Ron Paul

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Ron Paul
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 14th district
Assumed office
January 3 1997
Preceded byGreg Laughlin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd district
In office
January 3 1979 – January 3 1985
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd district
In office
April 1976 – January 3 1977
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCarol Paul
ChildrenRonnie Paul
Lori Pyeatt
Rand Paul
Robert Paul
Joy Paul-LeBlanc
ProfessionFlight surgeon, Physician

Ronald Ernest Paul, (born August 20, 1935) is a 10th-term Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a member of the Republican Party, a physician, and a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election. He has represented Texas's 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997 and represented Texas's 22nd district in 1976 and from 1979 to 1985.

In Congress, Paul has adhered to limited government conservative and libertarian principles, often basing his positions on constitutionalism and states' rights. He voted against the USA PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and the Iraq War. He has never voted to raise taxes or congressional pay and refuses to take government-paid junkets.[2][3] He has earned the nickname "Dr. No" for voting against any bill he believes violates the Constitution.[4]

Early life and education

Paul was born in Green Tree, Pennsylvania (southwest of Pittsburgh), to Howard Caspar Paul (1904–1997), the son of a German Lutheran immigrant, and Margaret Paul (nee Dumont) (1908–2001), who owned a dairy farm outside Pittsburgh.[5] He was the third of five sons born during seven years in the Great Depression.[6] Paul's father had an eighth-grade education and was co-owner, along with his siblings, Lewis and Arthur, of Green Tree Dairy. In his early years, Paul began working at his father's dairy at age five. Later he delivered newspapers and worked in a drugstore and became a milkman when he was old enough to drive.[6]

He graduated from Dormont High School in Dormont, Pennsylvania, in 1953 with honors. He excelled in track and field,[7] winning the Pennsylvania state championship in the 220-yard dash and coming in second in the 440-yard dash as a junior. He was also on the wrestling team and president of the student council.[6]

Paul paid for his first year at Gettysburg College with saved newspaper-delivery, lemonade sales and lawn-mowing money. Paul delivered mail and laundry on the side while in Gettysburg; for one year, he managed the college coffee shop.[6] He gave up track after a knee injury, but joined the college's swimming team instead after taking it up as therapy. He had been offered a full scholarship to run for the track team but declined it, worried that he wouldn't regain his previous speed.[6] Paul was inducted into Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity,[8] and he served as steward and house manager of the fraternity.[6] He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957.

Although he had once considered becoming a Lutheran minister like two of his brothers,[7] Paul decided to pursue a career in medicine instead and was accepted to Duke University School of Medicine, where he received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1961. He conducted his internship and a year of residency training, both in internal medicine, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit from 1961 to 1962 and residency in obstetrics/gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh from 1965 to 1968.[9]

Paul is well-versed in the economic philosophy of the Austrian School of economics, and has authored several books (see below) on the subject. He has pictures of Friedrich von Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, and Murray Rothbard hanging on his office wall.[10][11]

Family

Paul and his wife, Carol Wells, were married on February 1, 1957. Carol asked Ron to their first date at a Sadie Hawkins dance.[6] They went to colleges in different states but kept in touch and married in Ron's senior year at Gettysburg College.[6]

They have five children:[12] Ronnie, Lori, Rand, Robert, and Joy. They also have 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.[7] While they lived in Detroit for his residency, Carol ran a dance school in their basement.[6] Three of the Paul children, Robert, Rand, and Joy also became medical doctors.[12] Rand specializes in ophthalmology and Robert specializes in family practice. Like Congressman Paul, his daughter Joy specializes in obstetrics/gynecology.[13] Paul supported his children during their undergraduate and medical school years, not allowing them to take part in subsidized federal student loan programs. He has not signed up for a congressional pension for the same reason.[14]

When her husband was campaigning in the 14th District, Carol Paul decided to help his campaign by compiling family recipes into a cookbook and sending it to constituents.[12] The cookbook is filled with pictures of the large Paul family. Since originally published, five editions have been written. She and other family members keep a "Recipe of the Week" on her husband's Congressional campaign website.

Paul usually goes home to Lake Jackson on weekends.

Military service and medical career

Paul's medical training was interrupted when he was drafted during the Cuban Missile Crisis into the United States Air Force. He remained in the military during the early years of the Vietnam War.[15] He was never sent to Vietnam, instead serving active duty (1963-1965) that took him to other countries, including South Korea, Iran, Ethiopia and Turkey. He served as a flight surgeon out of Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas from 1963 to 1965. He then served in the Air National Guard from 1965 to 1968 while completing his medical residency in Pittsburgh.[16] He achieved rank of captain during his service in the Air Force.[17]

Two years after leaving medical school, Paul worked in the emergency room of a church hospital in San Antonio for a wage of $3 an hour. Paul later specialized in obstetrics and gynecology where he delivered more than 4,000 babies. He took over the medical practice of a retiring doctor in Lake Jackson, Texas, where he was busy as the only obstetrician and gynecologist in Brazoria County. Paul said of his time as a doctor, "I delivered forty to fifty babies a month and did a lot of surgery."[18] Dr. Paul did not accept Medicare or Medicaid as a physician; instead, he worked for free or arranged discounted or custom payment plans for needy patients.[14][19]

Early congressional career

A physician for several years in his district before he went into politics, Paul became a delegate to the Republican Party of Texas convention in 1974. He had decided to enter politics on August 15, 1971, when President Richard Nixon advocated a complete departure from the gold standard for the U.S. dollar. He said, "After that day, all money would be political money rather than money of real value. I was astounded."[18]

File:Ron Paul and Reagan.jpg
Ron Paul led the Texas Delegation to nominate Ronald Reagan (left to right: Ron Paul, Jack Fields, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Archer)

Paul was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Congressman from the 22nd District of Texas in 1974, an election where Democratic candidates won heavily, against the incumbent Democrat Robert R. Casey. When President Gerald R. Ford appointed Casey as head of the Federal Maritime Commission, a special election was held in April 1976 to choose a new congressperson. Paul won that election but lost six months later in the general election to Democrat Robert A. Gammage. The vote was close: fewer than 300 votes out of 180,000. He then defeated Gammage in a 1978 rematch. Paul won new terms in 1980 and 1982. Paul was the first Republican to represent the area in the House of Representatives.[20] He was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Ronald Reagan for president against Gerald Ford in 1976,[21] when Dr. Paul led the Texas delegation in support of Reagan at the national Republican convention.[20]

Paul delivered babies on Mondays and Saturdays during his entire term as the 22nd District representative.[18] During this time, he began to gain his reputation as "Dr. No", with his refusal to vote for laws he felt to be unconstitutional.[20]

Paul was the first congressman, in the 1970s, to propose term limit legislation for the House of Representatives,[22] where he declined to attend junkets or register for a congressional pension while serving four terms.[23] He proposed legislation to decrease congressional pay at the rate of inflation.[22] In 1980, when a majority of Republicans favored President Carter's proposal to reinstate draft registration, he told them that they were inconsistent in their views: they were more eager to register their children than they were to register their guns.[22]

Paul served on the House Banking Committee during this time, where he spoke against the inflation he saw as being caused by the Federal Reserve.[21] The US Gold Commission created by Congress in 1982 was his idea, and his conclusions from the commission were published by the Cato Institute as the book The Case for Gold.[24] Paul's chief of staff from 1978 to 1982 was Lew Rockwell.[25] Paul was a regular participant in the annual Congressional baseball game.[20]

Paul was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 1984 GOP primary against Phil Gramm. Having chosen to run for the Senate instead of re-election, Paul left Congress in 1985 and returned to full-time medical practice[21] and was subsequently succeeded by Tom DeLay, then a member of the Texas House of Representatives.[26] In a farewell address on the House floor, Paul said, "Special interests have replaced the concern that the Founders had for general welfare. Vote trading is seen as good politics. The errand-boy mentality is ordinary, the defender of liberty is seen as bizarre. It's difficult for one who loves true liberty and utterly detests the power of the state to come to Washington for a period of time and not leave a true cynic."[25]

1988 presidential campaign

In the 1988 presidential election, Paul defeated American Indian activist Russell Means to win the Libertarian Party's nomination for the U.S. Presidency. Appearing on the ballot in 46 states and the District of Columbia,[27] he placed third in the popular vote (with 431,750 votes - 0.47%), behind Republican George H. W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis.[28] Although he had been an early supporter of Ronald Reagan, Paul was critical of the unprecedented deficits incurred by Reagan's administration, for which his opponent George H.W. Bush had been vice-president.[23]

During his time as a Libertarian candidate, Paul gained supporters nationwide who agreed with him on many of his positions—- on gun rights, fiscal conservatism, home-schooling, and abortion, and he won approval from others who thought the federal government was heading in the wrong direction on other issues. These supporters formed a nationwide support base that encouraged him to return to office and supported his campaigns financially.[18] His 2008 campaign chair, Kent Snyder, first worked for Paul on the 1988 campaign, when Snyder says that Senator John McCain told him, "You're working for the most honest man in Congress."[12]

Paul said that he was doing more during his presidential run than reach office: he was trying to spread his liberty-minded ideas and would often talk to school groups that weren't old enough to vote. "We're just as interested in the future generation as this election. These kids will vote eventually, and maybe, just maybe, they'll go home and talk to their parents."[27]

After the election, Paul had a coin business[29] and worked at his own think tank until returning to Congress.[29]

Later congressional career

Campaigns

Paul's Congressional portrait

In 1996, Paul returned to Congress after a tougher battle than he had faced in the 1970s. He was hopeful that he would be more effective in Congress after the Republicans took over both houses of Congress in the 1994 election.[19] His Republican primary opponent, Greg Laughlin, had support from leaders within the Republican Party, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor George W. Bush.[23] Incumbent Laughlin had switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican side the year before, but despite efforts by the national party, challenger Paul won the primary by a large margin. While Gingrich and other Republican leaders visited the district stumping for Laughlin, Paul ran newspaper ads quoting Gingrich's harsh criticisms of Laughlin's voting record 14 months earlier, before Laughlin switched parties.[23] Baseball player Nolan Ryan served as Paul's honorary campaign chairman.[18] Paul was elected for the coastal 14th Congressional District rather than the 22nd District he had previously represented. The change in district was a result of the borders of redistricting[30] as Paul continued to maintain his home in Lake Jackson.

His Democratic opponent in the fall election, lawyer Charles "Lefty" Morris, lost in a close margin despite running numerous attacks on Paul, including his past votes to repeal federal drug laws in favor of state legislation and portions of old newsletters, assisted by the AFL-CIO. Paul in turn labeled Morris a pawn of trial lawyers and big labor. He raised more money than Morris, with the help of his national network of donors: $1.2 million to Morris' $472,153. Ken Bryan, a Democratic consultant to some of Paul's opponents, has said, "He has one of the largest contributor bases in Congress, outside of the leadership." Most of Paul's contributions are given in small amounts by individuals.[18] That year, he had the third-highest amount of individual contributions of any House member, behind Speaker Newt Gingrich and Bob Dornan.[31]

In 1998 he again won the primary and the election and outraised his opponent by a large margin, $2.1 million to $734,000. Opposing a Democratic rice farmer and former Matagorda County judge, Loy Sneary, Paul won by 11 percentage points; he ran ads warning voters to be "leery of Sneary."[32] Paul accused Judge Sneary of voting to raise his pay by 5%, increasing his judge's travel budget by 400% in one year, and creating more government bureaucracy by starting a new government agency to handle a license plate fee he enacted. Sneary's aides said he had voted to raise all county employees' pay by 5% in a "cost of living" increase. Paul countered that he had never voted to raise congressional pay.[33][19]

In 2000, Sneary ran against Paul again, with Paul winning 60% to 40%. He raised $2.4 million to Sneary's $1.1 million in that campaign.[18] Paul was re-elected in 2002. Unopposed in 2004, he was re-elected to his ninth term in the Congress, and he was re-elected again in 2006 for his 10th term by a 20-point margin,[34] outraising his opponent $1.2 million to $600,000.[35]

He has drawn two primary challengers in the next election: Eric Dondero, a former aide fired by Paul,[36] and Chris Peden, a Friendswood city councilman.[37]

Relationship with district

Paul continued to work as an obstetrician in Brazoria County, Texas, even while serving in Congress, delivering many constituents' babies. As of 2001, he was one of few doctors in the House (eight, including dentists) and part of an even smaller group that continued to practice while in office. Journalists have reported that it is not unusual for younger people in his home district to approach him and say that he delivered them.[18]

Paul is against some legislation that coastal or rural members of Congress usually are not. Paul's district in Texas borders the Gulf of Mexico with 675 miles of coastline and also includes suburbs of Houston; it was redistricted prior to the 2004 election. Paul is opposed to federally funded flood insurance because it requires those who do not live near flood zones to subsidize those who choose to live in an area that is prone to flooding and does not allow those in flood zones to choose their own insurer. In an "overwhelmingly rural region," Paul opposes farm subsidies because they go to big corporations rather than small farmers. Despite voting against bills with large support in Congress, such as the farm bill, the congressman's "contrarian nature" and devotion to lowering taxes has appealed to voters in the 14th District.[18]

While Paul votes against most spending bills, he has diverted funds that have been authorized by other bills into his own district.[38] Paul spends time in the district to compensate for "violat[ing] almost every rule of political survival you can think of."[18] He sometimes spends three to four days a week in his district addressing constituents' concerns, often accompanied by one of his 17 grandchildren. He attends graduations, civic ceremonies, and Boy Scout honor ceremonies. In an expansive district, it is not unusual for him to log more than 300 miles per day visiting constituents or handling their concerns. He reaches out to 14th District voters on veterans' issues, such as procuring medals for war veterans who lost or never received their medals; he holds medal ceremonies for those whose medals are being presented. He has helped senior citizens of the district get free or low-cost prescription drugs through a little-known drug company program.[18] His staff sends out birthday cards to constituents, as well as condolence cards on the deaths of family members.[18]

Paul sponsors many bills in Congress, such as those that would abolish the income tax or the Federal Reserve, many of which do not get out of committee. Nevertheless, he has been named one of the "50 Most Effective Members of Congress" by Congressional Quarterly.[39] He has sponsored successful legislation to prevent the Department of Housing and Urban Development from seizing a church in New York state through eminent domain and a bill transferring ownership of the Lake Texana dam project from the federal government to Texas.[18] Paul has also sponsored legislation to end the Bank Secrecy Act.[40] Paul said in 2004 that he had refused to vote for more than 700 bills creating a larger government over his previous two terms in office.[41] In March 2001, Paul introduced the "Constitutional War Powers Resolution of 2001" which would repeal the 1973 War Powers Resolution, and thus prohibit presidents from initiating a war without a formal declaration of war by Congress.[42] In 2001, however, Paul voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which authorized the president, pursuant to War Powers Resolution, to respond to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.[43]

Paul was one of 17 members of a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress who filed a lawsuit against President Bill Clinton in 1999 over his conduct of the war in Kosovo. In the filing, they accused Clinton of not reporting to Congress within 48 hours on the status of the action as required by the 1973 War Powers Resolution and not first obtaining a declaration of war from Congress as required in the Constitution. Congress had voted 427 to 2 against a declaration of war with Yugoslavia and had voted to deny support for the air campaign in Kosovo. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that since Congress had voted for funding after the United States was actively engaged in the war with Kosovo, legislators had sent a confusing message about whether they approved of the war. Paul said that the judge's decision was an attempt to circumvent the Constitution and make it legal for the president to conduct a war without approval from Congress.[44]

Paul introduced legislation in October 2002 for Congress to declare war on Iraq. He said he would not vote for his own bill, but if his fellow members of Congress wished to go to war in Iraq, they should follow the Constitution and declare war. In a hearing on the resolution, Republican Rep. Henry Hyde said, "There are things in the Constitution that have been overtaken by events, by time. Declaration of war is one of them. There are things no longer relevant to a modern society. Why declare war if you don’t have to? We are saying to the President, use your judgment. So, to demand that we declare war is to strengthen something to death. You have got a hammerlock on this situation, and it is not called for. Inappropriate, anachronistic, it isn’t done anymore."[41] As one of six Republicans to vote against the Iraq War Resolution, Paul inspired the founding of a group called the National Peace Lobby Project to promote a resolution he and Oregon representative Peter DeFazio sponsored to repeal the war authorization in February 2003. His column "35 Questions That Won't Be Asked About Iraq"[45] was translated and published in German, French, Russian, Italian, and Swiss publications before the Iraq War began.[38]

Paul has said his fellow members of Congress have increased domestic spending by 33 percent since Bush came into office. After introduction of a 2005 bill that was touted as "slashing" government waste, he wrote that the bill only decreased spending by less than a fraction of one percent and that "Congress couldn't slash spending if the members' lives depended on it."[46]

Affiliations

Congressman Paul serves on the Committee on Financial Services, International Relations Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee. He is vice-chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee and also serves on the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, Technology, and Economic Growth. Under the Committee on International Relations, he serves on the Western Hemisphere and Asia and the Pacific subcommittees.[3]

Paul served as honorary chairman and is a current member of the Republican Liberty Caucus, a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party.[47] He also serves on the Liberty Committee, a group of liberty-minded congresspeople from both sides of the aisle.[48] He is a founding member of the Congressional Rural Caucus, which deals with agricultural and rural issues.[39]

Unlike many political candidates, Paul receives the overwhelming majority of his campaign contributions (96.8% in 2005–2006) from individuals.[49]

Paul remains on good terms with the Libertarian Party. He addressed its national convention in 2004.[50]

Political positions

Paul at the 2007 National Right to Life Convention, held at Crown Center Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, MO; June 15, 2007.

Ron Paul takes stances that he terms constitutionalist and libertarian. He is an advocate of free trade, fewer taxes, smaller government, strong national sovereignty and non-interventionism.[51]

Paul supports reduced government spending and reduced taxes. As congressman, he has never voted to raise taxes or to approve an unbalanced budget and has also called for the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the federal income tax.[52] Paul has been named "The Taxpayer's Best Friend" by the National Taxpayers Union every year he has been in Congress.[53]

Paul also supports the U.S. converting to a free market health care system and increasing competition and thus opposes centralized universal health care.[54] Paul is pro-life, yet most recently got a 65% pro-choice score from NARAL. Paul opposes "federal efforts to redefine marriage as something other than a union between one man and one woman" and has stated that he "would have voted for the Defense of Marriage Act" if he had been in Congress at the time."[55] In addition, Paul has asserted that he does not think there should be any federal control over education and education should be handled at a local and state level. Paul opposes illegal immigration, voted "yes" on the Secure Fence Act of 2006, and opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Paul supports a non-interventionist foreign policy and opposes foreign aid. He is the only 2008 Republican presidential candidate to have voted against the Iraq War Resolution in 2002.[56][57] Paul voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force which resulted in the War in Afghanistan in 2001,[43] but suggested alternatives including giving the president authority to grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal to target specific terrorists.

Paul supports making gold and silver legal tender.

2008 presidential campaign

File:Ronpaul2008.jpg
Ron Paul's campaign slogan, "Hope for America"

On February 19, 2007, Paul formed an exploratory committee to gauge support for a run in the 2008 United States presidential election.[58] Saying that he had been "pleasantly surprised" by the the findings of the committee, Paul formally declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination on March 12, 2007 as a guest on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.[58][59]

As of July 6, Ron Paul had the third most cash on hand of the Republican candidates with $2.4 million, putting him ahead of John McCain.[60] 100% of Paul's funds comes from individuals,[61] with almost half (47%) raised from small contributions ($200 or less).[62]

Paul has participated in all three nationally-televised Republican presidential candidate debates held thus far. His most prominent moment came during the May 15 GOP Presidential debate when the following exchange occurred with fellow Republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani:

PAUL: They attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years. We've been in the Middle East [for years]. I think [Ronald] Reagan was right. We don't understand the irrationality of Middle Eastern politics. Right now, we're building an embassy in Iraq that is bigger than the Vatican. We're building 14 permanent bases. What would we say here if China was doing this in our country or in the Gulf of Mexico? We would be objecting.

GIULIANI: That's really an extraordinary statement. That's an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of September 11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I've heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th. And I would ask the congressman to withdraw that comment and tell us that he didn't really mean that.

PAUL: I believe very sincerely that the CIA is correct when they teach and talk about blowback. When we went into Iran in 1953 and installed the Shah, yes there was blowback. The reaction to that was the taking of our hostages, and that persists. And if we ignore that, we ignore that at our own risk. If we think we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred, then we have a problem. They don't come here to attack us because we're rich and we're free, they come and attack us because we're over there.[63]

Prior to the campaign, in a CNN telephone poll conducted in February 2007, he was the candidate with the least name recognition besides John H. Cox.[64] In a Zogby telephone poll released on May 17, Paul drew three percent of the respondents which the pollster determined were "likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters," fifth place among Republican contenders.[65] Paul also came in second in fundraising in Montana and at the head of the pack of "second-tier" candidates in 14 other states.[66] In polling conducted at the Utah GOP convention on June 9, Paul placed second behind Mitt Romney[67], and according to his blog, placed second only to undeclared candidate Fred Thompson in a Georgetown County, South Carolina, Republican Party straw poll conducted on July 28.[68]

Despite current national polls showing Paul to be favored by only three percent of Republican-leaning voters,[69] Paul is receiving strong support on the Internet. He continues to rank highly in online indicators such as Technorati,[70] YouTube,[71] Facebook,[72] MySpace,[73] Eventful,[74] visits to Paul's campaign website,[75] and online polls conducted by news networks.[76][77][78][79][80]

FEC finance reports for the 2007 July quarterly indicate that Ron Paul has topped all other presidential candidates in campaign contributions from employees of the armed services, at 26.2%. Among Republican contenders Paul has 49.5% or nearly as much as all others combined.[81][82][83][84][85]

Books authored

  • Gold, Peace, and Prosperity: The Birth of a New Economy. Lake Jackson, TX: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 1981.([6])
  • The Case for Gold: a Minority Report of the U.S. Gold Commission. [1982] With Lewis Lehrman. Reprinted by Cato Institute, 1982; Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2007. ISBN 0-932790-31-3. ([7])
  • Abortion and Liberty. 1983
  • Ten Myths About Paper Money. Lake Jackson, TX: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 1983 ISBN 11765863
  • Mises and Austrian Economics: A Personal View. Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 1984

Free Online: http://www.mises.org/books/paulmises.pdf

  • Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200 Years. Lake Jackson, TX: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 1987. ([8] Book distributed with permission from Ron Paul)
  • Challenge to Liberty: Coming to Grips with the Abortion Issue. Lake Jackson, TX: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 1990
  • The Ron Paul Money Book, 1991
  • A Foreign Policy of Freedom. Lake Jackson, TX: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 2007. ISBN 0-912453-00-1
  • A Republic, If You Can Keep It

References

  1. ^ Personal Statement of Faith
  2. ^ "Paul refuses to participate in "immoral" pension system". 1997-01-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b "Congressman Ron Paul". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  4. ^ McCullagh, Declan (2002-07-01). "Perspective: They call him Dr. No for good reason". CNET News.
  5. ^ Reitwiesner, William Addams. "The Ancestors of Ron Paul". Wargs.com. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Paul, Carol (2007-03-16). "The American Dream - Through the Eyes of Mrs. Ron Paul". Daily Paul.
  7. ^ a b c "Profile: Republican Ron Paul". The Seattle Times. 2007-07-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Greeks in Congress". Capital Fraternal Caucus. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
  9. ^ "PAUL, Ronald Ernest". United States Congress. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  10. ^ Brendan Dougherty, Michael (2007-06-18). "Lone Star". The American Conservative. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ ""Screenshot. [[America: From Freedom to Fascism]]". {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  12. ^ a b c d "The Elephant in the Room". Texas Monthly. 2007-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Pyeatt, Matt (May 24, 2007). "The First Family ???". Daily Paul.
  14. ^ a b Burton, Danielle (2007-03-23). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Ron Paul". U.S. News & World Report. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Congressman Ron Paul Announces Presidential Run while taking LIVE calls on C-SPAN!" (Flash video). Capital Hill Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 2007-07-08. (11:26) I was drafted in the '60s. I went into the air force. I stayed in for five years in active duty and reserves.
  16. ^ "Congressman Ron Paul - "Fighting For Our Country"". Retrieved 2007-07-08.
  17. ^ http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=BC031929
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gwynne, S.C. (2001-10-01). "Dr. No". Texas Monthly. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b c "Paul vs. Sneery". Human Events. 1998-06-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ a b c d The Ron Paul Story on YouTube accessed on June 14 2007
  21. ^ a b c About Ron Paul on Ronpaul2008.com accessed on June 9 2007
  22. ^ a b c The Libertarian Congressman Is Back from The Wall Street Journal accessed on June 15 2007
  23. ^ a b c d Beiler, David (1996-06). "Paul vs. Laughlin - Ron Paul's campaign against Representative Greg Laughlin". Campaigns and Elections. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "In Defense of our "Unalienable Rights"". J Taylor's Gold & Technology Stocks. 2000-05-11.
  25. ^ a b Berlau, John (1997-01-10), Insight on the News {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ^ "Members and leaders of the Texas Legislature". Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
  27. ^ a b "Now for a Real Underdog: Ron Paul, Libertarian, for President". The New York Times. 1988-10-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "1988 VOTE: The Final Word". The New York Times. 1988-12-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ a b A principled maverick, The American Spectator, 1999-11 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ Elliott, Lee Ann (1990-11-05). "Federal Election Commission Advisory Opinion Number 1990-23". Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  31. ^ Doherty, Brian (2007-01-22). "Paul for President?:The maverick libertarian Republican talks on war, immigration, and presidential ambition". Reason Magazine. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
  32. ^ Copeland, Libby (2006-07-09). "Congressman Paul's Legislative Strategy? He'd Rather Say Not". The Washington Post. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ "Foes lock horns over Paul's radio ads". Campaign Notebook. Houston Chronicle. 1998-08-14. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  34. ^ "State Races: Texas". Elections 2006. CNN. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
  35. ^ "Shane Sklar won't run against Paul in 2008". Elections 2008. The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved 2007-06-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ "Blowback, Texas-Style". Reason blog. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "Paul gets primary challenger". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ a b Murray, Shailagh (2003-03-10). "A Far-Right Texan Inspires Antiwar Left". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-06-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  39. ^ a b "Ron Paul Is…". Ron Paul for Congress. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
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External links

Official sites
Topic pages and databases
Video
  • FreeME.tv Ron Paul Internet television station providing 24/7 coverage of latest videos about Ron Paul. Updated frequently and in order as new content becomes available.
  • RonPaulTV.com Best of Ron Paul videos. Set to randomly play each time the site is visited.
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd congressional district

April, 1976 – January, 1977
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd congressional district

1979 – 1985
Succeeded by
Preceded by Libertarian Party Presidential candidate
1988 (3rd)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 14th congressional district

1997–present
Incumbent

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