I watched the Republican debate in South Carolina last night (don't ask me why) and I was set to give Crazy Uncle (and somewhat hard of hearing, I noticed) Ron Paul props for finally, after nearly a year of campaigning, denouncing and separating himself from the idiot 911 Truther community. Of course, the Fox News moderators let him pass on his Racist Newsletter Debacle, but it was amusing to say the least, to see Ron questioned why he was all irate and bent out of shape with regards to the rest of the candidates, when they all agreed that the recent near standoff with Iranian gunboats in the Straits of Hormuz was handled properly and with passively by our Navy officers. First of all, he was asked what he was objecting to exactly, but seeing the looks of the others when Ron went off on his completely ignorant and baseless rant about the 5 or 6 small gunboats that "were no threat to our mighty Navy" (USS Cole anyone?) was priceless.
The more I ponder it, the notion that my friend passed along and that I addressed in yesterday's post - "Well your blogger buddys have accomplished there mission. No more RonPaul. " - rings hollow with every passing day, and every new skeleton pulled from Ron's closet. The point is, my friend is suggesting that Ron is actually never judged on his record, words, deeds, nor supporters, but that there is some sort of conspiracy theory or cabal "out to get" Ron because he is so anti-establishmentarian and most likely, because he is The Only Man Whom Can Save America!
Well, I'd like to suggest that this line of thought implies that Americans are too stupid to use their own brains to come to a rational decision on Ron Paul. And these bloggers? What did they do exactly? Quote him? Post his voting record? Post his many crazy rants to questionable fringe groups? Publish his past writings (or at least those of his crazy staffers, written under his name, that he was unaware of while they were working for him)? I'd like to believe that a man running for president should feel comfortable with people researching his record, writings, speeches, connections, etc. After all, isn't that the free society that Ron preaches about?
I can honestly believe that Ron is probably a really nice guy with good intentions and a few good ideas. I can believe that other racists, anti-Semites, and homophobes could have possibly tarnished his name and hurt his cause as he alluded to during last night's interrogation on stage. But you have to wonder what draws so many weirdos, fringe groups, dirtballs, conspiracy theorists, and generally speaking, idiots, to his campaign. Even if everything else about Ron was valid and honest, I'd shower for days to wipe the stench of some of his supporters from my affiliation with them.
To believe in conspiracy theories is for the weak minded, as it requires the suspension of belief of what is actually real, documented, proven, and what exists, and requires a person to forgo those beliefs for hearsay, rumors, myths, faulty suppositions, lies, poor/pseudo science, and the word of some old crank who still lives in his parents' basement, but who has the TRUTH!! For what? To believe that life is actually fair? To feel cozy in the feeling that there is a master plan to life, and that bad things only happen to good people? To know there must be a system and that you will always be an outsider lookin in? I tend to think that believing in a conspiracy not only requires you to believe that others are stupid, but that you are no better, for being so sheepishly fooled along with them. Yeah, no thanks. I'll stick to this simple theory:
Ron Paul says stupid and controversial things which may sound exciting ideologically but are wholly impractical in the modern and may I add, real, world. Beliefs that the majority of Americans don't buy. And when you don't buy from a salesman, you don't need nor want them to continue selling to you. And usually what happens from there, is that that salesman is left selling to the only buyers left, the suckers. IMO, Ron Paul is the Shelley Levene of American Politics.
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