Did Ron Paul look presidential, incompetent or just clueless on Meet the Press?

Question

I thought Paul looked incompetent AND clueless during the interview. He wasn't asked any "softball" questions so he had a hard time.

Paul looked like an old man that can't handle these type of questions. In fact, at one point he was called on an area where Paul is a hypocrite!

Paul says he has never voted for earmarks. However, he puts things in bills that will provide money to his district, knowing full well that the bill will be passed. He provides "earmark" money for his district but he votes against it. I agree that this sounds like the old "voting for the war before voting against it" flip-flop. Paul didn't like the analogy but it's accurate.

I think that if people see this interview, and have an open mind, they will understand that Ron Paul is not a candidate to vote for!

Except for the ravenous Paul supporters, that have closed minds about the other candidates, what do you think?

I call them "ravenous supporters" because no matter how much evidence there is about how Paul can't even get the nomination, they still claim that he will win in November and that Paul is our "best hope to beat Hillary."

Answer 1

I was interested in Paul so I watched the interview. While I like a lot of his ideas you have to have at least some kind of plan to implement them. He clearly doesn't. Even the hardcore supporters have to see that.
He's absolutely clueless about international politics and would be a disaster as head of the most powerful nation in the world. Isolationism may have been a good idea two hundred years ago, but we're well past that.
He has no grasp of the economy and would be totally lost in making policy. I want to eliminate the income tax, too, but I have more of a plan then he does.
My first impression of the guy was that he thought he was running for emperor. Now, I'm more sure of it then ever before.

Answer 2

Ron Paul did not look incompetent or clueless on Meet the Press. He looked good and he answered the tough questions just fine. He is the only presidential candidate that is worth voting for and maybe that is why the mainstream media is playing hardball with him. They are paid to promote the Neocon candidates only, and they don't play nice with candidates who have honesty and integrity like Ron Paul. Pity you are incapable of seeing that.

And if Ron Paul was really clueless or a non-issue, you would not put this much effort into posting disparaging remarks about him.

Answer 3

As the only candidate who represents the Constitution of the Founders, clearly he was presidential.

It is a simple choice, either the voter supports the Constitution or the voter doesn't. Only a single candidate supports the Constitution and that is Dr. Paul

As with any Congressional Representative, he will place constituent earmarks in a bill, but they know (as he stated) he won't vote for it. Why? Because they are bills which represent an unbalanced budget.

I find it amazing the numbers of young people who apparently have no understanding of their own Constitution. Nor do they understand that Dr. Paul is one person (of two in the entire Congress) who support that Constitution.

Those who believe that he has no plan to implement his ideas weren't listening. For example, getting rid of the personal and business income tax is a simple process. We would move back to the tax system that existed prior to 1914. Further there would be no shortage of federal funds because the federal government would be allowed to olny do those things for which it has the Constitutionally delegated powers.

Further, consider what such a move would do for the country. First, workers would have a major increase in purchasing power when they no longer had to pay income taxes. By also dropping the business income tax competition would push down product prices by major amounts. For example, that new car that you buy has buried business income taxes of about 40% of the retail price. With the increased available dollars to the worker and the decreasing product prices, purchasing power would increase dramatically as would consumer demand for product which would do two additional things. One would be to increase production and the demand for more workers. Secondly, the new tax system would draw very large amounts of foreign investment capital supporting that increase in demand.

Before you knock his ideas it might be a good idea to understand what they actually are. I suggest that you begin with a primer of Austrian economics.

Answer 4

One thing to his advantage is that Dr. Paul does not seem to lie so naturally in comparison to Romney or Rudy he would look better. Being truthful is not enough to make him look like an Einstein. Considering some of the company he keeps, he might not consider that a good thing either.

Answer 5

He looked unprepared in some spots but that's more about his people who are more experienced with the constitution than popularizing their candidate.

He was called a hypocrite on something that Russert doesn't understand. It's a situation of use it or lose it. It's also the difference between welfare where everyone in the country pays for someone who is on welfare vs. a tax refund where you get some of the money you've paid into the system.

When you say he provides earmarks for his district you're saying that he works for his constituents. That money would go somewhere and he votes to have some of it go to his constituents. What don't you get about this?

Answer 6

I think that we have very few real choices in this election. I think that, if we don't get back to Constitutional rule, our kids are going to live under a government that watches their every move. I think that this government has proven, since 9/11, that their primary concern is to protect itself and to hell with protecting the American people. Why else would the borders still be open?

Ron Paul won't win the Presidency. His supporters know that. He is a figurehead. He represents an ideal that people are beginning to realize that we need to get back to. The Republicans have lost their way. They represent big brother government every bit as much as the Democrats do.

People want to get back to the Goldwater principles of individual freedom. No tolerance for government interference into private lives. No big brother government watching our every move. Goldwater wasn't considered "Presidential material" by the majority either. But he still represented American style freedom to most. That's the Role Ron Paul is playing now.

Answer 7

I'm not a Ron Paul supporter, however, ALL of the candidates do and have done things like that, it's called politics, and it's what you do for the people who elected you. I did not see the show today, but whoever asked the question knew what they were going to try and do to this candidate. I'd like to see REAL questions asked of the candidates......all of them

Answer 8

"Ravenous Paul supporters"...give me a break. We aren't any different than anybody supporting the other candidates...are they ravenous for votes as well...I would imagine so.

Russert doesn't like Ron Paul and really didn't disguise it. His questions were hard and baited traps. Ron Paul never shys away from answering the questions fired at him and he did get bloodied in the process. But that is ok, because RP actually answered the questions.

The "Earmarks" are the current process. RP has to bring home money to his constituents for the issues important to them. He has to work with the system that is currently in place. Should he succeed in removing a Federal Income Tax, earmarks will become a thing of the past, because his constituents won't have their money leaving their local and state governments.

Look, everybody views people through their own filters. It's ok not to like Ron Paul. But really what is up with the "ravenous" baloney and the idea that our minds are closed about the other candidates. You know what we are right thinking people the same as you. We just filtered the information and came to a different conclusion as to who we think will be the best president. And again...it's ok if you don't think that person is Ron Paul.

I just happen to think he is.

Answer 9

Many don't understand Ron Paul because they have been so brainwashed by the establishment that they've actually forgotten how to think on their own (kind of like you). And so when Ron starts speaking the truth they can't understand it (kind of like you).

Earmarks have been a part of US Govt. since FDR was in office & EVERY single Congressperson since then has used them to benefit the people in their districts (including yours) because that is the way the US Govt. works. The reason Dr. Paul has used earmarks is because he believes that because US Govt. is so corrupt why not take the money for the benefit of his district because the US Govt is just going waste that money on something else so who cares if his district benefits from those earmarks? Get it?

Answer 10

I thought he did very good. Every time something was brought up against him, he held his temper very well and explained why the point was flawed instead of getting angry.

I found myself cheering him out-loud at several points.