Ron Paul speaks against SOPA • Hacker News Board

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#121

Post by shill » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 4:55 PM UTC

Duff wrote: post #15

jiggy2011 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a British person I don't know much about American politics but I often see this Ron Paul guy turn up in discussions about politics in general. He seems to a hero to many people including those who aren't the stereotypical republican voters. I have to admit I don't quite understand his appeal, his position seems to always just be to oppose any new legislation on government involvement in anything. His position alwa…

He says things that politicians don't typically say. The average American politician chants "create jobs" when he orders breakfast. Paul says things that sound insightful and refreshing on the surface, when heard in terms of a soundbite. Most of his fans don't dig much deeper. He would be a horrific president, but he's having a positive impact. By speaking his mind and talking about things that don't make it out of t…

I agree with most of what you say, but I think your idea of the word 'horrific' is something like running out of milk halfway through filling your bowl of Cheerios.

The media collaborating with the military-industrial-complex to drum up a war on phony pretenses that resulted in the slaughter of more than 100,000 Iraqis is horrific.

Strip searching citizens before they can get from point A to point B is horrific.

The media (both Team Left and Team Right) blatantly conspiring the blackout of a popular politician is horrific.

93 out of 100 senators rubber stamping the indefinite detention and torture of American citizens and declaring the Internet a battlefield is horrific.

A president that would do anything in his power to prevent these things from happening would be Heroic, not Horrific.

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#122

Post by padobson » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 4:58 PM UTC

chernevik wrote: post #117

jliechti1 wrote: post #101

The censorship of Ron Paul really is pretty incredible. The Daily Show clip was already mentioned in this thread - here's another example I noticed the other day in the Chicago Tribune: I just pulled out three random stories: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-io... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politicsnow/la-pn-iowa-ri... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-pn-romney-... No…

CNBC had an interview where they basically let him talk for almost half an hour. He was great for five minutes, okay through to ten, and then the wheels just came off. He couldn't answer obvious follow-up questions (some with obvious Ron Paul answers). He was bamboozled by questions on the gold standard from people who actually speak monetary policy. Toward the end he was hardly coherent. I came away thinking his tal…

"I came away thinking his talking points are great but get him off those and there's very little there."

This does little to differentiate him from any other politician.

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#123

Post by scarmig » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 4:58 PM UTC

CWuestefeld wrote: post #38

megablast wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ron Paul has some great ideas, he was against iraq war, iran invasion and more. But he hates gay rights and is very strong on Religion. He want laws against burning the flag, against abortion, and more. He has extreme views, that you either hate or love.

against abortion This is false. He absolutely opposes anti-abortion (or pro- for that matter) legislation at the federal level. He is personally opposed to abortion, and he'd like to see states forbid it. But since we're talking about him with respect to a national office, his views of what states should do shouldn't matter too much. I think you'll find that in almost every way, he wants to get the federal government…

Right now, it's illegal to ban abortion in any state.

Ron Paul wants to make it legal for states to ban abortions, as Ron Paul is personally pro-life.

This isn't something that is driven by some deeply-held libertarian principles. Many (most?) libertarians are pro-choice.

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#124

Post by jamesbritt » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 4:58 PM UTC

chernevik wrote: post #117

jliechti1 wrote: post #101

The censorship of Ron Paul really is pretty incredible. The Daily Show clip was already mentioned in this thread - here's another example I noticed the other day in the Chicago Tribune: I just pulled out three random stories: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-io... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politicsnow/la-pn-iowa-ri... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-pn-romney-... No…

CNBC had an interview where they basically let him talk for almost half an hour. He was great for five minutes, okay through to ten, and then the wheels just came off. He couldn't answer obvious follow-up questions (some with obvious Ron Paul answers). He was bamboozled by questions on the gold standard from people who actually speak monetary policy. Toward the end he was hardly coherent. I came away thinking his tal…

I came away thinking his talking points are great but get him off those and there's very little there.

That describes nearly every single politician. Bill Clinton comes to mind as an exception, and no doubt there are a few others, but not among the anointed GOP candidates.

This lack of depth and intellectual rigor does nothing to dissuade major news outlets from sticking a mic in front of nearly anyone or discussing them as serious contenders.

Reporters have decided that Paul is never going to get the nomination so they don't bother.

Anyway I'd love to see that Paul interview if anyone has a link. I'm curious about "bamboozled by questions on the gold standard" and "hardly coherent".

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#125

Post by scarmig » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:02 PM UTC

jswinghammer wrote: post #44

megablast wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ron Paul has some great ideas, he was against iraq war, iran invasion and more. But he hates gay rights and is very strong on Religion. He want laws against burning the flag, against abortion, and more. He has extreme views, that you either hate or love.

On what basis do you say he's against gay rights? He has the most progressive opinion on marriage of any candidate. Which is to say abolish marriage licenses entirely. It's only very recently (in the history of marriage) that marriage became an issue to the state anyway.

If you believe that marriages should be altogether abolished, but before they are abolished you refuse to support efforts to make the discriminatory status quo more equitable... then, yes, you're against gay rights.

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#126

Post by fragsworth » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:07 PM UTC

scarmig wrote: post #123

CWuestefeld wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

against abortion This is false. He absolutely opposes anti-abortion (or pro- for that matter) legislation at the federal level. He is personally opposed to abortion, and he'd like to see states forbid it. But since we're talking about him with respect to a national office, his views of what states should do shouldn't matter too much. I think you'll find that in almost every way, he wants to get the federal government…

Right now, it's illegal to ban abortion in any state. Ron Paul wants to make it legal for states to ban abortions, as Ron Paul is personally pro-life. This isn't something that is driven by some deeply-held libertarian principles. Many (most?) libertarians are pro-choice.

You've missed the point entirely.

Ron Paul wants to make it legal for states to ban abortions, because Ron Paul generally favors state powers and is against federal powers. It has nothing to do with his personal opinion on abortion.

He's made this clear several times, but most people don't seem to understand it.

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#127

Post by efader » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:07 PM UTC

Political pandering; I would not trust this.

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#128

Post by seanalltogether » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:09 PM UTC

jiggy2011 wrote: post #5

naz wrote: post #3

This is unsurprising. Ron Paul is generally against new legislation.

As a British person I don't know much about American politics but I often see this Ron Paul guy turn up in discussions about politics in general. He seems to a hero to many people including those who aren't the stereotypical republican voters. I have to admit I don't quite understand his appeal, his position seems to always just be to oppose any new legislation on government involvement in anything. His position alwa…

I believe Ron Pauls support comes as a backlash against politicians who have been trained to give certain responses, like for instance Sarah Palin when she was running for Vice President and had absolutely no knowledge of national politics. People don't necessarily agree with every one of Ron Pauls ideals, but at least you believe he has spent a lifetime nurturing those political ideals for himself, rather then having someone coach him.

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#129

Post by nextparadigms » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:09 PM UTC

maratd wrote: post #118

jaysonelliot wrote: post #66

I could come up with a list of things that I don't like about Ron Paul personally, and a few things that worry me politically. But none of that really matters. He's the only candidate that I feel I could actually trust to stick by his campaign rhetoric, and the only one I would trust to actually defend the constitution. Ironic, given that we have a constitutional scholar in the White House and a historian running for…

I feel the same way. In fact, I'm sure most of Ron Paul's supports feel the same way. I find his foreign policy views deplorable and offensive. You know what? I will still be voting for him. I'm tired. I'm so tired of the lying. Gingrich, Romney, Obama, Bush, etc. will say anything to get elected. Once elected, they all behave the same way. I'd rather have an honest man I disagree with in the White House, than a man…

I think his foreign policy is one of his strongest policies for which he gets a lot of support. What's funny is that Bush got elected in 2000 for having almost exactly the same foreign policy that Ron Paul has now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsvf1HU0KHM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8NhRPo0WAo

Re: Ron Paul speaks against SOPA

#130

Post by dubfan » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:14 PM UTC

dantheman wrote: post #104

dubfan wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JyvkjSKMLw - In this video he claims he does not "accept the theory of evolution as a theory". While he doesn't come straight out and use the tired "just a theory" attack, it sure sounds like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eiR_U8vhIo - A reading from his book expounds on his answer to that question. He seems to think the question of evolution is "silly" and irrelevant to his campa…

From his book liberty defined: http://libertydefined.org/issue/17 No one person has perfect knowledge as to man's emergence on this earth. Yet almost everyone has a strong religious, scientific, or emotional opinion he or she considers gospel. The creationists frown on the evolutionists, and the evolutionists dismiss the creationists as kooky and unscientific. Lost in this struggle are those who look objectively at t…

For Paul to claim that someone could hold a "scientific opinion as gospel" shows that he has either forgotten his scientific education that he no doubt received during his Ph.D. candidacy, or that his meaning was lost in his sweeping rhetoric. In this age of climate change, resource depletion and environmental degradation the most powerful country in the world needs a Commander-in-Chief that demonstrates the ability to understand and interpret scientific advances. Paul has not shown this ability.