Paul: Romney deserves flip-flopper label
In an interview today on CNN’s John King, USA, GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul spoke with CNN anchor and chief national correspondent John King about a recent ad by his supporters against Jon Huntsman, Paul’s supporters and much more.
Please credit all usage of the interview to CNN’s John King, USA
Highlight from Full Interview
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED
JOHN KING, HOST, “JOHN KING USA”: It’s great to see new voters, young people brought into the process of any political persuasion. And that’s a great asset for your campaign. On the other end of the spectrum, you do get endorsements from some people and some organizations whose views are pretty outlandish and sometimes pretty outrageous. So I just want to list a few. American Free Press endorses you. They market books like “The Invention of the Jewish People” and “The March of the Titans: A History of the White Race.” Don Black is the director of a white nationalist Web site, Storm Front, the Militia of Montana says people should defend themselves against a new world order.
Are you comfortable when you get support from people and groups like that?
REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: No. But I’m not comfortable for you making a big point out of it. It doesn’t seem logical. You know, one day I got 46,000 new donors in one day and — on a — on a money bond. You know, I didn’t know what these people think and do. All I know is if they come to me and they give me support, they have to endorse what I do. And I’m very clear on what I do. And I do not investigate them. There’s no way I can do it. It happens to all the campaigns.
You want to go back and check everybody that ever donated to Obama?
Maybe there was a communist that donated to him. Maybe a socialist. You know, maybe a big government. Maybe the military-industrial complex donated to him so he would keep building weapons and run these wars.
So I mean it — it’s a — it’s something that happens, but, yes, I — I denounce them automatically. I shouldn’t even have to, because it calls too much attention to it, because I emphasize the positive, the things that I believe in and the constitution and individual liberty and a sensible foreign policy.
So that, to me, is so incidental that I — I think it deserves a lot less attention.
KING: But sometimes if a supporter says they’re for you and they claim to be speaking in your name, it can cause trouble. This isn’t about something like that, but there’s a New Hampshire supporter for you right now. He says New Hampshire Liberty for Paul. I want you to listen to a little bit. He put up a video on the Internet that takes aim at Jon Huntsman.
Let’s listen to a little bit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)
(ON SCREEN)
Jon Huntsman — American values?
The Manchurian Candidate.
What’s he hiding?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, dad.
(CROSSTALK)
American values?
Or Chinese?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: You hear the Mandarin there. The ad says Jon Huntsman, Manchurian Candidate. He was the ambassador to China. What do you…
PAUL: That may — you see…
KING: — what do you say to a supporter like that?
PAUL: — that raises more questions. You already admitted that it wasn’t me, so why put it out there and say, oh, why do you have to defend this guy?
Of course I disavow him. And he shouldn’t do it, because you have one out of, you know, how many hundred, a couple hundred thousand, 500,000 people?
I don’t know how many we have, because one does that, to — to bring that up just doesn’t seem like, you know, a fair thing to do.
Of course I denounce him. I couldn’t even hear it. I haven’t looked at it.
But people do that. But they do it in all campaigns. And that’s why it is very unfair and you should help sort it out rather than putting people on the defense and say, hey, defend yourself against these bad guys out there.
So, obviously, I just disavow them and try to go on and do the thing I’m supposed to do.
KING: The thing you’re supposed to do is campaign for the nomination. But I — but I want an honest answer. You speak often about the movement.
When Ron Paul wakes up in the morning, do you see a path to the nomination or do you see a chance to use this campaign as a platform for a movement that is critically important to you?
PAUL: Why can’t I do both?
And some people take it out of context…
KING: Right.
PAUL: — because I emphasize the movement and the philosophy and what I’ve done for all these years. At the same time, I run, I mean I started off that way and was elected 12 times. And we’re having fairly good success right now.
So, yes, it is a path to victory. How easy it’s going to be, obviously, it’s not going to be easy.
But to say it’s one or the other and therefore I’m discredited because I believe in something?
I mean this is why I’m getting support, especially from young people, is I do believe in something and that’s why I — that’s one of the main reasons why I get a lot of votes.
So I would say believing in something shouldn’t be a distraction as much as a compliment for running for office and it helps me get votes, it doesn’t hurt me.
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