HERE WE GO: MSNBC Accuses Ron Paul of Making "Racially Charged" Comment

By Robert Wenzel

Though it is good to know that even mainstream media feels compelled to listen to Lew Rockwell podcasts, trouble started yesterday with BuzzFeed reporter Andrew Kaczynski dangling this comment for the Ron Paul haters, after listening to Lew's podcast interview of Ron Paul:

Former Republican Rep. Ron Paul, the father of potential presidential candidate Rand Paul and a former presidential candidate himself, said the Congressional Black Caucus does not support war because they want that money for food stamps.

“I was always annoyed with it in Congress because we had an anti-war unofficial group, a few libertarian Republicans and generally the Black Caucus and others did not—they are really against war because they want all of that money to go to food stamps for people here,” Ron Paul told Lew Rockwell in early February during a discussion on sanctions.

The audio clip is here.

Steve Benen at MSNBC, on the Rachel Maddow blog, took it to the next level:

Obviously, the notion that Congressional Black Caucus members were only skeptical of wars because of food stamps is racially charged and ridiculous.

It’d be an offensive comment from anyone, but the fact that it’s coming from a longtime congressman and former presidential candidate only adds insult to injury. It’d be an offensive comment from anyone, but the fact that it’s coming from a longtime congressman and former presidential candidate only adds insult to injury.

Notice closely, there is no consideration at all given to the possibility that Dr. Paul's observation might be accurate. Dr. Paul is simply saying that the CBC is anti-war because they want to use the funds for domestic support programs. Should an MSNBC reporter be so dismissive of a comment from, as he puts it, " a longtime congressman and former presidential candidate," without investigating the charge?

Shouldn't Benen have put in a call to the CBC and asked them their position on food stamps and domestic spending and military adventures of the Empire? Or at least go over to the CBC web site, like I did, to see what CBC's views are on food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.) and war?

After my visit to the CBC  web site, it sure sounds to me like Dr. Paul has the CBC perspective exactly correct. This is from an April 2014 statement from the CBC (My bold):

This year's Republican Budget leaves hardworking American families out in the cold. It cuts taxes for the wealthiest Americans and pays for it by gutting the social safety net. The Republican budget dismantles the Medicare guarantee, block grants and deeply cuts Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It more than doubles sequester cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, and severely harms programs that keep America competitive around the world in areas such as education, job training, domestic manufacturing, advanced research and development, and infrastructure... the CBC Budget will protect and strengthen the social safety net, which continues to keep millions of families from sinking deeper into poverty.

Here is a June 2013 comment from CBC Chair Marcia Fudge (my bold)

 House leadership will send the Farm bill to the floor that reduces total spending by almost $40 billion over 10 years and most of the cuts come from SNAP. This bill alone would cut off nearly two million people from SNAP. Making matters worse, anti-poverty programs around the country are reducing services because of sequester. Our communities cannot continue to face cut after cut while Washington does little to create economic opportunity.

I also examined the entire  CBC site for any anti-war commentary. There was none. Just stuff like this with regard to the military:

Today, all women Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), sent a letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Chuck Hagel, encouraging him to reconsider the impact of updated regulation AR-670-1.  The updated regulation lists natural hairstyles traditionally worn by minority women as unauthorized.

I repeat, there is nothing, nothing at all, against current military adventures of the US, on the CBC web site, but there is no difficulty finding pro-food stamp comments and the CBC in general decrying "non-defense" cuts.

Dr. Paul is probably a lot more savvy about how Congress works than your average Ron Paul-hater. The way the game is played is you suck as much money from the public as you can, and then you fight over how the lucre should be divided up. Dr. Paul's comment was simply a comment on how the CBC wants the haul to be split up. It does not appear that the CBC has a hard driving anti-foreign entanglements drive.  It's desire, judging from its web site, is more in terms of keeping money flowing to its constituencies.

Is Dr. Paul really wrong in pointing out what the CBC perspective is? There is nothing "racist" about this. He was simply stating that the CBC didn't appear to be that principled when it came to opposing war, and judging by their web site, he is correct in his observations. Indeed, the CBC met on February 10 with the President and the topic of US interventions overseas appears not to have come up at all. Here is the full statement issued by the CBC on the meeting:

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) met with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden today at the White House. CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield and CBC Members held a press stakeout immediately following the meeting.

CBC Chairman Butterfield:  “Today’s meeting with the President and Vice President of the United States was a constructive meeting where we discussed a variety of issues such as criminal justice reform, economic security, education, trade and funding for persistent poverty communities. 

The CBC had a very robust conversation with the President and Vice President about criminal justice reform, not only about police misconduct but also about prosecutorial misconduct and incarceration rates.

Education is one of our top priorities, especially as it pertains to our country’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). There are more than 100 HBCUs throughout the country, and we want them to be centers for excellence for many generations to come.

Another of our top concerns and most continued discussions is that of the nation’s economic recovery. There is no question that the country’s economy is improving, but for too many Americans, especially for people of color, the recovery has not reached their household. Black America continues to be in a state of emergency, and it’s up to Members of the CBC to continue to make the case for a faster recovery for low-income families.

All in all, today was a productive meeting, and we look forward to working with the President and Vice President in the future,” he concluded.

To identify a group for its actual perspective helps us to understand that group and to what degree we can count on them to help advance the cause of liberty. It is not racist, the facts are important to know. But to charge a "a longtime congressman and former presidential candidate" as racist when he is making accurate statements, that help inform, is a smear. And, sadly, typical of what Ron Paul has to put up with when speaking up for liberty and against wars and government spending in general.

His willingness to go forward in promoting liberty in the face of these regular smears is truly remarkable, inspiring and a lesson for all friends of liberty,

Robert Wenzel is Editor & Publisher at EconomicPolicyJournal.com and at Target Liberty. He is also author of The Fed Flunks: My Speech at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Follow him on twitter:@wenzeleconomics