Ron Paul’s Presidential Bid
by Chris Barrick • November 2007 • 37 Comments •
Congressman Ron Paul (Gettysburg 1957) says the Fraternity provided him much fellowship but also supported him financially. He became house manager and was paid $9 a month, which paid for his rent. He then took the job of kitchen steward, which he says was a little more challenging.
Another Campaigning Brother
On October 30, 2007, Kevin O’Neill (Syracuse 1992), an attorney and resident of Williamsburg, Virginia, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for United States Congress from Virginia’s First Congressional District in the special election to be held on November 10, 2007.
O’Neill is a former Fraternity staff member, serving as an ELC from 1991-1992, and the associate director of chapter services from 1992-1996.
Since September 2000, he has worked as an attorney in the public policy department at Patton Boggs LLP in Washington, D.C.
The special election is a result of the unfortunate death of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis, who died on October 6, 2007, after a two year battle with breast cancer.
“No one ever thought this situation would develop. Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis was an able representative of the First District, and we all mourn her untimely death,” O’Neill said in his campaign announcement statement. “I was pleased to work with her on numerous occasions to help her bring federal attention and support to critical initiatives that improved the lives of the people in the First District. We will miss her commitment to Virginia and the United States.”
O’Neill graduated from Syracuse University, where he served for two years as the chapter president. Over the last two weeks, he says more than 30 Fraternity brothers have donated to his campaign.
In addition to financial contributions and voter support, O’Neill is also seeking volunteers who are interested in helping with his expedited campaign.
Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity is a 501(c) and does not endorse any candidate. For more information on how to get involved with the campaign, visit http://www.kevinforvirginia.com.
“You had to order all the food, plan all the meals, you were in charge of the cooks for three meals a day, seven days a week,” remembers Paul. “I got $43 a month for that and that paid for my food…and the food was good because I got to buy it.”
Paul has since gone on to serve 18 years in the United States Congress and is currently seeking the Republican nomination for president of the United States. His political ideals are surrounded by the ideas of shrinking government and allowing maximum individual freedom with an emphasis on economic policy –- including ending the war in Iraq. He believes he can defend those positions by merely obeying the U.S. Constitution.
Paul often reflects back on his college days while on the campaign trail and tells the story about his experiences to illustrate what he believes is an economic crisis.
“People say how can you go to college without all this government help and subsidies,” he says. “I say I went to college but it was much cheaper then and the prices are much higher now — due to the inflation and other reasons. I use this story as an analogy on how far things have gone.”
Medicine and Military
Following graduation from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, Paul attended Duke University School of Medicine, and then went on to the Henry Ford Clinic to get further training in internal medicine.
After two years, he was drafted and began active duty with the Air National Guard. He was stationed at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Though he would have preferred to continue his medical training, he decided to make the best of his time in the military.
“I became a flight surgeon not an Air Force pilot but I got my private pilot (license),” says Paul. “At that time, you know we were fantastically rich because I could make $700 a month and didn’t work nearly as hard as I did as a resident.”
Following his two and a half years of active duty he returned to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to continue his medical training, leaving internal medicine and redirecting his focus to OB/GYN.
He then decided to return to Lake Jackson, Texas, to begin his private practice.
“I wanted a busy practice, and the only other doctor left the day I started, so I was the only OB/GYN in the county,” he says. “It was very busy, very challenging practice.”
Politics
Paul says his interest in politics really started in the 1960s, when he started to study economics.
“Early on and during the ’60s as a resident I liked to read other things than just medicine. I became fascinated with economic policy and came across a school of economics called Austrian Economics.” explains Paul. “It is free market, sound money type of economics. It’s a little different than just saying conservative economics because they believe you can’t have paper money but have sound money. It also deals with limited government.”
Paul felt the 1970s were a rocky decade because the country had spent so much money that it didn’t really have on the Vietnam War and through the introduction of welfare in wholesale.
“That had to be paid for, and when you print a lot of money to pay for these bills, you end up with a lot of inflation,” says Paul. “So in the ’70s, we were paying for the bills of the ’60s, and we had rampant inflation and interest rates at 21 percent.”
Paul felt there was a perfect explanation for it all and thought the policies were wrong. He decided to run for Congress, not expecting much, but to his surprise was elected in 1976 and served until 1977. He was then again elected in 1979 and served until 1985.
In 1988, he ran for president of the United States as a Libertarian. He says it was very challenging because the laws are very biased against competition with the two major parties, and in many ways not very democratic.
“It is very hard to get ballots and if you aren’t a billionaire or multi-millionaire having a lot of your money, you can’t really compete,” says Paul. “The media won’t give you any attention and you’re not allowed into the debates.”
After his unsuccessful presidential bid, Paul left office, but then decided he didn’t want to give up politics, so he ran again for the Congress in 1996, and he has served ever since.
“In 1994, the Republicans took over the House and Senate and I thought they might be serious about shrinking the size of government, which has always been my goal,” says Paul. “It was soon after I realized there was no sincere effort.
Of his time in the House, Paul has a reputation for helping people who need to work with the government and says he takes his job very seriously in two ways.
“The way I vote, and what I do legislatively, I always follow to great detail to do what I promise and what the Constitution says,” explains Paul. “The other half of Congressional responsibility is to intercede for the constituents.”
“It’s not that I am enthusiastic about some of the programs but if they exist we have to try to make them work as efficiently as possible,” Paul continues. “For instance, I could think of a much better way to devise a system of social security than what we have, but it exists, so I try to be as efficient as possible and help people when they need help”
Presidential Race
Paul has launched another presidential bid, this time as a Republican and is doing so with great success. He says one reason is because he isn’t facing the difficulties of being a third party candidate but also the conditions have changed in the United States.
“People are aware of what I am talking about because of seeds that have been planted. I don’t think political change comes out of the blue but from individuals who lay ground work,” says Paul. “The end stages are coming for our economic system and the value of our dollar. Our country is stretched way beyond its means. We have a foreign policy that has stretched us overseas.”
One of the largest platforms for Paul supporters has been on the Internet. His campaign has exceeded any estimates that analysts had predicted for third quarter fund-raising.
“I have done fund-raising in the past by direct mail and it was very expensive,” says Paul. “This money from the Internet essentially has no charge. All we do is put an email out saying we are raising money for such and such and the money comes in. You get people to come together like that — it can be very helpful.”
Paul’s campaign is embedded in grassroots efforts, with the average donation being $40. He says it is something his campaign has to do to survive because he is unable to get money from special interest groups being that his campaign is about breaking up the special interests.
Paul has strong support from military and youth. In fact, he has more donations from military than all the other Republican candidates combined.
“We neutralize the argument that if you don’t support the war that you don’t support the troops,” says Paul. “I think that is nonsense.”
Paul thinks the support from youth is exciting because he believes all significant political movements come from young people.
“Young people are more principled and more idealistic and their minds are more open,” says Paul. “It seems like the young people have figured out that they are going to get the burden of the cost of these past wars that have to be paid for.”
Paul also has support from a lot of people crossing party lines, some typical Democratic voters have rallied behind him. He believes this is because his message of freedom is popular for everybody and it brings people together.
“The founders understood that personal freedom and economic freedom are one and the same,” says Paul. “The economic freedom is just an extension of your personal liberty.”
College
Paul, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native, attended Gettysburg College. He wanted a small college and the fact that Gettysburg was church affiliated was also a huge draw. He also had a good friend, Richard Lewandowski (Gettysburg 1956), who attended the college and would ultimately become Paul’s big brother in the Fraternity.
“Every fraternity has different reputations — some were only sports, some were only the playboy types, but Lambda Chi was well-known for academics as having a lot of well-rounded people in a lot of different activities as well as sports,” says Paul. “The fact they represented all these different areas and cared about having good grades, I thought it would be better because I wasn’t into the drinking and other things some fraternities were known for.”
Paul also served as chapter secretary and was president of his pledge class.
Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity is a 501(c) and does not endorse any candidate. For more information on how to get involved with the campaign, visit http://www.ronpaul2008.com/.
Curtis Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:34 amThanks for the great article detailing Ron’s candidacy. This might be the best piece about Dr. Paul to come out so far.
Chris Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:44 amGreat Article! You should be proud of your fraternaty brother Ron Paul! He has excited American’s belief in their own freedom. He has brought together the Amercan public, disenchanted with phony Washinton elitism and warmongering. Peace, Freedom, Prosperity…RON PAUL…the NEXT President
John Campbell Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:11 pmHe’s obviously a self-made man from humble means. That takes hard work and it takes character.
I’ve been following his campaign for 6 months, and this is the first time I’ve heard this story. So add modesty to the list.
Darryl Schmitz Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:45 pmIt will be a distinct honor to cast my vote for this man. Hopefully, many young people aspiring to public service will follow his amazing man’s example of statesmanship and loyalty to the Constitution.
SigmaChi Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:49 pmI must say that even though I am a Sigma Chi I definitely will vote for a fellow Greek as President. That and the fact that Ron Paul practices what he preaches and has the most honest record in Washington. I hope all your chapters help out your alumnus by giving him your vote :)
gizmo Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:10 pmMr. Barrick, thanks you for a fine, unbiased, and factual piece of journalism. You should teach the larger publications how to do it.
Seth M Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:19 pmGreat article! No baggage attached, just straight information that dares to be positive. Kudos to you.
Tom Earp Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:52 pmTo be honest, I had no clue who Ron Paul is was or even a factor of life in the Senate.
While he is Brother, I am not truely sure if He would make a true candidate?
But in retrospect in seeing some of the many candidates who are running I am not impressed in them either!
While he prosses some ultra conservitive ideals he must have some realisms in his thinking and not so one sided.
Seth K Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:53 pmNormally I wouldn’t praise someone who wants to eliminate the EPA, DOE, Education Dept., etc. etc. as I consider those pretty important to things like, for instance, breathing… and for the future of the country in general. But as Ron Paul is the only Republican presidential candidate to not support preemptive nuclear strikes on Iran and the potential thermonuclear WWIII that would result, he has my support.
That, and I never knew he worked at Kelly (where I work now). Go Ron!
Chester Reed Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:38 pmFrom one Missouri State Graduate (Beta Psi 90), I think the guy is a little goofy!
Yours Chester Reed
Kate Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:10 pmRon Paul is the Peoples candidate and is what we need here to clean up the staus quo and greedy politicians business as usual. Ron Paul is the man
in 2008!
Michael Husband Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:12 pmI am from Texas Tech and currently activated for deployment overseas with the Navy.
Ron Paul may be a brother and a nice guy but his obvious one sided view about the situation in Iraq, immigration reform, and trade with other countries leaves me questioning why he is even being considered a nomination for president.
In my honest opinion Ron Paul is a Libertarian in Republicans clothing.
Steve Sanvi Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:25 pmAlthough this Gentleman is a Fraternity Brother, I wouldn’t vote for him as Dog Catcher.
Ty Fraley ZM 575 Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:43 pmRon Paul’s libertarian preaching comes across as a little crazy in the Republican party. There are many great points and solid ideas that he brings to the table. Unfortunately, he is cast as the crazy candidate by most of the media as well. At the Republican debate two weeks ago in Orlando, FL he was actually booed a couple different times for some somewhat controvertial remarks.
I like his views and align with his side in the party, however he stands little chance getting the nomination.
It’s really too bad. We haven’t had a Lambda Chi in office since Harry Truman.
Keep it strong Ron. Your witty humor and keen insight into American Politics help people have intelligent thoughts. Wake up America. Gulliani shouldn’t be our destiny to combat Hillary.
Jono Hren Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:22 pmAs a libertarian who has run for office as such, and supported Ron Paul’s Republican run for the Senate in 1984 and Libertarian bid for president in 1988, I liked the article. Only recently did I find out he is also a Lambda Chi.
It’s his ideas, particularly his views on inflation, wars, and hard money, that matter. Gold is a hedge against inflation, and today it hit the $800 mark - the first time since 1980. Coincidence, or does he know what he’s talking about?
Saying he can’t win is kind of like saying Lambda Chi Alpha shouldn’t have tried to do away with hazing and pledges in 1972 because of the opposition. The point is, if it’s the right thing to do and you believe in it, then it can be done. That which is worthwhile is difficult.
I wish him the best. Very nice article, Chris.
Jono Hren
Beta-Nu 41
Florida Tech ‘75
R. J. LaFollette Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 7:02 pmI have been searching for a candidate who boldly moves forward and does not sell out. A man who resembles some of the old “Conservative Democrats” here in the South. The Liberals may have taken over our party, but we have our man. Imagine how I felt when I logged on to the “Cross and Crescent” and discovered he is my BROTHER!
Mike Oghia Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:38 pmRon Paul 2008, and to quote from another fellow brother, “And that’s the rest of the story…”
ZAX
Mike Oghia, H. Rho
ZS 1002
Zeta-Sigma Zeta
Louisville
Geoff Says:
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:47 pmGood article. As a Lambda Chi and a Libertarian, I am happy that Ron Paul has been having so much success in spreading his message of liberty. His chances of winning the presidency are better than most would think. But even if he doesn’t win the nomination, his message has already reached a large segment of the population that is learning about the blessings of more freedom and less government.
Derek Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:25 amTruly an excellent article, even back then he had a keen sense of responsibility. I can almost see him being the kitchen steward making sure the carrots are ordered and the milk reasonably priced, great depth and a very pleasant read. Thank you!
Todd M. Curro Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:51 amThank you to the Cross and Crescent for writing this article about Rep. Paul. As a Libertarian I have found Dr. Paul’s positions to be very much in line with my own. He has really come a long way in making himself a household name.
Since first discovering his campaign, I have felt that he is a man of conviction, who would make a great leader. Now I understand where that leadership and and his ideals come from, and I feel honored to be able to call Dr. Paul “Brother”.
Gary Gillespie/ Sigma Zeta Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:26 pmIn addition to supporting Dr. Paul’s political ideas and sharing a common bond as a fellow physician, I was delighted to discover he is also a member of our wonderful “band of brothers”. In deciding on a candidate in the crucial upcoming Republican Primary, please ask yourself which candidate will make an HONEST effort to reduce the size of government, thereby reducing the debt burden for future generations of Americans, while working tirelessly to preserve our personal freedoms, won at great cost by our Founding Fathers. His seemingly iconoclastic viewpoints are simply in line with those found in our Constitution, and thereby sometimes seem to contrast sharply with those of other candidates.
Cody Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:32 pmWishing Bro. Ron Paul the best of luck! He is a very honest, sincere, and thoughtful Brother. Ron Paul clearly embodies our ideals and obligations. As always, I will do my best to assist my brothers, an obligation which I took freely upon myself.
Jon Wood Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 pmi don’t even know where to begin… as of about 5 years ago, i started seeing how more and more of my beliefs contrasted with both of the platforms proclaimed by the majority parties… therefore, in disgust, i didn’t even vote in the first presidential election in which i was eligible to do so (2004)… i’d pretty much disavowed politics as pointless and full of money-grubbing fear-mongerers… that is until I read this article… i have now spent my ENTIRE saturday pouring over Ron Paul literature, watching debates on youtube, and finding myself genuinely enthusiastic about politics again… who knew?!… Ron Paul says what i think… it’s amazing…
Yours in ZAX,
Jon Wood EY1392
High Rho
Epsilon-Upsilon Zeta
University of Tulsa
Brian Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:28 pmTo: Michael Husband - “Ron Paul may be a brother and a nice guy but his obvious one sided view about the situation in Iraq, immigration reform, and trade with other countries leaves me questioning why he is even being considered a nomination for president.”
Are you kidding me? Ron Paul wants to secure the borders, promote trade and commerce with other nations, and stop the police action that’s going on right now in Iraq. How are these views “one-sided” when they’re overwhelmingly endorsed by the people? How can you be opposed to this?
“In my honest opinion Ron Paul is a Libertarian in Republicans clothing.”
Rudy Giuliani supports abortion on demand, gun control, homosexual rights, etc. Why is he in the Republican Party? Libertarianism is the heart and soul of conservatism. Personally, Paul is a social conservative. He’s been married for 50 years, and he’s pro-life. So smearing him with the Libertarian word to make him seem like a kook is pathetic.
Cliff Kummer Says:
November 5th, 2007 at 9:38 amGreat article on a candidate I was already supporting. The time to embrace this philosophy of proper governance has long past. We must act now to protect the Republic and our children’s future.
Cliff Kummer
Zeta Beta 450
Former military Officer
Senior Operations Research Analyst
Andy Says:
November 5th, 2007 at 3:20 pmWhy are there comments here from those who are not brothers? This is a cheap way for Ron Paul and his supporters to gain access to more votes. Ron Paul should be brought up on Treason charges for his remarks regarding the War on Terror. We need a President who will Protect Americans and not lead us to our doom. Ron needs to go back to being a OBGYN. Chris learn to spell WASHINGTON.
John O Says:
November 6th, 2007 at 1:10 amAndy,
Did you really just say that Rep. Ron Paul should be brought up on treason charges? Are you specifically saying that he should be charged with treason for saying that al Qaeda attacked us because of our presence in the Middle East (the “blowback” comment he made at the second Republican debate)? Here is a little piece of the 9/11 Commission Report: “How did Bin Ladin… win thousands of followers and some degree of approval from millions more? …[Bin Ladin] stresses grievances against the United States widely shared in the Muslim world. He inveighed against the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam’s holiest sites. He spoke of the suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of sanctions imposed after the Gulf War, and he protested U.S. support of Israel.” In other words, the 9/11 Commission says that Bin Ladin was able to recruit terrorists by pointing out U.S. policies in the Middle East. (If you don’t trust me about the text, it’s on pages 48-49 of the report. You can download it as a pdf at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911. The part I cut out was mostly talking about Bin Ladin’s use of allusion.) Should the members of the 9/11 Commission be charged with treason (a capital offense, if I remember correctly) as well?
As for random Ron Paul supporters posting on this message board, I agree it’s a little tacky, but you can’t blame our brother Rep. Paul for it. I have volunteered for his campaign, and I give you my word as a brother that nobody on the campaign staff goes around telling supporters to post comments on the C&C website. Of course, we wouldn’t have this problem if the C&C were still a print magazine.
Yours in ZAX,
John Ohanesian, Delta-Psi 72
P.S. I hope I didn’t come across too harsh. I personally don’t care if you dislike Rep. Paul’s views, I just don’t think we should be calling for the hanging of one of our brothers.
Broadway Says:
November 7th, 2007 at 12:02 pmI don’t consider myself to belong to any specific political party, and usualy i am not a supporter of Republicans, but I think Ron is (as already pointed out by his voting records) the most honest politician I have ever studied and He will get my vote and hopefuly everyone else will read into him more and support him as well.
Iota Theta Zeta 1214
James R. McDaniel Says:
November 7th, 2007 at 9:06 pmDear Brothers,
Ron Paul cured my apathy for politics. Please donate what you can at https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate/
Ron Paul is Hope for America!
For Liberty,
James R. McDaniel
West Liberty St. College
Dennis B Says:
November 25th, 2007 at 10:20 amThe guy just isn’t Chopper material….should’ve been a Teke or a Sig Ep or something.
Scott Theisen Says:
November 29th, 2007 at 4:05 pmDennis B, sounds as if you are not the Chopper material you should be.
Honesty, Integrity, Sacrifice, bravely suffering Humility, and dedication to his Christian principles and national Constitution. If that’s not a Lambda Chi, I don’t know what is.
Scott Theisen Says:
November 29th, 2007 at 4:06 pmMeant to put my bond number…
Iota-Chi 562
Shawn Allan Says:
November 30th, 2007 at 10:19 pmAnother great article for the C&C. Like John Ohanesian, I wish that we could see it print. Ron Paul is something else. I don’t agree with several of his views (such as Iraq), yet I can’t help but respect the guy. I wouldn’t even mind seeing him President. It’s great to be able to make the LCA connection with someone so high profile. I’m glad to see that this article has generated so much (mostly intelligent) response. It’s good to see that the online C&C is drawing readers with great stories like the old print version did.
Shawn Allan Says:
November 30th, 2007 at 10:20 pmbtw.. Alfred University, kappa-sigma zeta 1372 here.
James T. Holden Says:
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pmI’ve been intrigued by Dr. Paul since I first learned of his candidacy on Bill Maher’s HBO show. I was very intrigued to learn that he was a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha, but that alone won’t get my support. I disagree with many of the things he says, and the positions that he supports.
What I do respect and admire, however, is his willingness to call out some of the many problems in this country and in our current administration that his fellow politicians choose to either ignore or gloss over. In all walks of life, it is much harder to do the right thing, which is (at least in my mind) one of the central messages of our ritual and our open motto, Kalepa Ta Kala.
Brother Ron won’t get my vote, but he will always have my respect and admiration for not going along with the political herd.
ΛΧΑ_PhiBeta Says:
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:30 pmWhy since Ron Paul has been in US Politics since the 70’s has he never been recognized as a brother until now when he is running for President? He is not listed on the International Website under famous potical brothers, or have I seen him in any of the past Paedagogus editions. Just curious about it.
R. J. LaFollette Says:
April 4th, 2008 at 11:05 pmRon Paul may not be winner of the Republican Primary, but this won’t stop me from voting for him again in November. Wake up America! Take a good look at the choices we have before us. Why do I see Ron Paul signs, in my travels all over Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Tennessee! I have only seen 1 sign for any other candidate! The Electoral vote does not (unfortunately) reflect this. My Congressman described him as a “Strict Constitutionalist.” Why do the “Elitists” demean Ron’s Common-Sense approach? I know; and so do you. R.J. LaFollette, Iota Omicron 492, East Tennessee State University 86′