Ron Paul's use of campaign funds for a Congressional run intended for the Republican Presidential Nomination is unwarranted, immoral, self defeating and most enraging...Planned all along. by Jessie James Jones, Jr
(libertarian)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Ron Paul: Gimme My Money Back
Ron Paul, in his infinite wisdom, has decided to use money provided to him for the Presidential campaign and use it for his Congressional run. The obvious question is who exactly gave him the permission to use money donated to him for a specific purpose, running for the Republican nomination for President, and use it for his "constituents" in Texas. Now, let's take this to base logic. If you had a child and you told him to go to the store and get some milk. Now, if when he returned, he returned with a coupon for some milk, instead of milk, and a yoo-hoo, what would you do? Well, what would you do? As a parent, that would be "a serious physical sanction" to say the least. Now for me, this was not unexpected. Since Paul's video concerning the status of the campaign, I have seen a little spec of weakness similar to a docile female in the good Doctor (trying to use words rather than colloquial slang terms).
Now, if you haven't seen the video, here's a brief synopsis. It was a video stating the current state and direction of the campaign. He's staged, surrounded by, what seemed to be, teenagers and twenty year olds, speaking unscripted about the state of the campaign and his personal view, thus far, of it's direction. I would direct you to the website to see it, but if you haven't seen it then, you're probably not a true Paulican and you probably shouldn't be reading this anyway. This is a fight amongst family. Now, the statement that peculated my ears was the story he told of two gentlemen at an airport. One of the men stated, "I don't think you have a chance to win, but you have to keep going." The other stated, in response to the first, "What are you talking about? We are going all the way!" Ron Paul did something amazingly stupid after that, he said that he happen to hold both those view that our campaign is going up against the military industrial complex, the federal reserve, the main stream media, and the current political establishment and that is no easy task. Not a direct quote but a pretty accurate paraphrase. Now, on the surface, it seems to be some of the usual "off the cuff" realism from Paul. I too gave him the benefit of the doubt and went on to write two articles, first, outlining then, defending a strategy for success by teaming with Huckabee (with a strict compromise on foreign policy). However, with the current fecal infested upchuck that is his revelation of a redirection of his campaign efforts toward his congressional seat, I have reached the primordial strike deuce. Here is the direct quote taken from the ronpaul208.com site:
I also have another priority. I have constituents in my home district that I must serve. I cannot and will not let them down. And I have another battle I must face here as well. If I were to lose the primary for my congressional seat, all our opponents would react with glee, and pretend it was a rejection of our ideas. I cannot and will not let that happen. In the presidential race and the congressional race, I need your support, as always. And I have plans to continue fighting for our ideas in politics and education that I will share with you when I can, for I will need you at my side. In the meantime, onward and upward! The neocons, the warmongers, the socialists, the advocates of inflation will be hearing much from you and me.
Oh Paul, if only this were the first time I had have heard your intellectual form of domestic abuse, maybe I would have become charged up with paultriotism by your statements. However, it is not. You have gone on interviews time and time and time again and made so many political blunders it's a wonder they still include you in the debates. You've said you were surprised at the level of support you gotten at the beginning of your campaign. Why were you surprised? Did you not believe upon entering the race for President that you could win? Did you not expect you would get support? Contrarily, did you also truly not expect the reception by main stream media outlets? Honestly? After 9/11, you stated that "now government is going to get bigger." It was heartless, but accurate. So you had the foresight to see our government getting bigger, which took place over a number of years but you couldn't foresee Faux News banning you from a debate? I feel like doing a lateral to Tina Faye at Saturday Night Live for them to do that segment, "REALLY??!!" You really didn't know that an idea like abolishing the Federal Reserve, getting troops from Iraq, closing down all bases outside of the US, abolishing the IRS, and returning to a gold standard would be challenged and silence by the full force of the Republican Party. REALLY??!!
Now, as Little Wayne would say, "You did not know? I have to return. To where am I returning? I have to return to the money." Now to my knowledge, when the people donated on those money bomb days, they went to ronpaul2008.com and clicked on the donate button for them to donate to a Presidential campaign. They didn't hit that button to donate to a Congressional campaign but a Presidential campaign. So Paul using funds directed toward a Presidential run, no matter how "surprised" he may have been about the support or "realistic" he may be about the outcome, using said funds for an unintended purpose is intellectually criminal if not out right fraud and theft. My suggestion is that Paul look through his campaign rolls and find "constituents" from his district, section that money off, and use that for a congressional run. If that isn't enough tough! That's all you would've gotten otherwise buddy.
Paul, like a slick talking pimp or bad boy, has lulled us in with his smooth words and slick appearance. And we, like in trance school girls, follow him giggling even though we know he's going to treat us wrong. Yet he, at the same time, is like a savior of a whorish woman. Wrapped up in treating her with respect, he forgets that she still likes to get her hair pulled. He is a politician and as such deals in falsehoods. We are use to politicians lying to us. Making promises they can't keep. Not once, in recent memory, has Paul proclaimed that he will win the Presidency. That he personally wants to win; with or without money bombs exploding around him he still wants to win, personally. Outside of stating it as an abstract inanimate trophy strategy for his campaign, he has failed to make that goal personal. He has, in effect, "free marketized" his own hopes and ambitions, "outsourcing" it to the people to finance and perpetuate. Remember, "I will continue to run so long as you keep sending me the money." So the ugly truth is laid bare. Because, at the closing of the light, all men gravitate to what is truly important and all the labor in the sun was solely meant to inch closer to that goal. Ron Paul ran for President to raise money for his congressional reelection. He caught on big with the message. Raise a few dollars and made a serious attempt to win but since that wasn't where his heart or purpose truly laid, he, in the end, is now gravitating back to what is truly important to him, his little constituents in Texas. I guess he was right, you subsidize something and you get more of it. We subsidized Paul and we just got more self doubt and second guesses only for him to leave for what he knows best, making statements but getting nothing done.
Ron Paul, like Bob Johnson before him, lacks understanding of a little word called legacy. I thought he did but clearly he doesn't. He will go down as the man you brought the message but little else. For those who are unaware, Bob Johnson was the owner of BET and sold out the first and only black owned and controlled television station to Viacom. Like Bob Johnson, Ron Paul lacks vision. He is too realistic, even for himself. I thank him for bringing the message but now it's time for you to leave and let someone else put it together. The perfect playbook for Paul would've have been to run from the outset to win. Developed a gorilla media strategy to break through media criticism early on and expected support. He should have also abandoned hopes for reelection for Congress and instead decided to run for US Senate or better Governor if he lost the Presidency. He should've had a clear strategy for success from the onset and allowed no negativity to enter into his campaign especially from his own lips. He should've sold to the American People not his message but more locally that he should be the man to carry it out.
With the money raised, a hefty donation to the Ron Paul Congress is definitely in order. That's the least he could do.
Logical Premise that forged this article.
Ghandi: What if Gandhi said. "I don't know if we can beat the British and get them out of India. They are a brutally strong empire. You know someone said, we'll never do it and another said we must and I carry both views. But so long as you continue to send me your money and harvest as support, I will continue the fight" Then him coming back and saying, "You guys you know I promised to build my wife and children a home so I'm going to take some of the money donated for to build a house because if the British see me without a home, they'll jump with joy and criticize that if he is homeless home can he provide a home for India. So you see, a home for me is a home for us all, in theory.
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Do you actually have any evidence that the Ron Paul campaign is spending money that was donated to the Presidential campaign on his Congressional campaign? If so, it would be nice to see it.
I know he's running Paul for President ads in Texas the next month, including in his District - that does help him in the Congressional primary, but it's also meant to help him in the Presidential primary on the same day.
Other than that, I think he's financing his re-election campaign with funds raised for that purpose. People have been donating to that (especially those who've maxed out for the presidential campaign), on sites like this:
My only comment is that your claim is inaccurate, unfounded, and untrue. It is against the law for Ron Paul to use any money raised for his Presidential campaign towards his Congressional campaign. He has a separate website for donations to both. FEC filings must indicate all funds spent from his Presidential campaign and what they are used for. If he were to use any funds for his Congressional campaign the legal ramifications are tremendous. Since his bid for the White House he is under the microscope and his oppenents would love to catch him or his staff doing this but they won't because he won't.
It's highly doubtful that RP is and would engage in this. He is staying in the race for a reason: he has money. He will use it, and not for his congressional campaign.
Hi Jesse, I may not agree with the assertion that RP is using presidential funds for his congresisonal race, but I do validate your feelings and observations about RP's approach and handling of his supporters. I'm still dealing with the "kick in the gut" e-mail he sent out last week. What a disappointment.
I agree with RP that he can best continue to spread his message of peace, liberty, and prosperity by being re-elected to Congress. The fight to get a return to libertarian values in the republican party will not be won overnight. 2008 was just RPs coming out party - 400K to get re-elected to the congress seems a deal compared to the tens of millions many presidential candidates spent before bowing out.
I believe the only way he can do this is if he dropped out of the Presidential race -- which has not happened.
Many try to find fault in this man -- certainly no one is perfect, however next time I suggest you step up and let's see how many embrace your message!
I'm afraid they're right triple J Jr.: You can't lay an accusation without proof. If what you say about the diverting of funds is indeed false, then that is called slander.
Aside, from that I share your, albeit amusingly expressed, sentiment that the struggle may not have been committed enough from the start.
Lastly: It's guerilla, meaning warlike. A gorilla is just a big black hairy ape.
