When the revelations, reported recently in the Weekly Standard, occurred of racist material in various newsletters published under his name, Rep. Ron Paul denied writing to having knowledge of that material according to the Huffington Post.
But the Washington Post is reporting that Paul proofread and signed off on all the articles published by his various newsletters. He was thus fully aware of the inflammatory material that was being published under his name.
What was in the newsletters that were so inflammatory?
The Daily Beasts lists at least 10 disturbing ideas that were published in various Ron Paul newsletters. These include praising racists, promulgating conspiracy theories about a FEMA "takeover," praising anti-Semites, and making outrageous claims against gays and the way AIDS is transmitted. Articles in the newsletters attacked Israel, suggesting that the Mossad may have been behind the abortive 1993 attempt to blow up the World Trade Center. The Washington Post reported an article in the newsletter suggested that Dr. Martin Luther King was a "world class philanderer who beat up his paramours." King was also accused of seducing under aged girls and boys. An article in a Paul newsletter suggested that the 1992 Los Angeles Riots had stopped because blacks had to pick up their welfare checks.
Did Paul actually know what was being published under his name?
Renae Hathway, a former secretary for Paul, states that he oversaw every aspect of the operation of his newsletters, including the articles. Other unnamed sources confirm the allegation.
Why did Paul publish such inflammatory material under his name?
The publishing of provocative material in the Paul newsletters appears to be a deliberate business decision to boost sales. It seems to have worked. In 1993 the Paul publishing organization made $1 million. This suggests that Paul earned multiple millions of dollars from the newsletters over the two decades when they were being published.
What are the political effects of the newsletter revelations?
Paul is running consistently third or fourth in most polls and has not won a single primary contest. On the other hand, according to the Huffington Post, Paul supporters are largely unaffected by the revelations. They have so far accepted the idea that either Paul did not write and was unaware of the objectionable material or that the material doesn't matter. Whether the revelation that Paul was not honest about the full extent of his involvement in the newsletters will have any effect is unclear.
Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network
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