BLACKOUT

Congressman Ron Paul of Texas has been through a lot in recent years. I remember when I first heard of him back in May of 2007. He was speaking at a GOP debate and was the only person on stage who didn’t repeat exactly what the other candidates were saying. An anti-war, pro-free market, supporter of civil liberties….. so very different than the rest of the field. He was absolutely fearless, knocking every single one of his opponents off base with every arguement he made.

He was a fringe candidate then, spouting unpopular ideas, and shedding light on the ugliness that had conquered the Republican Party. The establishment was not pleased. The Media, assisted by the Republican Party succeeded in pegging him as a fringe candidate. Despite the efforts of his campaign, and his supporters, Paul did not receive the nomination, and the GOP went on to shoot itself in the foot by nominating senator John McCain as it’s presidential candidate.

For most politicians, it would have ended when they didn’t win the nomination. Not for Congressman Paul. He continued the spread of his ideas, and his supporters did as well. Suddenly mainstream politicos began parroting Congressman Ron Paul’s words, the Federal Reserve became a serious topic of discussion outside of the business sphere, the dynamics of the business cycle dominated the news, and a grassroots movement called the “Tea Party” (created by Supporters of congressman paul) began ousting incumbent candidates. During this time Ron Paul was a media darling, he was interviewed  on virtually every network, covering topics ranging from the wars overseas, to the economy. The Media just couldn’t get enough of Ron Paul.

Fast forward to last weekend….

Ron Paul placed second at the Ames straw poll in Iowa. Loosing to Iowa native Michele Bachmann by a mere 152 votes. I, along with everyone else who supports Ron Paul, believed that with a finish like that, there was literally no way to silence him like the media did during the 2008 campaign. I think it is safe to say that I have never been so completely wrong about anything in my life.

Not one appearance on any morning show, not one. on the Sunday morning political talk shows? nothing, not a peep. He was getting more attention when he wasn’t running for president. In fact, according to his campaign, the only morning interview he had scheduled was canceled by the network. A few news channels spoke of him in hushed tones for about 2 minutes, before quickly dismissing him and a “cult” candidate.

Here’s one example, of a very small handful, of the coverage he received tonight.

This scenario was played out on other networks, in almost the exact same way. They Talked about Rick Perry, then talked about Michele Bachmann, Romney, quibbled about Tom Pawlenty for a second, then they laughed about Ron Paul, consulted the “panel of experts” who then dismissed him, and moved on to the next candidate.

The thing is, it’s not like this story isn’t newsworthy. Ron Paul lost to a native Iowan in the straw poll by only 152 votes. He spent far less money, and had no celebrity endorsements. Michele Bachmann had Randy Travis in her tent, and she only sold tickets to that event to those who promised to vote for her in the straw poll. And despite all that, Ron Paul still came within one percentage point of winning the entire straw poll, and that isn’t newsworthy?

Roger Simon over at Politico wrote today……….

I am far from a Libertarian. I believe big government is swell as long as it does big things to help the common good. But after Ames, it was as if Paul had been sentenced to the Phantom Zone.

Bachmann appeared on five Sunday shows following Ames. Paul appeared on none. POLITICO’s Kasie Hunt was one of the few reporters to do a separate story on Paul’s showing at the straw poll, but to most of the media he remained an exotic, unworthy of attention.

And I don’t disagree that some of his beliefs — legalizing heroin, the right of states to secede — are strikingly peculiar (though he has been elected to a congressional district in Texas 12 times). But if Bachmann’s victory at Ames was good enough to gain her enormous publicity and top-tier status, why was Paul’s virtual tie good enough only to relegate him to being ignored?

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61412.html#ixzz1V9qzIhRH

Why indeed…

If Ron Paul is no threat to the establishment candidates then what is the harm in letting him speak? I wonder if we’ll begin to see this type of treatment during the debates. Would the media actually just let him stand there for over an hour without asking a question? I certainly wouldn’t put it past them at this point.

Ron Paul is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and has been a public servant for over 30 years. His decades long battle to shed light on the failures of our economic system and his unwavering pursuit of a peaceful foreign policy had finally become a major talking point at dinner tables around the country, all due to his persistence, and his supporters. It doesn’t matter if you agree with him or not, Ron Paul deserves much better than the treatment he has received.