Ron Paul and the Fat Man

Adeptly attacking drug prohibition on The Morton Downey Jr. show in 1988 (when he ran for president on the L.P. ticket), Ron Paul shows a little more energy than he typically does nowadays. He was two decades younger then, of course, and the debating style favored by Downey (who made Bill O'Reilly look like Phil Donahue) encouraged guests to keep things lively, to say the least.

[Thanks to Micharl Keferl for the tip and the title.]

Comments

[tarran]

Damn, that kid got pwned.

[Pro Libertate 2781]

How prescient. The government will indeed place that no-longer-so-young man on a mandatory diet in 2010, following the adoption of fully socialized medicine. Ron Paul won't be around then, having been executed along with everyone else over 70 in the Great Euthanization of 2009.

[Eric]

I lol'ed

[Sean]

Edgar Allen Pwned!!

[erik]

I wish it didn't cut out... Too bad we can't see the guy's reply.

[fish]

Apparently Dr. Paul has mellowed a bit. Its a damn shame we don't have the more combative guy today!

[GILMORE]

GoDDDDAMMM

That was good. "Why dont we get the army to put you on a diet?!"

[Oh Good Heavens]

I might as well go ahead and give Ron Paul the maximum legal contribution right now.

Every time I see something like this, I fall in love a little more.

[Lurker Jack]

Just to add my voice to the chorus...
That rocks. My contribution is otw to the Paul Campaign.

[Brian]

Yeah, I've posted this on my blog. RP uses the same argument I did in a letter to the editor my local newspaper published in response to the nonsensical "public" smoking ban on private companies. Some of my, uh, acquaintances weren't happy with me.

[stephen the goldberger]

lol

[stephen the goldberger]

omg this show is ridiculous. Here's another part of the show where Paul gets pissed off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHB2I83_N_k

[Brian]

HAHA!!! ...funny, Downey had a lung removed due to cancer and preached against cigarettes for the rest of his life.

[stephen the goldberger]

the user has the whole appearance i think

http://www.youtube.com/user/PatPeeve416

[Brandybuck]

Oh man. That brings back bad memories. I am so so glad that Mort's fifteen minutes of fame are over.

[d]

Quick! Post the marines at that kid's mouth to keep the cheeseburgers out!

[mk]

I miss Morton Downey Jr. I loved the way he would show up having used so much fake tan that he glowed orange. His country music album is a classic for collectors of awful celebrity albums.

I also remember that The Ron Reagan Jr. show came on after Mort. That show actually managed to engage in some substantial debate every now and then. It bombed, of course.

[Seer]

Wow, Stephen, I feel dumber after watching that. I guess Hannity isn't the worst.

[butterbarrel]

The parts that stephen posted (with the guardian angel woman) are quite revealing to me about the 80's anti-drug vitriol vs today (which I hadn't thought of) ...

Though the "for-the-children" line is always there, it seems anti-drug movement has move more to a tough-on-crime vibe vs the more Leftist "The Man wants drugs to hurt our poor people" idea that I thought was implicit in the clip

[stephen the goldberger]

JUST SAY NO
JUST SAY NO
JUST SAY NO

[Ken Shultz]

I'm sorry, did I just hear Ron Paul say that churches could be part of the solution to a problem?

...doesn't that mean I can't support him and be a real libertarian?

[M]

Just finished watching the 3 parts of stephen-the-goldberger's http://www.youtube.com/user/PatPeeve416.

It made me wonder at Ron Paul's composure (Go Ron Paul!).

It made me wonder at the difficulty Ms. Sliwa and those of like mind seem to have in looking beneath the surface of the problems they find, and in looking past brutal solutions. When she said the 1988 version of the WoD was an insufficient effort, it made me wonder what she would consider a sufficient effort.

It made me wonder what role the credible threat of force plays in people's learning to let others complete their sentences.

It made me wonder what dinner-table conversations are like at some people's homes.

Philosophy begins with wonder. Thank you, stephen. My headache should wear off soon.

[dude]

Hmmmm..churches or a heavily armed SWAT team?

yeah, churches would be ok.

[Ken Shultz]

Hmmmm..churches or a heavily armed SWAT team?

Hang around for a while, I suspect some of my fellow libertarians think a church is more dangerous than a SWAT team.

[biologist]

Ken:

churches are only dangerous when they have the power of the government to back them up

[highnumber]

I am so so glad that Mort's fifteen minutes of fame are over.

Well, he has been dead a few years.

[dude]

I understand that point Ken. I was thinking more along the lines of what biologist said. i.e. I'd personally prefer a non-government-mandated church helping me out if I were to come under the scourge of evil drugs rather than a SWAT team, if those were the choices...

[Jeremy C]

.... power of the government to back them up ...

AND lots of tax-free money to lobby citizens and elected officials with!

[Jim Walsh]

Ah, Mort Downey, the poor man's Joe Pyne. (Guess that makes O'Reilly the poor man's Downey...)

(Disclosure: Some years ago I worked with some radio folks in Atlantic City who had contact with Downey, and all said he was actually a very friendly guy)