Ron Paul in the State House lobby today with Sens. Verdin, Bryant, Bright and Davis.
Which is not usually the kind of event I turn out for, but it was my first chance to see Ron Paul in person. This time around, anyway (and maybe ever; I’m not sure).
To end the suspense — he looks just the way he does on TV, like the cranky crazy uncle who sits in the corner and only occasionally says cryptic things.
Not to insult him. You can look like that and be a great guy; that’s just the way he looks. Lord knows how I’d get described if I were running for president. I’m often shocked at photos of myself.
Anyway, the news was that three SC state senators were joining their colleague Tom Davis in endorsing Dr. Paul. They were:
Danny Verdin from Greenville and Laurens counties, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. He said he’d “never heard a message that… resonated in my heart more.”
Lee Bright of Spartanburg. I seem to recall him supporting Michele Bachmann earlier. “Dr. Ron Paul is conservative in all areas,” he said, unlike all those other candidates who are only “conservative” here and there, in spots. “… and he says what he believes.”
Kevin Bryant of Anderson, whom you may know as one of the first lawmakers to take up blogging. He quoted Goldwater: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice,” and went on to say “We’re going to have to do some extreme things to turn around America.”
For his part, Dr. Paul expressed his gratitude. In response to a question, standing in the presence of a likeness of John C. Calhoun, he said that nullification is still a viable idea, at least academically. And he almost wistfully longed for it to be a fact. While he doubted it would be often used (he don’t know us very well, do he?), he thought it would be great for South Carolina to be able to exercise that power. This helps explain why Sen. Bright is backing him.
I want to go back and listen to my recording and get that verbatim for you, but I’ll have to do it later. Gotta go see Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee (yes, Huck!), and possibly others, at another event. The subject is foreign policy.
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Yeah, nevermind that he was smart enough to become a doctor, patriotic enough to serve in the military, and has never had even a hint of ethical issues. Tell us what he looks like…
Yep, because when you see somebody in person for the first time, that’s the first thing you think of.
As I’m typing this, I’m at an event where Mike Huckabee is speaking. I haven’t seen him in four years, and my first thought when he stood up was Wow, he’s really packing the weight back on.
Someone remarked that you can tell right away he’s not running this year, just by looking at him…
They’re talking about nullifying SC? Well, that might be best for the nation as a whole, but it would leave a gap here on the Atlantic Coast.
So after seeing him on TV many times over several years, he looked the same in person. Wow, that’s shocking. I mean, you wouldn’t be projecting any of your libertari-phobia in your choice of the “crazy” word.. nah. If you had never heard of his policies before, I’m sure that’s the first word that would pop in your head.
Who looks more like a crazy uncle – McCain or Paul?
Did they line the senators up according to height?
Lee Bright: “Dr. Ron Paul is conservative in all areas”
Yes, a prolific earmarker who supports legalizing drugs and thinks the United States is simply another nation among nations (hey, if the US has nukes, why shouldn’t Iran???). Sure sounds like Ron Paul is the paragon of conservatism.
I saw Dr. Paul a few years ago when he spoke to a fairly packed house at the Carolina Coliseum. I thought that he presented very well thought out arguements, and I didn’t really disagree with anything that he said, until he got to his isolationist view of foreign policy. Still, he was an excellent speaker, and I think his speech was well received. I was too far away to really check out how he looked though…
Never heard a message that resonated in his heart more?
An isolationist?
Just what the world needs, a power vacuum. We don’t have to go around intervening all the time, but neither can we withdraw. Is everybody looney, or is it just me?
Speaking of insanity, did you guys see this? Let’s hope Santorum reprimands his staffer.
God is sure getting dragged into the American political scene an awful lot. I’d really like us to let Him do His job, and we do ours for a change.
“until he got to his isolationist view of foreign policy”
Wait a second, I might have to switch my vote to Ron Paul. So we have a politician who thinks it’s better to spend money on things like building roads and schools within the US rather than spending those same dollars to build roads and schools in some country where everyone hates us.
I’ve heard that if people voted on looks, Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t have been elected.
“Who looks more like a crazy uncle – McCain or Paul?”
McCain always looks like he’s keep his eye open for the nearest bathroom.
Nullification? Pish-tosh. Rick Perry says SC is already at war with this federal government.
Doug: Ron Paul, no question about it. McCain looks like what he is — an old former Naval aviator.
Just like, for instance, John Kerry looks like a stuffed shirt who thinks he’s better than anyone else in the room. And John Edwards looks like a glitzy, phony trial lawyer.
Joe Biden is all personable Irish blarney, just like on TV.
Howard Dean, however, seems much saner in person.
Brad – As someone who has several friends who are “former naval aviators”, none look like McCain. Most are still as arrogant and cocky as they were when they were still flying, McCain looks like he’s on watch for someone who might pants him in front of the cheerleaders. McCain was no different than Bush, both walked through flight school because who their daddy was.
Goldwater doesn’t look all that extreme these days. But Ron Paul seems to be extreme in several different areas in several different directions. Consistently conservative? Not really.
I think I’ve reached my saturation point. Wake me up in December.
That’s an unbelievable comparison,
steven. Two words: Hanoi Hilton. You don’t have to like the guy or his politics; but you ought to respect his sacrifices.
I’d say more, but that would only be counter-productive.
So does George W. Bush look like an arrogant prick or just a really bad president?
Anyone who thinks Ron Paul says cryptic things must also think the Constitution as the founders understood it is pretty cryptic.
Nullification is a last line of defense to protect the Constitution from the federal government and it’s “Constitutional scholars” like Obama. If you rely on the government to decide the extent of it’s own powers, you can guess who’s side they will almost always choose. It is funny that people always bring up John C Calhoun when talking about Nullification and completely ignore the concept was previously expounded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_'98). I believe the whole bringing up of Calhoun rather than Jefferson or Madison is called ‘confirmation bias’.