Sincerely, Ron Paul

December 21, 2011
Michael  Brendan Dougherty
The Atlantic
"The Story Behind Ron Paul's Racist Newsletter"


The skeletons in Ron Paul's closet have been brought into the forefront of the GOP race by the media. In the 1980's and 1990's, newsletters were sent out under Ron Paul's name with distinctively racist comments. The letters were called Ron Paul's Political Report, Ron Paul's Freedom Report, the Ron Paul Survival Report and the Ron Paul Investment Letter. The quotations include: "We are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational." and "Given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal." The letters surfaced during Paul's 2008 campaign, and they caused him many people's confidence. However, it is understood that he did not write the letters himself, he merely signed them--but still holds moral responsibility for their contents. Paul's administration used the statements as a political tool to gain support for a libertarian movement of the time. They believed the racist comments would drawn more supporters. Although it is slightly more comforting to think Paul is insincere than thinking he is racist, it is not a desirable quality in a president. Race and discrimination are serious and delicate subjects that cannot be taken lightly. There is no excuse for these comments and the fact that Paul endorsed them shows that he is a morally unsound leader who is not intune with the Constitution and its Amendments.


http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/12/the-story-behind-ron-pauls-racist-newsletters/250338/

Meet the Bachmann

Sunday, December 18
Meet the Press
David Gregory, interviewer
NBC

Michele Bachmann stumbled through a cringe-worthy interview with David Gregory. Bachmann did not inspire a great deal of confidence, on the contrary she seemed almost desperate in her attempts to gain a foothold in this GOP race. When asked if she agreed with Congress and President Obama's decision to raise the debt ceiling, she adamantly condemned them for exacerbating the nation's debt. Gregory showed her a poll that said 58% of polled people supported that decision, which only increased her accusations. She said the U.S. is acting like Greece and Italy, not like a first world country. Apparently, no one told her that Greece and Italy are first world countries. Forty five seconds of pure awkwardness followed as Bachmann made broad debt-crisis statements and Gregory tried to interject to correct her accuracy. Bachmann has possible the worst record of making inaccurate statements of all the G.O.P. candidates and this interview did nothing to assuage those accusations. Gregory asked Bachmann about some of the more pointed attacks she has faced from fellow candidate Newt Gingrich. Bachmann apparently (for she never answered the question directly) does not believe Gingrich's attacks are sexist, although his condescending words disturbed her. She insists that she is a serious candidate and intends to win Iowa. It is upsetting that Bachmann continues to make incorrect statements. The general public cannot be expected to go find fact-checks, so, inevitably, some portion of voters will accept her false statements are truths. It is extremely irresponsible of a candidate mislead votes in this way. Primarily, these frequent inaccuracies will hurt Bachmann's credibility among political figures and news sources. The Des Monies Register already cited it as a reason Romney, and not Bachmann, received their endorsement. Bachmann's growing reputation for spewing falsities will decrease the number of endorsements from important politicians and the media.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/

The Des Moines Register Endorses Romney...Sorta

December 17, 2011
The Register Editorial Board
"The Des Moines Register's GOP caucus endorsement: Mitt Romney is the best to lead"

Romney received the first major endorsement of the GOP race. The Des Moines Register named him the best GOP candidate. His qualifications: sobriety, wisdom, and judgement. Subtle, "flip-flopper", and mild were also used (frequently) to describe Romney in this endorsement. Although the Register tried to give Romney a glowing endorsement, they painted him as a nearly timid candidate who can barely instill confidence. This dispassionate editorial might have a negative effect on Romney's campaign, but it is most likely that he will gain a following. The Register advocates for Romney by putting the other candidates down. Ron Paul's libertarian views will destroy the nation, and Gingrich is "undiciplined". Apparently, Romney's best quality is his ability to carefully pick each word he says. Although I find this editorial far from convincing, I think that many Iowans will look to their trusted news source for GOP endorcements for guidance in the upcoming caucus. The Des Moines Register is the largest, most widely spread, newspaper in Iowa, so this endorsement will reach many people. Romney has secured a vital asset in this race during a time his poll numbers were shaky, which will strengthen his campaign.

http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/17/23902/

Gingrich v. The Judges

Friday, December 16, 2011

Amy Gardner

Washingtonpost.com

"Newt Gingrich's assault on 'active judges' draws criticism, even from right"

Gingrich has an increasingly vocal vendetta against the federal court system, and it is beginning to make even the Republicans uncomfortable. As President, Gingrich will eliminate entire courts that have ruled in an unfavorable way. But something seems off... Can the president really weaken the federal courts to such an extent? George Washington and the other founding fathers would disagree. The intent of our three branches of government is to establish a sound checks-and-balances system. No single branch is to have supreme power. So, the executive branch does not have to authority to regulate the judicial branch. Gingrich's assault threatens the democracy that our nation is built on, and many of the voters who watched last night's debate were uncomfortable with his strong rhetoric. It is tempting to simply "blame the courts" when times get hard, which is what Gingrich tried to monopolize. But, by vowing to eliminate every court that rules in a way Gingrich himself does not agree with, Gingrich bent the line a little too far. This breach of justice that directly contradicts the intent of the Founding Fathers could loose Gingrich a few crucial endorsements that are soon to come. In fact, at the moment, endorsements are the most valuable thing to the GOP candidates. Without the backing of Iowa's trusted newspapers, politicians, radio shows, etc., the candidates will have difficultly securing the caucus. The prospect of a judicial system ruled by the President is scary, as Gardner, Democrats, AND Republicans agree. So, congratulations Newt for uniting the parties on something!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/newt-gingrichs-assault-on-activist-judges-draws-criticism-even-from-right/2011/12/17/gIQAoYa80O_story_1.html

The Process Debate

Friday, December 16, 2011

Kathie Obradovich

DesMoinesRegister.com

"GOP Debate: Gingrich Skates Past Attacks"

After hours of heated debates and uncomfortable confrontations, Fox News gave its audience something a little different: a bland debate. Gingrich avoided fire from Perry and Romney in part because neither seemed to have the energy or grounds to challenge the current front runner. Obradovich, a reporter for the Des Moines Register, hypothesized that the consequences of attacking Gingrich could overwhelm Romney and backfire to hurt his campaign. The most heated discussion was between Bachmann and Ron Paul who are both polling at insignificant levels. Ron Paul worked himself into a passionate rant about Iran while Bachmann stumbled over retorts. As the Iowa caucus draws nearer, Iowans need to hear about the policy plans of the different candidates, but this debate did very little to distinguish Romney and Gingrich's policies. The blame for this lies in part with the questions Fox News asked the candidates. Many of the questions in Thursday's debate were "process" questions, rather that "policy" questions. A "process" question asks what a candidate would do in a certain situation, while a "policy" question asks more generally about beliefs. This distinction dictates the tone of the debate; the tone of Thursday's debate was fairly agreeable and vague. Obradovich writes that it was a generally strong debate--Gingrich avoided attack, and everyone else kind of got a little better. But will this be enough to sway Iowa? A debate should get to the center of issues and inspire intellectual discussion which was greatly lacking in Thursday's GOP debate.

http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/15/gop-debate-gingrich-skates-past-attacks/

Fire the Janitors, Fire Gingrich!

Saturday, November 19, 2011 (article)

Friday, December 9, 2011 (comments)

Des Moines News

"Gingrich: Child Labor Laws are 'Truly Stupid'" and reaction

Fire the janitors! In the nation's floundering economy, Gingrich puts jobs for teenagers about jobs for adults. He feels it is a travesty to prevent low-income families from utilizing the extra source of income that children can provide. Gingrich condemns the current age restrictions and suggests replacing school janitors with paid student janitors. He argues it builds work ethic, and he thinks teenagers will be willing to do the undesirable because of school pride. If Gingrich changed the policies on child labor to support this type of job, he would increase the unemployment rate in the United States. The people that responded to the Des Moines News' discussion topic are adamantly divided on this topic. Some mock Gingrich's disregard for the adults that would loose jobs. This group regards Obama's jobs plan as considerably more reasonable than Gingrich's preposterous idea. Those that support Gingrich's stance think it will build character and work ethic in youth. This is likely he product of a bias in responses. Poor families without children are more likely to disagree with Gingrich, while families that could benefit from this policy would have to have teenaged children. The right that an adult has to earn a living and support a family takes precedence over teenage character building. Adult janitors are their family's main source of income, while teenagers typically serve as an additional source of income. Yes, everyone needs more money, but this trade off is not fair. Eliminating janitorial positions would be devastating for those workers and families.

This comment could decimate Gringrich's stance on jobs. He cannot pretend that this child labor policy will put the millions of unemployed people back to work. In fact, any jobs plan he presents can be completely undermined by this idea. No reasonable person will believe there is a way to lower unemployment by giving teenagers the jobs adults used to have. Fire the janitors, fire Gingrich!

Romney and Gingrich: The Dance Quickens

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dan Balz, Amy Gardner, and Philip Rucker

Washingtonpost.com

"Gingrich, Romney prepare for January collision"

In the whirling waltz that is the 2012 GOP primary race, Romney has taken a turn around the dace floor with nearly every candidate. However, with the January primaries close at hand, it looks as though Gingrich will be Romney's main challenger. After hovering in the back of the public's mind and the corner of our televisions during debates, Gingrich's years of experience have swept him onto the dance floor with Romney. The two appear to be making each other stronger. Romney is developing a more digestible plan for the economy and Gingrich is increasing his staff and office space. The candidates are preparing strong campaigns and strategies against each other. Hopefully, the other candidates will step up their game and join Gingrich and Romney in their dance. Of the five approaching primaries, Florida is the most undecided and will be a significant factor in the January elections. Although Romney has three Cuban American Congressmen endorsing him, the race in Florida will pick up once earlier states have voted. Romney is ahead in South Carolina and New Hampshire polls although his campaign worries that support is slipping. On the other hand, Iowa is currently being courted heavily by all of the GOP candidates and has not yet given one preference. With the first primaries less than a month away, members of Romney's campaign have abandoned the hope that Gingrich will self-destruct. In fact, Gingrich's campaign has begun painting him as an endearing leader to Romney's strict ways. Republican voters should brace themselves for the tidal wave of recorded phone calls, glossy postcards, and persistent TV ads. Romney and Gingrich are preparing for a long, hard primary ahead, their waltz has quickened to a feverish volta.