The Washington Post notes that Ron Paul's years in the House are memorable for their "futility and tenacity." That may be true of many House members, past and present, but it certainly applies to Paul's years on Capitol Hill.
Paul has become a surprising force in the Republican presidential race, promising to use “the bully pulpit of the presidency” to demand deep cutbacks across government. But Paul has had only limited success using his current pulpit — a seat in Congress — to rally lawmakers behind his ideas.
Of the 620 measures that Paul has sponsored, just four have made it to a vote on the House floor. Only that one has been signed into law.
House colleagues say the genial Paul has often shown little interest in the laborious one-on-one lobbying required to build a coalition behind his ideas. ...WaPo
And that's the sad truth about Ron Paul. He's an idea guy, not a collaborator or a team player -- both qualities being important in democracy. Ron Paul is not about democracy. Not a facilitator, he's a one-man band. He's all about, you know, Ron Paul. The result?
Paul’s record stands out for its futility. His lifetime success rate: about 0.2 percent.
“This is an indication of Ron’s strength of leadership. He has had the courage to stand alone and to fight for principle, ignoring the pressure to sell out,” Jesse Benton, Paul’s campaign chairman, said in a written statement. Benton said these failures were not proof that Paul, as president, would struggle to get his ideas passed through Congress. ...WaPo
He has the ideas. He doesn't have the fortitude or the willingness to fight for his ideas. Take his idea for an alternate, inflation-proof currency this year.
Paul has attracted no co-sponsors for that bill, and he doesn’t appear to be pulling out all the stops to find some. The Congressional Record contains a March 15 speech from Paul: “I urge my colleagues to consider the redevelopment of a system of competing currencies.”
But the speech is a common congressional illusion: Paul didn’t give it aloud to his colleagues. Instead, he simply wrote it and had it inserted into the record later. ...Wa Po
Fizzle...
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Columnist Dick Pollman (Philly Inquirer) has fun with one of Ron Paul's former aides trying to explain how Ron Paul isn't anti-Semitic.
"Is Ron Paul an Anti-Semite? Absolutely No," writes [Eric] Dondero. "He is, however, most certainly Anti-Israel, and Anti-Israeli in general. He wishes the Israeli state did not exist at all. He expressed this to me numerous times in our private conversations. His view is that Israel is more trouble than it is worth, specifically to the America taxpayer. He sides with the Palestinians, and supports their calls for the abolishment of the Jewish state, and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs."
In fact, says Dondero, there was an incident "when Ron finally agreed to a meeting with Houston Jewish Young Republicans...He berated them, and even shouted at one point, over their un-flinching support for Israel. So much so, that the 6 of them walked out of the office. I was left chasing them down the hallway apologizing for my boss."
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(Translation: Paul isn't anti-Semitic, no sir. He just wants to drive the Jews of Israel into the sea.) ...Polman
Polman covers a lot of Paul territory. It's hard to stop... Again, more from Eric Dondero...
"Is Ron Paul a homophobe? Well, yes and no. He is not all bigoted towards homosexuals. He supports their rights to do whatever they please in their private lives. He is however, personally uncomfortable around homosexuals," like the time when he visited the home of a prominent supporter who was gay: "We used Jim’s home/office as a 'base.' Ron pulled me aside the first time we went there, and specifically instructed me to find an excuse (that would allow) him to (visit) a local fast food restaurant so that he could use the bathroom. He told me very clearly, that although he liked Jim, he did not wish to use his bathroom facilities. I chided him a bit, but he sternly reacted, as he often did to me, Eric, just do what I say. Perhaps 'sternly' is an understatement. Ron looked at me directly, and with a very angry look in his eye, and shouted under his breath: 'Just do what I say NOW.'"
And there was the time, at a local barbecue, when Paul encountered another gay supporter named Bobby, "a well-known and rather flamboyant and well-liked gay man...Ron likes Bobby personally, and Bobby was a hardcore campaign supporter. But after (Ron's) speech, at the Surfside pavilion, Bobby came up to Ron with his hand extended, and according to my fellow staffer, Ron literally swatted his hand away.
"Again, let me stress. I would not categorize that as 'homo-phobic,' but rather just unsettled by being around gays personally."
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(Translation: Paul isn't anti-gay, no sir. He just thinks they have cooties.) ...Polman
