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Ron Paul on the Defensive, Meet the Press Appearance
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By Jeff Freeland
Dec 23, 2007 |
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It didn't take long for Tim Russert to place Ron Paul on the defensive when he appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday. Russert peppered Paul with old quotes and facts from Paul's earlier positions and Paul seemed caught off guard and unprepared. The stage was set pretty well when Russert asked Paul if he knew how much money would be lost if the IRS were abolished.
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| Ron Paul on the Defensive, Meet the Press Appearance |
'A lot,' Paul answered. "A trillion dollars," Russert pointed out. The amount didn't matter, the fact that Paul didn't know the answer set this up to be a very long Sunday morning for the good doctor from the state of Texas. Paul sounded off the wall at times, criticizing Ronald Reagan, and even saying that the Civil War was a mistake. For his first visit into mainstream America's living rooms it was an awful performance.
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Paul's positions resonate with a lot of people and some of his positions would get some people charged up that have never contributed to the political arena. But if you have never listened to Ron Paul, and you just tuned in to that interview, you couldn't have come across with a poorer opinion than what he gave on the program.
Dr. No was in full force. He wouldn't aid South Korea if the were invaded by North Korea. He sounded as if he gave Americans and terrorists "moral equivalency" by pointing out the "blowback theory." This was as bad as it could have been for Ron Paul.
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Supporters of the US Congressman from Texas may believe he had a good appearance and most of the time any mainstream airtime for a dark horse candidate like Paul would be welcomed, but this was a disaster. Those that have Meet the Press on in the background on the television as they are getting the family ready for Church would have been appalled at the way his positions were described by Russert.
And Ron didn't help matters at all. He was on the defensive from the start of the interview and never rebounded. As I feared, Paul was unprepared and looked foolish as Russert peppered him with old quotes and positions. The interview was fair and this is just what I expected from the NBC giant. It was actually rather sad to see him manhandled this way but you can easily score this one Russert 1 Paul 0.
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