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My post the other day urging libertarians, constitutionalists, and paleocons to forcefully disavow people holding certain unsavory views has somehow been turned -- by a blogger arguing that "Kentucky isn't exactly known for her sophistication and education" -- into an assertion that "Rand Paul's base is made up of 'racists, kooks, and 9/11 nutters.'" Ooh, and "potheads" too. This is a misrepresentation of my views as this post and this column show.

What I did say is that this corner of the right should clean house of racists, anti-Semites, and 9/11 denialists both because they are profoundly wrong and because they are being used to bring discredit on the ideas of constitutionally limited government, sound money, and a restrained foreign policy. The latter set of views is accessible to and already held by a large group of people who are anything but potheads, racists or kooks. That includes a plurality of Kentucky Republicans, according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey. When gaining ground, why move back into the fever swamps?

View all comments (9) | Leave a comment

C Bowen| 12.22.09 @ 4:55PM

I am still waiting for Amspec to purge the Saddam-Truthers, but its readers are not exactly known for sophistication and education.

Congrats on the Chronicles articles, Mr. Antle.

Red Phillips| 12.22.09 @ 5:11PM

The blogger, Lisa Graas, is obviously shilling for her preferred candidate Bill Johnson. According to his website, Johnson seems like a cookie-cutter mainstream movement conservative. Is he a Constitutionalist like Paul? I see no indication of that from his website. On the subject of interventionism, he explicitly endorses the grossly un-Christian concept of preventative war.

Lisa, no amount of pro-Johnson propaganda on your part is ever going to make big government interventionism the authentic conservative position. Non-interventionism is the authentic conservative position. Get right and tell Mr. Johnson to get right or quit masquerading as a conservative.

sean| 12.22.09 @ 6:37PM

This portion of the right has more pressing needs like distancing themselves from the RINO's that have helped ruin this country. Being aligned with them has discredited the whole Republican party recently. No Republican, except one, could honestly campaign on fiscal responsibility and keeping true to the Constitution. We desperately need candidates like Rand Paul and he is going to be attacked for nothing just as this staffer incident shows. People on the right just have to be smart and not fall for it.
Anyone that has been on the internet for over one day should know that you can be held responsible for comments other people post. That is why I never really criticized the left when people posted on leftist blogs that Bush was Hitler.

Sean| 12.22.09 @ 6:38PM

edit

can't be held responsible

Red Phillips| 12.22.09 @ 7:00PM

Jim, the problem is, what is a "racist" and what is an "anti-Semite?" Like obscenity, I think I know them when I see them, but good sense does not prevail in this debate. Is it racist to be worried about demographic change brought about by immigration? Is it racist to oppose affirmative action? Is it racist to think "The Bell Curve" was sound science? Is it racist to attend an almost all white TEA Party? To many these things are, because "racism" doesn't mean hate or ill will toward someone based on race, it means any deviation from ideological egalitarian right think. Likewise with anti-Semitism. Is it anti-Semitic to suggest that the Israel Lobby has disproportionate influence? Is it anti-Semitic to think America should base it Middle East policy on what is good for America and not on what's good for Israel? Again, many would say these are. In our current PC stifled climate, I think vigilant anti-racism and anti-anti-Semitism are much bigger problems than are racism or anti-Semitism.

Mel| 12.23.09 @ 8:05AM

What do you mean by a 9/11 denialist and why do you think they are in Rand's campaign.

This seems like a giant smear to me.

Plus what exactly do you mean when you say that.

4 star general Wes Clark said that Don Rumsfeld has a conspiracy where he wanted to invade 7 countries in 5 years. The Iraq was is bogus too.

This doesn't mean it was an "inside job."

It's just acknowledging that the States should be in charge of all matters of national defense and that the it is too dangerous to allow the president to keep a standing army.

Lisa Graas| 12.25.09 @ 2:11PM

My response, sir.

http://genuinegopmom.blogspot......-base.html

racking| 1.4.10 @ 11:09PM

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Alena| 2.2.10 @ 2:47AM

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More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/12/22/rand-pauls-base-and-kentuckys

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