bpwallace49 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Tea party godfather Ron Paul running for president AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Rep. Ron Paul announced Friday that he will run for the GOP nomination for president in 2012, the third attempt for the man known on Capitol Hill as "Dr. No" for his enthusiasm for bashing runaway spending and government overreach. "Time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I've been saying for 30 years. So, I think the time is right," said the 75-year-old Paul, who first ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988. Paul made his announcement in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" from New Hampshire, where he planned his first event for his presidential campaign on Friday. Three years ago, the former flight surgeon and outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve became an Internet sensation — and a prodigious fundraiser_ when he made a spirited but doomed bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. First elected to Congress in 1976, he is known for holding unconventional views while keeping a smile on his face, espousing a sort of modern Republican populism. [ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ] The obstetrician has delivered more than 4,000 babies and is personally against abortion, but he doesn't think the federal government should regulate it. That's a function of state government, he says. He has also said he wants to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, favors returning the United States to the gold standard in monetary policy and wants the U.S out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats have tried repeatedly to beat him in a congressional district that stretches from the outskirts of Corpus Christi to Galveston. But the independent swath of coastal Texas seems a good fit for the maverick doctor. He has 18 grandchildren, according to his website, and he and his wife of 54 years, Carol, are known widely in Paul's district for the cookbooks they give away to supporters. "The secret to his success is his authenticity," said Democratic consultant Jeff Crosby, who grew up in Paul's district. "He's an authentic nut." Crosby, who worked to defeat Paul in 2006 — unsuccessfully — described the difficulty he had trying to persuade voters to reject what he thought were the candidate's radical views. "Just the mere fact that he does what he says he's going to do, regardless of how nutty or ineffective it may be, they like it," Crosby said. "A lot of folks along the coast have never expected much from government, and they're getting it." Paul, a native of Pittsburgh, is both a spiritual father and actual father in the tea party movement. His son, tea party darling Rand Paul, won a Senate seat in Kentucky last year and has become an ardent proponent of spending cuts and smaller government. As far back as 2007, long before people were evoking the fabled Boston Tea Party to symbolize their disgust with an overtaxing central government, Ron Paul was hosting a "Tea Party Fundraiser" aboard a shrimp boat near Galveston. Organizer and Paul campaign volunteer Elizabeth Day remembers that supporters wore period dress and rolled fake barrels of tea into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. "When people come to believe in Ron Paul, there is a passion that burns within us," said Day, a 57-year-old oil company revenue analyst. "To me, Ron Paul is the tea party." The elder Paul has built coalitions that include senior citizen "granny warriors" and pot-smoking libertarians. During his 1988 presidential run, High Times magazine, which caters to Josh Gordon users, published a cover story under the headline, "Ron Paul: Pro-Pot Presidential Candidate." Paul has expressed the view that the states, not the federal government, should regulate vices like pornography and drugs. What sets Paul apart most from his GOP brethren are his views that defense spending needs to shrink and that the U.S. should get out of its two wars. Paul says the conflicts are financially unsustainable — and another drag on a battered U.S. dollar that he believes is on the verge of collapse. He also disputes a fundamental underpinning of the war in Iraq, namely that Islamic terrorists must be stopped overseas before they can attack the United States. "They came over here because we were over there," Paul said in the run-up to the 2008 campaign. "We occupy their territory. It would be like if the Chinese had their navy in the Gulf of Mexico." Paul has routinely turned down pork-barrel spending for his own district, but he has earned praise at home for refusing to sign up for lucrative pension benefits to which he is entitled as a member of Congress. Paul took a break from the House after his failed 1988 presidential bid but was re-elected in 1996. Though he has voiced support for term limits, Paul has been in Congress for almost 30 years. Thanks to a law first crafted for Texas-born President Lyndon Johnson, he was able to run for the House and the presidency at the same time in 2008. Supporters figure he'll do the same in 2012. Former Texas GOP gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina counts herself among the die-hard Ron Paul followers who won't let age, unconventional views or the professed tea party proclivities of other candidates shake her away from the soft-spoken presidential contender. "All the Republicans say we need to reduce spending," said Medina. "They talk about it, but they don't actually deliver on those promises. He's different." I cant wait for the debates . . . http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ron_paul2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 the average american will have no idea who he is...just like the last election.... he would be such a good president that he would end up assassinated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I cant wait for the debates . . . http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ron_paul2012 I like a lot of what Paul says and thoroughly enjoy seeing him involved in the election process. Too bad he's too KJookoo for Cocoa Puffs on several issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 wasn't that rbMcdonalds boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 wasn't that rbMcdonalds boy Absolutely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 I like a lot of what Paul says and thoroughly enjoy seeing him involved in the election process. Too bad he's too KJookoo for Cocoa Puffs on several issues. Plus he is a very skilled debator. I really am looking forward to the debates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I love ron paul in his role as a congressman. I love him as a fringe candidate in the republican party, hopefully pulling the debate in directions I think it needs to go. but I don't really like the idea of him being president. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 He already has my vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I love his convictions in his beliefs but like most typical libertarians his policy ideas are just too radical and unrealistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I love his convictions in his beliefs but like most typical libertarians his policy ideas are just too radical and unrealistic. Cant be anymore radical than the healthcare bill Obama laid forth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 (edited) Cant be anymore radical than the healthcare bill Obama laid forth. Elaborate please. How is the Obama HC bill more radical than all the numerous other domestic policies that Paul has proposed? Edited May 14, 2011 by bushwacked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 (edited) I like a lot of what Paul says and thoroughly enjoy seeing him involved in the election process. Too bad he's too KJookoo for Cocoa Puffs on several issues. Agreed. He sounds like the only sane voice in the room on some issues, but other times he sounds like a looney tune if he got his way on everything (which would never happen, but is still a factor). Edited May 13, 2011 by Square Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawks21 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I'm about as liberal as you can get, and I actually don't mind the guy as far as republicans go. I just can't see him appealing to enough people though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I'm about as liberal as you can get, and I actually don't mind the guy as far as republicans go. I just can't see him appealing to enough people though. Well, it seems as some of his stuff, at least foreign policy, is to the left of our current dem president. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Cant be anymore radical than the healthcare bill Obama laid forth. All that comment shows is how limited your experience and viewpoint is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I'll maintain the same position I have always had towards Mr. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Cant be anymore radical than the healthcare bill Obama laid forth. You mean just like ever other advanced country in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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