Mainstream conservatives finally push back against Ron Paul; and how he won that straw poll

Finally a major institutional member of CPAC is taking a stand against the despicable Rep. Ronald Paul. As reported at Human Events, right after Paul won the presidential straw poll at the CPAC conference this year, the Young Americans For Freedom released a statement saying that they had expelled him from their advisory board for his “delusional and disturbing alliance with the fringe anti-war movement,” for his blaming America for the 9/11 attack, and for his failure to condemn the 9/11 “truthers” (people who charge that George W. Bush and Israel were the real organizers of the attack, and thus were in alliance with al Qaeda and Muhammad Atta) who support him. Human Events also reports that Paul bussed in 700 student supporters to the CPAC conference, which explains how he came in first in the straw poll.

Below is the article, followed by the YAF statement. I see that YAF describes itself as the “Nation’s Oldest Conservative-Libertarian Activist Group.” So they don’t call themselves conservative, but conservative-libertarian. That explains why they remain associated with the libertarian-leaning, homosexual rights-recognizing, Grover Norquist-influenced CPAC.

It is remarkable that the YAF statement condemns Paul in the strongest possible terms, going so far as to accuse him of positions that “border on treason,” even as it informs us that Paul has been on its advisory board for 20 years. Yet Paul has taken the objectionable and quasi-treasonous positions of which YAF accuses him for at least ten years. Why is YAF only expelling him now? The statement does not tell us.

The Human Events article:

The YAF / Ron Paul Smackdown Looks like the YAF didn’t vote for him in that straw poll. by John Hayward 02/12/2011

Right after the straw poll results showing Ron Paul as the winner were announced, people from Young Americans for Freedom began handing out memos declaring they had expelled Ron Paul from their advisory board. They didn’t just kick him out for non-payment of dues, or hogging the karaoke machine at the last YAF kegger, either.

“YAF’s concerns with Rep. Paul stem out of his delusional and disturbing alliance with the fringe anti-war movement,” the press release declared. Specifically, they’re upset about Paul’s “journey into the anti-war left by laying the blame on America for the unprovoked attacks of September 11th. Additionally, Rep. Paul has not condemned the 9/11 ‘Truther’ conspiracy theorists that support him, and he has repeatedly insisted that the United States not bring justice to those who have murdered thousands of our civilians and soldiers at home and abroad.”

Since none of that is really new coming out of Ron Paul, I’m not sure how he got onto the YAF National Advisory Board in the first place, but here we are.

Shortly afterward, a chipper young lady from Ron Paul’s “Young Americans for Liberty” (not YAF, but YAL, and therefore totally different) raced by to deposit her own memo boasting that “Ron Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll With Large Student Support.” The YAL turns out to be the “continuation of Students For Ron Paul In 2008,” and “recruited more than 700 students to attend CPAC 2011.” Actually, they got the year wrong and typed 2010, but then somebody crossed it out and wrote in 2011. Something tells me this was a rather hastily prepared press release.

This document contains the following remarkable quote from Rep. Paul about his possible presidential plans for 2012: “I haven’t decided yet, but if I were to come in fourth or fifth at CPAC, that might indicate that the young people have lost their enthusiasm.” Any “young people” in Rep. Paul’s thrall would do well to consider that someone who trucks in hundreds of partisans to stack a straw poll, and then speculates about what he’ll do if he “comes in fourth or fifth,” is taking his supporters for gullible fools.

The YAF decided to escalate the memo arms race by circulating a new paper a few minutes later, made up to look like a “Missing” poster, and declaring “YAF’s Former Advisory Board Member Ron Paul has lost his mind.” An unspecified reward was offered for finding said mind. The memo was helpfully illustrated with a nutty-looking photo of Paul and a cartoon of the Joker laughing like a maniac, just to give you an idea of what you’re looking for if you want that reward.

It’s a pity they didn’t decide to settle all this with a good old-fashioned food fight, or at least burn their pamphlets onto some nice wheat toast, because I’m hungry. Oh well. The battlefield ends littered with dead trees, an open spot on the YAF Advisory Board, and the crumpled remains of a poll made from straw.

The YAF statement:

UPDATED : Nation’s Oldest Conservative-Libertarian Activist Group Expels Ron Paul from Advisory Board

Written by YAF Pack on February 12, 2011, 06:16 PM

MEDIA REQUESTS: info@yaf.com (202) 596-7923

(Washington DC—2/12/11) The National Board of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF)—America’s oldest conservative-libertarian activist group—has, per curium [misspelled; see Per curiam decision] voted to purge Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) from YAF’s National Advisory Board.

YAF’s concern with Rep. Paul stems from his delusional and disturbing alliance with the fringe Anti-War movement.

“It is a sad day in American history when a one-time conservative-libertarian stalwart has fallen more out of touch with America’s needs for national security than the current feeble and appeasing administration,” said YAF’s Senior National Director Jordan Marks.

Paul, who had served on the YAF Advisory Board for more than two decades, was awarded with YAF’s highest honor, the Guardian of Freedom award, an honor Rep. Paul has touted on his biography for many years. Only a decade ago, Dr. Paul praised YAF’s work on the House floor. Paul called YAF’s founding document, the Sharon Statement “a great document explicating the philosophy of freedom.”

The Sharon Statement clearly states: “American foreign policy must be judged by this criterion: does it serve the just interests of the United States?”

“History has shown that periods of freedom are rare, and can exist only when free citizens concertedly defend their rights against all enemies.”

“Freedom and prosperity cannot peacefully exist alongside radical Islam. It is unfortunate that Ron Paul—a member of the U.S. Congress—does not understand this. Surely, our enemies do.” [The quotation marks make it appear that the 1960 Sharon Statement spoke against “radical Islam,” which is impossible. YAF needs to read and edit their own statements before they publish them.]

Young Americans for Freedom celebrated its 50th Anniversary in October 2010. The National Board of YAF made its decision to expel Dr. Paul during its annual Board meeting held early Saturday afternoon. Young Americans for Freedom helped to found the Conservative Political Action Conference 38 years ago.

“Rep. Paul’s refusal to support our nation’s military and national security interests border on treason, aside from his failure to uphold his oath to the United States Constitution and defend our country and citizens against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Marks continued.

“Rep. Paul has strayed to the left of Obama and allied himself with the radical anti-war left by laying the blame on America for the unprovoked attacks of Sept. 11th. Additionally, Rep. Paul has not condemned the 9/11 “Truther” conspiracy theorists that support him, and he has repeatedly insisted, that the United States not bring justice to those who have murdered thousands of our civilians and soldiers at home and abroad. This is simply unacceptable. Clearly Rep. Paul cares more about a doomed presidential run than he does our country,” Marks added.

YAF National Chairman Michael Jones issued the following statement:

“The United States is in a time of economic crisis, but this is no excuse to abandon the principles that have built this great country and spread its ideals to the darkest recesses of the planet. The United States is the world’s leader—a beacon of light for the wretched and the oppressed. God has blessed the United States with liberty and the strength and heart to spread that liberty to all of his children. Rep. Paul has abandoned this mission, abandoned the United States’ citizens, and abandoned the citizens of the world in their quest for their God-given natural rights.”

Young Americans for Freedom is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most active conservative-libertarian youth organization. YAF was started at the estate of William F. Buckley, Jr. in 1960 to uphold the principles of the Sharon Statement. To learn more about the Sharon Statement and YAF please visit www.YAF.com.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at February 10, 2011 10:07 AM | Send