Sure, it’s self-evident that the Bilderbergers wield the true power behind the scenes, controlling the banking system, the media and that damn traffic light that turned red just as your Dodge Dart got to the intersection. And it’s obvious that the American government pulled off 9/11, except when it supports Ron Paul’s isolationist argument to have it caused by Islamists mad about us supporting Israel and not letting them finish the Holocaust. And it’s clear that those so-called “contrails” from the so-called “engines” of the so-called “airplanes” that criss-cross our skies are actually chemtrails that a secret government agency is spraying on the unsuspecting sheeple of America.
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While Ron Paul and his rabid minions are no strangers to bizarre and bogus claims, one of the most frequently floated is also one of the most deeply deceptive. You hear it over and over – that Ron Paul is the choice of America’s military because they contribute more money to him than to any other candidate.
Like some of Paul’s ravings, it contains a seed of truth that the Paulbots cultivate into a mighty oak of baloney.
Here’s the origin. In the second quarter (April through June) Federal Election Commission reports by all the candidates, Ron Paul reported $34,480 from people identifying themselves as employed by the military. The total for other – or, rather, actual – Republicans was $13,848. By way of comparison, the President collected $19,849. This comes from the “Politifact” column of the Austin-American Statesman, and it seems to show that, in total dollars, Ron Paul did get more money from people identifying themselves as being employed by the military than anyone else. That’s the seed of truth – merely a seed.
In fact, the alleged point of this statistic, one that Ron Paul and the rest of the riders in his political clown car are so pleased to spew between references to the gold standard and the threat of alien anal probings, is utterly bogus. There are about 2,278,895 members of the military (including 1,430,895 active duty) plus about 700,000 civilian employees of the military, for a total of about 2,978,985.
This comes out to Ron Paul receiving a staggering 1.15 cents per person. There’s his tsunami of support.
Yeah, the level of Ron Paul fervor out there was such that military members each gave up 1/300th of a grande Starbucks latte over a quarter of a year. Can you feel the excitement?
Oh, and this was during the second quarter – the same report has military employees giving $250 to Tim Pawlenty, who is currently back home in Minnesota banging his head against the wall. Rick Perry had not even entered the race, and Sarah Palin and Chris Christie had not even taken themselves out. During those months, about the only people paying any attention to the GOP primary were, well, Ron Paul fans. The rest of us had lives.
According to Paul’s own site, in the third quarter he collected about $75,000, topping the other candidates again. Congratulations. That’s about 2.5 cents each.
Now, to be fair, his site does specify only “active military,” though it is unclear whether the FEC disclosures donors must make would exclude reservists and civilian employees. Let’s assume it does. He’s now up to a whopping 5.2 cents each, about 1/70th of that grande latte. Frankly, with his organization efforts over the years, and his targeting of military age voters, it’s surprising he did this poorly.
There are, no doubt, military personnel who choose to support Ron Paul, and they’ve earned the right to support anyone they like. Paul understands the American people’s respect for its military members, and he understands that claiming their support also gives him much needed credibility – particularly when his foreign policy consists solely of slashing our defenses, abandoning allies and blaming ourselves for our enemies’ actions. That’s why he and his followers treasure this meme.
But to somehow try to sell this statistic as significant is ridiculous. It means nothing. Zero. Nada.
Now, dedicated Paulbots are immune to facts and evidence; they are committed to the freaky cult of personality that has improbably grown up around this eccentric future footnote. You have the lonely outcasts who enjoy possessing the secret knowledge Paul supplies them with about “The Fed” and “fiat money;” it makes them feel special. You also have the outright racist creeps who respond to Paul’s anti-Israel and anti-“neo-con” agenda and hope to ride the Paul wave to some sort of legitimacy. It’s not worth the time to try to argue with these tools; they should simply be mocked and treated with the disrespect and contempt their idiotic views deserve.
But normal people, who don’t follow politics, may be attracted to various parts of his agenda – instinctive conservatives for his small government views, real libertarians for his social poistions, bong-hitting stoners for his pro-weed agenda. These folks will flirt with him, but they can be converted when we show what kind of insanity this guy really stands for?
His views are nutty, and his much-vaunted integrity falls apart under examination just like his “the military supports me” meme. This is a guy who proudly claims he’s never voted for an earmark; sure, he demands earmarks and ensures they are inserted in legislation, but then he bravely votes against them. So, his constituents get their pork and Ron Paul gets to pretend he’s a fighter against government spending as he’s reelected.
He was dead set against supporting the War on Terror after 9/11 – which he blames on the United States – but voted for it anyway after he decided it would cost him his Texas Congressional seat. The only thing Ron Paul believes in is getting reelected and wringing cash out of his mouth-breathing minions.
But then, perhaps examining Ron Paul’s claims is just another part of the massive Bilderberger conspiracy. After all, who are you going to believe, Ron Paul or a bunch of fancy arithmetic?
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