Articles
35 Heroes of Freedom, by
Reason,
Reason, Dec 2003
"Eclectic, irreverent" list of individuals "who have made the world a freer, better, and more libertarian place by example, invention, or action", as chosen by
Reason editors (includes the unknown martyr of Tiananmen Square and "The Yuppie")
Ron Paul. Paul is the only member of Congress who always votes according to the principles they all should follow. First, he asks if the program is authorized by the Constitution. If it is, he then consults his campaign promises, which include pledges to never raise taxes or increase spending. Look for his votes in the nay column.
The Barr Campaign At Three Months, by
David Nolan, 26 Aug 2008
Follow-up discussion of the Bob Barr presidential campaign three months after the nomination (and 10 weeks before the election)
Why has the effort to raise money been so unsuccessful? In my opinion, the answer is obvious. Republicans, by and large, won't contribute to a rival party. Libertarians remain uninspired by campaign press releases like the one calling for a "Commission on Wasteful Government." And the small army of Ron Paul supporters is not transferring their support to Barr because he has totally failed to address their two key issues: dismantling the Federal Reserve and ending the Iraq War ASAP. In sum, nobody is being offered a compelling reason to contribute.
The Case for Gold, by Mark Calabria
Review of
The Case for Gold (1982) by Rep. Ron Paul and Lewis Lehrman
In 1982, Rep. Ron Paul and Lewis Lehrman served on the U.S. Gold Commission, commissioned by Congress to evaluate the role of gold in the monetary system. Paul and Lehrman produced a landmark minority report: The Case for Gold. ... Working with a team of economists, Paul and Lehrman produced a work that is as sound and prescient today as when first published. With Paul's ascendancy to chairman of the House Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy — which oversees the Federal Reserve as well as the currency and the valuation of the dollar ...
The Constitutionalist, by Gary M. Galles, 28 Mar 2007
Comments on the 2008 presidential candidacy of Paul, aiming to demonstrate his principled and consistent views by a litany of quotes from Paul's writings and speeches in the preceding year
In a long public life, Dr. Paul has always kept faith with the limited defensible role for our federal government ... Ron Paul is best defined by what he would not do. He has steadfastly opposed war. He rejects domestic subsidies and beggar-thy-neighbor policies on the same basis. He would not support government policies that, while depriving taxpayers of income and restricting citizen choices, do not achieve their intended results. He does not support government redistribution of wealth ... Verifying [his] consistent, principled approach is also easy. His voting record in the House speaks for itself.
Foreword, by
Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.,
A Foreign Policy of Freedom, 2007
Examines the historical precedents for the Paulian view that American foreign and domestic policy both be conducted in the same non-interventionist manner
Ron Paul has always believed that foreign and domestic policy should be conducted according to the same principles. Government should be restrained from intervening at home or abroad because its actions fail to achieve their stated aims, create more harm than good, shrink the liberty of the people, and violate rights ... Paul's singular voice on foreign affairs has done so much to keep the flame of a consistent liberty burning in times when it might otherwise have been extinguished. He has drawn public attention to the ideas of the founders. He has alerted people to the dangers of empire.
Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson Endorses Ron Paul | Reuters, 21 Jan 2008
Press release from the Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign Committee
To announce his endorsement, Governor Johnson issued the following statement: "I am endorsing Ron Paul for the Republican nomination for President because of his commitment to less government, greater liberty, and lasting prosperity for America. We are at a point in this country where we need to reduce our dependency on government and regain control of our future. To this end, Ron Paul will bring back troops, end the War in Iraq, and will strengthen the U.S. dollar and the economy. For these reasons and more, Ron Paul has my support, respect, and vote."
The Fraudulent Tax, by Laurence M. Vance,
Mises Daily, 9 Oct 2006
Examines the arguments made by proponents of the FairTax (a national retail sales tax), in particular, those made by Neal Boortz in
The FairTax Book (2005)
FairTax supporters know that it is Dr. Paul who consistently votes to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending, and regulation. His support for the FairTax bill would further their cause ... The Americans for Fair Taxation website lists Congressman Paul as a "supporter" of the FairTax. This is strange since Dr. Paul has not taken an official position [on] the FairTax. His priority is reducing government spending and taxes, not getting sidetracked in debates about which type of tax we should have. As he has made clear: "The real issue is total spending by government, not tax reform."
Free Speech on the Ropes, by
James Bovard,
Freedom Daily, Jan 2006
Constrasts President Bush's "we love our freedom" rhetoric with actions to suppress dissent by establishing "free speech zones"; tells the story of a protester arrested and released but then prosecuted in non-jury trial by the Justice Department
The Bursey prosecution spurred a dozen members of Congress, including Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), to write to President Bush to protest the administration's crackdown on demonstrators: "As we read the First Amendment to the Constitution, the United States is a 'free speech zone.' In the United States, free speech is the rule, not the exception ... We ask that you make it clear that we have no interest as a government in 'zoning' constitutional freedoms, and that being politically annoying to the president of the United States is not a criminal offense ..."
The Great Unknown, by James Ostrowski, 17 Jan 2007
Argues that Hillary Clinton, considered to be the Democratic nominee by the author, would prefer to face McCain rather than the "Great Unknown" of Ron Paul
Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich? ... McCain's in there too. Ron Paul versus three establishment centrists who supported the war sounds like a good scenario in the Republican primaries. ... Now, consider the fact that on the key issue of the campaign, the Iraq War, Ron Paul beats Hillary. He voted against the war and she for it. On three other key issues, the economy, immigration and health care, Ron Paul's views should fare quite well against Hillary's. ... All I'm saying is that the Ron Paul campaign could be a political earthquake. We won't and can't know until after the fact.
How We Started "Liberty", by
R. W. Bradford,
Liberty, Sep 1992
Reflections on the fifth anniversary of publishing
Liberty
Rothbard's contribution ... was a rousing defense of Ron Paul's bid for the LP's presidential nomination and an attack on the candidacy of Russell Means: "If the Libertarian Party selects Ron Paul, it votes for growth, for prosperity, for life itself, and for setting out on the road to victory for liberty. If it chooses Russell Means, it commits hara-kiri in full public view ... the choice between Paul and Means is a choice between life and death." It was hot stuff, lively prose with a nasty edge. But Rothbard's polemic alarmed me ... Happily, two ... editors came to the rescue by writing [different] analyses of the contest ...
Is Capitalism Why We Fight?, by Gregory Bresiger,
Mises Daily, 6 Apr 2006
Critical review of the theses presented in the 2005 documentary
Why We Fight, also inquirying about topics omitted from the film
Repeatedly, the documentarians go around asking average Joes why we fight. Again and again, people usually give moronic answers, or answers that are a mindless rehash of pathetic justifications offered by the Bush administration ... The documentary cries out for the comments of a maverick member of Congress like Ron Paul, a Republican from Texas who opposed the Iraq incursion from day one and whose inspired consistent opposition to American empire has so often been ignored or trivialized in the mainstream press.
Libertarianism and the War, by
Justin Raimondo, 2 Apr 2007
Criticizes a Cato Unbound symposium titled "Libertarianism: Past and Prospects" with contributed essays from Brian Doherty, Brink Lindsey, Tyler Cowen, Tom G. Palmer and Virginia Postrel
America stands at a crossroads: one path leads to empire, and the other takes us back to our origins as a constitutional republic. Rep. Ron Paul, who has recently announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, understands this ... [T]he simple and powerful message of our libertarian member of Congress puts [the Cato crowd] all to shame. Not that these wiseacres would ever think to learn anything from Ron Paul, who has been around the movement a lot longer than any of them. They wouldn't condescend to even discuss his campaign, except to diss him as "doctrinaire."
The Libertarian Party Stays the Course, by Brian Doherty,
Reason, 3 Jun 2004
Detailed reporting and analysis of the 2004 Libertarian National Convention and the selection of Badnarik as the LP nominee
Despite some cavils by Russo partisans that nominating ... Badnarik was a suicidal move for the LP, its future will doubtless be far more lively and significant on the local, state, and congressional level than the presidential; Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) has proven that libertarianism as hardcore as it gets can reach Congress and stay there. Of course, it has so far had to fly under a different party label, which raises a difficult question that most hardcore Partyarchs don't want to deal with—might it not be better for even the most radical libertarian to launch his political career small, and as a Republican?
Libertarian Voters and the Libertarian Party, by
David Boaz, 23 May 2008
Discusses the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential candidate nominees, the views of libertarian-leaning voters and the prospects for the LP
Vying for the [Libertarian Party] nomination are a former Democratic senator, a former Republican congressman, the author of the book Millionaire Republican, and a number of long‐time party activists ... Ron Paul's surprising campaign this year and the increasing evidence about libertarian voters have generated more interest in the Libertarian Party nomination than usual, as witness the large and broad field of candidates ... There's widespread disillusionment with both parties. Ron Paul tapped into some of that in the Republican primaries and demonstrated that a libertarian candidate could raise a lot of money.
The New U.S. War on Liberty, by
David J. Theroux, Karen De Coster, 22 Jan 2002
De Coster introduces a critical analysis, by Theroux, of the War in Afghanistan and the War on Terrorism
Congressman Ron Paul admirably submitted a bill in Congress which would issue "Letters of Marque and Reprisal" (based on Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution) to authorize private parties to go after the terrorists, just as private bounty hunters do otherwise. (see "Let Privateers Troll for Bin Laden," by Larry J. Sechrest). However, the White House, the defense and intelligence establishments, and the leadership in Congress are firmly against any such moves because they do not want the competition that would likely show up the military-industrial-congressional complex for what it really is ...
Online NewsHour: Libertarian Party History, 5 Jul 2000
History from 1971 through 1999; special coverage for the year 2000 elections
1987: ... Former U.S. Congressman Ron Paul resigns from the Republican Party and joins the Libertarian Party. Seattle convention nominates Ron Paul for president, Andre Marrou for vice president.
1988: Ron Paul, on the ballot in 46 states and the District of Columbia, comes in third, receiving more than 430,000 votes nationwide -- almost twice the total of any other "third" party.
Pathetic Arguments for Foreign Intervention, by
Sheldon Richman, 25 Jan 2008
Criticizes comments made by
The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens about Ron Paul's call for a full U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East
Republican presidential contender Ron Paul certainly deserves credit for putting the foreign policy of noninterventionism into the public debate. It's about time ... Yes, the time for this debate is long overdue. Unfortunately, the quality of the debate on the other side is pathetic ... The media stars who seem so incredulous and amused when interviewing a noninterventionist such as Representative Paul are like putty in the hands of American imperialists ... Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal, [criticizes] Representative Paul's call for a full U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East ...
Paul's Apology: Say it ain't so, Dr. No, by
Jacob Sullum,
Reason, 16 Jan 2008
Examines Ron Paul's record, the controversy over the newsletters published under Paul's name in the 1980s and 1990s, and Paul's response
Ron Paul is not just a rare politician. The Texas Republican's combination of principle and plainspokenness ... has helped his presidential campaign break fund-raising records while attracting a strikingly diverse and enthusiastic crowd of supporters ... Not everything you may have heard about the newsletters is true ... But the truth is bad enough ... The race-baiting newsletter passages do not sound like anything else Paul has said or written in his public life. People who were familiar with the newsletters' production confirm that they were largely ghostwritten and that Paul often did not review them prior to publication.
Preface, by
Murray N. Rothbard,
Gold, Peace, and Prosperity: The Birth of a New Currency, 1981
Preface to Ron Paul's
Gold, Peace, and Prosperity
Ron Paul is a most unusual politician—in many ways. In the first place, he really knows what he's talking about. He is not only for the gold standard. He knows why he is for it, and he is familiar with the most advanced and complex economic insights on the true nature of inflation, on how inflation works, and how inflationary credit expansions brings about booms and busts. And yet Ron has the remarkable ability to take these complex and vital insights and to present them in clear, lucid, hard-hitting terms to the non-economist reader. His economics is as sound as a bell.
President Paul?, by
Joseph Sobran,
The Reactionary Utopian, 25 Jan 2006
Commentary and anecdotes on hearing that Ron Paul had formed an exploratory committee for his 2008 U.S. Presidential bid
Paul, a pro-life medical doctor, is a genuine political maverick. When the House votes for something 434 to 1, you can safely bet that Paul is the 1. He really fights for the principles other Republicans only pretend to stand for, and does so with carefully reasoned explanations of his positions ... Paul ran for president once before, in 1988, when he bolted the GOP to run on the Libertarian Party ticket. Much as I admired him, I voted for George H.W. Bush, afraid of "wasting" my vote on Paul, who had no real chance of winning. Silly me. I soon realized I had really wasted my vote on Bush.
The Revolutionary Candidate, by Thomas Woods, 26 Mar 2007
Discusses and comments on the reactions of various organizations in the early days of Paul's 2008 presidential campaign
He's a bigger supporter of the free market than anyone in Congress, but he's also the most consistent opponent of war. ... He has won so many awards from the National Taxpayers Union that he's probably lost count. CNET rated him the best out of all 435 congressmen in the House of Representatives on issues relating to the Internet. ... Although more and more Americans polled agree that their government should mind its own business and try to scale back its impossible commitments ... no one in politics other than Ron Paul will actually say such a thing, much less write a book about it.
ripensare il femminismo/.2 "My body, my choice", by
Wendy McElroy, Marco Faraci, 9 Mar 2012
Second part of "Rethinking feminism" interview; topics include modern feminism vs. the Berlusconi scandals, American conservative women, and the presidential candidacy of Ron Paul
Ci sono temi specifici ed importanti nei quali mi distinguo in modo netto da Ron Paul; tra questi l’immigrazione, l’aborto ed alcune sue votazioni al Congresso. Tuttavia la vera questione è se la libertà può essere davvero raggiunta attraverso la politica elettorale. ... Ed anche se mi sento più vicina a quello che dice Ron Paul che a quello che dicono gli altri candidati, alla fine Paul resta comunque un politico. Quei libertari che vogliono consegnargli "l’anello per governarli tutti" (per dirla alla Tolkien) sono un po’ troppo ottimisti sul fatto che, al contrario di tutti gli altri politici, lui invece manterrà le promesse.
Ron Paul and the Empire, by Steven LaTulippe, 31 Jul 2007
Considers what steps the establishment could take to prevent Ron Paul from becoming President
Can Ron Paul really win? Does he have a snowball's chance of becoming the next president, or are we all kidding ourselves? ... Unlike the establishment's candidates, Ron Paul is a freelancer running on three specific ideas:
- The federal government must function within the strict guidelines of the Constitution.
- America should deconstruct its empire, withdraw our troops from around the world and reestablish a foreign policy based on noninterventionism.
- America should abolish the Federal Reserve Bank, eliminate fiat currency and return to hard money.
The Ron Paul Revolution: A Lesson in Free Market Economics, by Jason Rink, 19 Sep 2007
Discusses how the grassroots Ron Paul supporters demonstrate how an unfettered market works
They say Ron Paul is skinny because he won’t let special interests buy him lunch. While this may be true, the grassroots campaign is incredibly fat with the volunteer efforts and contributions from Ron Paul Revolution foot soldiers who are taking the movement to the street ... Though they started with almost nothing when he announced his candidacy, the National Campaign recently raised more money than the entire GOP at the Texas Straw Poll. In San Francisco, Ron Paul spoke at three sold out fundraising events, with $500–$2,000 admission prices.
Ron Paul's Goldwater Moment, by
Justin Raimondo, 11 May 2007
Critiques Washington-centric "conventional wisdom" about Ron Paul's presidential candidacy
Portraits of Congressman Ron Paul ... invariably descend into cliché–he is "Dr. No," he’s against subsidies even for his own district, he's a libertarian Don Quixote–but, then again, clichés are what the conventional wisdom is made of ... [H]owever, ... he is a true paleo-Republican ... a ten-term congressman from Texas who remembers what the Republican party used to stand for ... [H]e's a country doctor, a man who oozes sincerity, and just the kind of stern yet benevolent figure, brimming with integrity, who is conceivably capable of leading the GOP out of its ideological quagmire, and reclaiming its lost heritage.
Ron's Revolution: Could Dr. Paul really surprise us all?, by
Dave Kopel, 9 Oct 2007
Recounts observations from the Second Amendment Foundation's Gun Rights Policy Conference and the impact of the Ron Paul presidential campaign
What I saw and heard there changed my mind about the viability of Ron Paul's presidential candidacy ... The difference between Paul as a speaker in 1988 and in 2007 was startling. In 1988, he was perfectly competent. This time he was electrifying ... Most impressive, however, was the large crowd of young people ... They were enthused and energized, many of them sporting Ron Paul Revolution t-shirts. (The shirts are very clever, since they use "Revolution" to also say "LOVE", which makes revolution seem a lot nicer.) ... With five million dollars raised in 3Q 2007, it appears that Paul's message is catching on.
Ron Versus the Huckster, by
Justin Raimondo, 7 Sep 2007
Analyzes Ron Paul's response to Chris Wallace's questions on the Iraq invasion and Paul's exchange with Gov. Huckabee, at the 5 Sep 2007 Republican presidential debate
... Rep. Paul, the only antiwar candidate in the GOP pack, succeeded in framing the debate around his challenge to neocon orthodoxy on the all-important issue of foreign policy. ... Wallace ... asked if Paul would "leave troops in the region ..." and Paul's answer ... takes an unequivocal position – "Yes, I would leave, I would leave completely" ... Paul, however, goes beyond a mere critique of the present policy, and offers a coherent and comprehensive alternative, succinctly and with real passion in his voice ... Paul's focus is admirable: he goes right for the jugular, and hits it unerringly.
Top 10 Members of Congress Fighting for Lower Taxes, by Editors of HUMAN EVENTS,
Human Events, 4 Apr 2006
List of three senators and seven representatives, ranked by the editors according to their stances or records on taxation measures
1. Rep. Ron Paul (R.-Tex.)
Co-sponsor with Rep. Jeff Flake of a constitutional amendment to repeal the 16th Amendment and end income, gift and estate taxes. Regularly pushes for tax cuts. Sponsor of bills to allow tax credits for private school tuition, to permit tax deduction of college tuition and to stop all taxation of Social Security benefits. Opposes all unconstitutional spending programs.
Total Victory: How Sweet It Is!, by
Murray N. Rothbard,
The Libertarian Forum, 1983
Lengthy account and commentary on the 1983 Libertarian Party presidential convention
It wasn't supposed to be an exciting convention. Since January, radio talk show host Gene Burns of Orlando, Florida had been campaigning hard for the Presidential nomination. No one was in the field to oppose him. The desperate Crane Machine, trying hard for a "big name" candidate, sought for months to induce Republican Representative Ron Paul to run against Burns, but without success.
Related Topics:
David Bergland,
Roy Childs,
Robert A. Heinlein,
Libertarian Party,
Roger MacBride,
Tonie Nathan,
David Nolan,
Robert W. Poole, Jr.,
Justin Raimondo,
Earl Ravenal,
Mary Ruwart
The Voting Ritual, by
Butler Shaffer, 24 Oct 2006
Reflects on the U.S. Election Day in 2006 as the 42nd anniversary of Shaffer's "non-participiation in the voting process"
But when a Tweedledum Republican is opposed on the ballot by a Tweedledummer Democrat, even a handful of the Faux-News faithful may recognize the fungible nature of the various Republocrats. I have, in recent years, discovered only one member of Congress who is an exception to this, namely, Ron Paul from Texas. It is instructive that Paul – a philosophically principled Republican – has long been vigorously opposed by both the Republican and Democratic chieftains, a phenomenon that ought to be a tip-off to the identity of the real interests in any election.
Will Congress Finally Face Up to Their Responsibility and Debate Iraq?, by Kevin B. Zeese, 31 Mar 2006
Discusses the proposal by a group of six congressmen to have 17 hours of "open and honest debate about the future of U.S. policy in Iraq"
... three Democrats and three Republicans, are calling for a full debate on ending the Iraq War. The group, known as the 'April 5 Group,' ... includes Republican Representatives Ron Paul, Wayne Gilchrest and Walter B. Jones and Democratic Representatives Neil Abercrombie, Ike Skelton and Marty Meehan. ... having three Republicans join with three Democrats in the call for debate is also a very positive sign. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is no surprise; he has been an ardent anti-interventionist Republican with strong libertarian leanings who has been consistently critical of the Iraq War.
Williams can't duck campaign pushes, by Robert Stacy McCain,
The Washington Times, 9 Feb 2007
Discusses the effort by cartoonist Bruce Tinsley, in his "Mallard Fillmore" comic strip, to recruit Williams for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination
The George Mason professor says he shares Mr. Tinsley's disdain for career politicians. ... Mr. Williams' own '08 favorite is Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican and a 1988 Libertarian Party presidential nominee, who last month announced the formation of an exploratory committee. 'If the framers of the Constitution were somehow to come back, Ron Paul is one of possibly only three people in Congress that they’d even talk to,' said Mr. Williams, adding that most politicians have a 'generalized contempt' for the values of the Constitution.
Interviews
10/16/04 – Ron Paul – The Scott Horton Show, by Ron Paul, Scott Horton,
The Scott Horton Show, 16 Oct 2004
MP3 audio; topics include: the proper response to the 11 Sep 2001 attacks, nuclear weapons, U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, military conscription, individual liberty and whether there is hope for the future
The Antiwar Republican, by Ron Paul, Scott Horton, 4 Apr 2007
Transcript and MP3 audio recording; topics include foreign policy principles, isolationism, the Bush Doctrine, the "war on terror", the British sailors captured by Iran, presidential authority over state National Guard units and Guantanamo Bay detainees
[Horton:] [O]ur very special guest today on Antiwar Radio is Dr. Ron Paul, congressman representing District 14 in south Texas and new presidential candidate. That's all I can say about that, because Antiwar.com is a nonprofit and the government has rules about such things, but we can talk all about what [he] believes. And that's really what I am interested in anyway ... You have the most consistent antiwar record of any congressman from either party. If one goes back and reads your speeches from years and years ago, they are just the same as the ones today–taking the strict antiwar position.
Starting a Brush Fire for Freedom: An interview with US Rep. Ron Paul, by Ron Paul, John W. Whitehead,
oldSpeak, 9 Feb 2004
Topics include: being a lone wolf in Congress, the Patriot Act and related legislation, George W. Bush, the Iraq War, conservatives and neo-cons, the federal debt, education and the Constitution
There are times when neither side will agree with me and I will be voting by myself. I understand that I vote by myself more times than everyone else in Congress put together. So, there are times on economic issues where I will have many close and enthusiastic allies from both sides on war issues and sometimes on civil liberties issues. There are principled people from both sides that I ally with. Thus, in one way you could paint me as being totally alone. However, in another sense, I have a chance to work with almost everybody at one time or another.
