Ron Paul is on the 'Daily Show' tonight. Will he say something inflammatory?
In past appearances on the 'Daily Show,' Ron Paul has made comments to Jon Stewart that would have gotten other candidates in trouble. Will he push the boundaries again tonight?
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R) of Texas smiles before the Republican Party of Florida presidential candidates debate in Orlando, Fla.
Scott Audette/Reuters
Tonight鈥檚 the night 鈥� Ron Paul visits the 鈥�Daily Show鈥� for an interview with Jon Stewart. This will mark the third time in recent years that the presidential hopeful and the Walter Cronkite of comedians have sat down for an in-depth chat. Paul鈥檚 said some inflammatory things in those past appearances. Will that happen again this evening?
Of course, to a certain extent Paul鈥檚 candidacy is based on ideas that get the Republican and/or Democratic Party establishments all worked up.
He鈥檚 against US intervention overseas to the point where he thinks we should stop bothering Iran about its (alleged) nuclear weapons program, for instance. He鈥檚 criticized the building of a fence along the US southern border, in part because he worries that at some point it could be used to pen US citizens in the country.
In past appearances the Texas libertarian has made comments to Stewart that would have gotten other candidates in trouble. (Maybe the purported lack of attention Paul gets from the media works to his benefit at times?) To wit:
Medicare? Meh. Stewart had Paul on back in June, 2007, at the beginning of the last presidential political cycle. Paul was running for the GOP nomination then, too, and .
鈥淵ou have accomplished no small feat ... you鈥檝e created a nice little buzz about the Paul presidential campaign,鈥� said Stewart. (Who, apropos of nothing, once boosted his career by .)
Stewart than praised Paul鈥檚 鈥渃onsistent principled integrity,鈥� and noted that as a medical doctor Paul didn't accept Medicare payments in his own practice. Did Paul favor getting rid of the program?
鈥淵es,鈥� Paul replied, 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not high on my agenda.鈥�
贬补蝉苍鈥檛 Rick Perry been bashed for suggesting that Social Security perhaps should be turned back to the states? Just imagine if he鈥檇 said Medicare should be finito. Mitt Romney would send a DVD of the show to every AARP member in America.
The mother of all Ponzi schemes. The media (and Mitt you-know-who) have also criticized Gov. Perry for his description of Social Security as a 鈥淧onzi scheme.鈥� But you know what? Paul鈥檚 been using that line for years. Maybe Romney should go after Perry for plagiarism, too.
During a September, 2009 鈥淒aily Show鈥� appearance Paul was warming to one of his favorite subjects 鈥� how big government infringes personal liberty 鈥� when the subject of Bernie Madoff鈥檚 fraud came up.
鈥淲hat about Madoff? He deserved to go to jail, but you know there鈥檚 a Ponzi scheme down in D.C. It鈥檚 the perpetuation of [big] government,鈥� said Paul.
See, Perry only called into question Social Security. Paul鈥檚 thinking a bigger Ponzi 鈥� Social Security, plus everything else! We await a thoughtful piece from the New York Times editorial board on this matter.
鈥淓nd the Fed." Remember when Perry said something along the lines of Ben Bernanke would get a wedgie if he came to Texas, only harsher? Well, no one in US politics can match Paul when it comes to animus about the Federal Reserve. He鈥檚 been doing it for decades. Perry is a Rick-come-lately in this regard.
Paul鈥檚 2009 appearance on "The Daily Show" came on the heels of the publication of his book, "End the Fed," for instance. So now we know what would actually happen to chairman Bernanke if he came to Texas 鈥� he鈥檇 end up unemployed.
鈥淵ou have to find out how they finance big government,鈥� Paul said in 2009. 鈥淭hey have this little thing called the 鈥榗ounterfeit machine鈥�, and they just print money when they need it.鈥�
Now, as we鈥檝e said in the past, Stewart is not completely in the tank for Ron Paul. He鈥檚 had debates with the man about the proper balance of government versus corporate power that would not be out of place in a university political science course. OK, maybe high school. But still.
We鈥檒l look forward to that kind of thing again tonight.
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