Ron Paul – The ONLY Candidate Who Matters If You Want Change

How the Ron Paul Movement Looks to an American in Europe

by Ben Novak
by Ben Novak

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The following is a report to Americans in Europe for Ron Paul.

Dear Fellow Paulites:

You have not heard from me for a while – I have been off on a seven-week visit to the US. I left February 21, and did not get back until April 9.

When I left, we were all depressed by the results of the Super-Tuesday, and the South Carolina, etc. primaries, in which Ron Paul failed to get much more than 5–10 percent of the vote, and John McCain just about wrapped up the Republican nomination. It seemed the end of Ron Paul’s campaign – and of our interest in it.

On this trip to the US, I had time, for the first time in almost 7 years, to watch television news all day for a couple of days, and then follow the news reports on most days thereafter. I was startled by what I saw. There is almost NO news on the networks! It was all “talking heads” giving opinions on some minor comment of Obama, Hilary, or McCain all day. Almost no foreign news; nothing to explain the economy, the war, the world situation, etc. The American people know nothing from the Main Stream Media (MSM) of what is going on the world! Only disasters make the news – plane crashes, floods, etc. It is positively shocking. It seems Americans are being lobotomized.

I also checked the news magazines. Time, Newsweek, and US News & World Report used to give pretty good coverage of both the nation and the world. But now all three have only “feature” articles, and opinion pieces – almost no hard news at all. Amazingly, the only magazine that they can get any real news from is from Europe – the Economist!

Now I understand two phenomena: 1) Why Ron Paul did so well on the internet and 2) why he did so poorly in the primaries. The reason for the first is that the only place Americans can get any real news is from the internet – certainly not from the MSM. Thus, it is clear why those who followed the news on the internet were overwhelmingly for Ron Paul. Second, the reason that Ron Paul did so poorly is that most Americans get their news from the MSM, so they know little or nothing about what is going on, and were told nothing about Ron Paul.

This is both depressing and encouraging. It is depressing, because here we have the people of the most powerful nation in the world kept utterly ignorant of what is going on by their own “democratic” media. Astoundingly depressing. How can any democracy – let alone the world’s only hyper power – function without an informed citizenry? Yet that is what I saw. It does not matter what your politics are, left or right, the fact is that Americans are being deliberately kept asleep by its media…

But it is encouraging also in this respect: The American nation will someday wake up and realize what has happened, and when they do, it will be something to see.

I like to think that this is what Ron Paul knows and is planning for. He knew he had no chance to win unless the message spread beyond the internet-savvy people. For the fact is that the MSM have totally forfeited any claim to deliver real news. His campaign was premised on his message spreading. Well, it did not spread enough. But, that does not mean it has stopped spreading. It is just taking longer than he or we hoped.

Perhaps, however, it only seems that the Ron Paul 2008 campaign is over, and the nomination all sewed up. Maybe they are. But I would not count out either Ron Paul or his campaign yet. It is my belief, based on what I saw, that the news situation in the US is as fragile as a stained glass window in which all the cement holding the glass panes in place has been removed. All it will take is for the slightest breeze of truth to bring it crashing down. And then Americans will be demanding the truth in overwhelming numbers, and looking for someone they can trust. For, they certainly cannot trust either the MSM or the candidates the MSM has chosen to cover.

There are so many directions from which the wind of truth can come: the falling economy, the falling dollar, the price of oil, the scandals in credit, the mounting national debt, the balance of payments, the loss of jobs, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, an attack on Iran, etc. From all of these (and many more) shocks may come, which will wake the Americans out of their sleepiness and laziness which has allowed them settle for the pablum being offered as “news.” The American people are not dumb.

I like to think (but do not really know) that this is the way Ron Paul understands the situation. As the old saying goes, “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” Well, RP has the idea, and he has the wisdom and the patience to wait till its time has come. So far, he has beautifully positioned himself for when that time comes. He has waged his campaign to take the word out to the people. Only a few heard, but they have seen for themselves how the MSM works. Ron Paul has earned their trust. He is the only one who has come through this campaign more trusted than he entered it. One out of twenty voters already knows and trusts him.

That means when the wind of truth begins to blow, each one of those one-in-twenty Ron Paul supporters need only bring the facts to nine or ten people to create a majority in the whole country. And when the jolts and shocks of reality hit and break through the web of obfuscation and lies of the MSM, people will be looking for real facts and truth. And Ron Paul supporters will already be armed to give it to them.

And it may come sooner than expected. All the things Ron Paul said about the economy are coming true in spades – with credit collapses, falling dollars, rising oil prices, and recession (perhaps soon to become “Depression”), and most of all, spreading wars and endless quagmires.

The truth will spread, even as it did behind the Iron Curtain and eventually bring the whole thing down. The American economy is poised for further jolts, which the MSM will not be able to explain or spin away.

Remember, although Ron Paul only got one in twenty votes, that means in reality, that one person in twenty in America is already armed with the real facts and the truth. That means that the facts and the truth can spread fast, once people are brought to realize that the MSM is not giving the truth at all.

So, we have a lot of reason to hope, even for this present election. The situation is volatile. Ron Paul is still a candidate for the Republican nomination. Many things can happen. Just as John McCain was once written off and then suddenly emerged out of nowhere, Ron Paul may suddenly emerge from the nowhere that the MSM have consigned him to.

Further, we have reason to hope that even if the election goes to Obama, Hillary, or McCain, that Ron Paul’s ideas and movement will grow even faster. For, each of these front-runners is committed to doing all the things that Ron Paul has said are bringing on disaster. The American people will wake up to this very fast once they see where they will begin taking us, and opposition will form.

Already Ron Paul supporters are becoming prominent in the Republican Party across the nation, beginning at precincts and moving up to state level. Soon they will be in positions to educate others in the Party. By 2010, there will be several Ron Paul–educated members of Congress, and Ron Paul will no longer be alone. The movement is growing and will continue to grow.

Back in December at our meeting for the Strasbourg Tea Party in front of the European Parliament Building, I kept stressing that what we were doing that day in supporting Ron Paul was of historic importance. Allan Stevo downloaded the famous St. Crispin Day speech to read to us, and Michael Bauwens made a great video of it. What we did at Strasbourg did not cease to be historic just because Ron Paul seems to have lost the nomination to John McCain. The movement goes on and will triumph, and the fact that the road to victory is longer and harder than we thought will only make our participation on that day all the more historic and memorable.

April 24, 2008

Ben Novak [send him mail] is co-founder of Americans in Europe for Ron.

Ron Paul: Clinton ‘doesn’t understand the presidency’

by Nicholas R. Schwaderer

This year’s presidential election isn’t out of surprises.

When America had just settled into the Obama vs. Clinton vs. McCain political equation, Ron Paul proved Monday night that his message still has a place in the fray.

Earlier Monday, Clinton said she was prepared to “totally obliterate” Iran in response to a nuclear attack on Israel. She elaborated on that statement in later interviews, saying her goal was to reestablish a Cold-War-style deterrence.

The Chronicle asked Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul about Clinton’s statement during a press conference immediately before his rally at the University of Montana.

“She doesn’t understand the presidency if she’s making this type of commitment,” he said, launching into a discussion on foreign affairs.

Paul explained his core position through the lens of the current Iraqi conflict. He asserted that we are in the midst of an unconstitutional war that was never declared by Congress. He also expressed his distaste of treaties under which America is obligated to go to war.

When asked what his response would be under the same circumstances, Paul said Israel is safer without our presence and could sufficiently wipe out Iran on its own. He pointed out that Iran ‘may’ have been working on ‘a’ nuke since 2003, while Israel possesses 300.

“Iran is the peacemaker over there right now,” Paul said. “We wouldn’t do anything unless Congress says we should declare war.”

Paul would promote non-interventionism, focusing on self-reliance and seeking to “avoid entangling alliances” to prevent unwanted conflict. He also felt that because of the U.S. acting as the “world police,” we have fewer allies and more enemies than ever before.

During his remarks at the subsequent rally, Paul thanked Missoula County and Montana for his second-place finish in the state, behind Mitt Romney but ahead of presumptive nominee John McCain.

Paul’s 25 percent showing in Montana in February is his best result to date anywhere in the country. As shown by the standing-room-only crowd of sign-waving Paul-supporters, Montana’s enthusiasm for Paul’s message has not dimmed since Super Tuesday.

He attributed his resonance here to the fact that Montanans generally support individual liberty, small federal government, and fiscal responsibility. He also said his many young supporters come from an upcoming generation concerned about inheriting problems that the current federal government is setting up for them.

One point of tension during the rally came during the Q & A session when a supporter said he was pro-choice, expressing that he had no say in matters of pregnancy because it was “not his body.” The statement was greeted with sparse claps and cheers, followed by resounding boos.

Paul politely thanked the individual and said as a right-to-life candidate, he opposes abortion. The law demonstrates that the unborn has rights, he pointed out. For example, as a doctor, he could be sued if there were complications with a pregnancy. When a pregnant woman is murdered, the law recognizes it as a double homicide.

“I can’t use force or violence to hurt another,” Paul said in summary.

Paul also touched on education, saying that government should not be involved in education and that with less taxation, students will be more able to pay for college. He also supports a tax credit for the expenses students incur while at college. He noted that he paid his tuition by working at his University’s soda fountain.

Montana, among other states, has a strong pro-marijuana movement. Paul addressed this by detailing out a piece of legislation he carried in Congress several years ago. The bill called for the legalization of possessing and carrying raw milk. Simply put, Paul felt that the government shouldn’t further regulate what Americans eat, drink or smoke. He proclaimed that each American has the right to make decisions in regard to his or her soul and be able to live with the consequences. Though he may have raised his children and grew up himself with certain beliefs as to how he should treat his body, he obviously didn’t want to impress those upon all Americans.

Paul also agreed with supporters who said the mainstream media has not provided fair coverage of his campaign and his positions on issues, even though Paul received more votes than early front-runners Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson.

“I think I was marginalized… I don’t take it personal,” Paul said, “I was never seen as a viable candidate.”

Why is Paul remaining in the race?

“[McCain] looks like he’s going to be the nominee, he’s not [yet]” Paul said, “As long as there’s enthusiasm … I’ve continued to campaign.”

He will continue to run as long as there’s a strong base of support and it’s financially possible, he told supporters. Asked repeatedly whether he would run as a third party candidate, he would only say that he “can’t tell” what the next few months may hold for his campaign.

Monday afternoon Paul signed copies of his recently published book, “The Revolution: A Manifesto,” at the University Bookstore. The book lists our current problems: ever-expanding government, rising taxes, wars, inflation, and disappearing basic freedoms. Paul advocates a smaller, fiscally responsible government and an emphasis on self-reliance.