At Saturday’s Republican debate, Mitt Romney got creative with the number of jobs generated during his tenure at Bain Capital, Ron Paul called MLK a “hero” after being questioned about a newsletter of his that trashed the man as a “world-class adulterer,” and Rick Santorum told the audience that social class doesn’t exist in America. —ARK
Mother Jones:
During Saturday’s ABC News debate, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) was questioned about the many newsletters published in the 1970s and 1980s under his name that contained racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, and conspiratorial claims. One of those newsletters, published in December 1990, singled out civil rights champion Martin Luther King Jr. for a barrage of nasty rhetoric. That newsletter called King “a world-class adulterer” and went on to say the legendary civil rights leader “seduced underage girls and boys” and “replaced the evil of forced segregation with the evil of forced integration.”
Amazingly, Paul responded to the question about his racist newsletters by…praising King. Here’s what he said:
More importantly, you ought to ask me what my relationship is for racial relationships. And one of my heroes is Martin Luther King because he practiced the libertarian principle of peaceful resistance and peaceful civil disobedience, as did Rosa Parks did.
… At the debate, Paul vehemently denied writing the newsletters. “Well, it’s been explained many times, and everything’s written 20 years ago, approximately, that I did not write,” Paul said. “So concentrating on something that was written 20 years ago that I didn’t write, you know, is diverting the attention from most of the important issues.” But this denial clashes with his own past remarks. In 1996, in an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Paul took ownership of the newsletters. Instead, he blamed critics for skewing the information that appeared in those newsletters. “It’s typical political demagoguery,” he said at the time.
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By tinkdnuos, January 9, 2012 at 12:06 pm Link to this comment
I wonder if Ron Paul also admires MLK for his socialism?
No, no, probably not. But he’s glad to use him as a cover for his awkward race problem.
Report thisBy Allan Krueger, January 9, 2012 at 10:42 am Link to this comment
If I had to vote for one of the Repuglican candidates, I would rather kill myself and get it over with!
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, January 9, 2012 at 4:12 am Link to this comment
they call me the working man,
I can agree with that.
Any private corporation which recieves federal funds or bailouts owes the public.
The states are the ones who mandate and tax utility rates anyway. Taxes don’t have to be in the form of direct monetary compensation.
In the case here in Washington DC, PEPCO has made hundreds of millions of dollars and didn’t pay any federal, state or local taxes because of the lobbyists, the present status quo needs to change.
Report thisBy Robespierre115, January 8, 2012 at 11:14 pm Link to this comment
@PatrickHenry, Surfboy, if you deregulate everything and step aside, then corporations will continue monopolizing everything in sight and nobody will be able to hand out “charity” to anyone. It’s an insane, capitalist utopian idea. Paul’s basic economic philosophy simply caters to an attitude of pure selfishness, which is already what’s causing problems all over the globe.
The irony is we’re ALREADY seeing that reality happen as described in the debate by the journalist asking the question: The government is already slashing aid for people who can’t afford heating in the winter. Another irony: There is some charity going on to help them out, from Venezuela which has stepped in to help provide free heating oil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgsTsOUrBQ
Report thisBy they call me the working man, January 8, 2012 at 8:36 pm Link to this comment
As long as energy companies receive taxpayer money and/or are capable of being bailed out by taxpayers, they should be compelled by law to provide energy to citizens who can’t afford it.
Report thisBy frankdouglas, January 8, 2012 at 8:33 pm Link to this comment
The people I know who were involved directly with the
Report thiscivil rights movement and had contact with MLK said it
was understood that he was bisexual. There’s no basis
for the pedophilia charges other than slander.
Sometimes, people who are that driven to become
prominent in public institutions have massive appetites
for life. That’s why they can be so magnetic to those
seeking a leader. And, a part of life is sex.
By PatrickHenry, January 8, 2012 at 6:00 pm Link to this comment
Robespierre115
It’s not the Federal Governments responsibility to heat our homes, it takes charity to a whole new level.
Report thisBy Robespierre115, January 8, 2012 at 1:56 pm Link to this comment
The real focus on Paul should be on his answers when asked about heating programs in the winter for the poor, he basically said he would let low-income people freeze to death.
Report this