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Paul Calls Himself 'the Anti-Racist' in Responding to Bigotry Allegations

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January 10, 2008 10:09 PM

ABC News' Z.  Byron Wolf reports: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gave his first lengthy TV interview about those bigoted screeds from the early 1990s printed in a newsletter bearing the name "The Ron Paul Report" that were dug up by The New Republic and posted by that magazine Tuesday night (LINK).

First, speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he disavowed himself of the reports and admitted they are bigoted.

"It's in there," Paul said. "It's bad. I recognize that and I had a moral responsibility. But that doesn’t mean you can indirectly charge me as being a racist."

"Everybody knows I’m not involved in that kind of language," said Paul, before disavowing the writing in the reports, which he said he often did not read.

"That's not my language. That's not my life," he said. "I honor and respect the civil right movement."

Paul compared himself to a publisher of the reports and asked Blitzer if publishers always know every word in their magazines.

But Paul, who called himself the "anti-racist," did not just defend himself. He also argued that his libertarian ideals do the most for minorities in the two wars most affecting them now, pointing to the war in Iraq and the war on drugs.

"In all wars, minorities suffer most," he said.

"What other candidate will stand up and say, 'I will pardon all, black or white, anybody who is convicted of nonviolent drug acts?'" Paul asked Blitzer. "If you want to look for the real discrimination, its in the judicial system."

"The real discrimination today has to do with the drug laws and the judicial system," he added.

"What I defend is the principle of libertarianism, where we never see an individual belong to a group," Paul said.

He also argued that Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. practiced libertarian ideals.

"I’m not a racist," Paul said. "Rosa Parks is one of my heroes, Martin Luther King is a hero, because they practiced the libertarian principle of civil disobedience and non-violence. Libertarians are incapable of being racist because racism is a collectivist idea. You see people in groups. A civil libertarian like myself see everyone as an individual."

Paul claimed his own support among African Americans is increasing and said someone (he did not say who) is trying to undermine that because he is the candidate that does the most to fight racism by not viewing people as part of a group. He did not offer data to prove his support among African Americans is growing.

January 10, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (14)

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Well that's OBVIOUS!!! Fortunately for those of us who value the promise of America... Ron Paul showed all the attack dogs for what they really are. Peddlers of hate temselves. Ron Paul won this debate. They came to finish him off and he came to play. Nobody who saw this debate can say that he wasn't Presidential. Did you really see a person who was a President on that stage tonight... Ron Paul was ready for 'em. And he showed those who were watching just what kind of person he REALLY is and NOT what the mainstream media made him out to be.

Posted by: rw3 | Jan 10, 2008 11:23:58 PM

Thanks Fox for giving Ron Paul his chance and your continual attempts of bashing and cheap shots at Dr. Paul. Like the failed attempt to put some type of blame or Paul leadership on supporters personal views. Your staffs'(majority of) news programs going out of the way to talk down on a candidate consistently made me wonder, "Why is FOX trying to hide this candidate from the public?" Now that I have visited ronpaul2008.com and studied his views and past voting records, I can see why. Ron Paul is the TRUTH!

Posted by: DWWard | Jan 11, 2008 12:35:28 AM

"Anti-racist?"

Give me a break. Ron Paul, actions speak louder than words. Saying you're not a racist does not excuse your racist behavior.

You voted against renewing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. You voted against honoring the Civil Rights Act of 1964. You voted against sending emergency money to New Orleans (and your comments explaining this vote were even more appalling)

Just drop out already.

Posted by: Steve Charb | Jan 11, 2008 8:52:30 AM

Steve Charb: If you really believe your post are you going to ask
Senator Robert C Byrd of West Virginia,
the Former KKK Member to resign!
Have any of the leaders of the Democrat
Party asked Byrd to resign!
I wonder who this real and true racist
is supporting! I'll bet its not OBAMA!

Posted by: reaganfan | Jan 11, 2008 1:04:49 PM

Wait a sec..if you publish a newsletter called "The Ron Paul Report"...and you're the one responsible for the content of it..Dont you think you would have seen what were in those newsletters Congressman Paul??

You say that MLK is a "hero" of yours..yet in these newsletters you called him a "gay pedophile"...

I truly hope that Paul gets primaried and bounced OUT of the US House of Representatives...We don't need nutcases like this at the reins of our government..

Posted by: Todd | Jan 11, 2008 1:22:43 PM

I'm a young Black woman who supports Ron Paul. He's honest and he's got good ideas. Some can try and say their voting for some legislation is the proof of their great love for Black people while overlooking the money they pour into miseducating black children and supporting policies that are designed to destroy our communities.


To the poster above: Does him calling MLK names means he hates Black people?

Posted by: NYC_Chic | Jan 11, 2008 2:39:47 PM

Re: N.O./Hurricane Assistance - Am I to understand that Paul's position is that anyone living in a geographically hazardous part of the country does not merit governmental assistance? That's simply idiotic --especially considering the tremendous benefit and financial gain the government receives from the natural resources in New Orleans and southern Louisiana. This candidate can't be that clueless.

Posted by: ceejay | Jan 11, 2008 2:47:38 PM

The idiotic thing is after all this time and all that money (that was taken from you on top of what was donated), NOTHING has been rebuilt. Money well spent with govenment effiency... INDEED!!! But hey they fixed the Superdome, there's priorites for ya. Way to go big government! Where did the money go... IDEAS??? Yeah, blame Ron Paul for that. It wasn't Nagin, Blanco, or Landrieu's fault. Sure. Ok.

Posted by: rw3 | Jan 11, 2008 3:01:04 PM

"What other candidate will stand up and say, 'I will pardon all, black or white, anybody who is convicted of nonviolent drug acts?'" Paul asked Blitzer. "If you want to look for the real discrimination, its in the judicial system."

Ron Paul supports the relaxation or abolishment of the current drug regualations and laws.

Please comment on whether or not you think this is a good idea. Consequences of taking this action. and please note the candidate that you support. Thanks!

Posted by: Ron | Jan 11, 2008 6:35:50 PM

Drug addiction is a medical problem, not a criminal justice problem. However, if found guilty of a non-violent offense, one can be rehabilitated much easier than say a violent offender. Can you tell me why sentencing for powder cocaine which rich corporate hacks use gets lesser sentencing than the poor, who use crack cocaine? And why wasn't there all of this concern when the only people using coke were at "Studio 54" and people of "privliledge". I seem to remember 60 minutes doing quite a few stories on this back in the '70's. But when the middle class and the poor got ahold of it, we had to "declare war" on drugs. They don't care about drugs as long as it's seen as a privledge for the affulent and another perk of the elite. Once it filters down to the poor, and the middle class it's a scourge that must be stopped. I find this arguement to be hypocritical and false. Besides all that money is being spent for us to militarize the police and violate posse comitatitus and unlawfully blend the Army with the local police. Is this still America? All that money would be better spent back in the community, giving jobs and projects tha would enhance our neighborhoods, and not turn them into war zone for unlawful men in black ski masks raiding homes in pursuit of non-violent drug offenders, instead of those on wall street who bring the drugs in, in the first place. Ridiculing a canidate who will take on this unlawful and wasteful war on drugs is a vote for the staus quo of oppressing the poor, and the middle class, at the expense of the powerful elite who profit and partake in the so-called war on drugs"

Posted by: rw3 | Jan 11, 2008 8:19:28 PM

YOU CAN HAVE OBAMA AND CLINTON, MY VOTE IS GOING TO RON PAUL , THE ONLY TRUE AMERICAN IN THEN WHOLE LOT THAT WANTS WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS COUNTRY !!

Posted by: BOB | Jan 12, 2008 11:12:27 PM

It is amazing to me how shallow the dirt is that is being dug up on Ron Paul. Can't the media come up with anything better than this? The man has a flawless voting record...

Posted by: | Jan 13, 2008 1:51:19 AM

The editor of that newsletter betrayed Ron Paul's trust. Do you think the guy running the New York Time reads EVERY artical? No, he has a staff of people that do that for him. If it didn't have Ron Paul's name on the cover and he just owned it, this wouldn't have even been an issue. The things that were said in that paper were soooo off the deep end and full of ignorance that anyone with half a brain could see that they didn't come from Ron Paul. If I right an artical and make up quotes about you, does that make it true. Look at the issues that Ron Paul has stood beside and that his voting reflects. He is for STOP SPENDING TAX MONEY BAILING OUT PEOPLE WHO MAKE BAD DECISIONS!! Everyone wants government to take care of them now. How about taking your own life in your hands and take care of yourself. And then, when your doing well, you can give to whoever you want. Not government taking my money to give to who they want...

Posted by: Tom | Jan 13, 2008 10:42:43 AM

Ron Paul is for limited government (gov't doesn't have nearly the right to spend or tax what it does; repealing certain amendments would help to fix that), and for what the bill of rights guarantees: freedom of the individual FROM government. Allow free markets to reign and allow people in communities to pass their own ordinances about what is acceptable behavior. We do NOT need a monstrosity of a federal government; the beauty of our system used to be the fact that smaller communities could live under the same flag despite differing beliefs and values, and now, we always go to the federal government to do things for us. We've become weak as a society; Dr. Paul is the answer - write him in this November!

Posted by: FJ | Oct 16, 2008 2:22:36 PM

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