So yet again today I get an email from the local homeschool group about Ron Paul. This time, they are all in a tizzy because supposedly the RNC is trying to ban Mr. Paul from being a candidate. The theory is that GOP is scared of Ron Paul, and are trying to take away his freedom of speech or something.
It. Is. A. Hoax.
Seriously. I’ve googled it, I’ve search the RNC website, Ron Paul’s official website, FoxNews.com, and plenty of other sources. I can not find this story anywhere.
I take that back. I did find the story at Spoof.com. Please, read that url carefully — www.SPOOF.com. Spoof, as in, fake, false, not true. It’s a satire site in the UK.
Now you know, you know, that if this were even remotely true, it would be all over the Clinton News Network, and pMSNBC, and the others. I mean, come on! The RNC telling someone with a big following to take a hike?? telling one of it’s candidates they aren’t allowed to participate? You’d think that would be news to someone right? Yet this story is nowhere.
So why do I say this is a hoax? Well. Lets got to the source. First, let’s read the forum post that set all this in motion, you can find it here. Nowhere in the post does it say the RNC has banned him, except in the title. It does say that FoxNews analysts don’t like him.
It is a serious assault on Free Speech when the RNC and other GOP Factions seek to bar the speech of an official candidate for President in the race for the Republican nomination. Ron Paul is under attack by FOX News and various analysts who actually believe he should be removed from debates and the party itself.
It is a serious assault on Free Speech when the RNC and other GOP Factions seek to bar the speech of an official candidate for President in the race for the Republican nomination. Ron Paul is under attack by FOX News and various analysts who actually believe he should be removed from debates and the party itself.
Apparently FoxNews is a GOP Faction. I’m sure they will dispute that claim. That is neither here no there. Nowhere in the post does it give evidence of the attempted banning. In fact, the only “ban” I could find related to Ron Paul, was the Redstate.com ban against Paulites posting to site. Even that “ban” only applies to those who have been members of the website for less then 6 months. Honestly, Ican so relate to RedState’s postition! Everytime I mention Ron Paul on this blog (or my other blog), I get a flurry of comments about how wonderful the man is and how he is the savior of the RNC or something. I can not imagine running a politcal site as large as redstate and having to deal with that on a daily basis!
Now I did find a story from Iowa, where the rules of a debate slated for December 4, state that you must have more then 5% support from Republicans in order to qualify to be in the debate. In case the Paulite Supporters failed to notice this little tidbit – Tancredo and Hunter are also currently barred from participating. The icing on the cake is that no one from any of the three affected campaigns has registered a complaint. But the Iowa offices are getting blasted by rabid Paulites. Seriously? Get over yourselves. Presenting petitions under false pretenses is not how to get sympathy. It is a tactic geared toward scaring people into believing the RNC is out to get Ron Paul. Nothing could be further from the truth.
But all my searching on this topic did lead me to this interesting tidbit. Not only are there Ron Paul Spammers out there, but apparently some of his supporters are running bogus message boards.
Hmmm. Something to think about.