Ron Paul 1992: "If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably

[ariesgem]

fleet-footed they can be."....

http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/aol-metropolitan/96/05/23/paul.html

Texas congressional candidate Ron Paul's 1992 political newsletter highlighted portrayals of blacks as inclined toward crime and lacking sense about top political issues. Under the headline of "Terrorist Update," for instance, Paul reported on gang crime in Los Angeles and commented, "If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be."

Paul, a Republican obstetrician from Surfside, said Wednesday he opposes racism and that his written commentaries about blacks came in the context of "current events and statistical reports of the time."
Selected writings by Paul were distributed Wednesday by the campaign of his Democratic opponent, Austin lawyer Charles "Lefty" Morris. Morris said many of Paul's views are "out there on the fringe" and that his commentaries will be judged by voters in the November general elections. Paul said allegations about his writings amounted to name-calling by the Democrats and that his opponents should focus instead on how to shrink government spending and reform welfare. Morris and Paul are seeking the 14th Congressional District seat held by Greg Laughlin of West Columbia. Laughlin lost the Republican primary to Paul, a former congressman and the Libertarian Party's 1988 presidential candidate.

Paul, writing in his independent political newsletter in 1992, reported about unspecified surveys of blacks. "Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action,"Paul wrote. Paul continued that politically sensible blacks are outnumbered "as decent people." Citing reports that 85 percent of all black men in the District of Columbia are arrested, Paul wrote: "Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. 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," Paul said.

Paul also wrote that although "we are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers." A campaign spokesman for Paul said statements about the fear of black males mirror pronouncements by black leaders such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has decried the spread of urban crime. Paul continues to write the newsletter for an undisclosed number of subscribers, the spokesman said.

:wtf:

[dave_p]

1. Ouch

Just as well we ain't Republicans.

His recent comments make it hard to see him as a hater, though. I'll take the 2007 Paul anyday.

Doen't mean anyone here's likely to vote for him.

[Greeby]

2. Part of the reason I support Kucinich and would never support this guy

Sure he'd end the war, but I sure can't stand what he would do on day 2 :puke:

[EFerrari]

3. Was he dressed in his best sheets at the time?

[Ken Burch]

4. First time I saw the thread title, I thought it said

"If you've ever been RUBBED by a black teen-age male..."

And I thought we were discovering a whole new side to Our Ron.

:puke: :eyes:

[EFerrari]

20. It's early days.

:(

[ecstatic]

5. Knew there had to be a catch. LOL

People, there is no such thing as a decent Republican *official.* Period.

[onethatcares]

6. gaddammit, lets have some jobs that mean something in the inner city

and pay a decent wage and we won't have to worry about black males robbing anyone cause they would have something other to do than stand around on the street corner waiting to rob whitey. There are enough car detailing shops around, what we need is the ability to afford a car.

Is it me or did the outsourcing start right after the Detroit riots of 70? Is that when the big three decided they couldn't have any negros making more money than a white person and expecting the same rights, long after the civil rights legislation was passed? That started the demise of the middleclass more than anything. Blacks in Unions, what a scary thought to the white hierarchy. Blacks in Unions owning guns was a scarier thought.

[gollygee]

7. Lovely

Michael Moore said someplace (don't remember where) that when he looks back at the people who have hurt him in his life, they've all been white men. But no one expects him to be afraid of white man as a result.

Another thing. I know someone whose house was robbed by two young black men and she uses that as an excuse to believe that black people are generally less trustworthy than white people.

My parents' house was robbed by two young white men. They don't use that as an excuse to believe that white people are generally less trustworthy than black people.

Funny how that works.

[BlooInBloo]

8. In other astonishing news, rain falls to ground.

[blondeatlast]

9. But he wants us out of Iraq?! He's a good guy, right? Cue the sleeping trolls...

I'm so confused--shouldn't I abandon my progressive ideals and vote for him? :shrug:

[blondeatlast]

10. Gad--I just read there that he was an obstetrician.

Pardon me--I just got out of the shower and while the water's still warm, I need another--with Clorox. :scared:

[SergeyDovlatov]

11. from wikipedia

We had this covered on demopedia (demopedia.democraticunderground.com/index.php/Ron_Paul), but the link doesn't work at the moment.
Here is what wikipedia says about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul

Alleged racial remarks
A 1996 article in the Houston Chronicle<63> alleges that Ron Paul made comments in a 1992 edition of his Ron Paul Survival Report (a newsletter that he had published from 1985) which could be construed as racist, including disparaging remarks about fellow congressperson Barbara Jordan, and that this could help his political opponents.<64>

In a 2001 interview with Texas Monthly magazine, Paul acknowledged that the comments were printed in his newsletter under his name, but explained that they did not represent his views and that they were written by a ghostwriter. He further stated that he felt some moral responsibility for the words that had been attributed to him, despite the fact that they did not represent his way of thinking:

"They were never my words, but I had some moral responsibility for them...I actually really wanted to try to explain that it doesn't come from me directly, but they said that's too confusing. 'It appeared in your letter and your name was on that letter and therefore you have to live with it.'"<65><8>

He further stated:

"I could never say this in the campaign, but those words weren't really written by me. It wasn't my language at all. Other people help me with my newsletter as I travel around. I think the one on Barbara Jordan was the saddest thing, because Barbara and I served together and actually she was a delightful lady... we wanted to do something on affirmative action, and it ended up in the newsletter and became personalized. I never personalize anything."<8>

Texas Monthly wrote in 2001, at the time they printed the denial, "What made the statements in the publication even more puzzling was that, in four terms as a U. S. congressman and one presidential race, Paul had never uttered anything remotely like this." They state that it would have been easier for him to deny the accusations at the time, because the controversy would have destroyed most politicians.<8>

In an April 2007 column on his official House of Representatives website,<66> Paul criticizes racism, saying:

"Racism is simply an ugly form of collectivism, the mindset that views humans strictly as members of groups rather than individuals. Racists believe that all individuals who share superficial physical characteristics are alike: as collectivists, racists think only in terms of groups. By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so-called "diversity" actually perpetuate racism. Their obsession with racial group identity is inherently racist."<66>

[blondeatlast]

12. Ron, all is forgiven.You misspoke ON THE RECORD. Damn that librul media bias...

GMAFINGB.

Edit for the slow-witted: the subject line is :sarcasm:

[liberalhistorian]

14. Wikipedia is a bullshit source. Anyone can say

anything on there, it's ridiculous.

[BlooInBloo]

19. If only statistics bore that *conjecture* out.

[blondeatlast]

17. Please, Ron, tell us the distinction between being racist and being a bigot.

Your comment was hideously bigoted--but no, you aren't a racist. You had kind words with Barbara Jordan (a class act all the way). That proves it (:eyes:).

Lowlife weasel. To think about what you did for your money in the past. Creepy.

I knew this would awaken the sleeping trolls...

[tjwash]

13. He also wants to privatize social security, eliminate social services, is anti-choice...

...and thinks health care in our country is just fine as it is.

To name a few.

The guys a far right looneytarian randian fruitcake, and a bigot to boot. He knows he has less than a snowballs chance in hell of getting near the white house, and somewhere along the line he figured out that he could grab a few centrist fence sitter votes by coming out against the war. You can bet if he was ever elected though, it would be all status quo, and all corporate interests, all the time.

[blondeatlast]

15. Best summation I've seen yet.

I'm bookmarking this thread for one reason: "far right looneytarian randian fruitcake, and a bigot to boot." Must copy and paste that whenever his creepy name is mentioned by the DU sleepers...

[liberalhistorian]

16. Well, I'm a white woman who was robbed at gunpoint by a young black man

almost four years ago, and I don't know what the fuck Paul is talking about, he's full of shit. What was truly amazing to me was the hidden racism that seemed to come out of the woodwork from people around me (not most family, thank God); they just naturally expected me to distrust and dislike blacks, and would imply that "now I know what blacks are really like" and should finally understand what they'd been talking about. And yet, if the kid had been white, not a word would have been spoken about it, people would never have expected me to suddenly distrust and dislike whites. Funny, isn't it?

There were and are plenty of whites who commit crimes and who rob, rape, and kill people, and you never hear fellow whites talking about the need to be afraid of white men. Funny, isn't it?

Mr. Paul, go fuck yourself, long and hard. I WAS robbed by a black teenager, so I have more of a right to comment than you. Go fuck yourself, you blithering, blathering, dithering, pandering racist bigot. I hear your sheets are ready at the dry cleaner, and they're waiting for you to go pick them up.

[Canuckistanian]

18. Oh yeah, blacks just HATE individual liberty

That's why they're always demanding more authoritarian government.

Jeezus, what do they feed these Republican idiots as kids?

Oh, and :sarcasm:

[The Count]

21. Sorry I was too late with my fifth rec! Impprtant stuff I didn't know of

Not that I am surprised at all.