I think the lesson we learned with Obama was that no matter what he says, you have to follow the money trail. Or at least I thought we'd learned it. But it seems we haven't. Ron Paul, the current favorite for progressives who focus mainly on his stance on war and libertarian darling for his stand on... all things libertarian (smaller gov't, getting rid of deregulation, etc.) has finally given accounting for his Super PAC financing. It seems Mr. Paul has a major backer as big as Newt Gingrich's sugar daddy. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the former PayPal owner Peter Thiel is the man behind the money. A conservative Christian, the billionaire is a hard-core unfettered government type who is also a proud supporter of gay rights. More importantly, however, his business ties should tell every Ron Paul supporter something about what is to come from a Paul presidency not matter what the radical libertarian says. In an article in The Nation, Mark Ames digs a little deeper into Thiel's pockets and reveals that his recent money making ventures (he founded a controversial defense contractor, Palantir Technologies, that
profits from government espionage work for the CIA, FBI and other
agencies) moves counter to Ron Paul's song and dance. While the backer has not yet influenced the Presidential hopeful's rhetoric in the political dance he's jigging to, one can safely assume that there will be a gentle reminder of that support once the man is in the proper place to present payback.
As I drive around our city, spotting the brazen Ron Paul yard paraphernalia I have to wonder, "do these people really know who he is or are they supporters who assume they know from the TV clips and internet links they click on?" If I were to judge from previous experience, they don't know and they won't know, because we look for what we want to see in the people we vote for and then are surprised when they present something counter to what we thought they stood for. You have to look at the money trail because those are the people who will have the ear to the power after the ballots are yesterday's news. So Ron Paul a CIA abolisher and War ender? I doubt it.
2 comments:
Making a connection between the distant business activities of a supporter and the future actions of a political candidate is nonsense.
Paul has been entirely consistent on his positions for 30 years. That is part of his appeal to supporters as they are getting a known quantity.
Choose some other angle to attack Paul and express your disappointment in Progressives for supporting him but not the dependability of his positions.
Doing a search to see who would dare say anything you don't like about your guy? Sorry, but Washington is all about money. And big money always wins... hands down. There is always going to be a reciprocal relationship between any candidate and big donors such as we are seeing now that the Citizens United case has opened the door for Super PACs. It's not a stretch to link him to what his sugar daddy does.
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