Ron
Paul doesn’t know what twerking is and he doesn’t care. Neither do his
often-young libertarian-minded fans who enjoy his new venture the Ron Paul
Channel. The retired congressman who spoke to BuzzFeed Monday was the same
Federal Reserve-bashing, anti-government spending Paul as always, but seemed a
bit more relaxed now that he’s free from the constant call of Washington.
1. Meet the Ron Paul Channel, Paul’s new grab-bag
anything-goes outlet for expressing his views on a routine basis. You can
subscribe, for just $9.95 a month.
“I
want to have a channel where people can come together, have a take on the news
that’d be different from what they can expect from any major network or almost
anything they see on TV. Like, this morning I did a commentary on some articles
that showed up over the weekend,” Paul told BuzzFeed, before launching into his
usual “end the Fed” rhetoric that so many have come to know him for.
“Not
exactly what you would hear on the evening news,” says Paul of the expected Fed
critique you would see on his channel. “My goal was to talk about economic
policy, monetary policy, all the spending, the attack on our civil liberties,
and also the foreign policy, which would be not unique entirely but different
from what you would see on the television. And people who are seeking more
information, and a more truthful approach to the news would get it from our
channel.”
2. Paul said he doesn’t know if his
high-profile son, Kentucky senator and possible presidential hopeful Rand Paul,
watches his channel. Paul said he’s never even asked him.
“Oh,
I don’t know. I’ve never asked him. He’s so busy. I can’t watch all his
YouTubes, because he’s on so many and I have my thing, so, my guess would be he
wouldn’t have time to but he was on the channel,” Paul said. “His schedule and
mine do not overlap, we sort of keep up, but not on a daily basis.”
3. And Paul’s not worried about opposition
researchers digging through his channel to find tidbits to attack his son
should Rand decide to run for president. He doesn’t think it could get any
worse than what people have already found.
“Couldn’t
be any worse than they’ve already done. He’s already vulnerable — you know,
it’s a mixed blessing for him because I think any individual who’s been in
public life, there’s gross distortions and exaggerations, and they’re out
there, and they’ve already been used against him. At the same time, the freedom
movement, I’ve been closely associated with it, and there’s a large number of
people involved and I was able to help him with fundraising and get him started
on the Senate race. So yeah, it has to be mixed, but a lot of politics is that
way. You have advantages and disadvantages.”
4. For Paul, leaving Congress has been a time
to relax and do the things he didn’t have the time to do as a member of
Congress.
“It’s
been really quite enjoyable because my time is more my own. I’ve gotten to go
to the universities. I’ve been to several universities, and I like talking to
young people who are interested in the freedom philosophy as well as Austrian
economics. So I’ve traveled. I’ve got a book out on homeschooling. I’ve got the
channel started. I do some radio. And it’s just something that is on my time.
Also, one of my former staffers helped me get started on a new institute. The
Institute for Peace And Prosperity, which concentrates on foreign policy. So my
activities have probably been busier. Before, a lot of time consumed but not
really accomplishing a whole lot by running back and forth and going at the
behest of the speaker. So now I don’t have to do that and have more time to do
the things that I enjoy doing.”
5. Paul also said Rand’s done eye exams on
him, correcting this reporter, who originally misstated that his son was a
previously a dentist.
“Before
he was in politics, if my wife and I stopped in to see the family in Kentucky
we’d have our eyes checked. It would save me a visit to an ophthalmologist down
here because I don’t have any problems, but there’s a history of glaucoma in
the family, so it’s best to get the pressures checked. He’s done those
examinations on me.”
6. Paul doesn’t have high hopes for Janet
Yellen.
7. He also thinks it’s “fantastic” the
neo-conservatives lost on Syria, not to mention that he’s not so sure the rise
of the libertarian wing of Republican Party means they’re disappearing — they
could just be biding their time until the next conflict.
“They
won’t go away quietly, they’re still there. All they need is some excuse and
they’ll be back in it if there’s some serious confrontation in the Middle
East,” Paul said. “I thought it was just fantastic that the neo-cons lost the
public debate about bombing Syria and planning a war for Iran. And now they’re
negotiating, making an effort to talk to the Iranians in the first time in all
these years. I think it’s fantastic, but the neo-cons definitely have a
setback, but I think they’re going to be around for a long time. They’re just
looking for another excuse. The 9/11 episode certainly gave them their excuse
to do what they’ve been wanting to do all along. They’re the ones who had the
Patriot Act sitting around for years, waiting for the opportunity, and they’ve
also wanted to remake the Middle East. They’ve done a good job of remaking it,
but it turns out it’s a lot worse now than it was before they started. Just
think of how many people have been killed and how much money we’ve spent.”8. And twerking? Paul doesn’t know what it is. He doesn’t care either because he says his viewers and fans care about the big picture, not the little things.
“When
I’m totally oblivious to those very important things that people your age love,
they don’t hold it against me because they know that the system I’m interested
in, freedom of choice and freedom to allow people to have their own social
values, they understand that. So I think they get a big charge out of the fact
that I’m the last guy in the world that would ever be involved with marijuana
and then yet I’m the champion of legalizing drugs. I think it gives that
movement some creditability, because I don’t have ulterior motive. My guess is
they don’t hold that against me and they think it’s rather neat. But I know a
lot more than I did a few years ago.”
9. Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange, and Jesse
Ventura have all been on his channel already. Now he’s eyeing to bring on one
of his most famous supporters.
“Maybe
someday I will get one of my supporters who donated money to me, Edward
Snowden. Maybe he’ll come on the show. Who knows.”
