17 January 2008

Panderin' Paul

You'd think this would be reported far and wide, but the media took little notice that naggingly persistent GOP candidate Ron Paul gave a speech Thursday at the infamous conservative Christian college, Bob Jones University.

Why Paul, who said just a month ago that fascism will come to this country wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross, and who is still mired in a major controversy with his newsletters containing racist garbage he claims he didn't write, would make a stop at a fundamentalist madrasah that didn't open its doors to students of all races until 1975, and banned interracial dating and marriage all the way through 2000 (after George W. Bush appeared there), is beyond comprehension.

An estimated crowd of 600 Jesusbots packed the room where Paul spoke, with hundreds more "waiting in the hallway and peering through windows" to hear the Texas Congressman, who just days ago drew more votes in the Michigan primary than Fred Thompson or Rudy Giuliani.

A campaign press release said that Paul "delivered his message of freedom, peace and prosperity" to the throng of students and faculty.

Ken Herman at the Austin American-Statesman writes that he got an earlier press release from the Paul camp that said, curiously, "It should also subtly be conveyed that Dr. Ron Paul will be the only Presidential Candidate to speak at Bob Jones University (although this fact does not translate into an endorsement in any way, shape, or form)." That's probably so because Bob Jones U.'s president previously endorsed Mitt Romney, who (despite what the Paul release says) had already made a stop at the college.

The choice of Romney is odd as well, since BJU has a history of hostility towards Mormons. A former BJU president said in 2000 that Mormonism, along with Catholicism, are "cults which call themselves Christian."

In other Paulite news, conservative "founding father" Richard Viguerie has created Ultimate Ron Paul, a website whose title brings to mind a certain celebrated site about Ninja power.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ron Paul is the candidate of the middleclass typical american who has lost their voices. May God continue to Bless Ron Pauland The Message of Freedom!

Anonymous said...

EVERYONE needs to hear Ron Pauls message
of freedom. Please keep an open mind. Ron Paul has shown himself. We know that he is a great man and those with open minds can easily understand why he does the thing s he does. As far as the continued allegations of racism goes....just about anyone with a shred of intelligence knows that those accusations and the fake documents were all an attempt to smear Ron Paul. The people behind the smear attempt could never beat him on a level playing field.

Anonymous said...

An estimated crowd of 600 Jesusbots packed the room where Paul spoke, with hundreds more "waiting in the hallway and peering through windows" to hear the Texas Congressman.

wow, maybe "jesusbots" are even ready for change.

Anonymous said...

This is a bad thing? I can't think of a better way to let 600 Jesusbots learn about our secular Constitution and the idea of limited government than to have them listen to Ron Paul speak. Too many abuses of our freedom are wrapped in fake Christianity and appeals to fundamentalism. Hopefully this will open some Jesusbot's eyes to the fact that they can be good Christians as they define that without trying to use the government to force everyone else to do the same.

P.S. It's only pandering if Paul is changing his message to suit the crowd. Does anyone have a tet of his speech?

Anonymous said...

I admire Ron Paul for speaking wherever he wants, regardless of what bloggers and our completely useless mainstream media thinks. (And just so you know, I *despise* fundamental christians.) You're completely missing the point of Ron Paul's candidacy: Ron is the "F*ck You" candidate, and if I have to hold my nose and reach across the table to take the hand of someone I despise, that's fine--as long as they're as pissed off as I am. That's all that matters now--taking back the country, by force if necessary.

Anonymous said...

Damn these antiwar candidates! Why can't they just shut up so we can concentrate on electing Hillary? We Progressive Democrats must make every effort to smear and distort the message of this antiwar Republican!

The Arm said...

Good for Ron Paul.
I don't buy the line that this is somehow "offensive" that Paul would speak there. Its about time someone got to speak to these people in a way that might talk some sense into them.

Panderin' my ass.
This guy gets shut out of the mainstream media so often that he has no choice but to go and speak whenever and wherever he gets the opportunity. I doubt he was touting a bunch of religious bullshit while he was there. He probably spoke about the same things he always speaks about. And those issues are important to everybody. Inflation and our economic system knows no religion. Nice try though.

Crinch

http://crinchpin.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

"We Progressive Democrats must make every effort to smear and distort the message of this antiwar Republican!"

I'd agree with you, but I'm a Reflexive Somnambulist.

Anonymous said...

"he has no choice but to go and speak whenever and wherever he gets the opportunity"

If Bob Jones U. is one of the few places where he can speak, it's more than just the media that's shutting him out.

And anyway, why didn't he/they allow video, and why didn't his camp release the full text of his speech there? (Maybe they have by now, haven't checked his site.)

Anonymous said...

I used to know RP when I lived in Texas, he is as bigoted as they come. When he calls himself a libertarian, he is lying. He has authoritarian and fascist tendencies.

Anonymous said...

"I used to know RP when I lived in Texas, he is as bigoted as they come."

Care to provide some anecdotes?

"When he calls himself a libertarian, he is lying."

He calls himself that? I thought he was a Republican congressmember running for the Republican nomination for president.

"He has authoritarian and fascist tendencies."

Okay, now you sound like you're reading off cue cards...

Anonymous said...

I guess slander is not above Jazz. RP has been very clear about the source of certain comments falsely attributed to him, but it's always encouraging to hear hacks repeat the allegation. It means the ideas he speaks about are scary enough to the establishment that any and all methods to silence him MUST be used. No matter what happens in November, Dr. Paul is a winner because he has awaken many Americans and freedom loving individuals to a genuine message of liberty and the principles that this Constitutional Republic was founded upon.

Anonymous said...

"I guess slander is not above Jazz. RP has been very clear about the source of certain comments falsely attributed to him, but it's always encouraging to hear hacks repeat the allegation."

Then you're a moron, because that's not what this post is about. I'm addressing his poor timing and perhaps questionable judgment in speaking at BJU... NOT the charges.

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Anonymous said...

Seems I remember people questioning Jesus about why he hung with tax collectors and sinners. You wouldn't happen to be a pharisee would you?

Anonymous said...

"Seems I remember people questioning Jesus about why he hung with tax collectors and sinners. You wouldn't happen to be a pharisee would you?"

Jesus wouldn't spend five minutes around rabid fundamentalist Christian Americans. Their fervor, judgmentalism and love of cashflow would embarrass and irritate him.

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