June 2
Ron Paul, man for the times, announces exploratory on Hannity
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 10:04AM “When the course of civilization takes an unexpected turn—when, instead of the continuous progress which we have come to expect, we find ourselves threatened by evils associated with past ages of barbarism—we naturally blame anything but ourselves.”—F. A. Hayek, ‘The Road to Serfdom’ (pg. 65)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) announced his presidential exploratory committee on Fox News' Sean Hannity show on Monday. [Photo from Rep. Paul, US House]Texas Congressman Ron Paul appeared on the Sean Hannity Show on Monday, and the Libertarian leaning Republican confirmed possibilities for a 2012 presidential run.
“We are going to announce I’m going to form an exploratory committee,” Paul said. That announcement will presumably happen, according to Politico, on Tuesday afternoon in Iowa at the Holiday Inn near the Des Moines airport.
Paul is making the talk show rounds, appearing on programs like 'Fox and Friends' and dropping by the chatty den 'The View'. Along the way, Paul is also promoting and signing his latest book, ‘Liberty Defined.’
On 'Fox and Friends' Tuesday morning Paul pointed out two of the biggest problems in the U.S.—“militarism and welfarism.” He rightfully said the Federal Reserve does not have constitutional authority to print money and as far as a theme goes, not much has changed for Paul over the years.
“Freedom is the issue,” he said. Asked about the issue of “militarism,” Paul posed a question: “What if China did to us what we do in other countries?”
Paul’s dialog with Hannity was the most substantive, with the congressman responding to questions about entitlements, the war in Libya and troops in Saudi Arabia. Paul wants to “address spending overseas” and that approach will resonate with fiscal conservatives. He gave a nod to former CIA analyst-turned author Michael Scheuer as “the most knowledgable person about Osama bin Laden.” Scheuer, like Paul, has a non-interventionist platform on matters such as Libya.
Asked about the desire by some to introduce aspects of Sharia law into the judicial system, Paul said, “We have to defend our principles.” He does however acknowledge the right of the developer at the Ground Zero Mosque to put the building there. Paul said the mosque is “a private property issue” and we shouldn’t believe people “guilty just because they belong to a group.”
Video of Paul’s interview with Hannity is posted online; that session was lengthier than Paul’s other interviews.
On 'The View', one host asked the question that is an obsession with the Birther Left—what about Donald Trump’s investigation? Paul’s answer was calm and rational, an approach completely out of sync with the usual emotional hysteria on a show I view as ‘Oprah Lite’ (if Oprah content could get any lighter). Paul said, “I’ll have to wait and see what he [Trump] says.”
Paul has always been a Constitution-First type, and that philosophy is gaining ground with people on a grassroots level because they realize that is the only means for limiting central government power and domination.
The GOP should take Paul very seriously. He has wide grassroots support and solid fundraising potential. Paul ran in 1988 and again in 2008, drawing only token respect from the legacy GOP. Paul is, however, a man for the times, and he has excellent ideas for returning governance to sound principles.
Perhaps the most telling thing Paul said to Hannity stems from a Constitution-First philosophy. “A president,” he said, “shouldn’t be a king.”
Ed. Note: Rep. Paul will appear on John Stossel’s show on the Fox Business Channel on Thursday at 9 p.m. In the NE Florida area, for Comcast subscribers, Fox Business is channel 106. Popular Libertarian Judge Andrew Napolitano (a personal favorite at TUSR) also hosts a nightly show on that channel.
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(Analysis by Kay B. Day/April 26, 2011)
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