CNN: Ron Paul '90s Newsletters Rant Against Blacks, Gays

[Hissyspit]

Source: CNN

Ron Paul '90s newsletters rant against blacks, gays

From Brian Todd
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A series of newsletters in the name of GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul contain several racist remarks -- including one that says order was restored to Los Angeles after the 1992 riots when blacks went "to pick up their welfare checks." CNN recently obtained the newsletters -- written in the 1990s and one from the late 1980s -- after a report was published about their existence in the New Republic.

None of the newsletters CNN found says who wrote them, but each was published under Paul's name between his stints as a U.S. congressman from Texas.

- snip -

"I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name," Paul said in a written statement. That's not good enough, says one political veteran.

The controversial newsletters include rants against the Israeli lobby, gays, AIDS victims and Martin Luther King Jr. -- described as a "pro-Communist philanderer." One newsletter, from June 1992, right after the LA riots, says "order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/10/paul.newsletters/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

[Politicub]

1. Sounds like a mainstream republican to me

Surprising he's not doing better in the GOP race.

[surfermaw]

15. I bet there will be more smoked out, rep & dem

this might be just the start.

[montana_hazeleyes]

17. Good One Politicub!

So True.

[northzax]

31. why do people think this will hurt him?

this is a feature for the modern GOP, not a bug.

[NightWatcher]

2. he just said that he didnt even read the newsletters

oops, BUSTED!!! racist

See ya in the loser column

[JerseygirlCT]

11. Right -- either way, it's a loser

He wrote it - well, enough said.

But he didn't and didn't check what went out under his name? So *this* is an example of leadership?

Sorry, BTDT and we've had a countrywide bellyful already.

[MADem]

3. Cue that "Another one bites the dust" song!!!

I wonder how many "Let's not bother to research the candidate, let's just support him because he's hip and cool and the LATEST thing" types are a bit...chagrined at this juncture?

If he didn't know what his PEOPLE were doing, well, he's a SHITTY LEADER. It's his J-O-B to know.

[Jersey Ginny]

34. He might get more votes as many Repubs like these views n/t

[Blue_Tires]

4. i don't get it

this stuff has been out there for awhile...(we were discussing it here on DU over a year ago...) why is cnn just now deciding to report about it?

they need to spotlight the stormfront endorsement while they are at it

[ejbr]

7. Earl G. explains...

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I work for CNN."

[Chovexani]

5. Calling all Ron Paul koolaid drinkers

Calling all Ron Paul koolaid drinkers...

[journalist3072]

6. Anyone surprised by this? After all, when he was recently on Meet The Press, he said that the

forced integration that came about as a result of the Civil Rights Bill, actually hurt race relations instead of improving it, and he called it a property rights issue (i.e. how dare you tell someone who owns their own property that that HAVE to serve Blacks).

[ORDagnabbit]

8. they were ghost written

[Doctor Cynic]

10. Oh, yes.

So, this either means that Paul didn't take the responsibility to read his works, or that he really does harbour such thoughts. Heads, or tails?

[Lance_Boyle]

36. close

but those weren't "ghosts" under those white sheets. ;-)

[cboy4]

9. His blood was boiling when he was being interviewed

by Blitzer.

"I was busy traveling, I was being a doctor," so I didn't have time to read material being published under my name. :eyes:

Brother.

[hollowdweller]

12. All the republicans I know feel that same way about gays, MLK, and blacks

I've heard basically those same things repeated by almost all the conservatives I know. Wonder why RP isn't winning the primaries. Oh wait. They all love Israel. That's where they differ!

[mzmolly]

13. Color me unsurprised. I'm glad he's not on a ticket with "Kooch."

*ehem*

[GeniusLib]

14. Looks like more GOP dirty tricks to smear their only anti-war candidate

no surprise really

[John Q. Citizen]

16. Are you claiming the GOP faked these news letters? Or is it a dirty trick, in your book, to

report their existence, and what they said?

How is this a dirty trick? Please clarify, because I don't understand what your point is.

[CreekDog]

18. Smearing Ron Paul with the truth?

Cry me a river.

:nopity:

[yardwork]

19. Snort. Yeah, the problem here is that the material was revealed. Riiiight.

[LanternWaste]

22. Only fourteen posts in before the prerequisite...

Only fourteen posts in before the prerequisite passive-aggressive defense of "Our Man Ron"

[Politicub]

29. We have to get one of those GOP time machines!

It's amazing how they can go back and time and create these newsletters. Amazing, I tell you!

[The Stranger]

39. Despite the 4-5 posts above me, I agree with you. The War is The Issue right now.

For the Corporatist-Fascists, for the Dominionists, and for the Neocons.

They could care less about the bigotry or racism -- most of them are racists anyway. But Ron Paul's anti-war stance -- now that they simply cannot countenance.

[rocktivity]

20. His name IS on the newsletter, all right.

I thought maybe his name was on the masthead as part of an editorial board. I didn't realize it was actually titled the "Ron Paul Political Report." If it really is true that he never wrote, read, or knew of them, it doesn't say much for his organizational skills. Or maybe it's a Republican thing--Mitt Romney just got caught claiming that he'd never seen a campgain commercial that contained footage of him saying he approved it!

:crazy:
rocknation

[raebrek]

21. I don't think anyone really cares

what Ron Paul did or didn't take responsibility for. I think he could apologize to God, be forgiven and still have people waiting to string him up. Yep, it sucks to be Ron Paul.

Raebrek!!!

[LanternWaste]

23. Yup... only twenty-one posts in before the second...

Yup... only twenty-one posts in before the second (optional) passive-aggressive defense of "Our Man Ron"

[raebrek]

26. um....huh? n/t

[LanternWaste]

27. Words too big?

Words too big?

[raebrek]

28. no it was the twenty one posts in before...

that I didn't understand. It's probably just me.

Raebrek!!!

[Andrea]

35. your post was #21 in this thread eom

[raebrek]

37. Thank you for that clarity, I appreciate it n/t

[rocktivity]

25. If he's denying that he either wrote or knew about the newsletters

when he really did, he's too dishonest to get my vote. And if someone else wrote the newsletters, he DIDN'T know about it after all this time, but he didn't take any kind of action against it, he's too STUPID to be to get my vote!

:headbang:
rocknation

[boricua79]

24. starting to sound very Lyndon LaRouche fringeeee....

Ron Paul should be IMMEDIATELY isolated from any member in good standing of DU.

To think so many LIKED him in the Republican debates. he's the worst of them all. A gay-bashing, racist, communist-persecuting, pro-Israeli lobby shill!

[carincross]

30. A Winning Message?

While rebutting "racist" charges in an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Dr. Paul said that one of his first acts as POTUS would be to pardon all those who have been convicted of "victimless" crimes. What a message to minority - especially black - communities that have seen so many of their young men put in jail for possession of drugs.

[0rganism]

32. "taken moral responsibility" -- wtf does that mean to him?

Has he done anything since to mitigate the effects of his bigoted screed? And why wasn't he paying closer attention to "what went out under (his) name"?

If he wants to continue as a viable presidential candidate and really didn't write the newsletters, it seems to me he should find out who DID write the articles, provide evidence to the public about their true author(s), and if possible get the author(s) to disclaim any endorsements by Rep. Paul.

Otherwise, he can pretty much forget about it. Whatever our latent tendencies may be, overt racial and sexual prejudice don't sell nearly as well as they did 50 years ago.

[Snarkturian Clone]

33. Talk about shit coming back to bite you in the ass NT

[underpants]

38. Wow that only took them two weeks

:eyes::sarcasm: