History UsefulNotes / RonPaul

He tended not to get much attention from mainstream news outlets, unless they were talking about how the winner of the Republican primary could appeal to the young people who voted for Paul. On the other hand, he's omnipresent in the {{blogosphere}}, where his followers can be found in countless comments sections, Website/YouTube videos, and message boards, to the point where some of them have been accused of using AstroTurf tactics and [[http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2007/10/ron-paul-camp-gets-over-enthusiastic-with-spam.ars spambots]]. Paul's internet status is borderline [[MemeticMutation meme]][[MemeticBadass tic]]--even Website/KnowYourMeme has [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/ron-paul acknowledged]] this.

%%Due to Paul being an extremely controversial figure, the Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment is in full effect.

%%Due to Paul being an extremely controversial figure, the Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment is in full effect.

If you were on the conservative side of the Internet for more than a few hours in the 2000s and early 2010s, then chances are you became familiarized with the legend of '''Ronald Ernest Paul''' (born August 20, 1935). Paul is a former doctor (an OB/GYN, to be exact) turned Republican congressman from UsefulNotes/{{Texas}} (though he was born in UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}), and arguably one of the foremost examples of the libertarian "old guard" of the Republican Party--anti-tax, anti-spending, anti-welfare and pro-free trade, but also non-interventionist, anti-censorship, and anti-surveillance. Paul's positions are couched in the most basic interpretation of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem United States Constitution]]: if the power to do something is not explicitly mentioned in the text, he states from time to time, then the federal government does not have that power.

If you've been on the Internet for more than a few hours, then chances are you've become familiarized with the legend of '''Ronald Ernest Paul''' (born August 20, 1935). Paul is a former doctor (an OB/GYN, to be exact) turned Republican congressman from [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]] (though he was born in UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}), and arguably one of the foremost examples of the libertarian "old guard" of the Republican Party--anti-tax, anti-spending, anti-welfare and pro-free trade, but also non-interventionist, anti-censorship, and anti-surveillance. Paul's positions are couched in the most basic interpretation of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem United States Constitution]]: if the power to do something is not explicitly mentioned in the text, he states from time to time, then the federal government does not have that power.

His peripheral positions are based largely on strict social conservatism: not believing in church-state separation, being fiercely anti-abortion, believing in creationism, opposing gay rights, and so on. However, rather than actively pushing for these things from a federal level, he believes that such matters should be under state jurisdiction (and supports them at the state level). His views have led him to consistently vote against nearly every piece of legislation to come down the pike; combined with his history as a medical doctor, this has earned him the nickname "Film/DrNo" among his colleagues. It's been said (of both Paul and libertarians in general) that, while nearly everybody agrees with ''some'' of his positions, few people agree with ''all'', or even most, of them.

What Paul is probably best known for, on the Internet and in the "old media", is his highly devoted and motivated base of young followers. Many of these followers first rallied around him during the 2008 election due to his opposition to UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror, his support for drug decriminalization, his CoolOldGuy image, and the perception that he was a "Film/{{Mr Smith|Goes To Washington}}" in a field of [[SleazyPolitician crooked career politicians]], and his support base grew to include followers from both the right-wing Tea Party and left-wing Occupy movements.

He tends not to get much attention from mainstream news outlets, unless they're talking about how the winner of the Republican primary can appeal to the young people who voted for Paul. On the other hand, he's omnipresent in the {{blogosphere}}, where his followers can be found in countless comments sections, Website/YouTube videos and message boards, to the point where some of them have been accused of using AstroTurf tactics and [[http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2007/10/ron-paul-camp-gets-over-enthusiastic-with-spam.ars spambots]]. Paul's internet status is borderline [[MemeticMutation meme]][[MemeticBadass tic]]--even Website/KnowYourMeme has [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/ron-paul acknowledged]] this.

Ron Paul also has a son, Rand Paul, who is currently a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and shares many of his father's political views (although he is more moderate on most issues). Rand was considered a top contender for the GOP nomination in the 2016 US Presidential Election, up until [[Creator/DonaldTrump a certain billionaire]] entered the race and he was forced to drop out of the race following the Iowa Caucuses. Contrary to rumor, he's not actually named after Creator/AynRand; "Rand" is short for "Randal".

[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ron-paul_4648.jpg]]

* He had a cameo appearance in ''Film/{{Bruno}}'' in which Bruno makes sexual advances on Paul while supposedly waiting for an interview. Paul becomes enraged and leaves.

What Paul is probably best known for, on the Internet and in the "old media", is his highly devoted and motivated base of young followers. Many of these followers first rallied around him during the 2008 election due to his opposition to TheWarOnTerror, his support for drug decriminalization, his CoolOldGuy image, and the perception that he was a "Film/{{Mr Smith|Goes To Washington}}" in a field of [[SleazyPolitician crooked career politicians]], and his support base grew to include followers from both the right-wing Tea Party and left-wing Occupy movements.

Ron Paul also has a son, Rand Paul, who is currently a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and shares many of his father's political views (although he is more moderate on most issues). Rand was considered a top contender for the GOP nomination in the 2016 US Presidential Election, up until [[Creator/DonaldTrump a certain billionaire]] entered the race and he was forced to drop out of the race following the Iowa Caucuses.

%%Due to Paul being an extremely controversial figure, the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is in full effect.

Ron Paul also has a son, RandPaul, who is currently a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and shares many of his father's political views. Rand was considered a top contender for the GOP nomination in the 2016 US Presidential Election, up until he dropped out of the race following the Iowa Caucuses.

If you've been on the Internet for more than a few hours, then chances are you've become familiarized with the legend of '''Ronald Ernest Paul'''. Paul is a former doctor (an OB/GYN, to be exact) turned Republican congressman from [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]] (though he was born in UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}), and arguably one of the foremost examples of the libertarian "old guard" of the Republican Party--anti-tax, anti-spending, anti-welfare and pro-free trade, but also non-interventionist, anti-censorship, and anti-surveillance. Paul's positions are couched in the most basic interpretation of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem United States Constitution]]: if the power to do something is not explicitly mentioned in the text, he states from time to time, then the federal government does not have that power.

Ron Paul also has a son, RandPaul, who is currently a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and shares many of his father's political views. Rand is considered a top contender for the GOP nomination in the 2016 US Presidential Election.

->''"[[MemeticMutation IT'S HAPPENING]]"''

!!The following tropes associated with Mr. Paul:
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer
* ArchEnemy: Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve in general are an obvious example for him.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Acts like a nice, genial elderly man, but his attack ads can be downright scathing.
* TheCassandra: Certainly self-styled as such.
* ConspiracyTheories: A great many of his fans support these, and the infamous newsletters of his often seem like they are promoting this stuff.
* CoolAirship: Paul leased a very swanky airship in his 2008 campaign. The Ron Paul Blimp, as it's known, is a [[http://www.airshipsonline.com/airships/ss600/index.html Skyship 600,]] one of the largest, fastest, most luxurious airships built nowadays. It has all-first-class seating, a small galley and bar, and huge windows that can be opened in flight. Paul's discerning taste in dirigibles is particularly hilarious in light of Mitt Romney's choice in the aircraft. His campaign used a rather cheap, hot-air-filled, six-seat, single-engine blimp. The blimp is so much slower than the Ron Paul Blimp, moving at a glacial 18 mph to its 70 mph, that high winds in Florida the night before the third Presidential debate forced it to fly backwards and crash land in a field! No one was injured, but the pilot had to let the hot air out, and the sight of Romney's deflating face was quite the embarrassment.
* CoolOldGuy: His image among followers.
* GeniusBruiser: In addition to being a practicing surgeon, he is an amateur [[GoodOldFisticuffs boxer]] and bodybuilder.
* EnemyMine: He's worked well with former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, as well as strongly left-leaning Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Barney Frank.
* FinalSpeech: His speech at the pre-convention rally is seen as this.
* GenerationXerox: Subverted to a pretty good extent. His son Rand Paul, now a U.S. senator from Kentucky, appeals to orthodox conservatives to a much greater extent than his father, who simultaneously gets support and derision from both the right and the left. In other words, Rand is far more faithfully Republican than his father, who, rather than being considered too liberal or conservative, is seen someone completely different.
* MoralGuardian: An interesting case in that he is ''very'' socially conservative (even more so than much of the GOP) but doesn't want the federal government to enforce it on a national level. He does support social conservatism being enforced on the state level, however. This has led to criticisms from other civil libertarians that he isn't anti-government so much as he is anti-federalist.
* NamesTheSame: He's not to be confused with transvestite reality TV host Ru Paul.
* OldShame: Paul published a number of political newsletters starting in 1978 and into the aughts. Many of these newsletters, including some published in the 90s, include various conspiracy theories and bigoted statements against blacks, Jews, and homosexuals. One even went so far as to accuse Martin Luther King, Jr. of being a pedophile. Paul initially took responsibility and '''defended what was in them''', but years later during his '08 presidential campaign he changed the story and claimed that his ghostwriters wrote that stuff and snuck it past him. Whether or not he's lying is still controversial, but the issue did stir up some controversy in Paul's election campaigns.
* TheRival: See ArchEnemy.
* PassingTheTorch: Seems to be doing this with his son, Rand.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Pretty far on the idealistic side, rejecting the view that HumansAreTheRealMonsters.
** AWorldHalfFull: The [[PatrickStewartSpeech closing words of]] his FinalSpeech before his retirement shows shades of this:
--->''So instead of seeing [[HistoryRepeats this as a continuation of the era]] of TheTwentiethCentury that [[WorldWarI gave us]] [[WorldWarII so much death]] [[VietnamWar and destruction]] [[TheWarOnTerror undermining our liberties]] [[ArabSpring and the conditions are dangerous]]. Let us think that we are now moving into a [[DawnOfAnEra new era]], a new era where we are going to [[AWorldHalfFull concentrate on liberty and freedom and property and peace]]. [[EarnYourHappyEnding I believe that is the cause we should lead]] and I thank you very much for being part of it!''
* StopHelpingMe: It's been noted that his fans tend to come across as so extreme (especially on the internet) that they may scare off possible supporters. It's unknown what Paul himself thinks of them though.
* TwoFirstNames
* WarIsHell: While he's on the record as saying that he'd be willing to go to war if absolutely necessary, in general he's argued that American military intervention causes more problems than it solves.
* YankTheDogsChain: Sort of. He [[ThrowTheDogABone finally won the popular vote somewhere]], in the Virgin Islands to be precise, but most of the delegates had already pledged to Romney.

* GeniusBruiser: In addition to being a practicing surgeon, he is an amateur boxer and bodybuilder.

What Paul is probably best known for, on the Internet and in the "old media", is his highly devoted and motivated base of young followers. Many of these followers first rallied around him during the 2008 election due to his opposition to TheWarOnTerror, his support for drug decriminalization, his CoolOldGuy image, and the perception that he was a "Film/{{Mr Smith|Goes To Washington}}" in a field of [[SleazyPolitician crooked career politicians]], and his support base grew to [[FaceHeelTurn include followers from both the right-wing Tea Party]] and left-wing Occupy movements.

* MoralGuardian: An interesting case in that he is ''very'' socially conservative (even more so than much of the GOP) but doesn't want the federal government to enforce it on a natinoal level. He does support social conservatism being enforced on the state level, however. This has led to criticisms from other civil libertarians that he isn't anti-government so much as he is anti-federalist.

Ron Paul also has a son, RandPaul, who is currently a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and shares many of his father's political views.

* {{Hypocrite}}: In order to preserve his claim that he's "never voted for an earmark", [[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/ron-paul-on-earmarks-and-corporate-welfare-fact-checker-biography/2011/12/28/gIQAWjEaOP_blog.html he inserts earmarks into bills he knows will pass]] and then votes against them or abstains. He even kept at the practice after the rest of the Congressional Republicans voluntarily gave them up. His requents came to $157 million in 2011. Isn't Big Government wonderful...I mean, er, horrid!

->''"[[MemeticMutation GOOGLE RON PAUL]]"''