Ron Paul: Psychobiographized by the New York Times and Lives to Tell the Tale

Brian Doherty | February 6, 2012

The New York Times today introduces America to the mysterious Ron Paul, candidate for president.

It's a pretty positive piece, actually, certainly giving the reader sufficient reason to admire the man's character and steadfastness if not explaining the whys and whats of his ideas with much depth.

It also buries the lead a bit, I think, in stressing Paul's hard-working upbringing from parents of German descent with family tales of hyperinflation as the cause of his ideas first. That's explains too much, I think, as plenty of Americans were born in the Depression to parents with Old World memories and worked hard and ended up New Dealers.

Rather, I think, like most of his libertarian brethren, one should look a little more to those books Ron Paul read--Pasternak, Rand, Hayek, Mises--to explain Paul more precisely. And the story does get to them as well.

The New York Times's Paul comes across as a decent man--hard working all his life, treating destitute patients for free, married to his one and only youthful sweetheart for over 50 years, no angry voices from family or associates to be seen. Of course, they paint him as a good man with peculiar, though well-thought-out and consistent, beliefs, and the sort of guy who is going to let you know about them, whether you care or not.

It may or may not matter to anyone anymore whether Ron Paul is or isn't a card-carrying member of the John Birch Society, a matter the Times always finds fascinating, fighting old ideological wars being a great pleasure apparently for their readers (regardless, Paul has been on the masthead of the JBS's magazine, spoken at their gatherings, and praised their members). I suspect it might have been more useful to readers considering Ron Paul in the context of running for president in 2012, not 1964, to discuss his prescience on the dangers of our Middle Eastern wars and Federal Reserve policies, neither of which get specific significant play in the story.

All told, though, being psychobiographized by the Times is a hazardous situation, and Dr. Paul came through it mostly unscathed.

For my own book-length take on the whats, whys, and hows of Ron Paul, see my forthcoming book Ron Paul's Revolution.

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Mitt Romney|2.6.12 @ 10:13PM|#

First!

lily|2.7.12 @ 6:09AM|#

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old fart|2.6.12 @ 10:14PM|#

Well, yeah, if he was Bircher in the 50s it may not seem important, but you do remember how Bob Byrd's KKK past was brought up ALL the time, at least by Rush, Fox, etc.

Heroic Mulatto|2.6.12 @ 10:25PM|#

The John Birch Society is not equivalent to the KKK, unless you're the Southern Law Poverty (Pimp) Center.

|2.6.12 @ 10:50PM|#

unless you're the Southern Law Poverty...Center.

Or maybe the editorial staff at the New York Times!

...'cause both the Klan and the JBS where anti-communist, you know. And being anti-communist--even during the Cold War--is enough to make that bunch laugh at you.

old fart|2.6.12 @ 11:26PM|#

I'm only saying that many like to impugn by past association.

Not that you had to go back to the 40s to impugn that POS Byrd.

Mr. FIFY|2.7.12 @ 12:14AM|#

It's still fun to piss on Robert Byrd.

Robert Byrd|2.7.12 @ 6:34AM|#

I have labored for decades, even now in the afterlife, to demonstrate that relieving oneself on the grave of a United States Senator is not only despicable, but thoroughly unconstitutional.

SIV|2.7.12 @ 12:30AM|#

God Bless the JBS. Probably the largest libertarian popular movement this country will ever see.

|2.7.12 @ 12:44AM|#

God bless Acorn. They are doing God's work.

Old Mexican|2.7.12 @ 12:38AM|#

Re: old mold,

but you do remember how Bob Byrd's KKK past was brought up ALL the time

That's because the JBS people were not know for stringing up future Democratic Party constituents.

Binky|2.6.12 @ 10:21PM|#

Sheesh, Brian, I was all set to compliment you on "the sort of gy", but NOOO!!

Hugh Akston|2.6.12 @ 10:21PM|#

I suspect it might have been more useful to readers considering Ron Paul in the context of running for president in 2012, not 1964, to discuss his prescience on the dangers of our Middle Eastern wars and Federal Reserve policies, neither of which get specific significant play in the story.

Brian, don't you know it's always 1964 in the NYT editorial conference room? The same way it's always 9/12/01 in the FOX News bullpen. It's like that episode of TNG where Capt. Frasier Crane was stuck in the time-hole for 90 years.

|2.6.12 @ 10:29PM|#

Did you see the number 3 anywhere?

Hugh Akston|2.6.12 @ 10:33PM|#

When Riker put his foot on my console I could see that he had three testicles. It was kind of hard to look away actually.

|2.6.12 @ 10:42PM|#

That sounds mesmerizing. I wish I'd seen it. All I've seen are Dr. Crusher's three vaginas, and let me tell you, that's no treat.

Frankly, I'd rather be subject to a dekyon field modulation.

juris imprudent|2.6.12 @ 11:12PM|#

Dr. Crusher's three vaginas

"There's nothing the matter with the instrument, it's the body. The woman's body is all wrong!"

.|2.6.12 @ 11:34PM|#

Brian, don't you know it's always 1964 in the NYT editorial conference room?

That's because they're all still hoping to get some of that poontang JFK was pimping out.

|2.6.12 @ 10:24PM|#

DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS

|2.6.12 @ 10:41PM|#

It may or may not matter to anyone anymore whether Ron Paul is or isn't a card-carrying member of the John Birch Society, a matter the Times always finds fascinating.

I find it interesting that there are a lot of people who roll their eyes when you point out that so and so was a communist or communist sympathizer way back when, but these are some of the same people who point their finger and go "Ah-ha!" whenever they find out that someone may have sympathized with an anti-communist organization back during the height of the Cold War.

I'm not sure why John Birchers looking under the mattress for communists should be any more hilarious than communists looking under the mattress for John Birchers.

Sevo|2.6.12 @ 11:01PM|#

"I'm not sure why John Birchers looking under the mattress for communists should be any more hilarious than communists looking under the mattress for John Birchers."

I certainly see one difference.
Both were occasionally 'over-the-top' in supporting their views, but Birchers never supported views that condemned more than 100,000,000 people to death. Unlike the (yes, continuing) support of communism.

Sevo|2.6.12 @ 11:03PM|#

Sevo|2.6.12 @ 11:04PM|#

Damn squirrels....

Mr. FIFY|2.7.12 @ 12:17AM|#

Sometimes, things just need to be said twice, which makes the squirrels an occasional blessing.

Colonel_Angus|2.7.12 @ 12:16AM|#

Remember the fucking wheathermen? Fuck communists with a John Birch Society meeting gavel.

juris imprudent|2.7.12 @ 12:22AM|#

Fucking wheathermen - never could decide which way the wind was blowing.

Poonchen Joodi|2.6.12 @ 10:44PM|#

Ah-ha!

"Furious" Styles|2.6.12 @ 11:04PM|#

That does look like the jawline of a white supremacist.

Yuno Hoo|2.7.12 @ 8:23AM|#

RACIST!!

juris imprudent|2.6.12 @ 11:14PM|#

...to discuss his prescience on the dangers of our Middle Eastern wars and Federal Reserve policies, neither of which get specific significant play in the story.

Pfshaw - like there's anything interesting about that!

|2.6.12 @ 11:16PM|#

his prescience on the dangers of our Middle Eastern wars and Federal Reserve policies

You mean his predictions of war with Iran 10 years ago or imminent hyperinflation for the past 40 years?

Listen, his policy proposals are good. But his "prescience" is mainly a result of saying the same thing for 40 years. If you wait long enough, everything happens.

Old Mexican|2.7.12 @ 12:45AM|#

Re: Tulpa,

We HAVE hyperinflation, ninny. The RATE may not be as high as Weimar's or Argentina's but it is still pretty destructive.

Oh, do you believe the government's numbers that say that inflation is only 1.7% per annum? Oh, snookums!

CatoTheElder|2.7.12 @ 1:59AM|#

Come on, Old Mexican. Since the Fed took over administration of the US unit of account, the value of the US dollar has only fallen to about four cents. That's hardly hyperinflation!

Until the Fed took over the US$ was defined as 371.25 grains of pure silver, about 0.77 troy ounce. In fact, silver coinage until the mid-1960s was faithful to that standard. However, silver now costs about $33/troy ounce. 1/(.77*33)=$0.04.

If it were genuine hyperinflation, that value would be much, much closer to zero.

But, don't worry ... Bernanke is working on it.

I.E.|2.7.12 @ 11:19AM|#

Herp derp dam gubmit lyin ta me. Of course prices have gone up by 10% per annum, darling. That's obvious from my household budget. Now boil your head, the wax has built up.

Mac|2.6.12 @ 11:33PM|#

Did anyone see Ron Paul on Greta? Thoughts?

Old Mexican|2.7.12 @ 12:41AM|#

Paul made good and compelling arguments for minding our own business. Greta clearly wants the US to blow up brown people. That's pretty much it.

|2.7.12 @ 4:09AM|#

Greta's a member of Elron Hubbard's criminal nut-cult. As far as I know, Elron was always far more interested in acquiring money and drugs than warmongering. I wonder what her motivation is?

-jcr

|2.7.12 @ 8:23AM|#

Greta clearly wants the US to blow up brown people. That's pretty much it.

Dude, you have to let this go. How is your "they are racists because they disagree with me" any different than Obama's?

Iranians are Persians and so the are Caucasian. Mexicans are also technically Caucasian. Since they are not as pale as Swedes they are "brown people"? Should I assume from your comments that your only opposition to foreign intervention is the color of the skin of the people bombed?

As often as we see those without reasoned arguments resort to the "racism" canard, it is sad when our own, beloved, commenters do it.

|2.7.12 @ 8:33AM|#

I suspect it's because we almost invariably bomb the crap out of people with slightly more melanin than the typical Swede or German, thus, "brown people".

|2.7.12 @ 10:49AM|#

Would bombing non "brown people" then be OK? Germany in WWII good white/white bombing, Japan in WWII bad, non-white/white bombing?

If bombing people is wrong, would it be made right by counting melanin content? If you are attempting to convince someone of something, saying "if you don't agree with me it is because you are a racist" is a non argument. (Unless the subject was something as specific as the supposed inferiority of a certain race.)

I like OM and agree with much of what he says. I also think that there is an excellent case to be made against foreign intervention. He should make it, instead of sounding like a Leftist throwing "isms" around.

A Secret Band of Robbers|2.6.12 @ 11:51PM|#

Another irresponsible Doherty hit piece against Ron Paul, repeating the mainstream media LIES that he was born to human parents. IN FACT, Paul sprang into existence when Ludwig Von Mises tears alighted upon the Declaration of Independence.

Old Mexican|2.7.12 @ 12:42AM|#

Re: Idiot,

Idiot. And a boring idiot to boot.

You're boring. Get lost.

Colonel_Angus|2.7.12 @ 12:01AM|#

Why is an ideology always expected to be passed down from something like one's parents or a book, rather than developed from personal experiences? I organized my morals based on having a problem with shit like people imposing their own morals from an early age- about four actually (fuck daycare and religious schools)- and a belief in consistent individual liberty suits me 100% perfectly. I must be smarter than most people, who are robots, only comfortable with doing what they are told.

Koan|2.7.12 @ 6:43AM|#

Hear hear! There is no question that your parents have some influence upon your formative political opinions, whether it be through adherence to what is taught or rebellion against the same. However, my journey into libertarianism was the result of gradual dissatisfaction with either option. This was the result of personal experience with the moral failure of the "linear" ideologies that dominate the American political landscape.

mad libertarian guy|2.7.12 @ 10:42AM|#

My journey in to libertarianism started at the business end of a police issued shotgun being point at my head when I was 16 because I was out after a curfew in the aftermath of Hurricane andrew.

In my own yard.

dissidentX|2.7.12 @ 12:08AM|#

I read it yesterday and thought it was quite a positive piece for Dr. Paul except for the title. His life, while maybe was not that exciting or full of drama, is that of a responsible individual.

Light|2.7.12 @ 12:54AM|#

This:

http://www.reuters.com/article.....0V20120207

Light|2.7.12 @ 12:55AM|#

Actually this:

Apatheist|2.7.12 @ 1:04AM|#

18 whole convictions in a year! OMG! They're taking over!

Colonel_Angus|2.7.12 @ 1:05AM|#

Fuck the conservation po-lice. Bullfrog creel limits can suck my cock.

Maxxx|2.7.12 @ 1:07AM|#

WTF????

Colonel_Angus|2.7.12 @ 1:11AM|#

These reports come out a few times a year. They report on every group except for ones associated with the current executive administration. Usually, someone from an "outside consulting firm" gets payed to pull bullshit from their mouth about what they think the characteristics of these groups might be based on stereotypes, without doing any research.

HR|2.7.12 @ 2:51AM|#

I didn't know Reuters reprinted pieces from The Onion these days.

Perry Hottar|2.7.12 @ 8:31AM|#

The extremists ... believe the United States went bankrupt by going off the gold standard [and] express particular outrage at tax collection

Those bastards!

|2.7.12 @ 1:22AM|#

I came back from the future to show you this news article:

FBI warns of threat from anti-government extremists

By Patrick Temple-West
WASHINGTON | Mon Feb 6, 2052 7:21pm EST
(Reuters) - Anti-government extremists opposed to taxes and regulations pose a growing threat to local law enforcement officers in the United States, the FBI warned on Monday.

These extremists, sometimes known as "citizens," believe they can live outside unconstitutional types of government authority, FBI agents said at a news conference.

The extremists may refuse to pay taxes, defy government environmental regulations and believe the United States went bankrupt by going off the gold standard.

Routine encounters with police can turn violent "at the drop of a hat," said Stuart McArthur, deputy assistant director in the FBI's counterterrorism division.

"We thought it was important to increase the visibility of the threat with state and local law enforcement," he said.

In May 2010, two West Memphis, Arkansas, police officers shot and killed a "citizen" in an argument that developed after they pulled him over in traffic.

Last year, an extremist in Texas was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop. The officer was not harmed.

Legal convictions of such extremists, mostly for white-collar crimes such as fraud, have increased from 10 in 2009 to 18 each in 2010 and 2011, FBI agents said.

"We are being inundated right now with requests for training from state and local law enforcement on citizen-related matters," said Casey Carty, an FBI supervisory special agent.

FBI agents said they do not have a tally of people who consider themselves "citizens."

J.J. MacNab, a former tax and insurance expert who is an analyst covering the citizen movement, has estimated that it has about 300,000,000 members.

Citizens often express particular outrage at tax collection, putting Internal Revenue Service employees at risk.

Max|2.7.12 @ 1:56AM|#

Ron Paul is definitely the Teflon racist. The old fuck get an amazing amount of respectful treatment by the mainstream media.

|2.7.12 @ 7:21AM|#

yawn

bestkit|2.7.12 @ 8:06AM|#

a great man.

The Question of Auban|2.7.12 @ 8:23AM|#

"It may or may not matter to anyone anymore whether Ron Paul is or isn't a card-carrying member of the John Birch Society, a matter the Times always finds fascinating, fighting old ideological wars being a great pleasure apparently for their readers (regardless, Paul has been on the masthead of the JBS's magazine, spoken at their gatherings, and praised their members)."

I may not agree with all of the JBS theories but I have met many a JBS member and they have universally seemed like decent, very ethical and hard working people. I too think they deserve praise even if I disagree with some of their ideas. I would much rather have JBS members as neighbors than your average Republican or Democrat.

Perry Hottar|2.7.12 @ 8:34AM|#

I would much rather have JBS members as neighbors than your average Republican or Democrat.

^This.^ Talk with some Birchers at a rally and see what you think.

Grammar Cop|2.7.12 @ 2:31PM|#

...buried the "lede"...

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