Transcript
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Dylan Ratigan: Joining us now is Republican Congressman from Texas, and GOP presidential hopeful, Ron Paul. And, Congressman, it’s a pleasure to see you again.
Ron Paul: Thank you.
Dylan Ratigan: Now, your thoughts on everybody coming around to your way of thinking?
Ron Paul: Well, I hope it’s true, it looks like they have certainly moved in that direction, and I think it reflects the fact that the people have awakened, and that’s where they’re coming from right now. The American people are tired of it, 10 years is way too much. Nobody, as you described, has defined what our goals are and how victory could be achieved. So they’re sick and tired of it, we’re flat out broke, the sooner the better. I thought something you mentioned was very, very important, bringing a token 10,000 troops home or a few troops home. But you mentioned the fact of the contractors. What if they add 10,000, contracting out this war? It was done in Iraq and now it’s being done in Afghanistan. It’s much bigger than just measuring the number of troops there. But, overall, it’s the policy; what are we there for, what is the purpose, does it serve our national interests? And I would say no, there’s no real purpose there. And Senator Mencken made that very important point: China is achieving more than we achieve with all our fighting and killing and militarism, and the Chinese are out-classifying us as capitalist. They loan us money and they invest their money because they have most of our money, we’ve spent it over there. So we have really turned out system and its head, and we have to change it. But economic events are going to force us to do it, and I think it’s coming soon.
Dylan Ratigan: How do we exploit this opportunity? I feel, though, in the Republican primary that almost a man or a woman wants a redefinition of the Afghanistan mission, if not outright troop withdrawal along with everybody, from Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Bernie Sanders. I can line up a whole string of Democrats who would agree with you. How can we get the convergence of those disparate communities to wield force on the president and Republican leadership in the House?
Ron Paul: Well, I can see why people become disenchanted, because when George Bush Junior ran in the year 2000, I liked what he was saying. He said we should have a humble foreign policy, we shouldn’t be in nation building. But immediately afterwards he changed that policy. And then Obama was elected more-or-less as the peace candidate. Most people held on and said he will change the direction of the George Bush Administration, but nothing changes. So that’s why the American people get so tired of it all. But I think it won’t happen until we’re routed for economic reasons, like the Soviets were routed. Because, right now, even with a fancy speech tonight, I don’t think we’re going to lie back and say, “Hey, we finally turned the band and we are leaving”. I think we’re there for a long time to come, I think we’re there as long as the people will take our dollars, and we’re going to keep spending. It’s a very, very dangerous situation.
Dylan Ratigan: And would you ultimately argue that the narrative you just described when George Bush to President Obama – we’re talking about Republican and Democratic leadership in terms of their rhetoric, but the inability for the machine to respond to the people as a direct reflection of the military-industrial complex’s control of all of our military resources and foreign policy?
Ron Paul: Oh, I think so. I think the control is by the special interest, just as the control for bailing out the banks and the big corporations… the people didn’t want that. They’re the ones who got short changed on that. And when it comes to our foreign policy, it’s managed by the big corporations, it’s managed by those who make a lot of money, the war profits, and it’s a form of corporatism that exists. And that’s why we are getting a growing consensus with this from the progressive left as well as the libertarian right. We are coming together, but it’s just a major undertaking to attack the status quo. And because you just can’t always believe the rhetoric. I mean, the people have been hoodwinked too many times, they have to be able to trust the individual who says, “Enough is enough, it’s time to come home”, and certainly that is my position. A long time ago I thought we should have come home.
Dylan Ratigan: And how could we go about doing this? I mean, looking at this withdrawal narrative that the White House is pushing, I suppose in the hope that everybody in the media comes out and says, “Oh, President Obama launches the withdrawal” without looking deeper to see the 10,000 troops, not to mention the ability to hire 10,000 people with the contractors, is an insult to all of us. What would it really look like, in your mind, if we were going to withdraw?
Ron Paul: Well, there would be an announcement. A president could do it, he’s in charge of the troops. He could just say, “Look, it’s time to come home, we’re going to back off, we’re going to systematically come home as safely as possible and as quickly as possible”. And I think once the announcement was made, and the people knew we were serious, there would be a lot of re-assurance. Maybe some of the American capitalist would once again invest some money as the Chinese capitalist are doing right now. I mean, the Chinese are not only investing in Afghanistan, they’re investing in Iran. We want a fight, we want another war with Iran instead of saying, “Well, why don’t we spread our goodness by trading with people?” I mean, there was one time, of course, in recent memory, especially for me, was all we and the Chinese wanted to do was shoot and kill each other over the Korean War. But now we trade with the Chinese. I mean, what is so terrible about that? Because it is the way to preserve peace and prosperity at the same time.
Dylan Ratigan: Yea. Listen, Congressman, as I said to Senator Mencken, I’ll say it to you, I could not agree more and I wish you all the best in your efforts and we’ll do everything we can to help you, particularly on the issue of the war. Thank you, Congressman.
Ron Paul: Thank you very much.
Dylan Ratigan: Alright, Ron Paul.
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You still haven’t told me where you got your source, and freedom of speech bitch children even knows atleast the first one.
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Your comparison of Osama bin :Laden to our President forfeits any right you have to a reply. Thank you and have a nice day.
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Well.. Lets see whats happens :/ I hope Ron Paul do the right thing in future.
»crosslinked«
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First off show me where you found that information, and also don’t you remember two guys by the name o, I don’t know Sadam! Maybe that Obama, I mean Osama guy lol that’s right, yea maybe that is why he voted for it if he really did. -.-
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I would say you could be right, but the difference between Ron Paul and Obama besides their skin color is the fact that Ron Paul isn’t saying things just to win an election he has true purpose for his running of President of the United States, by all means trust in whoever you wish. I ask of you kindly though to also trust in Ron Paul, his ideas are called ” radical ” because he showing us all what our Ferderal Government is becoming and this is only the start my friends.
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No offense but I don’t believe in him. Obama said he will end the war if people choose him as president, guess what, he sent more troops to middle east.. He’s a puppet controlled by secret people. Ron Paul will be puppet too controlled by someone, if he will be president.. I don’t trust in American. Only in God.
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“Do you want the on who thinks carbon dioxide isn’t dangerous?”
Um.. that would be Ron Paul and no I don’t want him as our president.
“The one who was never in the military being commander in cheif?”
Obama was too young for Vietnam dumbass!
“Or the one who thinks corporations are people?”
That would be Mitt Romney and no I do not want him as president either.
Obama 2012; Biden 2016!
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I’m not “trying” he is a better choice than the others. Do you want the on who thinks carbon dioxide isn’t dangerous? The one who was never in the military being commander in cheif? Or the one who thinks corporations are people?
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Nice try. He says NOW that we should of never went.
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I’m with you dude, but it isn’t going to happen. :’(
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He thought we had a good reason for our soldiers to fight there.
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I came her and it had 420 likes…it was very hard for me to press the like button…but it has to be done!
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yea no shit man. all gone for me too
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yea no shit man. all gone for me too
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What do u think of the occupy movement inspired song and music video 99 to 1?
99 to 1 – an occupy anthem song for our times. Occupy our heart, then the mind, then we can get on with occupying everything else from our hearts and minds. If we don’t do this, then at best, we will occupy the past.
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“He voted for the Afghan war on the premise of getting Bin Laden.”
Then he should say “Yeah I voted for the war in Afghanistan but only to get Bin Laden. Now that Bin Laden is dead we should get out.” But that is NOT what he is saying at all. He is saying we should of never went in the first place.
“As for the war powers act, how does wanting to repeal that make him not anti-war?”
Repealing the war powers act would give back to POTUS the absolute power to wage war. That;s how.
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But he is now saying we should of NEVER went into Afghanistan.
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He voted for the Afghan war on the premise of getting Bin Laden. The plan was not to nation build like we are now. As for the war powers act, how does wanting to repeal that make him not anti-war? Repealing that would make it so that the president would have to get congressional approval to go to war.
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Maybe because he’s for greater consent before military action is taken. Because in 2001, we had a reason to be there!
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Maybe because he’s for greater consent before military action is taken. Because in 2001, we had a reason to be there!
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OBAMA MADE 4 ACCOUNTS AND DISLIKED THIS
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LIKE IF YOU’RE VOTING FOR RON PAUL!!
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we better get out of war . i am from peru and i can see that the dollar money is going down the toilet every single day. even in peru a developing country i see more people spending money.
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Ill be voting for you
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Ill be voting for you
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lol, message me when u find the answer because i’m wondering the same thing.
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Want security and economic recovery ?? Air drop tens of thousands of washing machines and the myriad of other American made products into Afghanistan, and in six months their women will be demanding peace, running water, electricity, schools, education, and all the things YOUR-WAR has denied them, accomplished for a pittance of the global social, economic cost of endlessly killing each other.
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If Ron Paul is soooo Anti-war then why does he wish to repeal the “War Powers Act”? Why did he vote for the Afghan war in 2001?
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Ron Paul, you my friend have my vote. Too bad I’m Belgian
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Ron Paul, you my friend have my vote. Too bad I’m Belgian
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