Dr. Ron Paul, who has been elected to office 10 times in the 14th District of Texas for his ardent defense of individual liberty and Austrian economics, opposition to the Federal Reserve, his opposition to the rising control of Neocons and their support for the Iraq war, and his opposition to a foreign policy of interventionism (namely his opposition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq), has come out in support of Lamar Smith, a conservative Republican congresscritter in the 21st District.
Here's a YouTube of anarcho-capitalist John Bush at the C4L Regional Conference in Atlanta, Georgia last night, asking why Ron is supporting a Neo-Con:
Katie Wilhite Brewer's quote from Ron Paul's answer to Bush is of the following:
I'm a republican, I made a commitment to support the Republican incumbents in texas. I'm the most independent republican in the GOP but you can only get away with so much independence.
She then replied to that quote with the following:
Wow! There you have it folks. YouTube video will be out soon.
Smith, a Neo-Con who has voted for a resolution calling for the "Use of Military of Force" against Iraq on October 10, 2002 and voted for the bailout for the banks last fall, has a deal with Paul, saying that he will endorse and support Ron's campaign for re-election if Paul returns the favor. The idea is that Ron needs Smith's support, because if he doesn't, then he will lose his seat to a progressive Democratic challenger in the U.S. congressional race. Another reason is that, if Paul doesn't do it, then he will be forced out of the GOP, thus losing his seat on the Finances Services and his seat as a Ranking Member of the Domestic Policy Sub Committee.
A Ron Paul sycophant by the name of Brandon Trent (who sounds more like a GOP loyalist and stalwart in his responses to the irate pro-Liberty activists who were disheartened and disappointed by Ron's statement quoted Katie's Facebook page) tries to justify and rationalizes Paul's decision with the following quote in the comments section of the thread:
Brandon Trent
here's the thing; think rationally for a moment; how much good could Ron Paul do if he is expelled from the party; he would lose his status as a senior member of the Financial Services Committee; including his position as Ranking member of the Domestic Policy Sub Committee.....I'd rather have him in the Republican Party with some clout than out of the Republican Party with absolutely no clout what so ever. Politics is a dirty game; and Im sure Lamar Alexander will in some way return the favor
4 hours ago
Here's a reprint of the original campaign letter sent out on December 30, 2009 to the Ron Paul for Congress supporters:
Congressman Ron Paul
Dear Fellow Texan,
As you know, America faces tremendous problems. I have dedicated my career to fight for solutions, but I need friends in Congress who will help and work with me in these critical times.
That is why I am grateful for the friendship of Congressman Lamar Smith. Lamar Smith is a thoughtful, intelligent leader who keeps his door open to me and is always willing to listen. As the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Smith's word carries a lot of weight on Capitol Hill and I am glad to see he fights to take principled stands on important issues like Healthcare and Cap and Trade.
Congressman Smith made a point of reading both of my recent books, The Revolution: A Manifesto and End the Fed and I enjoyed our discussion. True intellectual exchange has become all too rare in Washington and I appreciated his effort.
Lamar is also one of the true gentlemen in Congress. I value Congressman Smith's thoughtful approach and consider him a true friend. If more leaders in Washington adopted his style of governing, I know we could break down a lot of barriers.
I am proud of my friendship with Lamar Smith. I hope you will consider supporting him in his bid for re-election.
In Liberty,
Ron Paul
Interestingly enough Ron Paul Republican congressional candidate Stephen Schoppe expressed his astonishment with the news.
As Schoppe notes in part:
I really respect Dr. Paul but am disappointed with his email since Lamar voted for the $700 billion banker bailout. Compromises like this with Democrats have led to the financial disaster our nation is in today.
(Schoppe also stated that he was "encouraged that his campaign has spurred Lamar Smith to seek an endorsement from Ron Paul.") As he explains:
We must be having an effect if Lamar is kowtowing to Ron Paul
Interestingly enough (although not a surprise), Lew Rockwell has been obviously silent on the matter on his blog.
As far as I'm concerned, as a former Ron Paul 2008 supporter, I'm done with Paul. I have denounced him publicly on Facebook because of his action, which is a straw (more like a hammer) that broke the camel's back. It's obvious that Paul is doing this for political expediency, at a cost of his past support from his devout pro-Liberty base. So much for his principled pro-Liberty political capital that he had been banking for well over a decade.
After all the crap involving the old (not to mention "brush-under-the-rug") racist newsletter controversy, his decision to accept a donation of $500 from neo-Nazi Stormfront leader Don Black at one point during his 2008 presidential campaign, his anti-abortion and anti-illegal immigration records (which show that he's an anti-Liberty zealot on the said issues), his son Rand Paul's support for Gitmo, and GOP senatorial candidate Peter Schiff's defense of the preemptive war doctrine that had long since been established precedent by previous precedents by past presidential administrations (including George W. Bush's), I must wash my hands of Ron Paul and the groups that have long since been associated with him. For a man who takes this anti-Liberty stance in favor of being re-elected because it is just the price we pay for being involved in a dirty game called politics is retching and unconscionable.
That also includes all and any organizations and groups that support and will continue to support Paul, including the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Campaign for Liberty, LewRockwell.com, the LRC Blog, the Daily Paul, etc.
I wonder what Paul's friend Rockwell will say about this latest fall-out (not to mention how he'll say it). How is he going to spin this mess in Ron's favor? Furthermore, how's he going to defend Paul? If he, Ron, and Paul's ardent defenders are worried about the media fallout over this revelation and the egg on face that will be splattered all over Ron, his congressional campaign, and his entire support base, then perhaps he should have thought about that before he made a vile pact with the political Devil by aligning himself with a congressman who's not even remotely like him.
Enough of this vulgar libertarianism! Down with the state! It's time to work outside the political system. Forget the political beast; it can't be "saved" or "reformed." It's time to throw the baby out with the bath water. And that's especially because the baby happens to be Rosemary's Baby.
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