A shocking report: Inside the Ron Paul conspiracy

Maybe you've heard rumors about an explosive newspaper expose on a major political figure that would rock the political world just as the presidential voting is about to begin.

We haven't either.

But we do know that today is when this newspaper blows the top off of the Ron Paul Conspiracy, that vast unorganized protest movement that has silently become one of the more interesting political phenomena of the current election season.

A Times reporter -- we'll call him James Rainey to protect his identity -- has managed to penetrate the Paul presidium.

In his story he recounts for the very first time the shockingly ordinary details of a movement of thousands of disparate, dissatisfied people, some of whom want an end to the Iraq war, an end to gun controls and the IRS, an end to laws banning marijuana and a return to the gold standard, whatever that means.

These Paulites believe the government has been hijacked by a bevy of big interests that threaten the freedoms of ordinary Americans. They're not going to take it anymore. Locally, they're even organizing a re-enactment of a brazenly defiant act, the BostonTea Party, except it'll be in Santa Monica and won't involve tea or white people dressed as Indians. And the protestors promise not to leave anything foreign floating in the water.

These committed partisans, bonded by their suspicion of authority and venal influences like the mainstream media that ignored them until they did something, have united behind a 72-year-old...

Air Force vet and ob-gyn from Texas who has managed to win 10 elections to the House of Representatives as a Republican with two first names and strongly libertarian leanings.

This man believes that U.S. sovereignity is threatened by many things, especially including consistently ignoring the Constitution and by a planned mystery superhighway that would unite with a ribbon of inexorable cement all three North American countries--Mexico, the United States and that other larger one on top that can only afford to have three downs in its football games.

Apparently he's not talking about I-15, which already does that.

"Rainey's" account describes how this man's followers appear to be ordinary citizens with jobs and family by day. But at night they gather openly in chat rooms and living rooms to plot how to promote a tiny unassuming man whom they call reverently Dr. Paul. With little central direction but tons of commitment, idealism and passion, Dr. Paul's followers do everything they can think of to mobilize voter support.

They patrol the internet day and night seeking Paul slights to right. They stand on windy interstate bridges holding inflammatory signs saying: RonPaul2008.com.

Even as you sleep at night some of the 1,200 Paul meet-up groups are handwriting letters to all 700,000 independent Iowa voters urging them to consider their long-shot leader. A couple of weeks ago Paulites raised $4.2 million on the internet in one day, a near-record, and a sum they intend to more than double on Dec. 16, the anniversary of that rebellious tea party. How's that for insignificance?

As one result, the ultra-lean Paul organization has been able to buy advertising in New Hampshire and to pump its poll numbers up near double-digits in some places. Rainey's story describes the commitment of one Ron Paul meet-up group in Southern California and the regular folks who drive it with their political beliefs and energies.

Few professionals -- well, to tell the truth, no one -- actually gives Paul any chance of winning the Republican nomination. But then up until Yorktown back in the 1700s, all the smart Vegas money was on the British.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Paul Head]

WOW, GREAT ARTICLE. I LIKE YOU. AN HONEST JOURNALIST. FAIR AND BALANCED

[Cliff]

OMG!!!!
How can this possibly be true? Aren't we supposed to be completely insane terrorists? I mean i heard it so much from the major news media that i was starting to believe it. So what now, are you saying i can't trust the major news outlets to tell me the truth anymore? My reality is shattered.

[Pete]

I won't repeat everything said above outside of this;

I appreciate your humor. What a good article; I really needed a good laugh after have been called every name in the book for the last year just for supporting a principled candidate.

Thanks!

Pete

Ron Paul 2008

[Vote 4 Dr.No]

Looking forward to the read! :)

[michelle]

i live along the Nafta Superhighway and I see federal agents out here all the time...why would a federal agent be "reviewing a state highway"? You known its really interesting that they would ask that question of Dr Paul only since he isn't even on the board of the CFR like the rest of them are. This country is a shame right now and Dr. Paul is the only one that can help

WWW.CANAMEX.ORG WWW.CANAMEX.ORG WWW.CANAMEX.ORG

IT IS REAL AND IN MY BACKYARD!!!!!

[DrKibble]

Nice story. It looks like the author has 2 first names as well.

[Chad Blessinger]

Wonderful article. Entertaining and informative. Those were not sentences (I am a rebel). Go Dr. Ron Paul.

[Torchbearer]

I actually read all of these post.... insomnia.

[Kevin]

Best Ron Paul speech to date. Go watch and learn. Was the Rally after the GOP debate on 11 28 07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8oJAm-06oQ

In a conversation after the GOP debate Rudy making smalltalk says-"Boy you sure do have alot of supporters outside."
Ron Paul answers-"Rudy, did you know, that's only the begining?"

[/////ANDRE]

Re: NAFTA Highway...

I-35 is FREE to drive on and is owned by "the people".
The Trans-Texas Corridor will be a TOLL road owned
by a Spanish company largely owned by the King of Spain.

How do you feel about paying tribute to the King of Spain
for the privilege of driving in the USA?

[leigh]

You have done a good thing. Who knows, it may even start legions of wayward presstitutes on the road to Damascus.

[C. F. Kane]

Andrew, a PaulPod? Rosebud.

[Daniel]

"return to the gold standard, whatever that means."

Not necessarily the gold standard. But as long as a country can continue to increase the money supply causing all the inflation we should think, fight, and vote for a change for the better.

There's a reason our US Dollar is losing much value. Our government is spending great sums of money we don't have. I applaud Congressman Paul's effort to educate the public that our own government is causing all the inflation because of our irresponsible monetary policies and the resulting creation of more and more money "out of thin air". There is no backing to our dollar, it's only as good as people "trust" its value and a look at a 5 year US Dollar chart strongly indicates that the world is losing trust in our monetary system.

That's not good. Although we do produce some goods here in the US, we cannot ignore the fact that the US has transformed itself to an "Importer" Nation. Think of all the consumer goods you buy. A great amount of those are produced in foreign countries. And the oil is imported as well. While some might say that they don't care if our currency loses value on international markets, we should be very concerned about this. A total collapse in our monetary system could drastically change the quality of life we are living in this country for the worst. Don't take my word for it, rather I suggest to you to take a look at financial history...

Not to forget to mention how inflation is a hidden tax. It reduces the purchasing power of your savings. It also puts additional burdens on the lower income families as food and energy become increasingly more expensive as well. (Did you know that our Government and the Fed actually ignore "Food" and "Energy" from their Inflation calculation?!!) Inflation is therefore a lose-lose situation for the American People. The only ones profiting from it are the wealthy Bankers of the Federal Reserve.

Ron Paul is the only Presidential Candidate that understands that unless we change our monetary, foreign, and fiscal policies we could be in for a big surprise. A negative surprise that is. On top of that he is very educated on foreign policies and has actually read the 911 Commission report. He also has a 30 year voting record that supports his current position.

That's why Ron Paul has earned my vote.

[Vinny]

Great blog posting. And the previous comment about "chip on the shoulder" was spot on. I just hope that people realize the blogger, usually AM, is just trying to be funny and write things with tongue in cheek. You might not think he is funny -- that's your right and opinion. But he probably means no harm and just want to poke fun at the super, duper serious partisans, whoever they might support in the primaries. I mean, what's life if you cannot laugh at yourself, right?

[Dan]

Just Great! ...a positive article about Ron Paul supporters,
now what will we have to bitch about while making signs?
Thanks a lot Andrew.......and thank James Rainey too.
Dan

[Darren D.]

Andrew writes:

"Few professionals -- well, to tell the truth, no one -- actually gives Paul any chance of winning the Republican nomination. "

Hmm, if I was looking for odds from a professional on Ron Pauls chances of winning where would I go??? Hmm.

How about a gambling website? How about the biggest gambling website?

Ron Paul's odds to win the Republican nomination at Bodog.dot.com are 5-2.
The only other candidate with lower odds is Giuliani.

What "professionals" are you talking about?

[Dean]

Sound money, peace, and personal freedom.. I dont like those things. Is it possible to vote for Hillary and Giuliani simultaneously?

It's kinda nice to see more anti-paul stuff. Those who disagree with him are beginning to get defensive.. even offensive. If we didn't matter, they wouldn't waste their energy.

[Hope]

Thank you Andrew Malcolm for an excellent, enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek blog post.

I am also thrilled by this new Los Angeles Times article below:

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-ronpaul1dec01,0,678486.story?coll=la-home-center

This is one of the best, well written articles I’ve ever seen from the MSM. The LA Times, they are a a-changin' (in a good way)!

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

--Bob Dylan

Ron Paul can win!

70% of American citizens want us out of Iraq.

Dr. Paul was one of the very few in Washington to realized the folly of invading Iraq and had the courage to speak out. So maybe we should be listening to him now.

Video a Liberal Re-Thinks Ron Paul:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DueIGWpXjrU

[tom]

The fact of the matter here people, is that unless we are favored by some miraculous event, Dr. Paul will not become the next president.

I love the feel of unbridled enthusiasm as much as the next guy, but the sad reality is that all of this is pre-decided and mostly scripted and we can look forward to even more horrific was mongering and coporate control of this country and the world. I guess I'm still hurting over the last two elections, when I thought, ideally that Gore or Kerry might triumph.

I can't handle that much defeat. So if by some wonderful chance, I am fully wrong, then I'll stand in front of the class and admit my mistake and then pitch in with the Revolution. But if I'm right..god help us.

RON PAUL 2008!

[Less Antman]

I WON'T HAVE IT! A well-researched article that accurately and honestly described Ron Paul's supporters could destroy our momentum. I'm convinced the article by James Rainey is a joint plot of the Council on Foreign Relations and the United Federation of Planets to co-opt our members and install the Romulan officials who were behind 9/11.

Seriously, it isn't just the fairmindedness of the article, but the obvious hard work of evidence-gathering behind it, that deserves the praise of those of us working hard for the important ideas behind Ron Paul's candidacy. This is journalism backed by shoe leather, and told me things I didn't know about the campaign, even though I've been following it closely and offering some modest contributions of my own. My wife and I now plan to join the Santa Monica Tea Party march after honoring the online contribution pledge for that day which we made.

Props to both Rainey and Malcolm.

[Sam]

Good article.. But I am just sick of reading Dr.Paul being described constantly as "Long Shot" or "Fringe" - In whose wisdom is he long shot or fringe.. Give me a break..!! We are dealing with a national election based upon a secret ballot, It will be the people who would have decided who was a "long shot" once the results will be out.. It is criminal for any writer, columninst or TV host to add such adjectives for ANY candidate.. We have lived and cherished a democracy for over 200 years - Lets keep out this opiniated jargon..!!

[Alan]

Thanks, your blog is performing a great service! The American dream has become to game the system. If we stopped looking for the quick and easy schemes (raunchy stories) and started focusing on services and solutions for our comunties, like Ron Paul does, we would see other people who care rising up with us too.

[mookrit]

Paul keeps talking about the link between the money supply and inflation. This was demonstrated by Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman.

Paul wants to legalise competing currencies. This was advocated by Nobel Prize winning economist Friedrich Hayek.

Anyone who doubts the accuracy of Paul's monetary views should read the works of these two great economists.

[B. Chen]

Thank you, LA Times for two objective articles. "There's a Revolution going on in this country. I'm just glad I'm part of it." - Ron Paul

[Hope]

At the risk of being pedantic..

Come writers and critics (Andrew Malcolm)
Who prophesize with your pen (blogs)
And keep your eyes wide (YouTube)
The chance won't come again (2008 freedom election or slide into fascism)
And don't speak too soon (watch this video first http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWfIhFhelm8 )
For the wheel's still in spin (right to left to liberty!)
And there's no tellin' who (learn more)
That it's namin'. (guess who)
For the loser now (guess who)
Will be later to win (Ron Paul)
For the times they are a-changin'. (LATimes, MSM, and America)
--Bob Dylan

[Financial Responsibility]

Thank you so much for this, Mr. Malcolm (and Mr. Rainey, in advance!). Please ignore the enraged posts of people who have not read your article carefully. The subtle humor is great. The title for example: a huge fakeout!

I'm glad there are some journalists out there taking note of this interesting political phenomenon. I will be on the lookout for more of your work.

[JDP]

Great article! I love the tone of it and the truth. We are so scary lol :)

[James R]

This idea of a NAFTA superhighway is very mysterious indeed and is something only conspiracy nuts believe! Come on! A new highway connecting Mexico, the US, and Canada? Even Snopes.com rules it out (see their article!)!

There are only three fringe groups I know of that believe in this idea:

1. Ron Paul.

2. The conspiracy group known as the "Texas Department of Transportation", when they stated
"Interstate 69 is a planned 1,600-mile national highway connecting Mexico, the United States and Canada. Eight states are involved in the project. In Texas, I-69 will be developed under the Trans-Texas Corridor master plan."
http://ttc.keeptexasmoving.org/projects/i69/

3. The Texas government fringe group NBII while doing an environmental impact study on the NAFTA highway when they stated:
"The southern most portion of the proposed NAFTA Highway (I-69) will cross approximately 1,000 miles of Texas from the Mexican border to the northeastern part of the state."
http://cswgcin.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=633&&PageID=1965&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true

Andrew, sorry to pick on you so much over that point because the rest of the article was very good and very fair! But really, this NAFTA highway thing is something that is no secret and you can follow the government links provided to see that it is very much a fact. The links provided mention "new corridors" being possible.

[TheOneLaw]

And a tinfoil hat salute, sir!

Just ignore the noob comments which reflect poorly on their sources,
your article is indeed a treasure worth printing out and framing.

Welcome to the rEVOLution

[Francesco (Ivory Coast)]

DEEP respect for the courage of the LA Times,

I am speechless and moved... I hope this puts some healthy peer pressures on colleagues in MSM to wake the *beep* up

Thank you thank you thank you

The world is picking up on Ron Paul... ladies and gentlemen, I am one of 6.4 billion people outside your country watching (and participating in any way I can), with joy and amazement...

let us make it happen...

italians4ronpaul.blogspot.com

Francesco

[1951Patriot]

Kudos to Andrew Malcolm for finally blowing the cover off this bazaar group of nutcakes. I guess only the insiders in this Ron Paul "revolution" knew all along this was really about Liberty and preserving the future of America as the U.S. Constitution envisioned it. Now everybody can see what wacko element of society is really behind all this politically radical "fringe" ideology that seems to be growing by the second. Perhaps these Paulites are even a genuine threat to the status quo of America's well entrenched one party political process.
Liberty? Prosperity? Peace? Who needs that weak crap when we can have endless expensive acts of war without actually declaring war and an economic system designed from the ground up by a group of special banking geniuses for the purpose of economic enslavement of the masses and a government that usurps American citizen's rights so that corrupt politicians can operate in secrecy for the benefit of the special interest groups with the big political contributions.
Everybody knows Alexander Hamilton was right when he said the common citizen is too ignorant and dull to make important political decisions that rightfully should be made by a ruling class of elite.

[sean]

Merry Christmas from the LA Times!

This east coast Lobsterman suddenly has a craving for fish tacos. Beautiful article. I keep inviting friends and family to join the revolution. A candidate that everyone can get behind, and for the right reasons. The American people have found each other, and at least for today the LA Times has given us a voice.

[Althusius]

Gov Rick Perry vetoed the Texas Legislature's bill to put a (2) yr moratorium on the NAFTA Superhighway. Yeah, the one that you say does not exist.

[Beeradgeezzee]

Can we all say spin master L.A. Times. Half way through I had to make sure I wasn't reading The Spoof maybe thats there source. Classic

[Ben]

"the BostonTea Party, except it'll be in Santa Monica and won't involve tea or white people dressed as Indians. And the protesters promise not to leave anything foreign floating in the water."

That was a racist comment, which managed at the same time to put down a pivotal event in American history. I didn't bother reading any more. For shame.

[Jefferson]

Unfortunately it took segregationist Governor Wallace to reveal the truth that "there's not a dime's worth of difference between" Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats willingly went along with the War in Iraq, suspension of Habeas Corpus, detaining protesters, banning books like "America Deceived' from Amazon, stealing private lands (Kelo decision), warrant-less wiretapping and refusing to investigate 9/11 properly. They are both guilty of treason.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save this great nation.
Last link (before Google Books bends to gov't Will and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

[Darryl Schmitz]

Wow, Andrew... That's one helluva "teaser". It floated right to the top of the Google news search! :) Well-done!
James' article was also very well-written.

[John]

Very encouraging to see that Ron Paul's message is spanning the country. I am a "regular" citizen living in Maine, wife, kid, dog, yard that needs raking, and his campaign has resonated with me from the first time I learned of the man and his viewpoints. I can only hope that this groundswell of support can translate into votes. I was someone who "wasted" their vote on Perot in the past, this time I'm not just voting for the better alternative, but a candidate who I truly believe can return dignity and honor to the Presidency. Spread the word!

[Brian]

Thank you Andrew for putting up a great article for Dr. Paul. The slant and bias of the TV media is awful and you put forth a very balanced and enlightening article. Thanks!

[busdrivermike]

If Rudy or Hillary are my choices, I might as well hold my nose and vote for Ron Paul as an independant. I will not have to clench as tight for him as I would either of the other two.

[Alexia]

Viva le R3VOLUTION!

[David]

Ron Paul wants to rewrite the Constitution as a Libertarian document, strip the courts of legal power, bankrupt the country and shelter us from the world. Those are just a few of his favorite things. The guy is a complete nutbag; I'd have to move out of my beloved country if he won, to protect myself.

[Diana J.]

Thank you Andrew for your insightful column. Now, go back to school and research "the gold standard". Read about inflation. Study the stock market and don't forget to check out the many foreclosures throughout middle class America.
I love these feeble attempts from "journalists" trying to make Dr. Paul seem like a paranoid nerd, they always backfire and actually highlight just how intelligent Dr. Paul is. Although you did a good job of highlighting Dr. Paul's intelligence, Rudy Guilliani and Sean Hannity have you beat. Keep up the good work. By the way, I'm a business owner and mother who doesn't have the time to stand on "windy interstate bridges" but, I do donate. I've met many people from all walks of life who after hearing what Dr. Paul has to say, realize that they do not have to choose from what "Fox fair and balanced" and CNN decides. Have you ever seen such loyalty to a candidate before?

[Kyle D]

I don't understand this article. It seems like a poor rhetorical attempt to discredit Mr. Paul by appealing to its readers' immediate reactions on what might be called "common-sense government and politics." The only attempt at a logical argument that I found was the point about the I-15 highway.

I'm starting to believe that most Paulites are mocked as idealists when actually they are being disparaged for applying logic to the realm of politics, a realm that is traditionally ruled not by reason but by emotion. Cheers to you and your supporters, Mr. Paul. I may not agree with all of your views, but I laud the fact that you and other like-minded individuals attempt to bring some amount of credibility to the political battlefront.

[bruno amato]

Andrew...Great article! I'm a 46 year old SAG actor, and US Navy veteran. I haven't voted since 1980, when I voted for Ronald Reagan, and never donated to a campaign, but I have contributed and will continue,and I will definitely be voting for Ron Paul....He is the most sincere honest politician I have ever seen. He "gets it"! These other Republicans still push this ridiculous Iraq war. they didn't learn their lesson from the last election. All these other politicians will say ANYTHING and do ANYTHING for votes, even if it means making our country less safe. I really believe Ron Paul can win it all. Stay tuned and keep watching. Hopefully we can even get you to participate in our own little tea party on December 16th....I have a strong feeling Dr. Paul raises 10 million on that day!!!!

[J]

Hi...ummm, yeah, good article but could we do this again without the sensationalism of - "explosive newspaper expose on a major political figure that would rock the political world just as the presidential voting is about to begin."

I mean his "conspiracy" followers are "the regular folks who drive it with their political beliefs and energies." And that is driving a candidate into possible contention. I mean, I guess that could be a conspiracy...but wouldn't Gulliani's hiring of an the NYPD to escort his mistress and her family/friends around town be just a tad more?

Perspective, please?

[S. McCandless]

The NASCO 'superhighway' project is a typical lobbying group attempting to use tax money, eminent domain, and bureacratic authority to promote certain business interests at the expense of the taxed and those who lose their land. Their website dresses it all up as "public-private" partnership (gee, I never realized I was an equal partner in a relationship in which my wealth is taken from me involuntarily). It is amazing that people who point out this 'conspiracy' are labelled as crazy and paranoid when all one need do is read what NASCO people say. Consider similar 'public-private' partnerships going on in every state. As Paul said in the debate, this is a conspiracy of ideas not of some single group plotting somewhere. It is just a symptom of the way the political system operates at this time. All of the separate groups going after their own quasi-fascist projects don't need to hide what they are doing because most people either seem unaware of it or accept it as a positive thing. Individual sovereignty is lost whenever one of these projects is enacted because they involve involuntary transfers of property and property rights. National sovereignty is lost whenever a bureacracy of any sort is set up which operates like the WTO. If the NASCO and WTO people want prosperity it is very simple: real free trade. This requires no supranational agency. Such agencies are set up for the benefit of private interests.

[Doug Ward]

Thank you for the wonderful Ron Paul article. I especially like the Gandhi quote at the end. I hope everyone will donate to the Dec 16th Tea Party 07. Then the campaign will have everyones attention.

[Texan]

To those living in Texas, the "mystery superhighway" mentioned in the article is no mystery. It's already being built at the state level, not the federal. and most of it is rammed through state legislative bodies all up and down the midwest as turnpikes and toll roads. Any competent reporter or idiot with access to GoogleNews would know this and have no problem reporting it. It doesn't even require a lexisnexis search. What really makes me sick is how many commenters are congratulating the author over what a fine piece of journalism this is.

[aman]

What a ridiculous article. The writer should read something about the Bretton Woods system which existed until 1973 and then was replaced by Bretton Woods II and a move away from the gold standard. A writer on the LA times knows nothing about the Gold standard and he is still writing for the media? Anyone who had any doubts about the state of journalism here is the proof.

Read something and educate yourself in history and economics before you write again Andrew.