Presidential Hopeful Ron Paul Faces Allegations of Being a Racist

On Thursday January 8, CNN reported that Republican Congressman Ron Paul had his name attached to several racist newsletters which characterized African Americans as "animals." Ron Paul has vehemently denied such allegations, stating that he is a libertarian and has never written such newsletters and has never read these newsletters ever before. He stated that Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks are his heroes and blames his political opponents for trying to bring up a witch hunt against him.

Ron Paul has stated that he has been gaining the African American vote because he has been against the war and America's involvement with sending troops oversees. Paul stated in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN that he is a friend to African Americans and has no idea who wrote these remarks and newsletters. Paul recently gained 8% and 9% of the vote in Iowa and New Hamsphire respectively. He has raised millions of dollars through his committed libertarians vote in an online effort.

The newsletters stated that young blacks were terrorizing cities and were responsible for crime in Texas towns. The newsletters also stated that violence decreased when blacks had to pick up their welfare checks. Ron Paul has stated that he has been an anti-racist.

According to political analysts including Wolf Blitzer, most people believe that Ron Paul is not a racist but that at some point in his past he may have had some involvement with these newsletters. It hardly seems plausible that Ron Paul had no involvement with these newsletters if his name was on it. Perhaps his views have changed significantly since these newsletters, but Ron Paul seems to be connected somehow to them.