Catholic Support for Ron Paul

For more information visit RONPAUL2012.com
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT:  I personally believe that modern American democracy is a sham, and it has been for the last 40 years or so. I think I'm about to be proved right once again, perhaps within weeks.  (Please God, prove me wrong!)  Every so often a candidate for president of the United States will arise to the surface that truly represents some American ideals and values.  He may not be perfect.  In fact, he may be flawed in some serious ways, yet nevertheless, he does speak for the heart and soul of the people.  He is in every way a 'representative' of his nation.  Once he approaches the top of the heap, and has a real shot at the nomination for president, the political party machinery kicks in and crushes him.

In 1996 we saw this happen in the GOP with presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan.  For a brief time in the early days of the '96 primaries, Buchanan was the front-runner among GOP presidential hopefuls.  It was at that time the Republican Party leadership met with one agenda in mind -- how to deal with the 'Buchanan threat.'  The GOP then decided to throw the election.  They painted Buchanan as a radical, extremist and anti-Semite, then they put forward their favourite son (and certain loser) as the alternative -- Senator Bob Dole.

Pat Buchanan (left) --  Ron Paul (right)

We all know what happened.  In November of 1996, on the heels of a massive Republican victory in 1994 (the largest ever), GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole was soundly vanquished by Democrat President Bill Clinton who at that time was mired in scandal and low job-approval ratings.  How did this happen?  Simple.  The GOP willed it.  You see, had Patrick Buchanan actually gone on to win the Republican nomination, there is no doubt that he would have destroyed Bill Clinton's presidency, not only unseating him in the November election, but also decimating his legacy by overturning virtually everything he and his predecessor (Republican George H. Bush) had done from 1988 to 1996.  For this, candidate Buchanan was deemed a 'threat' by the GOP, and the powers that be in the Republican Party decided it would be better the throw the election than let Buchanan have a shot at winning.  Who was Pat Buchanan?  He was (and still is) a devout and practising Traditional Catholic, who attends the Latin Mass, and believes in the social encyclicals of the popes.  He opposes American imperialism and supports states' rights.  He is everything the Democrat-Republican ALLIANCE loathes, and history has demonstrated these two parties will work together, even to the detriment of one, to prevent a man like Patrick Buchanan from ever taking a seat in the Oval Office.

Ron Paul surpassed all presidential
candidates in military donations

Now as we approach the 2012 election it appears another similar scenario is about to take place.  Presidential candidate Ron Paul is anything but perfect.  His views on some issues sound foreign to many Americans, but because of his consistent opposition to American imperialism and support for states' rights, he is striking a chord with the American people.  Nowhere is this more evident than in Iowa, were he leads in the polls, and stands a good chance at winning the Iowa caucus, threatening Romney in New Hampshire and possibly creating a bandwagon effect in South Carolina.  If he wins Iowa, performs well in New Hampshire, and just ties another candidate in South Carolina, the pendulum will swing and he will pick up the support of the entire American Southeast (Old Dixieland) as well as the American Midwest.  Ron Paul will become unstoppable and the GOP knows it.  That is why I predict we will soon possibly see a repeat of 1996.  The GOP will decide to throw the election, preferring instead an Obama victory, than allow Ron Paul the nomination and a chance at the Whitehouse.   Instead of allowing Ron Paul to campaign freely, the GOP will work with the national media to smear him, putting forward their favourite son, and certain loser, which will either be Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney as a 'more realistic alternative.'  Doubt me?  Just watch and see for yourself.  I predict this will all unfold over the next six to twelve weeks.

U.S. Active Military Overwhelmingly
support Ron Paul

What will become of Ron Paul if this happens, nobody knows for sure.  There are those who say that unlike Pat Buchanan, he will attempt a third-party or independent run in the same election year.  Perhaps, but that remains to be seen.  Either way it won't matter, because the GOP will have already decided to throw the election.  The Republican candidate will not (indeed cannot) win, and he will have never been intended to win.  He was selected to be a 'fall guy,' just like Bob Dole, a faithful party man whom they know will 'take one for the team.'  If Ron Paul re-enters the race as an Independent or third-party candidate, he will get many votes (including my own), but he will not win.  The only thing he will accomplish is to focus the wrath of those who still believe in the GOP against him. 

Ron Paul is a medical doctor.  He worked for a Catholic
hospital for $3/hour and never once accepted Medicare
or Medicaid payments.  He is 100% Pro-Life and has
personally delivered thousands of babies.

Who is Ron Paul?  He's a former Episcopalian who currently attends a Baptist church due to disagreements over moral issues with the Episcopal Church (namely abortion and homosexuality).  His children were raised Episcopalian and a couple of them have converted to Catholicism.  He is NOT a Libertarian, as many people believe.  The best way to describe Ron Paul's political ideology is 'moral libertarian' or 'constitutionalist' with a heavy emphasis on states' rights (or 'subsidiarity').  He is perhaps very Jeffersonian (Thomas Jefferson) in his views.  Morally, he is staunchly pro-life, and wants to eliminate the federal government's role in the abortion debate by simply stripping the federal courts of their jurisdiction over matters related to abortion.  The same goes for gay-marriage, and Ron Paul supports the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA).  This puts him in line with the Catholic Church on domestic social issues more than any other viable GOP candidate.  (Yes, I said 'viable.')   On issues related to foreign policy, he is the ONLY GOP CANDIDATE that is in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church.  (Yes, I said it.  He is more 'Catholic' on foreign policy than Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum combined!)  The only thing that might seem to put him at odds with the Catholic Church is his solution to domestic economic issues, but even then a closer analysis says otherwise.  Ron Paul has nothing against states setting up their own 'universal healthcare' or 'single-payer systems,' he just doesn't believe the federal government should manage it.  As I said, he is not a Libertarian but rather a 'constitutionalist' with a heavy emphasis on states' rights (Subsidiarity).  He is far from perfect, and I don't worry about him getting everything he wants if he ever became president.  Most presidents rarely do.  If he did become president however, and even if he only got 10% of what he wanted as president, it would radically shift the pendulum in America, putting the country on a much more reasonable path that is far more consistent with Church teaching than what exists today.  In this sense, I would say that Ron Paul represents the LEAST OF ALL EVILS among all the GOP candidates and President Obama combined.  While I have said I will not endorse any candidate for president this time around, I suppose you could call this the closest thing to an endorsement you will get out of me.  As a practising Roman Catholic, faithful to the pope and magisterium of the Church, I have no problem casting my vote for Ron Paul for president of the United States, and if given the opportunity, I probably will do so.  Given the options presented to me, this seems like the most 'Catholic' thing to do.

Ron Paul enjoyed a good working relationship with
Ronald Reagan during his presidency.

Should Ron Paul win Iowa, the GOP will certainly turn on him like a snake. If the Republican Party turns against Ron Paul after an Iowa win, it will signal that the GOP has once again decided to throw the election and repeat the events of 1996. At that point Americans will have a choice, and that only choice will be between Ron Paul and Barack Obama.  That choice will exist immediately after the Iowa caucus regardless of what anyone says.  Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are political losers.  They are fall guys.  They are the favourite sons of the GOP establishment, and their job will be to 'take one for the team' (a political defeat to Obama) should one of them win the nomination.  They are both the Bob Dole of 2012.  If Ron Paul wins Iowa, than the only real choice that faces voters is between Ron Paul and Barack Obama, and that will be a simple choice between big-government statism or limited-government subsidiarity.  It will be a choice between continuing American imperialism at the behest of big corporations, or resuming our place in the world as a nation among nations, leading the world by example rather than military force.  If Americans have truly repented of our arrogance and pride, we will support Ron Paul and he will become our next president, regardless of what the GOP does, because the GOP will lose the support of voters.  If however we have not repented of our national arrogance and pride, we will believe the lies of the GOP, support some other candidate instead (Newt or Mitt), and one of these will go on to political defeat against Barack Obama.  That is the paradigm as I see it, and if Ron Paul wins Iowa, I predict we will have the answer to this question within the next six to twelve weeks.  Has America learned her lesson?  Are we ready to repent of our national sins?  In six to twelve weeks we shall know.

UPDATE 12-20-2011...
It looks like Patrick Buchanan (mentioned in the article above) is poised to give an endorsement to Ron Paul... read more here

Sadly, I have been proved right in less than 24 hours since writing this article. The infamous 'conference' is beginning to happen, and the GOP elites are already kicking around the idea of throwing the election should Ron Paul make a good showing in Iowa and New Hampshire. The Republican governor of Iowa has just told the mainstream national news media to 'ignore' a Ron Paul victory in Iowa and focus on who comes in second place instead.  Next on the agenda will be a direct effort by the GOP to destroy Ron Paul, just as they did Pat Buchanan in 1996, and put forward a fall guy instead -- a GOP party man who will 'take one for the team.'  Make no mistake about it, the attacks against Paul will be personal and vial.  The Republican elites will spare no expense.  They will try to dig up whatever dirt they can about him, and when they find none, they will just resort to lies.  Rumours of election fraud are being circulated as well, but when pressed on the matter, nobody gives any credible details. What they all agree on however is that Ron Paul is a 'threat' and a 'problem.' The 2012 GOP sabotage has just gone into effect. The election is being thrown as you read this. It's 1996 all over again. When will we all learn the GOP and Democrats are working together? When will we learn they are both on the same team? If the Republican Party actually does this again, there may be a serious miscalculation this time. Ron Paul supporters are fed up with the Republican Party already. This kind of unfair black balling their candidate may push them over the edge, and Ron Paul will be under considerable pressure to run either as an Independent or third-party candidate. If that happens, the GOP may suffer more permanent consequences. Especially of Ron Paul decides to run as a Constitutionalist on the CONSTITUTION PARTY ticket. The Constitution Party is America's largest third party. A Ron Paul association would put the Constitution Party over the top as far as exposure goes, energising it, and turn it into a permanent fixture in American politics. The GOP doesn't want to do this. It would spell the end of their two-party dominance with the Democrats that has remained the status quo in America for the last 150 years.

(Politico) -- Conservatives and Republican elites in the state are divided over who to support for the GOP nomination, but they almost uniformly express concern over the prospect that Ron Paul and his army of activist supporters may capture the state’s 2012 nominating contest — an outcome many fear would do irreparable harm to the future role of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

In spin rooms, bar rooms and online forums, the what-to-do-about-Paul conversation has become pervasive as polls show him at or near the top here just weeks before the January 3rd vote....

....Leading Republicans, looking to put the best possible frame on a Paul victory, are already testing out a message for what they’ll say if the 76-year-old Texas congressman is triumphant.

The short version: Ignore him.

“People are going to look at who comes in second and who comes in third,” said Gov. Terry Branstad. “If [Mitt] Romney comes in a strong second, it definitely helps him going into New Hampshire and the other states.”...

....Paul officials note that they’ve embraced the Iowa way. And even establishment Republicans like Branstad concede that the congressman has done it “the old-fashioned way” and enjoys the best organization of any of the candidates....

read full story here

UPDATE 12/21/2011
The media lynching of Ron Paul is now underway. Right-wing talk radio hosts are beginning to attack Dr. Paul across the board, on every issue imaginable, and they are questioning his sanity. In fact, some are now just calling him 'crazy' outright. This is becoming a full-court press from the right-wing establishment. 'Destroy Paul' is the message from the GOP board room. They are using a similar pattern they used against Pat Buchanan in 1996. They are painting him as a 'racist anti-Semite lunatic' who is 'dangerous.' This can only mean one thing. The GOP is willing to throw the election. In their minds, another four years of Obama is preferable to someone like Ron Paul who might dismantle the military-industrial-banking cartel they've worked so hard to build over the previous decades.

UPDATE 12/28/2011
The GOP onslaught against Ron Paul is now in full gear, as virtually every GOP presidential candidate has now turned their guns on him, and yet he still leads the polls in Iowa. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich has just let the cat out of the bag, signalling that a Barack Obama victory in November of 2012 would be preferable to a Ron Paul victory. Newt (an old party-man) has just sent the signal to the GOP party bosses that Ron Paul must be taken down, even if it means throwing the election. Can there be any doubt now that the Republicans and Democrats are working together? Make no mistake about it. Should Ron Paul win Iowa, the election choice will be between Ron Paul verses Barack Obama. Any other GOP candidate will spell certain (and intentional) failure.

UPDATE 12/29/2011
Tonight I just heard a right-wing radio talk-show host liken Ron Paul to Adolf Hitler, basically saying that anyone who supports Paul is being snookered, just as Hitler snookered the German people. What was the context of this tirade? Zionism of course. The host is apparently a Zionist. He more than implied that Ron Paul is an Anti-Semite because he doesn't unconditionally support the State of Israel.