Commentary

The R[ƎVO˩]UTION Will Not Be Televised: MSM Ignores Ron Paul in Iowa

COMMENTARY – ProspectingJournal.com – A funny thing happened in Iowa this weekend. While the mainstream networks did their best to sweep the results under the rug, the AMES Iowa Straw Poll for the leadership of the Republican Party gave a warning shot that a revolution could be on the rise. And while the headlines that ensued focused primarily on the win by Michele Bachmann, the loss by Tim Pawlenty and the entry of Texas Governor Rick Perry into the race, the media almost uniformly omitted the fact that with only 152 votes less than Bachmann, fellow Tea Party favourite, Dr. Ron Paul, came in a very respectable second place, only 152 votes behind Bachmann and with more votes than the 2007 winner, Mitt Romney’s total.

Ron Paul has been on the Prospecting Journal’s radar for quite some time, with his challenges against the Fed, and his investment strategy that is in line with ours, pertaining to faith in the mining industry and precious bullion. Today, the story is in the lack of a story. We find the strategic ignoring of Paul’s successes to be disturbing and alarming.

How can it be that the entire mainstream media can downplay this growing Campaign for Liberty and still maintain some form of credibility? What portion of his message is so frightening that they must hide him from your site so fervently? Examples of guilt by omission:

• Politico
• Cleveland.com
• WashingtonPost
• Salon.com, 2
• CBS News
• Des Moines Register
• MSNBC (where they even bold every candidate’s name except RP).

Sometimes they come out and admit the fact that they are to blame for Ron Paul’s lack of coverage. Ron Paul’s message may be outside the norm, but contrarians have come along in the past and won despite the seemingly insurmountable odds against them. But here we are, four years after the last time Dr. Paul attempted to win over the GOP in Iowa at the same poll, and his results have grown astronomically.

The Myth of Unelectability

It’s quite strange that the media can dismiss Ron Paul as unelectable, while allowing others with far loonier beliefs and backgrounds to skate by without the same scrutiny. Had Ron Paul won the straw poll instead of Michele Bachmann, the media would’ve certainly downplayed its significance, like they did with his straw poll win at CPAC in 2011 (where he was greeted with cheers) and in 2010 (where he was greeted with boos). Instead, he finished second, and helped knock out Tim Pawlenty along the way. In the aftermath, here’s how the media handled it. First off, when a “Ron Paul! Ron Paul!” chant interrupted their broadcast, they cut away to the thinnest portion of his supporters in the stands instead of showing the thicker group on the arena floor which would’ve showed a different view.

So in 2008, Obama gained a lot of support from independents and students based on his perceived anti-war stance. Here we have Ron Paul who is actually anti-war, and has always been so. With the economy crumbling fast, he’s the only one speaking about it in reasonable terms with an uncanny ability to predict and give realistic projections. How can this be unelectable? Who do the mainstream media think they are?

Let’s look at his competition, and try to figure out what should and shouldn’t be unelectable.

Rick Perry – The “Newcomer”

Rick Perry strategically stole headlines away from Bachmann and Paul over the weekend, just by announcing his intentions to run on the day of the straw poll. But while Dr. Paul openly confronts the architects of Western Civilization’s downfall by challenging Ben Bernanke, Rick Perry is holding large gatherings to “pray away the bad economy.” Despite what his claims are about how he’ll cut spending and lower taxes, Governor Perry (or “Rick Parry” if you watch The Colbert Report) actually has a bad record of taking federal money for his state of Texas. On top of these, Rick Perry has had other blips along the way:

• He’s also a former Bilderberg Conference attendee and tries to grab cameras from those who confront him about it.
• He railed against bailouts on the same day he asked for more of them.
• If he can’t stand-up to the TSA, how is he supposed to stand-up to the world?
• He helped campaign for Al Gore.
• He forced unsafe Gardasil HPV-Vaccinations on girls, despite the health risks.
• And then there’s poorly timed this photo, which can’t help the cause.

Michele Bachmann – The Gaffe Machine

Despite the win, she made a minor gaffe this weekend by giving out 6,000 free tickets to Iowa Straw Poll only to receive 4,823 votes (Ron Paul gave out 4,750 and got 4,671 votes). And unlike Perry who prayed away economic woes, Bachmann and her “is he or isn’t he?” husband Marcus run a counseling group that prays away the gay. Sure this might not rile up the ultra-conservative base, but at a certain point her gaffes will sink her, as primaries (especially in Iowa) aren’t kind to gaff for presidential hopefuls (ask Howard Dean). She now has a running total of gaffes that will eventually put John McCain to shame:

• Comparing herself to John Wayne Gacy in their shared hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, by mistake when trying to imply she was like actor John Wayne who was born three hours away in Winterset, Iowa.
• Letting her husband do radio interviews and talk about barbarianism.
• Giving bad history lessons on the founding fathers regarding their views on slavery and whether or not John Quincy Adams was a founding father.
• Confusing the history of marriage, making incorrect statements that misrepresent over 5000 years.
• Confusing New Hampshire with Massachussets.
• Trying to incorrectly pronouncing Chutzpah to court the Jewish vote.
• The list of misspoken gaffes goes on and on.
• Cameras aren’t her friend (nor are corndogs and covers):
  • Corndog bite #1
  • Corndog bite #2
  • Newsweek cover

Mitt Romney – The “Conservative”

Ladies and gentleman, the mainstream media presents: your front-runner. Despite the fact that much of the GOP’s base is opposed to Obama’s healthcare plan, it is actually a loosely interpreted version of the one Mitt Romney unveiled upon his electorate in Massachusetts that forces everyone to have health insurance, whether they can afford it or not. Under Romney, government continues to grow and swell, which flies in the face of the cries of the GOP’s base.

The man gets crushed in the Iowa straw poll, landing only 3.36% of the vote, yet still remains the front runner in the eyes of the media. So far, historically, Bob Dole holds the record for the lowest percentage earned in the Ames Straw Poll for a candidate who would later win the same state’s caucus vote with 26% in 1988. Sure, Mitt Romney isn’t really Iowa material, and he’ll contend that he didn’t really compete there, but if a Republican wants to beat Obama in 2012, they should be taking every portion of this race seriously. Instead, Romney continues to alienate voters, independents and anyone who comes to hear him speak:

• “Corporations are people, my friend”… but they won’t get taxed like people.
• Any time the war on drugs is brought up.
• If you are suffering, that doesn’t matter.
• Being challenged by a questioner on Obama’s economy, under which he was doubly wrong (he DID say that things were worse, AND he was wrong in saying they weren’t worse).
• Misreporting his net worth.

When we look at each issue, whether it be economics, precious metals, the drug war or all wars, Ron Paul fits the bill of an honest change and potential to get out of this mess. Hewill not be ignored on this website. Democracy is better served when all of the options are open to review, debate and support without coercion or restriction. Hopefully this is a trend that ends soon, or else we’re in for a long election season with nothing but the status quo left to follow.

G. Joel Chury
ProspectingJournal.com

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Disclaimer: The author currently resides in Canada, and therefore cannot vote for any of the candidates listed. However, this does not discount the impact the decisions made by US politicians has on Canada, let alone the rest of the world. With the ongoing wars, economic collapse and protests around the world, this is as serious a time as any to get the message of liberty out to the public. Some may believe that MSM-picked candidates will help business, where Ron Paul would not are incorrect, as business would no doubtedly flourish under a true free market society, which we do not currently live in.

 

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