” U.S. foreign policy on other nations, and he placed the blame on U.S. “policy makers.”
The nation’s 12,000 diplomats should be put to work in improving relations with countries like Iran rather than trying to scare other countries’ leaders into submission, said Paul, who is a medical doctor in addition to being a politician. Sanctions against other countries are a
David Webb The Rare Reporter
bad idea because they are a preamble to war, he said.
In connection with his peaceful approach to foreign affairs, Paul said if he were elected president, he would close the 900 military bases the U.S. now operates in 130 countries and bring the troops home to protect the country. Because the U.S. is “bankrupt,” Paul said he also would shut down several federal agencies, including the departments of energy, education, interior, commerce, HUD and FEMA.
On top of that, Paul said he wants to reduce the federal workforce across the board by 10 percent.
Clearly, Paul has thought his proposal through more carefully than Gov. Perry, who near-fatally embarrassed himself in a recent debate, because the congressman can remember the names of all the agencies he wants to close.
But what on earth is going to happen to all of those federal employees when they are put out of work, and what is to become of the programs they administer?
This can’t be a popular idea with federal employees, who make up the largest workforce in the U.S., and members of the U.S. Armed Services.
When you add in all of the relatives and friends of people who are on the federal payroll, it’s possible that Paul’s numbers are going to fall as fast as they suddenly rose.
The latest financial reports for campaign contributions show large numbers of federal employees supporting him, but those reports reflect the period ending Sept. 30. He unveiled his plan to streamline the federal government Oct. 17. It’s possible federal employees will be giving the stability of their jobs a second thought, “progressive” layoff plan or not
Paul’s stand on LGBT issues didn’t come up during the interview, but they wouldn’t appeal to anyone who considers advancement of them critical in voting for a presidential candidate, according to his past statements about marriage equality.
Paul is opposed to legalization of same-sex marriage, and he supports the Defense of Marriage Act.
In contrast, Paul opposes a constitutional amendment to protect the current definition of marriage, but that is likely based on a widespread belief that the document should be inviolate.
He did support the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” so he has gained some LGBT voter support.
On other progressive issues, Paul’s views are similarly divergent.
With a medical background in gynecology, he is pro-life and opposed to abortions, yet he supports home-schooling and the legalization and regulation of marijuana and other drugs.
At this point, the most recent national poll by USA Today/Gallup is showing that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, at 20 percent and 19 percent respectively, are tied for the top spot in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
They are trailed by businessman Herman Cain at 16 percent, Paul at 10 percent, Perry at 8 percent, Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann at 5 percent and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at 1 percent each. And with the exception of Paul, they are all virulently anti-LGBT.
Of course, those figures could go absolutely anywhere during the next year.
Perry and Bachmann were once frontrunners, and Gingrich has seen his fortunes rise, fall and rise again since he announced his candidacy.
Allegations of past sexual harassment will likely bring down Cain, and Gingrich’s past association as a highly-paid “consultant” for federal housing agencies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will likely prove to be his undoing.
Romney’s numbers have remained more stable than the other candidates, and he seems to carry less baggage. That has led many to speculate that the former Massachusetts governor will eventually wind up with the nomination.
But for now it’s Paul’s turn in the spotlight, and that’s likely to make for some pretty intriguing debates when the seven candidates get on stage together in the coming days as the media pays more attention to the Texas congressman.
It will be interesting to see if they remember their goal is to prevent President Obama’s re-election or if they succumb to another dogfight. •
David Webb is a veteran journalist who has covered LGBT issues for three decades.
E-mail him at davidwaynewebb@yahoo.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition November 25, 2011.
Government employees give more money to him than to any other??.
Ron Paul Reaps Big Donations From Federal Workers …Bloomberg
Paul, a U.S. representative from Texas who has said he’ll cut $1 trillion in his first year in office, leads in donations from federal employees, with $95,085 through Sept. 30. That is more than four times the $23,000 federal employees gave to Mitt Romney.
…Those working for the U.S. Army and Air Force, including active-duty personnel, gave more money to Paul than any other candidate, according to FEC data compiled by Bloomberg. They donated $42,378 to Paul, $26,429 to Obama and $5,400 to Romney.
My mind’s a blank…
Ron Paul is the only candidate that is pro-peace, pro-freedom and anti-bailouts. All the other candidates are bailout-the-banksters, neocon war-mongers that will start an unjust and expensive war with Iran on day one. They will act in immoral and dangerous ways. If Ron Paul isn’t elected, we’re in more trouble than we can handle.
I actually enjoyed your article. It’s nice to see a fairly unbaised article. So thank you. There is one thing though. A few of your facts are off & could use further clairification on your part. Have a good one.
“their goal is to prevent President Obama’s re-election” That is no goal. Obama is a good neo-con president. He is just as anti-constitution as Gingrich, Perry and Cain. Sure, he uses “left” rhetoic and they use “right” rhetoric, but the reality is that “left” bombs and “right” bombs kill the same number of innocent civilians and make the same profit for the investors in the war-to-end-all-peace. Ron Paul’s goal is to restore the Constitution and all its benefits. I’m writing him in if necessary. So shoot me, GOP. I don’t care any more.
criminal controlled media
now propping up
Newton Leroy Gingrich
parrot puppet
Ron Paul ADDRESSED the issue of federal employees (who would be laid off progressively, not all immediately, as he often stated) and armed services personnel returning into the workforce by pointing out the same thing happening after WW2.
TEN MILLION servicemen and women returned to the workforce at that time. Spending was slashed, taxes were slashed and…well, didn’t we get some sort of “boom” thereafter? You know, the one that created the BABY-BOOMER generation? No? Nothing? Our own History in this EXACT SITUATION doesn’t serve as a template?
Maybe Mr. Webb should look into that…
Ron Paul is the most decisive, authoritative, and substantive conservative candidate on the crucial national security issues facing our nation. Americans have always rooted for the heroic underdog, the principled David facing down Goliath. By standing out from the pack of neocon clone candidates in the recent CNN National Security Debate co-sponsored by the Beltway’s two leading neocon organizations, the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, Ron Paul once again proved his forthright courage, his dedication to first principles and to the United States Constitution and the rule of law.
Never forget that these were same duplicitous neocons that beat the propaganda war drums of “weapons of mass destruction” in the failed war in Iraq. Many of the neocon questioners cowering in the audience (such as Paul Wolfowitz) were the very same Bush administration neocons who orchestrated and lied to the American people about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ron Paul is our Cicero, our defender of the republic, a statesman of unblemished character and principled judgment. The twelve-term congressman has for decades courageously spoken out for a conservative foreign policy based upon a strong national defense of the essential core principles of liberty and justice as established by the Framers, a defense of the territorial integrity of the United States and its national borders. Peace, prudential diplomacy, international trade and commerce, and the free exchange of ideas are the key elements to a Constitutional foreign policy. Only by setting an exemplary example to the world will the United States of America once again become “the exceptional nation,” that “shining city upon a hill.”
Ron Paul is first and foremost a realist. America is financially bankrupt due to decades of reckless fiscal and monetary policies pursued by the Fed, the Congress, and the Executive branch of the state. Paul’s measured conservative program of strategic disengagement from the unconstitutional pre-emptive wars of the past decade, coupled with a serious analytical reassessment of the imperial over-reach of 900 military bases in 130 nations, is the only wise course dictated by this unsustainable debt situation.
So many errors in this article I could write a longer one with facts disputing almost everything proported. But if this article is what is used to get a view of what Ron Paul is about, you shouldn’t vote anyway because you are just too dang lazy and don’t deserve Paul as president.
“But what on earth is going to happen to all of those federal employees when they are put out of work, and what is to become of the programs they administer?
This can’t be a popular idea with federal employees, who make up the largest workforce in the U.S., and members of the U.S. Armed Services.”
Not so. Ron Paul receives more donations from members of the military than any other candidate. He’s also up there for contributions from federal workers. (See link below.)
Additionally, many of those federal workers and military personnel would still be needed. It’s the management that would change. Take for instance national parks; non-profit conservation trusts could far more effectively manage our national treasures than the DOI, which currently spends more on national and regional offices and bureaucracy than it does to administer the 56 national parks (by name) in the system. They’ll still need rangers to range the parks.
The point is that many of those jobs would still be needed. Think about it this way: If government at all levels gave up its public school monopoly, teachers would still be needed. Bureaucrats and administrators, however…they might have to get real jobs. (NYC schools have 6,000 bureaucrats in the central office; Catholic schools educate one-fifth as many students as do government schools and have only 26 administrators.)
Thank you for your post and for allowing comments.
Here’s the link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ron-paul-reaps-big-donations-from-federal-workers-video/2011/11/22/gIQAaNaxlN_video.html
As for LGBT and gay marriage, Ron Paul and libertarians in general believe that government has no authority in what has been, for most of human history, a matter of religion. The state confers benefits on people, but everyone has the right to get married if they can find a church willing to do so. I wish I had never gotten a state marriage license. It’s caused me so much financial trouble, including higher taxes than I would have paid just shacking up. Get government out of religion, marriage, bedrooms, and wallets.
Ron Paul’s answer on gay marriage should be very pleasing for the gay community. Watch is answer in this debate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXrjzoBhYjQ
While he personally believes marriage is between a man and a woman, he also thinks it should be up to your church to decide whether or not you can be married. As long as you don’t impose your definition of marriage on his church, you should be free to do what you want.
This is a very decent article. I am grateful to see a journalist from the LGBT community take a relatively unbiased view toward Paul. However I must agree with many of the other commenters, it was a pretty big story a few days ago about Paul getting more donations from federal workers than all the other GOP candidates combined, if for nothing else because it seemed so counter-intuitive. And active-duty military donations are also another point I invite you to read about. Paul has raised more money from them than all other GOP candidates combined, and at least as of the second quarter, more than Obama.
But other than these two points, this is a very good article. Thank you for it!
You must be reading different polls, because Ron has faired much better than 10 percent of late.
As was already mentioned, Ron gets more support from active military than all other GOP contenders combined and more than Obama.
As to your “other” federal employees, maybe it would do some of them a real service to let them work in the private market and see what kind of productivity really drives a successful nation.
As to your marriage claims, you didn’t give a fair assessment. Ron clearly stated that he feels the government should not be involved in marriage at all, that the only reason they are is for taxation purposes and since he is anti-tax, anti-IRS and anti-Federal Reserve, it’s clear that he is not at all pushing against gay marriage, in fact he has a traditional conservative stance of steering clear from people’s personal lives altogether. Truthfully, for my gay friends, I’d say Ron Paul is probably the best bet to make the gay marriage issue disappear altogether. If tax issues and passing on assets are no longer a problem….then the “legality” of marriage whether straight or gay is not much of a big deal….it comes down to the commitment between two partners and the particular church or minister they wish to have marry them.
Nevermind the fact Paul recieves more campaign donations from federal employees and military service men/ women that makes this reporter look like an ape trying to wipe his ass with basketball it’s the blatant stupidity that we all don’t already know Dr. Paul’s “shocking” positions that stand for freedom, liberty and the constitutions. yea, he’s our man.
With so many comments coming so soon after my column’s publication (was that planned?), it seems appropriate to add a little bit to the dialogue.
Ron Paul unveiled his plan to streamline the federal government Oct. 17 while financial reports for campaign contributions reflecting wide support among federal employees ended Sept. 30. Perhaps, federal employees might be a little more concerned about the stability of their jobs now, progressive layoffs or not.
There’s no way Ron Paul could be viewed as an advocate for marriage equality, but he is less offensive about it than most Republican politicians.
As for the introduction of military personnel into the workforce after World War II, they were largely reclaiming jobs taken over by women when they went overseas. There also was a great need for consumer goods such as automobiles, automobile parts, household goods, etc., that had been sacrificed during the war years. Things have changed a lot in 60 years.
In the end this is an opinion piece, not a news story. i enjoy listening to all of the candidates, but I find Ron Paul a little more interesting than the others. I’m not sure I would vote for him, seeing as how the election is a year away. But he definitely makes the debate more intriguing.
David, you’re missing the point on marriage equality. Marriage is a religious institution hijacked by government. Getting government out of religion will insure marriage equality for all. I personally don’t care who marries whom, whether it’s gay, polygamy, whatever. Government does, though, and that should concern you. As long as 51% of the population can tell 49% of the population how they can live their lives, whom they can marry, and so on, marriage “equality” will be a concern.
As for Ron Paul’s plan to cut a trillion dollars, he has ALWAYS advocated eliminating federal departments deemed unnecessary, unconstitutional, or both, and he has ALWAYS advocated bringing our troops home and shutting down our hundreds of bases in hundreds of foreign countries. This is not news to his financial supporters in the military or in the federal government.
The fringe mainstream media doesn’t know what to do with themselves. They really can’t smear Ron Paul with many facts, so they continue on like a broken record with, “fringe” and “unelectable”. They called Reagan that too. If you want Washington Bureaucrats to push their agenda on you, then vote for someone else. If you want more freedom and businesses to boom again, then vote for Ron Paul. Ron Paul stands out because he doesn’t have to rehearse his answers and pander to anyone. He is the Champion of the Constitution.
David, I don’t know why we get this “planned” thing all the time. We are simply individuals that are very active in the support of Ron Paul. The only planning is when there is an online poll. That consists of emailing and alterting each other through various meetup groups and facebook. Of course, all the other campaigns do the exact same thing! Your article was pretty interesting and pretty fair. I would only note that those federal government employees that have donated to his campaign were well aware of his stance on the issues before they donated. Would you donate your hard earned money to a candidate without learning his positions first? His positions have been published and known for 30 years or more. Please look up some articles on this and you will find many governement employees commenting on why they support Ron Paul. As to campaign donations in general, see opensecrets.org. As conservatives that are tired of the bail-outs, we cannot support a candidate like Romney that gets the majority of his contributions from wall street types. Ron Paul’s philosophy about government and where he comes down on certain issues may seem strange to some. But once you realize that defending the constitution is his paramount objective, you can figure out his position on many things without even looking it up. As to gay and lesbian marriage, his personal beliefs aside, he feels it is none of the governments business. The so called Left and the so called Right want to force there opionion on everyone through the federal government. Ron Paul takes the view that this is not a federal issue, but one for the states and especially the churches and synagogues to handle. Doesn’t that make sense? Thanks again for a pretty thoughful post.
Obama = Romney = Perry = Cain = Gingrich = different puppets, same deceitful/ traitorous Federal Reserve/Bankster masters.
Gingrich = endless wives, $1.8-Million Freddie-mac bribe, commie Gingrichcare, 3rd world amnesty/welfare, $16-Trillion/bailouts, endless wars/empire.
Cain = Kansas Federal Reserve thug, “Libya swirls in my head”, unauthorized finger in panties, $16-Trillion/Bailouts, endless wars/empire.
Romney = commie Romneycare, racist quotas, $16-Trillion/bailouts, abortion, gun control, endless wars/empire, campaign funding by Banksters.
Perry = Gardasil for little girls, free health/ education/house/food/amnesty for 3rd world invaders, “niggerhead” on farm, “oops, whats the 3rd one?”, “Bank-of-America helping him out”, endless wars/empire.
End the wars/empire, end the federal reserve/IMF/World Bank/BIS/UN/WTO, end racist quotas/unconstitutional departments, end TSA/DHS/ADL/SPLC and other Orwellian crime syndicates.
Ron Paul will restore sound money, strong national defense, liberty, free enterprise, local government, strong traditional families, Western Civilization.