Will racial controversies doom Ron Paul?
More evidence has surfaced that the GOP presidential candidate has espoused controversial racial views during his political career. (Flickr: Gage Skidmore)
By JORDAN FABIAN
Channel: Politics
Just four days from the Iowa caucuses, GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul has even more questions to answer about allegations he harbors racist attitudes towards minorities.
The accusations have largely stemmed from newsletters bearing Paul’s name published in the 1980s and 1990s and a recent statement by one former aide, but the Texas congressman has disavowed claims that he wrote or made racially-charged expressions that have been attributed to him.
But on Friday, CNN’s Peter Hamby unearthed passages from Paul’s 1987 book Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200-Plus Years, which lists him as the sole author. Paul wrote that AIDS patients were largely victims of their own lifestyle and questioned whether racial and ethnic minority groups should have separate rights:
It’s dangerous to craft a separate set of rights for groups like Hispanics, African-Americans, children, employees and the homeless, Paul wrote.
“Until all these terms are dropped and we recognize that only an individual has rights the solution to the mess in which we find ourselves will not be found,” Paul explained.
“Every year new groups organize to demand their ‘rights,’” he continued. “White people who organize and expect the same attention as other groups are quickly and viciously condemned as dangerous bigots. Hispanic, black, and Jewish caucuses can exist in the U.S. Congress, but not a white caucus, demonstrating the absurdity of this approach for achieving rights for everyone.”
Paul’s book was written ahead of his 1988 bid for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination and was intended to espouse his libertarian political philosophy. But considering the firestorm surrounding Paul over his supposed racial attitudes, the passages are sure to give him even more headaches as the race for Iowa enters its final stretch.
The racial controversies surrounding Paul play directly into the questions his rivals have raised about his electability.
Paul has already announced he’s going to take the weekend off from campaigning to be with his wife for New Year’s, meaning he won’t be in front of Iowa voters in order to personally answer those questions. That might not be the best thing for a candidate whom 41 percent of likely Iowa GOP caucus goers already believe is an unacceptable nominee, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll.
Yet, electability might not be the primary concern for Iowa voters. Paul is still surging in Iowa heading into the important Jan. 3 caucuses, and that same poll shows that a majority of likely caucus goers think that it’s more important that the GOP nominee be a true conservative rather than be the best to debate President Obama.
Paul will assuredly receive heavy scrutiny over his racial views over the next few days, but whether that affects Paul’s standing with Iowa voters remains to be seen.
