Ron Paul supporters, hang on to your hates – I mean, your hats. We’ve already reported on how the Ron Paul newsletter has contained racist slurs, how white supremacists are campaigning for Ron Paul, and how Ron Paul refuses to turn down campaign donations that he knows is coming from white supremacist leaders.
What none of us knew is that there is good reason to believe that Ron Paul regularly meets with leaders of white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations. Says who? So says Bill White, leader of the American National Socialist Workers Party. Hint to those not familiar with the organizations of America’s extreme right wing: “National Socialist” is shortened to Nazi. Bill White is a self-avowed, proud Nazi.
Here’s what he wrote about the denials from the Ron Paul campaign that Ron Paul is affiliated with white supremacist groups:
“Ron Paul Lies About Lack Of Involvement With White Nationalists
Comrades:
I have kept quiet about the Ron Paul campaign for a while, because I didn’t see any need to say anything that would cause any trouble. However, reading the latest release from his campaign spokesman, I am compelled to tell the truth about Ron Paul’s extensive involvement in white nationalism.
Both Congressman Paul and his aides regularly meet with members of the Stormfront set, American Renaissance, the Institute for Historic Review, and others at the Tara Thai restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, usually on Wednesdays. This is part of a dinner that was originally organized by Pat Buchanan, Sam Francis and Joe Sobran, and has since been mostly taken over by the Council of Conservative Citizens.
I have attended these dinners, seen Paul and his aides there, and been invited to his offices in Washington to discuss policy.
For his spokesman to call white racialism a “small ideology†and claim white activists are “wasting their money†trying to influence Paul is ridiculous. Paul is a white nationalist of the Stormfront type who has always kept his racial views and his views about world Judaism quiet because of his political position.
I don’t know that it is necessarily good for Paul to “expose†this. However, he really is someone with extensive ties to white nationalism and for him to deny that in the belief he will be more respectable by denying it is outrageous — and I hate seeing people in the press who denounce racialism merely because they think it is not fashionable.
Bill White, Commander
American National Socialist Workers Party“
To sum up: Bill White says that he and other Neo-Nazi and white supremacist leaders have been meeting with Ron Paul on a regular basis, at public gatherings in restaurants and in private at Ron Paul’s own offices.
Bill White’s message was posted on the VNN (Vanguard News Network) forum, a place where white supremacists meet online. In response to White’s revelation, a user with the handle “RonPaulSupporter” writes, “I know alot of white supremacist involved in the Ron Paul campaign. I wish he would not shun away from his true supporters. I will stick with him till the ened but he shouldn’t act like a typical politiician.” Another white supremacist writes, “If this is all true, I’m happy to hear this about the guy. I’ll be voting for Ron Paul in January here in Florida in the primary.”
Others white supremacists on the VNN forum are more upset with Bill White for exposing Ron Paul’s connections. Another user, “McKinley”, who uses the tag phrase “nothing says lovin’ like a jew in the oven” for a signature, writes of Bill White, “Some one ban this piece of shit for the no outing rule.” Note that “McKinley” doesn’t deny the connection, but merely is angry that someone has let it out in the open – “outing” Ron Paul.
Even those who are angry with Bill White for saying out in the open what so many white supremacists have been whispering about Ron Paul agree, even in their anger, that Ron Paul is presidential candidate who is doing the most for the American Neo-Nazi movement. VNN user “Darren” writes, for example,
“Ron Paul is the only candidate that comes close to matching our views in the mainstream political debate. I know you don’t like people who only go half-way in their political views, however, half-way is better than nothing at all.
Ron Paul may say things to please the media regarding racism, but he is hardly a hardcore left-wing commie who wants to merge the races into a gray goo. Please get a sense of proportion here.
If Ron Paul is hurt by this information, you have done those of us trying to effect meaningful political change a big disservice.
I like the ANSWP [American National Socialist Workers Party] and the leadership you have given it, but we have to be realistic when it comes to making big political changes. Ron Paul is our first step. Please don’t ruin it!”
There is no denial of the allegations on the Ron Paul campaign web site.
It is possible, of course, that Bill White is lying. I can’t say that I know for sure. I don’t live in Washington D.C., and I’ve never been to the Tara Thai restaurant.
I haven’t been to the Tara Thai restaurant, but Ron Paul has, and not just as a private citizen. Campaign finance records filed with the FEC show that the Ron Paul for President campaign spent $314.59 at the Tara Thai restaurant in the third quarter of 2007 alone. That’s the restaurant where Bill White claims to have met with Ron Paul and Ron Paul’s aides.
A consistent pattern of contact between Ron Paul and white supremacists has come to light in a way that has not occurred for any other presidential candidates. Bill White claims that the contact is purposeful, though secretive, with the intention of deceiving the American people. Maybe he’s telling the truth. Maybe he isn’t. Maybe the contact has been accidental on Ron Paul’s part.
If that’s the case, then Ron Paul needs to do more than just say so. He needs to prove it. He needs to provide evidence, including witnesses from outside his campaign, that can refute the specifics of Bill White’s allegations, as well as the general accusation that Ron Paul is coordinating with white supremacists. Ron Paul needs to cut all ties with white supremacists, blocking their fundraising efforts on his behalf. He needs to return their money. Furthermore, Ron Paul needs to come out with an agenda that counters the neo-Nazi movement, proving that he is not their friend. Ron Paul needs to show that the many white supremacists who believe that Ron Paul is working on their behalf in Washington D.C. are wrong.
If this were a simple matter of a criminal trial, Ron Paul would need to do none of these things to establish his innocence. After all, in a court of law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. However, the Ron Paul for President campaign is not in a court of law, but rather, in a court of public trust. Ron Paul is asking the American people to trust him with the most powerful political position in the most powerful nation on Earth. It is his responsibility to prove that he can be trusted, and to defend himself from allegations such as those made about his connection to racist organizations. It is not the responsibility of us voters to trust him.
(Sources: VNN Forum; Federal Election Commission, third quarterly disbursement statement, Ron Paul for President Campaign; LittleGreenFootballs, December 19, 2007)
PLEASE, do some research into Bill White and you will see that you have been taken in by a HOAX! The man has also claimed that the COLUMBINE shooters were part of his White Power “Cell†and he regularly enjoys showing up a moderate conservative’s speeches in nazi rags to embarrase them for “not being racist enoughâ€. And why would white racists being meeting at Thai place all the time? Jeebus, what passes as “journalism†these days is absurd.
Also, Bill White’s(the self identified socialist, anarchist) last political contribution was to local democrat…
but don’t let lack of research stop you from “reporting” smear and gossip.
He’s a self identified “National Socialist,” not socialist.
Yes, Francine, Bill White is a loon. That’s part and parcel of being a White Supremacist Nazi.
And is Bill White in cahoots with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which describes the meeting independently?
“The Robert A. Taft Club, a group headed by a man with a network of racist connections, has announced that a U.S. congressman, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), will address the group this Thursday at a restaurant in Arlington, Va.
The Taft Club is led by Marcus Epstein (right), who serves as the executive director of both white nationalist Pat Buchanan’s The American Cause and the Team America PAC, which is run by Buchanan’s sister, Bay Buchanan. Epstein writes for the anti-immigrant hate site vdare.com and he advocates for white supremacist organizations. He is especially fond of American Renaissance — a white supremacist journal that has suggested that blacks have “psychopathic personalities†— and attends the journal’s biannual conferences. In 2006, Epstein invited the head of American Renaissance’s parent organization, Jared Taylor, to speak to the Taft Club on the issue of ‘Race and Conservatism.’”
I don’t know if what Bill White is saying is true or not. I’d like to know more. If you’re considering voting for Ron Paul, wouldn’t you like to know more, too?
Francine,
This matter is not just about what Bill White says. It’s about a long succession of stories about Ron Paul’s connections with racist extremism. There’s an awful lot that Ron Paul has to answer for, not just Bill White…
…and what do you make of those other white supremacists at VNN, and their love for Ron Paul?
Second Quarter 2007 FEC Disbursement Report:
Tara Thai, $143.70
First Quarter 2007 FEC Disbursement Report:
Tara Thai, $39.14
Looks pretty regular, and increasingly regular, to me.
Another report of these dinner meetings, although misspelling the restaurant name:
However, that’s circumstantial, not proof. There are some further tests we can do to figure out whether this Tara Thai business is actually tied in. Hang on…
The Robert Taft Club?
The same one that has also had : prof.Paul Edward Gottfried, Jesse Walker( managing editor of Reason mag), Kevin L. Martin(conservative african-american political commentator),Robert Stacy McCain( assistant national editor to the Washington Times), and Michael Tanner(director of Cato’s health and welfare studies) give adresses?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A_Taft_Club
But i guess if they spoke at the Robert A. Taft club then they are nazis too right?
Incedentally was Robert Taft a nazi?
The org is certainly right-wing, conservative, traditionalist, but i wouldn’t describe it as a hate group.
“…and what do you make of those other white supremacists at VNN, and their love for Ron Paul?”
He’s against all foreign aid, against open borders, against interventionist wars, and against police-state measures such as the patriot act. those are enough reasons for far right groups to support him despite him not sharing their views on race and race relations.
Wouldn’t you describe StormFront, VNN, and the American National Socialist Workers Party as hate groups, Francine?
I didn’t mention this in the article itself, but a lot of thanks have to go to the Lone Star Times for starting the independent investigations of Ron Paul’s many connections to right wing racist groups.
But the newsletter, Francine. The one written in his name, spewing racist hate in the 1990s. Can you really say Ron Paul doesn’t share their views on race and race relations when he put that out – and is taking their checks, and their other fundraising help?
Dennis Kucinich is against many of those things. Why aren’t the racist NeoNazis flocking to Dennis Kucinich like they are to Ron Paul?
You would believe a nationalist socialist just to believe – nay, hope – you have bad news about Ron Paul? Sad. I’m outta here!
See here for an empirical test of the white supremacist claims, to which I am adding itemized expenditure images as they appear during my reading of the thousands of FEC report page images.
Why i don’t take this stuff at face value? When you have right-wingers presenting “evidence” that Paul’s campaign is a democrat coup lead by Soros, left-wingers pleading with anti-war students not to support paul because he is secretly a theocratic racist, libertarians stating not to support Paul because, well, he just isn’t libertarian enough, and White Racists saying they support Paul despite his lack of “racial pride” or upset at Paul for not having enough racism in him, then well…
you start to actually investigate the MAN and his positions.
Bloggers are not journalists any more than the guy who writes the Bigfoot stories for national inquirer. They are partisan talking-head wannabes and will say what they need to say and present half truths, lies, and unfounded gossip as fact in an attempt to futrhter shore up their base and their position(or illusion of position) with the partisan ranks.
“Wouldn’t you describe StormFront, VNN, and the American National Socialist Workers Party as hate groups, Francine?”
Sure but what connection short of six degrees does Ron Paul have with them?
I stated the Robert Taft Club isn’t a hate group.
And kucinich does not share the views on borders, the u.n/nato, and foreign aid. plus he met a ufo and that’s a turn off.
The ACLU are racists! Really! The proof is here:
http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/protest/11081prs20010815.html
Gee, Francine, I guess that’s why I’m posting FEC images over here.
Also see my subsequent note about Tara Thai being around the corner from a Ron Paul campaign office here. Occam’s Razor tells me that late night takeout is a preferable theory for these expenditures.
We noted others’ questions, and now we’re also doing our best to answer it.
Ron Paul vs. The Philosophically Bankrupt
After reading the name-calling and other non sequiturs from the anti-Ron Paul crowd, I am of the view that their hostility arises less from his opposition to war, or the direction American foreign policy has taken for decades, or any of the other specific programs he has criticized. What troubles them the most is that Paul has a philosophically-principled integrity in what he advocates and that, to challenge him, one must be prepared to deal with him at that higher level.
But modern political discourse long ago gave up on principles, in favor of the pursuit of power as a sufficient end. There is an intellectual bankruptcy exhibited by writers and speakers on the political “left,” “right,” or “middle.” Competing ideas and values that once engaged the minds of thoughtful men and women have given way to little more than pronouncements on behalf of narrowly-defined political programs; the validity of a proposition no longer depends upon reasoned analysis, but upon the outcome of public opinion polls.
Ron Paul’s campaign interjects an energized, principled inquiry into the political realm, an undertaking for which men and women with no philosophic center or rigorous minds find themselves woefully ill-prepared.
Neocon Neil Tries To Smear Ron Paul – But Cavuto, apostle of war and monetary destruction, doesn’t get away with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcLSLGXypMY
Looks like you’re running the plays directly from the “The Official Media Guide to Attacking Ron Paul”
http://www.libertymaven.com/2007/12/19/the-official-media-guide-to-attacking-ron-paul/
We’ve spent months and months investigating Ron Paul and his positions – the substance of his campaign, and found it severely lacking. Take away the possibility that Ron Paul is working with right wing racist extremists, and he’s still an awful candidate.
If you think that we’re part of an “Official Media” conspiracy, then you really haven’t bothered to take a look at Irregular Times.
I ran those dinners — Ron Paul was never there … nor did we run some sort of neo-nazi meeting: we had academics and activists of national repute. In the audience were people who work in gov’t, businessmen, and grass roots types too. If Bill White ever came to the meetings, he didn’t use his real name — he doesn’t even get the name of the restaurant correctly. White is so obviously playing the media — anyone on the right does not pay one moment’s notice to him, but the media is always on the lookout for kooks like him.
The Robert Taft Club is run by Marcus Epstein is who half-Jewish and half-Korean.
Yes, C. Bowen. If your point is that the Robert Taft Club is not the Ku Klux Klan, well of course it isn’t. The version of racism sponsored by the Robert Taft Club is one of biological reductionism in which Asians sit on top, Caucasians sit just below and other races sit much further down. Then add some nativism and fear of Muslim invasions, and you’re set. I’ve read Phillipe Rushton and Charles Murray, C.
Here we go, breathless on the blogosphere…Proof that Ron Paul is a Racist!
Some guy posted this:
http://www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=63682
Ummm…did anybody actually look at the forum where “Commander” White posted?
Even the *other racists* are calling him a liar.
On this site there is a listed disbursement for the Tara Thai restaurant.
http://query.nictusa.com/pres/2007/Q3/C00432914/B_PAYEE_C00432914.html
Google shows:
Tara Thai
4001 Fairfax Dr
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 908-4999
But the racists apparently meet at the *Sala* Thai restaurant.
Google shows:
Sala Thai
2900 10th St N
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 465-2900
Here’s a post where Bill White is corrected by Sid Secular the new national socialist movement leader for D.C. on the restaurant name where the racists meet…can’t have racists going to the wrong place now can we?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsmamerica/message/6809
Note, however, that this is not the place specified in the FEC filing.
So it is entirely possible that this guy is lying, or plain wrong. Anyway, this evidence is circumstantial.
And, Ron Paul disavowed any racist support on the PBS NOW interview. (part 2, 3:45 in). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VafCpMTW2pE
Regarding the other posts supporting him: nobody has any control over that. Darth Vader may support him for all we know.
And finally, regarding the newletter, this has been debunked elsewhere:
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=41822
Note however, that while he didn’t write or know about the newsletter, Ron Paul did in fact take *moral responsibility* for those words, saying in essence “The buck stops here”…which is a hell of a lot more than the current administration has given us.
For good measure, here’s the Paul campaign’s statement on racism:
http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/document.php?id=982
Hope that clears things up for you folks. Honestly, this research took like 30 minutes on Google.
-DaveP
Is the spam filter misbehaving and eating comments now?
This would be hilarious if it wasn’t so unfair to a decent and honest man. Why anyone would believe this wanna-be Hitler on such an absurd charge is beyond me. Ron Paul stands for liberty and peace for all people, of all races, colors and creeds. Anyone who has bothered to check the guy out knows this.
You know, Obama met with Black Supremacists. Interesting how that does not affect him. Ron has met with hundreds of thousands of people. He probably does not know the politics or motives of most. If someone gave me a contribution, since I’m not going to favor him with any government largess, I’d take it, spend it, get elected, and do what I told everyone I would do.
These vicious ad hominem, these slanders and libels are base and worthless.