Ron Paul’s supporters love to chatter about why the Texas congressman doesn’t get more coverage in the 2012 race. The polls are one reason, and here’s another: he says things that just won’t get him the nomination of a major political party.
Take the Politico/MSNBC debate Wednesday night. In his first question from the moderators — lobbed at him like so many are to draw just this kind of answer — Paul stood up for the idea that the United States does not need an agency in charge of keeping the skies safe.
“I think in theory, if you understood the free market in a free society, you don’t need government to do that,” Paul told moderator Brian Williams when asked if he thought the government has a role in “making cars safe, making medicine safe, air traffic control, controlling the jets above our heads.”
“We live in a society where we have been adapted to this, and you can’t just drop it all at once, but you can transition away from it,” he said.
Paul was quick to add “that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in regulations.” He just prefers they be done at the state level.
“f you need detailed regulations, you can do it at the state level, but the federal government is not authorized to nitpick every transaction,” he said. “The way they use the interstate commerce clause is outrageous.”
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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