So many quotes, so little time…
Tag: Ron Paul
The Texas disaster that is Rick Perry continues with his unintended withdrawal from the Republican presidential nomination process, as new poll numbers shows him now tied with Herman Cain for the number 2 slot behind the new leader of the pact, Mitt Romney.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll out Tuesday shows businessman Herman Cain has tied Perry for second place behind frontrunner Mitt Romney. Romney is at 25 percent while Cain and Perry each get 16 percent.
But the trajectory is an indicator of the men’s fortunes. The Texas governor has fallen 13 percentage points since the last poll while Cain has risen 12 in the last month.
As for the rest of the pack, Texas Rep. Ron Paul reaches double digits with 11 percent while former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann are holding at 7 percent. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is at 2 percent while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is holding at 1 percent.
The poll surveyed 1,002 people from September 29th to October 2nd.
The question Wolf Blitzer of CNN asked Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul seemed hypothetical. But as fate would have it, Paul knew how real the question was. In 2008 when he ran for president, one of his campaign chairman died at the age of 49, owing $400,000.00 in healthcare cost because he had no insurance when he died.
The question Mr. Blitzer asked Mr. Paul was what should happen to a young man who couldn’t afford health insurance, but finds himself in a hospital needing intensive care. Ron Paul began his answer, “…that’s what freedom is all about: taking your own risks. This whole idea that you have to take care of everybody…” at which point, members of the Teaparty audience began applauding. After Blitzer asked again if “society should just let him die,” members of the audience answered, “yeah!” and “let him die!”
His name was Kent Snyder, and the report was filed by Gawker;
Back in 2008, Kent Snyder — Paul’s former campaign chairman — died of complications from pneumonia. Like the man in Blitzer’s example, the 49-year-old Snyder (pictured) was relatively young and seemingly healthy* when the illness struck. He was also uninsured. When he died on June 26, 2008, two weeks after Paul withdrew his first bid for the presidency, his hospital costs amounted to $400,000. The bill was handed to Snyder’s surviving mother, who was incapable of paying. Friends launched a website to solicit donations.
And Ron Paul has an answer.
According to other answers Paul provided on this issue, he thinks that churches and other charitable organization should pick up the tab for those who cannot afford life saving health care. Although what happened to the Snyder family is unfortunate, maybe Mr. Paul should direct them to some of these churches.
After all, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Kent Snyder was the driving force behind Paul to run for President in 2008. The least Paul could do, would be to provide the names of the churches and charitable organizations that would handle the $400,000.00 hospital bill.
And while he’s at it, there’s another 45,000 Americans who die each year because they cannot afford health care. Why not provide them and their families with this information? Maybe Paul could publish the names of these churches on his website. That will help!
The call themself pro-lifers, you know, for life. But apparently, that belief stops immediately after birth.
That was evident in the Republican’s last debate, where a hypothetical question was asked of the panel. What to do if a healthy person cannot afford healthcare and get’s sick to the point that they need intensive care, these pro-lifers, or conservatives, or Teaparty members think that person should just…die.
I’m not making this up!
Wolf Blitzer of CNN asked the question in the last Republican Presidential debate. It was directed to Ron Paul about what the person needing intensive care should do if they have no health care. But before Ron Paul could get his full answer on the record, the pro-lifers in the audience answered for him, shouting “let him die!”
This is where the Republican party is today, where the revelation that Rick Perry of Texas has executed more people than any other governor in the state’s history was met with applause, and the only solution for the sick who cannot afford the care they need, is to let them die!
Base on these Republican audience reactions, would it be far-fetched to conclude that voting for a Republican is almost as bad as committing suicide?
Categories
Yes, Ron Paul Is Right
It’s not often I’ll agree with Ron Paul. The Republican/Libertarian has, by the very nature of his ideology, suggested that the only role government should have is an invisible one. He also criticizes the Civil Rights Act of 1964, fought for an end to all regulations on businesses, and as recently as the last Republican debate, suggested that airlines are best equipped to stop terrorism. All things I strongly disagree with.
But on his website, Ron Paul wrote about his feelings on the 10th year anniversary of September 11th, and something he said had me nodding in agreement. He said;
We should never forget those in our government who used the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history as an excuse to launch completely unrelated wars, to do unprecedented damage to Americans’ historic liberties, to run roughshod over the Constitution, and to betray the Founders’ vision by savaging some of our most deeply held values.
A clear swipe to the Bush Administration who, instead of using the opportunity of September 11th to get the terrorists responsible for killing almost 3,000 people, preached fear to the American people and began a war with Iraq, a country that had no link to the destruction caused by Osama Bin Laden.
The war in Iraq ended up costing the lives of thousands of American troops, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and over $1 trillion. But war is a business, and someone made millions from the decision to use September 11th as the reason to invade Iraq.
Dick Cheney – the Vice President in Bush’s Administration, and one of the most influential voices for the war in Iraq – was CEO of a company call Haliburton. Dick Cheney insisted that he severed all ties with Haliburton in 2000, but after the war started in Iraq, Haliburton was awarded no-bid contracts worth millions for “rebuilding Iraq.”
In 2004, Cheney appeared on Meet The Press and was asked about his relationship with his former company, to which more denials were given. But Time Magazine uncovered internal Pentagon emails proving that Cheney was not being the least bit honest. According to the report, the emails showed that these no-bid contracts were going through Cheney’s office. From the report;
The e-mail says Feith approved arrangements for the contract “contingent on informing WH [White House] tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has been coordinated w VP’s [Vice President’s] office.” Three days later, the Army Corps of Engineers gave Halliburton the contract, without seeking other bids.
So yes, in this particular case, I wholeheartedly agree with Ron Paul. The war in Iraq was not one of necessity, but one of choice. There were billions of dollars to be made, and no-bid contracts by unscrupulous government officials was the way to do it.
And the lives lost in the process? Cheney recently said that if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn’t change a thing. In other words, in war you lose some then you lose some more. But the profits gained… priceless!
Oh the things we miss when those pesky commercials come on. And apparently, that is the exact moment Rick Perry was waiting for in last night’s debate.
As soon as the sign was given that there was a commercial break, the Texas governor made his way over to Ron Paul’s podium, grabbed the congressman by the wrist and pointed his finger in Paul’s face. And by the look on Perry’s face, this was not an invitation to brunch.
We can only assume that something Ron Paul said ruffled Perry’s feathers. Before the incident started, Perry and Paul had a heated back and forth, when the question was asked about their support for the minimum wage. Paul stated that he would like to get rid of that law, then went all in on Perry and his support for “HillaryCare.” Paul said that Rick Perry “criticized the Governor of Massachusetts [Mitt Romney] for RomneyCare, but he wrote a really fancy letter supporting HillaryCare.”
It was later, while America was getting up getting their popcorn and favorite beverage ready for the circus to resume, that Rick Perry paid Paul a visit.
And you thought you were witnessing the entire debate!
and this
Ron Paul is running for President on the Republican ticket. Let’s just say for argument’s sake, that Ron Paul wins his party’s nomination and goes on to win the Presidency in 2012. I know, it’s far-fetched, but let’s just say… If Ron Paul becomes president, his government will not help out when there are natural disasters.
With Hurricane Irene quickly approaching the east coast, this report was filed concerning Paul’s plan to handle such disasters;
After a lunch speech today, Ron Paul slammed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and said that no national response to Hurricane Irene is necessary.
“We should be like 1900; we should be like 1940, 1950, 1960,” Paul said. “I live on the gulf coast, we deal with hurricanes all the time. Galveston is in my district.
“There’s no magic about FEMA. They’re a great contribution to deficit financing and quite frankly they don’t have a penny in the bank. We should be coordinated but coordinated voluntarily with the states,” Paul told NBC News. “A state can decide. We don’t need somebody in Washington.”
FEMA is a Federal Emergency Management Agency whose job is to assist local governments when they need help recovering from disasters. But according to Paul, FEMA is a “great contribution to the deficit.” Pay no attention to the real American lives this agency saves all the time.
And Ron Paul is not the only Republican who believes in money over human lives. Eric Cantor also shares Paul’s views, and even said that if any monies are spent to save or help Americans in the recent Earthquake and the upcoming Hurricane, then that money must be offset by spending cuts.
So to conclude, your home, your livelihood and even your life may hang in the balance, but Cantor will need to go to Washington first, figure out how much to cut from another program, preferably Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, then apply those newly cut funds to helping disaster victims.
Paul on the other hand, would prefer the government to just sit on its hands and watch the citizens suffer.
Welcome to a Republican controlled America. Good thing its just make believe.
The Ames Straw poll is not really important as far as the big picture of running for President is concerened, but Conservatives put a lot of emphasis on the event. Republican presidential candidates spent millions trying to influence a majority of Iowans who attended the carnival-like event.
This year, Tim Pawlenty effectively said that if he didn’t get a decent position in the poll, he will have to reconsider his candidacy for president. Well, the straw poll went public a short while ago, and Pawlenty came in 3rd with 2,293 votes. Second was Ron Paul with 4671 votes and Michele Bachmann came in 1st with 4,823 votes.
Even Rick Perry, who announced his candidacy for the Presidency earlier today, received some votes in the straw poll. Perry, although his name was not on the ballot, came in 6th with 718 votes. Mitt Romney, whose name was on the ballot, was beaten by Perry. Romney came in 7th, with 567 votes.
Rick Santorum came in 4th behind Tim Pawlenty, and rounding out the top 5 was Herman Cain.
Conservatives look to the winner of the straw poll as a good indication of who they should donate to, so candidates placing in the first 2 or 3 spots are usually in a good position to get more contributions. All eyes now look towards Rick Santorum and Herman Cain, and the expectation is that one or both these campaigns would be coming to an end.
Although Mitt Romney came in 7th, his campaign is expected to continue. Romney is leading in the general polls among Republicans.
An afterthought: expect Newt Gingrich to fall by the wayside soon.
Unlike the last two Republican love fests, last night’s debate actually felt like a real competition. The Republican contestants tried separating themselves from each other and questioned the decision making or lack thereof of their rivals.
Ron Paul and Rick Santorum briefly engaged in their little match when foreign policies and America’s role in other nations were involved. Between these two, Iran’s attempt to acquire nuclear weapons was a hot topic, with Paul suggesting that a nuclear Iran poses no threat to America, therefore, they should be left alone to do what they believe is in their best interest. Santorum took opposition to this, and the heated battle was on.
Then Newt Gingrich took offense at Chris Wallace asking him questions about his campaign and statements he had made in the past. Apparently, Gingrich believes his decision to run for President means questions about his political history, public statements or past actions that he should accountable for, should be off limits.
Chris Wallace: “How do you respond to people who say that your campaign has been a mess so far?”
Newt Gingrich: “I took seriously Bret’s injunction to put aside the talking points,” he said, referring to a request Wallace’s co-host Bret Baier had made at the start of the debate. Newt continued, “And I wish you would put aside the gotcha questions…I’d love to see the rest of tonight’s debate asking us about what we would do to lead America…instead of playing Mickey Mouse games.”
Chris Wallace: “If you think questions about your record are Mickey Mouse, I’m sorry. I think those are questions that a lot of people want to hear answers to and you’re responsible for your record, sir.”
Newt Gingrich: “I think that there’s too much attention paid by the press corps to the campaign minutiae and not enough paid by the press corps to the basic ideas that distinguish us from Barack Obama.”
The audience cheered.
But the most interesting part of the debate in my view, happened between Tim Pawlenty and Michelle Bachmann. Being in next to last place in his presidential campaign, Mr. Pawlenty felt the need to make up some ground. He also didn’t want to miss another opportunity to separate himself from the bunch, as he did in the last debate when he was asked to explain a statement he previously made, in which he called Mitt Romney’s health care plan in Massachusetts, Obamny Care – combining both Obama and Romney’s name together to say their healthcare policies are the same.
So when he was asked to explain a statement he made about Michele Bachmann and her lack of accomplishments in Congress, Mr. Pawlenty took the opportunity and went on attack mode. Unfortunately for him, Bachmann was already sitting in the bushes with her sniper gear on, staring down the scope of her rifle. In her view, the unsuspecting Pawlenty.
Bang!!!
If you are like a majority of people who believe that marijuana should be legalized, then you might take pleasure in this bit of news.
Democrat Barney Frank and Republican/Libertarian and candidate for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination Ron Paul, are coming together amd drafting a piece of legislation that will legalize the herb.
Salon writes,
It is being billed as “bipartisan legislation” but obviously Ron Paul is the only Republican co-sponsor. According to the Marijuana Policy Project: “The legislation is the first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition.”
On this, the (disputed) 40th anniversary of the War on Drugs, basically every thinking person agrees that marijuana prohibition is an expensive failure. But this will probably not even get a floor debate in the House of Representatives. Or maybe I’m wrong! We’ll see!
The wisdom of Ron Paul. Running for president in 2012 and supporting this piece of legislation is a sure way to get votes. His joining the effort to legalize marijuana will be all some will need to decide who to vote for.
Remember the old saying, ‘when the cat’s away, the mouse will play?’ Well last night’s Republican presidential “debate” showed seven, count ’em… seven mice running around the stage in New Hampshire, having a grand ole time. And with the cat – President Obama – out of town on a fundraising event, all seven mice took turns at attacking the cat, instead of showing the differences among themselves. After all, was it not a debate?
The lead mouse, Mitt Romney answered just about every question asked with the same answer: that President Obama “has failed to lead.” Mr. Romney, what is your answer to the economic crises we’re in right now? “Mr. Obama has failed to lead.” Mr. Romney, what will you do about jobs? “Mr. Obama has failed to lead.” Mr. Romney, what color is your tie? “Mr. Obama has failed to lead.” To be more exact, Romney said;
“This president has failed, and he’s failed at a time when the American people counted on him to create jobs and get the economy growing.” Any one of the people on this stage would be a better president than President Obama.”
And the people, or other mice that Romney referred to? Rick Don’t Google His Name Santorom, Michele Don’t know American History Bachmann, Ron Against The Civil Rights Act Paul, Herman Pizza-man Cain, Tim Super Dork Pawlenty and Newt Flipp Flopper Gingrich. So there they were, seven mice running around the stage, each trying to prove that while the cat was away doing his fundraiser, they are more than capable of carrying the biggest piece of cheese.
The blame game continued.
Herman Cain, when asked what his administration would do to create jobs? “The thing we need to do is to get this economy boosted. This economy is stalled. It’s like a train on the tracks with no engine. And the administration has simply been putting all of this money in the caboose.”
Rick Santorom, picking up where Herman Cain left off, chimed in with, “Yeah, I think we need a president who’s optimistic, who has a pro-growth agenda.”
Question for Tim Pawlenty – talk about your economic plan. Pawlenty’s answer? ” This president is a declinist. He views America as one of equals around the world.” Then Mitt Romney continued the love-fest… sorry, debate. “This president has failed. And he’s failed at a time when the American people counted on him to create jobs and get the economy growing. And instead of doing that, he delegated the stimulus to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, and then he did what he wanted to do: card-check, cap-and-trade, Obamacare, reregulation.” Not to be left out in the cold, Newt Gingrich added, “The Obama administration is an anti-jobs, anti-business, anti- American energy destructive force.”
Ron Paul, asked by the moderator if there was anything nice he can say about the president, replied, “No, no, I can’t think of anything.”
But the biggest cheese carrier of the night has to go to Michele Bachmann, who, among other things, claimed that the Teaparty “is really made up of disaffected Democrats, independents, people who’ve never been political a day in their life.” Funny as that statement was, Bachmann opened her mouth again and this claim fell out, “we need everybody to come together because we’re going to win. Just make no mistake about it. I want to announce tonight. President Obama is a one-term president.”
Yes, Michele, we will take your word on that… just like we believed you when you claimed that the Founding Fathers “worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States.”
We won’t tell anyone the little truth that the Founders were all dead by the time slavery was abolished. Just our little secret Michele.
When Romney announced his desire to run for President back in 2008, one of his major flaws among the American voter was his Mormon beliefs. But that was then and this is now, and according to a new Quinnipiac poll, Americans will vote for anyone of any belief, as long as that person is not a Muslim. The poll released on June 8th, found that of the different Religions, Americans are more comfortable with a Catholic president at 60%, than they are with a Muslim at 21%. Mormons are just below Christians, getting a 43% vote. 
- Howard Cain is at 9%
- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 8%
- Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul at 8%
- Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann at 6%
- Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at 5%
- Former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum at 4%
- Jon Huntsman at 1%.
Another 20 percent are undecided.
