What is it about Ron Paul that inspires such extremes? Such maddening support on the one hand, and such fear and loathing on the other? I can give the answer in one word: Soul.

The essential soul of a human being is by definition free. The idea that men are free as determined by God is a concept that is foreign to most men. This is because most men want to control others, to take away their freedom. This is usually referred to as the drive for power. The drive for power is antithetical to freedom because power means the ability to control others. There is only one legitimate thing that power can and should be used for, whether it be military, legislative, or executive power. That is, to legalize freedom.

Ron Paul doesn’t want to be President to “give” me freedom. He doesn’t own my freedom and he didn’t give it to me. The only reason Ron Paul wants to be President is to stop punishing people for using their freedom that is rightfully theirs. He wants no power. This is clear to anyone who listens to him speak.

Read it all.

On the front page of today’s Morning Call was an article on the mosque to be located near Ground Zero in NYC.  Below is a video statement and transcript of those remarks.  My comments were misinterpreted slightly, and I absolutely do not speak for all Muslims – just myself – but the fact remains the reporter just wasn’t able to fit in my full thoughts on the matter, so the below is mainly to elaborate.

In New York, several blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center, an Islamic center and mosque is being considered. As a federal representative, it is my duty to defend the Constitution and the natural right to religious freedom as protected by the First Amendment. This freedom has its roots in how America was first settled by European religious outcasts.  (Photo courtesy Rosino)

Therefore my stance is that if built on private property and approved by the local authorities, the citizens building the center are perfectly free to do so. I am sure the builders realize the impact of their actions, and the careful, sensitive path they will realistically need to tread if they choose to continue.

However, due to some minor misinterpretations of my position in the front page article in today’s Morning Call, I would like to elaborate:

9/11 remains a great scar on America’s soul. However, the fact remains that the threat of suicide terrorism is enhanced – NOT lessened – by the conventional armies stationed abroad in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Suicide terrorism is not caused by religious “fundamentalism.” Instead, suicide terrorist groups have a secular and strategic goal in mind – to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland. Period. Religion is NOT the root cause, and is mainly employed as a tool for recruitment and highlighting differences with the “invaders” from the native community. (I highly recommend reading Dr. Robert Pape’s “Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism” as academia’s best scientific study of suicide terrorism, see the video below.)

Again, Islamic fundamentalism was not the root cause of 9/11 or even suicide terrorism in general. This myth is just as nonsensical as blaming the religion and morals I was raised under, Catholicism, as the root cause of IRA (Irish Republican Army) car bombings in Northern Ireland. Even if the mainstream media has permitted this prejudice to pervade the public consciousness, this logic is nonsense.

For instance, Hezbollah’s first (and highly successful from their point of view) suicide terrorism campaign resulted in 241 Marine fatalities. This led to the rapid and complete withdraw of US Marines and French military forces from Lebanon in 1983. However, only 8 of the 38 identified Hezbollah suicide terrorists practiced Islam. The others either practiced Christianity or were secular.  (Source: Pape’s book)

Specifically, Osama Bin Laden and his ilk follow Salafism which is a perversion of Islam. Al-Qaeda perverts the concept of jihad into a “holy war” that rationalizes the murder of innocent civilians. It is my understanding that those of the Shia and Sunni Islamic faiths in the United States peacefully believe in “jihad” as literally a “struggle” to maintain faith and piety in a greater sense, and in the right to personal self-defense when attacked in a lesser sense.

Of course, while speaking of the murder of innocent civilians, Americans must refuse the role of naive bystanders. We must realize hundreds of thousands of innocents have been killed in Iraq, and tens of thousands in Afghanistan. A huge percentage of these violent deaths were caused by our military. We must realize that the deaths of 5,642 American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan in unconstitutional, preemptive wars of aggression IN NO WAY compensates for the deaths of those that died on 9/11.  Only the capture and trial of those responsible for 9/11 can in some way compensate for this tragedy.

The only effective and proper solution to defeat suicide terrorists is to capture the current generation and prevent the next generation from being created from collateral damage and blowback. Capture of the current generation will best be attained by small special ops forces acting under constitutional letters of marque and reprisal as explained here. Raising the reward for the capture of 9/11 criminals is also necessary, but also note that the American military believes there is less than 100 Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

American soldiers are dying NOW in far-flung deserts and mountains EVERY DAY. These brave men and women have written a check for up to and including their lives to defend their country. These checks are being cashed out into coffins in what I believe to be a negligent and fruitless manner.

If we aspire to be a just nation ruled by laws we must resolve to never ask our military men and women to engage in unconstitutional warfare and nation-building missions.

I do not wish to see the day when not only essential civil liberties are revoked by the PATRIOT Act – as they are today, not only when more than 1 in 8 Americans are living on food stamps – as they are today, and not only when employment is crushed by the economic suppression of the federal government – as it is today, but religious freedom is also lost.

I saw firsthand the evils the lack of liberty brings when I lived abroad in communist China, and I’ll be damned if I do nothing to stop these very same evils in my home country.

We must stop the endless debt and the endless wars.  Yours in liberty,
Jake Towne

Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito. “Never give in to evil but proceed ever more boldly against it.”

The campaign’s stances on Veterans, the Iraq War, and the Afghanistan War in detail can be accessed from this page.

A video of Dr. Robert Pape talking about his research on the logic of suicide terrorism.

From the founding of this nation’s government, we have lived in a society where “all men are created equal,” but are not treated that way. In fact, at some point in America’s short history, you can probably find an example where your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion has received the short end of the state’s disregard for one of the basic rights that they claim to protect. Such discrimination has also occurred in nearly every administration, across party lines, in good economic times and bad, in times of war and of peace. A common thread can be seen in each case: the discrimination has been driven by political motives and the expansion of state power.

For starters, despite the language in the Declaration of Independence, slaves of African descent were not considered equals when it came time to ratify the Constitution. Although some of the Founders were opposed to slavery (such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin), the institution was nonetheless implemented and was kept in tact – largely for economic reasons – until after the Civil War. Even when Abraham Lincoln took office, the only major push to end slavery – the Emancipation Proclamation – was made for political reasons by Lincoln, who wished to create a slave uprising in the Confederate states.

Throughout the first half of the 20^th century, racial segregation continued to oppress African-Americans, mostly for the political benefit of those in power (affluent white males). Starting in the 1910s and 20s, the federal government embarked on a national housing segregation program which denied housing loans to those living in “areas in decline” (majority black neighborhoods), since it was believed that the presence of blacks in a white neighborhood would bring down property values. Historically black neighborhoods were destroyed to make way for elevated highways which connected white neighborhoods. Politicians, eager to gain the votes of those white voters in the majority opinion, happily violated the rights of the minority race, both to gain re-election and to expand government power in housing and transportation.

As previously stated, however, government discrimination is not confined only to African-Americans. The well-documented case of Japanese-American internment camps during World War II provides a striking example of the government’s willingness to disregard the rights of its citizens. (Is anyone shocked that neoconservatives such as Michelle Malkin have continued to support such practices?) The forced removal of Native Americans in the 1830s to make room for (voting) white citizens is yet another example. The federal government’s use of the Marshall Islands to test nuclear weapons, which had long-term effects on the residents there, made disposable use of the citizens of a U.S. Territory. In the original colonization of Hawaii, the native Asians and Pacific Islanders were not permitted to vote within several years of American troops landing on the shores.

Nor is legal discrimination an issue that is contained within the realm of racism. In an effort to promote national unity and a sense of loyal patriotism, the Supreme Court held that Jehovah’s Witnesses (or any others who might dissent) were required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. In an 8-1 opinion, Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote a majority opinion which evoked thought control and national security as a basis for upholding the school district’s decision. Frankfurter wrote that the flag could be a part of legislative initiatives designed “to promote in the minds of children who attend the common schools an attachment to the institutions of their country,” and that “national unity is the basis of national security.” These same rhetorical arguments have since been used to condemn anti-war activists as unpatriotic.

In the three years that ensued, Jehovah’s Witnesses were persecuted zealously across the country, with Kingdom Halls being burned and Witnesses being jailed, brutally beaten, and run out of town. The Court reversed their opinion in 1943, but the damage had been done, and the implications for religious freedom and right to disobey government propaganda was firmly established.

Although many in America believe that the civil rights era of the 1960s and 70s has largely ended discrimination, the fact is that the government has been one of the most ardent supporters of favor-granting on the basis of characteristics which are out of the individual’s control. Lyndon B. Johnson rightly admitted that the concept of affirmative action is inherently a socialist point: “We seek not just legal equity but human ability, not just equality as a right and a theory but equality as a fact and equality as a result.” The government has continued to use “civil rights” as a pseudonym for “equality of result” in nearly every major federal program it has implemented in the past 50 years.

In the housing market, the Community Reinvestment Act promoted lending to minorities, even when the individuals in question were not qualified to take out loans. One result – a housing bubble and financial crisis – was met, predictably, with greater government control over the financial and housing markets, and resulted in the loss of property and employment for many Americans of all backgrounds.

On the other side of the coin, the “War on Drugs” continues to disproportionately affect minority groups: although about 15% of drug users are African-American, nearly three-quarters of those convicted on drug-related charges are black. In combination with the FDA, the drug industry in America is far from a free market: large pharmaceutical companies continue to benefit from the lack of competition in the industry, and continue to lobby Congress for more of the same at the expense of minorities.

The same government that espouses discriminatory policy in the name of “civil rights” continues to violate natural rights, and continues to keep the discussion of race, religion, and other collectives in the contemporary political discourse. As long as the government takes these qualities into account, so too will its citizens. Of course, this government has tremendous incentives to maintain the status quo as it pertains to discrimination: it flies in the face of, and destroys, the protections that keep us free as individuals.

The bottom line is clear: The state will commit acts of violence and oppression upon any individual or group, so long as it supports their cause, and provided those in power believe there are no repercussions. So much for “all men are created equal”; under our government, the only equality that exists is an equal probability to be robbed, denied opportunity, or enslaved.

He talked about his bill calling for more Federal Reserve transparency. He claims it is getting bipartisan support in the Congress. That would be a great first step. He also spoke about abortion, foreign policy, and individual vs. groups with respect to liberty.

There were a few lines that I loved. It reminded me of the many rallies during his campaign in 2007 and and early 2008.

Watch the entire speech below.

Below you will discover the Liberty Maven rankings for BJ Lawson on the Paul-O-Meter, where candidates and current lawmakers can be rated on how closely they are in line with Dr. Ron Paul on the issues. To learn about the Paul-O-Meter methodology please see this article. You may also assign your own rankings or request a candidate be added to the system.

Continue reading to see if BJ Lawson truly deserves the moniker “Ron Paul Jr.”

1. Liberty-based Voting Record – Lawson does not have a voting record; therefore per guidelines the score is a 3. Score: 3
2. The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – Lawson supports instituting competing currencies, and badmouths the Federal Reserve any chance he gets. He doesn’t advocate abolishing it, like Ron Paul, but does advocate more transparency and accountability. Score: 4
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – Lawson is a non-interventionist and advocates a safe and immediate withdrawal from Iraq.  Score: 5
4. Taxes – Supports efforts to transition to a point when income taxes are unnecessary. Supports some flavor of consumption tax, but has concerns about the Fair Tax. Score: 4
5. Government Spending – Lawson supports a balanced budget amendment and ending deficit spending. Score: 5
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – Lawson says “no thanks” to the Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act, Real ID, and FISA just like Ron Paul. Score: 5
7. Immigration – Lawson is against amnesty for illegal aliens and points out that we need to end the welfare/economic incentives that encourage illegal immigration. Score: 5
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – Lawson is very close to Ron Paul here. He supports the 2nd Amendment and concealed carry laws, but is not completely explicit on ancillary gun control issues like trigger locks, background checks, and waiting periods. Score: 4
9. Internet Regulation – Lawson does not support federally regulating Internet gambling. Lawson has stated that he supports Net Neutrality which is not something Ron Paul supports because he views it as more regulation. Score: 2
10. Adherence To The Constitution – Lawson calls the Constitution the “rule book” for our country. Score: 5
11. Religion vs. Public Policy – Lawson rarely, if ever, invokes religion in his rhetoric and policy positions. Score: 5
12. Environment – Lawson advocates utilizing the court system and property rights as a defense for the environment just like Ron Paul. However, he also favors a Carbon tax which Ron Paul does not support. Score: 4
13. Energy Policy – Lawson supports drilling wherever necessary and also recognizes that it isn’t the only solution. He does not speak out against Nuclear power and suggests we use all means to obtain more energy. Score: 5
14. U.S. Sovereignty – Lawson does not seem to ever mention the NAU, but does mention protecting U.S. sovereignty. That is not good enough to score points though due to the stringent guidelines for this item. UPDATE: We received word from the Lawson campaign that he is 100% opposed to the NAU, therefore we update his score. Score:5
15. War On Drugs – Lawson advocates ending the war on drugs, leaving drug regulation to the states, and pardoning non-violent drug offenders just like Paul. Score: 5
16. Education – Lawson advocates getting rid of the Department of Education and advocates more choice and home schooling. Score: 5
17. Welfare Programs – Lawson advocates gracefully reducing welfare programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He also advocates ending corporate welfare. Score: 5
18. Abortion – Lawson is pro-life and will leave the decision of legalizing or prohibiting abortion to the states per the Constitution. Score: 5
19. Health Care – Lawson is a Ron Paul twin on health care. He is against any nationalized plan and advocates free market approaches and returning medical decisions back to doctors and patients rather than health insurance companies. Score: 5
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message – Lawson hands out pocket Constitutions during his campaign events. He is a very visible candidate campaigning throughout his district in North Carolina. There is no questioning his dedication to the liberty message. Score: 5

William “BJ” Lawson’s final Paul-O-Meter Score: 91 out of 99 possible points.

It is hardly surprising that Lawson achieved such a high score. It is certainly safe to say that BJ Lawson can be honestly called “Ron Paul Jr.”. There were a handful of issues where Lawson could score higher, but the information was either not out there or was too difficult to find. NOTE: We have updated Lawson’s score by +5 (giving him a 91 instead of an 86) because his campaign has informed us that he is 100% against the NAU.

Lawson is a Ron Paul supporter’s best bet to get a liberty-loving Constitutionalist into Congress. We should all pretend we live within Lawson’s district and do everything in our power to help get him elected.

If you disagree with our ratings or would like to rate other candidates and lawmakers feel free to do so on the Paul-O-Meter site. All current representatives (both Senate and House) are in the system, as well as many user-submitted candidates running for office throughout America. Each candidate now also has their very own Paul-O-Meter rating page that can be linked to from all around the web.

10:48- Bob Barr: [Responding to, "Final question: You had a very public falling out with Ron Paul. What went wrong? And what would you say to Paul supporters?"] They ought to be disappointed in Ron Paul. Endorsing a theocratic candidate makes little sense whatsoever. What we’re trying to do is what we hoped Ron Paul would have done, which is to provide true focused leadership.

As hard it is for me to admit, I think Bob Barr is right here to a certain extent. I think there were many who were disappointed in Ron Paul. Of course there were also many who were disappointed in Bob Barr as well. As I’ve written before, I am disappointed in both.

While I don’t believe Baldwin wants a theocracy as Barr accuses, Baldwin’s historical statements on policy backed by religion worry me greatly. So it matters little to me that Ron Paul is endorsing Chuck Baldwin now. I will not vote for him.

Bob Barr’s type of “true focused leadership” is likely different than Ron Paul’s type of leadership. Paul is focusing on education and activism. Barr is all about furthering his own standing in the election and propping up the Libertarian Party as legitimate.

Now after the Barr snub, Paul chooses to endorse Baldwin, more or less. This comes off as a bit like a couple of stubborn kids arguing over toys when what we lovers of liberty need is a bit of unity. Unity is no longer in the cards when it comes to voting for liberty this year.

I’m disappointed in both Barr and Paul, but the real travesty is the wasted potential for spreading the freedom message to the masses. Paul blew it when he originally chose to help his own party’s nominee by endorsing no individual candidate. Barr blew it by over-reacting to Paul’s decision.

They are equally culpable, but because Barr will be the one on the ballot in my state he will get my vote and Ron Paul will get my support for his educational and activist efforts.

If they won’t show unity themselves, I will bridge their differences with my own advocacy.

Sarah Palin In The Land Of McCain's Oz

It is now time to rate the vice presidential candidates on the Paul-O-Meter. We start with John McCain’s VP pick Sarah Palin. The perfect strategic pick for McCain, Palin has little history. She’s been Governor of Alaska for less than two years, but now that McCain’s handlers are pulling Palin’s puppet strings it is difficult to see a difference between the two.

Here we examine Palin on 20 issues to see how she stacks up to Ron Paul. Hopefully this will help some see the lips through the lipstick.

If you’d like to see more ratings or rate Palin or any other candidate or lawmaker head on over to Paul-O-Meter.com and explore the possibilities.

If you want to delve into the question of whether Palin truly is similar to Ron Paul read onward.

1. Liberty-based Voting Record – Palin is a bit wishy washy on her liberty voting record. She supported the infamous “Bridge To Nowhere” first and then changed her position when it became the popular thing to do. She does to a certain extent try to follow the Constitution, for instance she refused to sign a bill from the Alaskan state legislature stating that the Real ID will not be funded in Alaska. She let the signing period expire which ended up making the law pass. So she didn’t exactly stand up for liberty in that case. Score: 3
2. The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – Palin hasn’t mentioned this issue thus far. She seems to be taking the same position as McCain so it is hard to tell where she stands on the issue. In any case, she is certainly not like Ron Paul who calls for abolishing the Fed and legalizing competing currencies. Score: 0
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – Palin has stated several times her support of going into Iraq before even being chosen as VP. She now has adopted John McCain’s foreign policy of intervention, the polar opposite of Ron Paul. Score: 0
4. Taxes – She supported lowering taxes in Alaska, but did raise the sales tax. As VP she’s taken John McCain’s promise to lower taxes on businesses to promote job growth. This is tinkering from a Ron Paul perspective. She does not support repealing the 16th amendment nor a consumption tax. Score: 1
5. Government Spending – She was a champion of curbing spending in Alaska and is continuing the same lines as VP. She hasn’t mentioned reducing the national debt, but has echoed John McCain on earmark reform. Score: 2
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – Palin is not quite a friend to Privacy and Civil Liberties. She created “FBI Day” in Alaska to “support fighting global crime”. No word from her on FISA or the Patriot Act. Similar to Ron Paul, she has stated that she doesn’t support hate crime. Because she allowed Alaska to vote to not fund the Real ID she deserves at least a point or two. Score: 2
7. Immigration – It’s very difficult to find Palin’s stance on immigration. According to Laura Ingraham though who talked with Palin, she disagrees with McCain on “comprehensive immigration reform” which supports amnesty. If true, she is more like Ron Paul on illegal immigration than John McCain. Score: 3
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – She is a large advocate of the Second amendment and supporting the repeal of the DC gun ban. Score: 5
9. Internet Regulation – Palin hasn’t stated anything publicly about internet regulation specifically. There is conjecture that she may support Net Neutrality based on other legislative actions, but that is unreliable. She has promised to not expand “gambling” in Alaska saying it is harmful to society so it is certainly probably she would be for UIGEA which virtually bans online gambling. Given the lack of information we must guess at the score. Score: 2
10. Adherence To The Constitution – She has voted against her own personal views in Alaska because the bill was unconstitutional. At least with respect to Alaska and her view on gun rights she seems to be a Constitutionalist. Her statements on privacy and civil liberties, though, call into question her stance on the Fourth Amendment. Score: 3
11. Religion vs. Public Policy – Palin publicly declared that U.S. involvement in the Iraq war was the “will of God”. She also has injected religion into her speeches and statements quite regularly. This is quite opposite to Ron Paul. Score: 0
12. Environment – She has spoken out against John McCain’s “cap and trade” proposal. She has voted against endangered species legislation in Alaska. She seems to be closer to Ron Paul on this issue than John McCain. Score: 4
13. Energy Policy – She is a strong advocate for drilling in ANWR and off the U.S. coastlines. She seems to be right in line with Ron Paul here. Score: 5
14. U.S. Sovereignty – Palin doesn’t seem to have ever mentioned the NAU nor the threat to U.S. Sovereignty. Score: 0
15. War On Drugs – Palin is a drug warrior like McCain. She doesn’t support legalizing medical marijuana. Score: 0
16. Education – She doesn’t support abolishing the Department of Education, but she does support school choice and home schooling. Score: 3
17. Welfare Programs – Palin supports Social Security reform, but is quite short on specifics. It seems she refuses to give a straight answer on this topic. Score: 0
18. Abortion – She is a mirror of Ron Paul on the abortion issue. Score: 5
19. Health Care – She seems to echo Ron Paul on health care. She supports competition and putting decisions back in the hands of doctors, not bureaucrats. Score: 5
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message – Palin doesn’t have a liberty message on most topics, revealing that her being a “libertarian” is a complete misnomer. Therefore she doesn’t deserve much of a score here. Score: 1

Sarah Palin’s final Paul-O-Meter Score: 44 out of 99 points.

Those that call Palin “libertarian leaning” are simply mischaracterizing her positions. She’s no libertarian, leaning or otherwise. She is a low fat neo-conservative. She always supported the Iraq War. She is a drug warrior. Obama’s much criticized statement that John McCain in choosing Palin was trying to put “lipstick on a pig” therefore has another meaning. McCain is trying to put “libertarianism” on a “neo-conservative”.

Hopefully, the mindless masses will see what’s behind McCain’s curtain before the end of the movie.

You can get in the action too by rating the candidates using our Paul-O-Meter polling application here.

Listed below is our own ratings for Cynthia McKinney.

1. Liberty-based Voting Record – McKinney has voted in a Ron Paul “way” on three issues: foreign policy, the drug war, and free trade. On almost every other issue she borders on complete socialism. Score: 1
2. The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – McKinney would like to “nationalize” the Federal Reserve and “taking the economic middleman out of coinage and currency”. This is the opposite of the free market ideas Ron Paul espouses. Score: 0
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – McKinney may be more like Ron Paul on this issue than any other candidate. She wants to get our troops out of Iraq, switch to a non-interventionist foreign policy, and remove our troops from bases overseas. Score: 5
4. Taxes – McKinney is very much in favor of a progressive tax system. She would institute new taxes across the board. This is the opposite of the Ron Paul approach. Score: 0
5. Government Spending – McKinney is for dramatically expanding the role of government with numerous new programs to “take care of us.” Again, this is the opposite of the Ron Paul approach. Score: 0
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – McKinney is pretty close to Ron Paul here but in some cases like same sex marriage she doesn’t support leaving it to the states. She prefers federally recognized marriage. Score: 4
7. Immigration – She supports amnesty and voted against the border fence. Score: 1
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – McKinney supports all possible and potential gun control laws. This is the opposite of Ron Paul. Score: 0
9. Internet Regulation – McKinney supports Net Neutrality and regulating the Internet. Score: 0
10. Adherence To The Constitution – With all of the new federal programs, taxes, and departments McKinney is pretty far from adhering to the Constitution. Score: 0
11. Religion vs. Public Policy – McKinney is catholic, but never seems to mention it within her rhetoric. She successfully divorces her religion and policy. Score: 5
12. Environment – McKinney is the opposite of Ron Paul here. She supports new government programs to help with global warming and other environment problems. Score: 0
13. Energy Policy – McKinney doesn’t support drilling off of our coasts. She has said, “Leave the oil in the soil.” She wants to regulate energy prices. She is against nuclear energy. This is decidedly not like Ron Paul. Score: 0
14. U.S. Sovereignty – We could not find any statement from McKinney on the NAU or U.S. Sovereignty. Score: 0
15. War On Drugs – McKinney is mostly like Ron Paul here. She wants to end the war on drugs and free non-violent drug offenders, but she doesn’t support just leaving drug enforcement to the states. Score: 4
16. Education – McKinney fully supports the Dept. of Education and federally funding education programs unlike Dr. Paul. Score: 0
17. Welfare Programs – McKinney advocates for increasing many of the federal welfare programs instead of ending them like Ron Paul. Score: 0
18. Abortion – McKinney is pro-choice and is completely the opposite of Ron Paul here. Score: 0
19. Health Care – McKinney supports nationalized health care. Score: 0
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message – McKinney doesn’t have a liberty message like that of Ron Paul and furthermore she doesn’t get much media attention at all. Score: 0

Cynthia McKinney’s final Paul-O-Meter score: 20 out of a possible 99 points.

McKinney finished about where we expected. What we found most interesting is how extreme she is on certain issues, almost like she is Barack Obama’s own liberal conscience. Yet she is very much in line with Ron Paul on foreign policy and free trade, and maybe drug policy, but little else.

That concludes our Presidential candidate ratings. Stay tuned for an upcoming article with our own summation of the results of both our own ratings and of your ratings submitted via the Paul-O-Meter web polling application.

You can join in the rating fun by using our web based Paul-O-Meter application here. Feel free to check it out and submit your own ratings for all the Presidential candidates.

Find our own ratings for Ralph Nader below.

1. Liberty-based Voting Record – Nader doesn’t have a voting record so per the guidelines he gets a 3. Score: 3
2. The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – Nader wants to reform the Federal Reserve to become more transparent, but he doesn’t support competing currencies nor the gold standard. Score: 2
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – Nader is quite close to Ron Paul here. He advocates a swift withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and regularly speaks out against a preemptive war strategy. He also advocates for closing military bases overseas. Score: 5
4. Taxes – Nader loves taxes it seems. He advocates for a progressive tax and would like to add a bunch of new taxes to our existing ones. This is nothing like Ron Paul’s anti-tax position. Score: 0
5. Government Spending – Nader is quite opposite from Ron Paul on government spending. He wants to create many new government programs and increase spending domestically. He does however agree with Ron Paul on one thing: Reducing the military budget in many areas, especially overseas. Score: 1
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – Nader is against Real ID, the Patriot Act, and FISA. He is not for leaving same sex marriage to the states though. Score: 4
7. Immigration – Nader has stated support for specific provisions that could be termed amnesty. He also has said that immigrants do not come here for welfare, which is the opposite of Ron Paul. They do agree on one point though: The border fence is a bad idea. Score: 1
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – Nader supports the Brady Bill, trigger locks, banning certain weapons, and the strict enforcement of existing gun laws. You can’t get more unlike Ron Paul than that. Score: 0
9. Internet Regulation – Nader has called for instituting a UN like organization for regulating the Internet in an effort to “protect” consumers. Ron Paul’s position could not be further away. Score: 0
10. Adherence To The Constitution – Nader’s new programs rarely meet the Constitutional test. Score: 0
11. Religion vs. Public Policy – Nader rarely if ever mixes religion with his rhetoric and policies. Score: 5
12. Environment – Nader and Paul are on opposing sides on this issue. Nader believes the Kyoto treaty doesn’t go far enough. He supports higher taxes for environmental abusers rather than letting the free market and court system weed polluters out. Score: 0
13. Energy Policy – Nader is against more drilling of our own natural resources. He is also against building more nuclear power plants. Score: 0
14. U.S. Sovereignty – We could find nothing suggesting Nader is against the North American Union nor if he ever even mentioned it. Score: 0
15. War On Drugs – Nader is almost exactly like Ron Paul here. He supports ending the war on drugs, freeing non-violent drug offenders from prison, and decriminalizing marijuana. Unfortunately, he also advocates for new federal programs for prevention so we can only give him a 4. Score: 4
16. Education – Nader supports more federal intervention in education, not less like Ron Paul. Score: 0
17. Welfare Programs – Nader is the opposite of Ron Paul on federal welfare programs. Score: 0
18. Abortion – Nader is pro-choice, unlike Dr. Paul. He is also expressly against leaving abortion to the states. Score: 0
19. Health Care – Nader advocates for a socialized national health care system. Score: 0
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message – Nader does not have a proper liberty message equal to Ron Paul, but he does almost own one on a few select issues. He also tends to get an decent share of media attention when compared to the other third party/independent candidates. Score: 1

Ralph Naders final Paul-O-Meter score: 26 out of a possible 99 points

The final rating surprised one of our raters because the score was higher than John McCain’s score of 25. Another one of us thought Nader’s score would be up in the 30′s. As it turns out Ralph Nader is quite supportive of many new government programs and is about as anti-business as they come. In our opinion his policies would be horrible for the one issue that is shaping up to be the most important of this election: the economy. Ralph Nader is no Ron Paul, that is for sure.

Tune in next time when we rate our final Presidential candidate, Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney. We can barely contain our excitement.

It is now Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin’s turn to be spun through the Paul-O-Meter. So far we have rated Barack Obama, John McCain, and Bob Barr. Will Chuck Baldwin beat Bob Barr’s current high score of 88? Read on to find out.

For a detailed description of the Paul-O-Meter look here.

NEW: If you’d like to rate the candidates on the Paul-O-Meter please do so on our Paul-O-Meter user rating application here.

Continue reading to see our ratings for Chuck Baldwin.

1. Liberty-based Voting Record – Baldwin does not have a voting record so by default he gets a 3. Score: 3
2. The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – Baldwin wants to abolish the Federal Reserve and has advocated for a return to the gold standard. Baldwin’s Communications Director states that Chuck supports competing currencies. Score has been modified to a 5 (see comments for details). Score:5
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – Baldwin calls for an immediate return from Iraq and switching to a non-interventionist foreign policy just like Ron Paul. Baldwin’s Communications Director states that Baldwin has advocated for bringing our troops home from military bases stationed overseas. Score has been modified to a 5 (see comments for details). Score:5
4. Taxes – Baldwin is perfectly in line with Ron Paul on tax policy. He wants to repeal the 16th amendment and replace it with nothing. No flat tax and no consumption tax. Score: 5
5. Government Spending – Baldwin is exactly like Ron Paul on government spending. He mentions specific departments he would abolish and continually advocates returning our government to its Constitutionally limited size. Score: 5
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – Baldwin is identical to Ron Paul here. He is against FISA, Real ID, and the Patriot Act. He would leave the definition of marriage to the states. Score: 5
7. Immigration – Baldwin mimics Ron Paul on this issue. He speaks about removing incentives and lashes out against amnesty. He allows for the possibility of a border fence, but isn’t that keen on the idea. Score: 5
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – Baldwin echoes Ron Paul here as well just about perfectly. Score: 5
9. Internet Regulation – He is against Net Neutrality and has said he opposes federal regulation of the Internet. However, he was given an ‘F’ by the Poker Player’s Alliance for his stance on online gambling and he was not forthright with his answer in a recent interview about regulating online gambling. Score: 4
10. Adherence To The Constitution – Baldwin speaks regularly of restoring the Constitution and obeying the rule of law. Score: 5
11. Religion vs. Public Policy – Being a member of the Constitution Party it is difficult for Baldwin to score high here. Baldwin being a pastor also doesn’t help. In most of his writings and speeches he mentions religion or relates policy to it. This is unlike Ron Paul. Ron Paul rarely mentions religion on the campaign trail. Score: 1
12. Environment – Baldwin is directly in line with Dr. Paul here. He believes global warming is a cyclical act of nature and he advocates using property rights and the court system to handle environment disputes. Score: 5
13. Energy Policy – Baldwin advocates for drilling in ANWR and off our coastlines. He advocates building more Nuclear Power plants. Score: 5
14. U.S. Sovereignty – Baldwin regularly speaks out against the North American Union and advocates for strong U.S. Sovereignty. Score: 5
15. War On Drugs – Baldwin says we need to “rethink” the war on drugs, but he hasn’t advocated ending it. Instead he suggests sealing the border as the solution to our perceived drug problems. He hasn’t advocated freeing all non-violent drug offenders either. These are not in line with Ron Paul. He has however, suggested that medicinal marijuana use be best regulated by the states. Score: 3
16. Education – Baldwin is perfectly in line with Ron Paul here. He advocates abolishing the Department of Education and advocates for school choice and home schooling. Score: 5
17. Welfare Programs – Baldwin advocates for phasing out of Social Security just like Ron Paul. Score: 5
18. Abortion – Baldwin is a twin of Ron Paul on this issue. Even though he is personally pro-life he would support Ron Paul’s “Sanctity Of LIfe” act which would overturn Roe vs. Wade and leave all abortion regulation to the states. Score: 5
19. Health Care – Baldwin is exactly like Ron Paul here. Wants to leave medical decisions to doctor’s and patients. He does not support any kind of government run national health care system. He wants to restore free market competition to health care. Score: 5
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message – Baldwin certainly has a liberty message; however, his ability to spread it by getting coverage on main stream media outlets is severely lacking. Score: 2

Chuck Baldwin’s final Paul-O-Meter Score: 88 out of 99 possible points

It was extremely difficult to find Baldwin’s positions on some of the issues. His new web site doesn’t have an “issues” page and many of his columns do not outline his positions in detail. We were surprised to learn he has not come out as a strong advocate for ending the “war on drugs” like Ron Paul has done. We could have easily given him a 2 on that issue. He has criticized the drug war so that earned him some points there. Likewise, we could have given him a ’0′ or a ’1′ on his ability to spread the liberty message, but he has such a strong message that earned him some points there.

If our readers can point us to direct quotes that refute some of the things we were able to find through our research we will happily adjust the score accordingly. For instance, with monetary policy we could find nothing about Baldwin advocating for competing currencies like Ron Paul. Also, on the foreign policy issue we could not find any direct quotes from Baldwin on removing our troops from our bases stationed overseas. (NOTE: Baldwin’s Communication Director responds to these questions in the comments. We have adjusted his score accordingly.)

Stay tuned for next time when we measure stalwart independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

Read on for John McCain’s scores on the issues.

1. Liberty-based voting record – McCain certainly has some horribly anti-liberty votes, but he’s been “ok” on both gun rights and health care. Certainly not perfect but the case can be made that he’s fairly similar to Ron Paul on those issues. Score: 1
2. Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – McCain’s view of the Fed is at complete odds with Ron Paul’s view. McCain has praised the Fed for it’s rate cuts and suggests the institution is doing a good job regulating the “markets”. Score: 0
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – John McCain’s now infamous ’100 years’ comment says all we need to know about this issue. Score: 0
4. Taxes – McCain proposes more “tinkering” tax proposals than the outright repeal Ron Paul proposes. He doesn’t have a good record on lowering taxes. He voted against the Bush tax cuts twice even though he now says he is for making them permanent. Score: 2
5. Government Spending – McCain preaches for cutting “pork barrel spending” and earmarks continually, but he rarely gets specific about what departments and programs he would eliminate. He has said he would balance the budget and reform certain programs, but there is simply no details on how he would do such things. He purposefully stays away from cutting military and defense spending. Because of his lack of specifics it is difficult to believe he will actually reduce spending much, if at all. Score: 2
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – McCain supports FISA, fully supports the Patriot Act, and fully supports the Real ID Act. Even though during the primary campaign he spoke out against torture, he voted for allowing it to continue. His score here is painfully obvious. Score: 0
7. Immigration – McCain was a main proponent of the immigration bill that angered so many Americans in early 2007. It instituted a form of amnesty for illegal immigrants. That is completely at odds with Ron Paul. These days McCain has backtracked a little on his immigration position. He, at least, is calling for securing the borders like Ron Paul, but he does so in a very generic fashion. One wonders if he actually believes in doing so. Score: 1
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – Like Ron Paul, McCain supported repealing the DC gun ban and believes it is an individual’s right to bear arms. However, he has continually led efforts to undermine those rights by regulating gun shows, requiring trigger locks, and supporting extending Brady Bill restrictions to pawn shops and gun repair shops. He’s far from a pure Second Amendment proponent like Ron Paul. Score: 2
9. Internet Regulation – McCain is against Net Neutrality like Ron Paul. He also says he will ban Internet taxes permanently. He does not seem to much care to talk about online gambling. The Poker Player’s Alliance gave him a grade of ‘D’ on the issue. Score: 3
10. Adherence To The Constitution – McCain has an unconstitutional voting record. He rarely references the document in his speeches. He votes against the principles of the Constitution all the time. He voted for the Iraq war authorization, Patriot Act, and FISA. Score: 0
11. Religion vs. Public Policy – McCain actually shines on this one. In fact, on the campaign trail he sometimes changes his own religion on the fly, as has been documented. He rarely utilizes religious sentiments in his speeches. He effectively separates religion and policy like Ron Paul. However, he has sought relationships in the past with John Hagee and Jerry Falwell in efforts to garner support from the religious right. Score: 4
12. Environment – McCain is a huge proponent of more government regulation over environmental issues. He strongly supports implementing a “cap and trade” system. This runs completely counter to Ron Paul’s position. Score: 0
13. Energy Policy – McCain is against drilling in ANWR, and used to be against drilling off of the U.S. coastlines. He now supports drilling off the coastlines. Like Ron Paul he wants to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to reduce demand. He previously was an outspoken critic of ethanol subsidies, but during his primary campaign in Iowa he spoke favorably of them. Score: 2
14. U.S. Sovereignty – Like most candidates McCain doesn’t talk about the North American Union. Score: 0
15. War on Drugs – McCain regularly ignores questions about the decriminalization of marijuana during his town hall meetings. He does not advocate for ending the war on drugs nor for releasing non-violent drug offenders from prison as Ron Paul does. Score: 0
16. Education – McCain is wishy-washy on No Child Left Behind. He seems to believe that it doesn’t go far enough. He certainly doesn’t advocate getting rid of the Department of Education. He is the opposite of Ron Paul on this issue. Score: 0
17. Welfare Programs – He is not advocating phasing out Social Security or other welfare programs. He is calling for reforms though. He supports personal accounts for Social Security. He supports changing the medicare prescription drug benefit to only cover low income beneficiaries. Still, this is a far cry from being like Ron Paul. Score: 1
18. Abortion – McCain believes in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He also believes abortion should be left up to the states. This is in line with Ron Paul. Score: 5
19. Health Care – John McCain is against socialized medicine at the national level. However, a quick glance at his health care issue page reveals he’s not too close to Ron Paul on government intervention in the health care industry. McCain lists all sorts of federal government programs and incentives to further meddle in the health care industry. Score: 2.
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message – Simply put, John McCain doesn’t have a liberty message to spread no matter how much media attention he gets. Score: 0

John McCain’s final Paul-O-Meter Score: 25 out of 99 possible points

After Barack Obama’s score of 17, this is about where we expected McCain to end up. What was most eye opening to us was that his health care plan is a clear attempt to win over people that believe that everyone has a right to health care. Also his perceived strength on cutting government spending is unfounded. On many of his positions he tries to play both sides and it is difficult to know where he actually stands on the issue. This is not a shock coming from a life long politician. In the end it is no surprise that McCain doesn’t hold a candle to Ron Paul on the issues.

Tune in next time when we light up the Paul-O-Meter for Libertarian candidate Bob Barr.

Today we begin rating the Presidential candidates with our rating for Barack Obama. The Paul-O-Meter will give us a total score on 20 criteria. The closer a candidate gets to 100 points the more that candidate is like Ron Paul. For each criteria we will give the score and a short justification for that score. Read the results for Barack Obama below.

1. Liberty Based Voting Record – Obama has a rather leftist voting record yet he votes for unconstitutional Iraq war spending and now says he will vote for the warrant less wiretapping FISA bill. Score: 0
2. The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – The Fed is not even mentioned on Obama’s campaign site. The only articles regarding Obama and the Federal Reserve are by people lamenting that he hasn’t said word one about the Federal Reserve. Score: 0
3. Foreign Policy and Iraq – Obama advocates removing our troops from Iraq within 16 months. However he has an exception that makes one wonder if he means “all” the troops. From his issues page on his website: “if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.” This is far from a non-interventionist foreign policy like Ron Paul. He also will not remove troops from other U.S. occupied countries. Score: 2
4. Taxes – Obama said he would repeal the Bush tax cuts, one of the few good things Bush did in his Presidency. He will raise taxes on the wealthy and lower taxes on middle and lower income families and individuals. He also advocates making the tax system simpler for certain income earners. Score: 1
5. Government Spending – Obama certainly advocates for reducing the national debt and curbing earmarks, but he also advocates creating so many new government programs that his debt and earmark reduction rhetoric is rendered meaningless. Score: 0
6. Privacy and Civil Liberties – He continually speaks out about restoring Habeus Corpus like Ron Paul. Obama voted for reauthorizing the Patriot Act. He supports the REAL ID Act. He plans to vote for the latest FISA bill in the Senate. He stated that he would leave same sex marriage up to the states even though he personally is against it. Score:2
7. Immigration – Obama supports a convoluted version of amnesty for illegal immigrants. He has voted for the creation of a border fence, but also has voted against amendments to extend it. His rhetoric on ending the incentives for illegal immigrants to come here echoes Ron Paul in some ways, although he focuses on making companies accountable for hiring illegal workers. He speaks nothing of ending birthright citizenship like Ron Paul. Score: 2
8. Gun Control and Second Amendment – Obama tries to triangulate around this topic by paying lip service to having a right to own guns, but always with a caveat that the government has a right to restrict them. He supported the DC Gun Ban and was disappointed with the recent Heller Supreme Court ruling overturning the ban. Score: 1
9. Internet Regulation – Obama voted for the SAFE Port act which contained the ban on online gambling. He also strongly advocates for “Net Neutrality” unlike Dr. Paul. Score: 2
10. Adherence To The Constitution - Obama regularly speaks about restoring Habeus Corpus and he has advocated for states rights on certain issues, but the larger part of his platform runs counter to the rule of law in the Constitution as strictly interpreted by Ron Paul. Score: 1
11. Religion vs. Public Policy - Few candidates have been put under religion’s microscope as much as Obama in this election. In just about all cases he has answered the critics by advocating separating his religion and his politics similarly to Ron Paul. He has certainly had to defend his religous beliefs as much, if not more than Mitt Romney. Score: 4
12. Environment - Obama and Ron Paul could not be further apart on environment isssues. They disagree on how to handle global warming. Obama favors more government regulation and Paul wants to leave it up to the market and court system. Score: 0
13. Energy Policy - Obama is against drilling in ANWR and domestic drilling off of our shorelines unlike Paul. He advocates renewable energy but does so by implementing new government programs and regulations whereas Paul would leave it to market competition. Obama and Paul are opposites on energy policy. Score: 0
14. U.S. Sovereignty - Obama was asked specifically about the NAU and it’s threat to U.S. sovereignty, his reply was that he saw no evidence of it even existing and that there was no “conspiracy amongst” the governments of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Score: 0
15. War On Drugs – Obama is a bit like a typical politician in speaking about this topic. He never outright advocates for stopping the drug war. Instead he talks about “shifting our focus to prevention.” He is certainly not as forthright about the issue as Ron Paul. Score: 2
16. Education – Obama proposes more than a dozen new programs at the federal level to help fix America’s education problems while Ron Paul advocates obeying the Constitution and abolishing the Department of Education and returning the role of public education back to the states and localities. Score: 0
17. Welfare – Obama and Paul are on opposite ends of welfare reform. Paul advocates a graceful move towards ending welfare programs like Social Security. Obama advocates strengthening Social Security through higher payroll taxes. Score: 0
18. Abortion – Obama is pro-choice and would work to protect a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion at the federal level. This completely contradicts Ron Paul’s position to get the federal government out of the abortion debate and leave the decision to ban or allow abortion to the states. Score: 0
19. Health Care – Obama believes health care is a right to all Americans. Ron Paul does not and questions where such right exists in the Constitution. Obama supports a national health care plan while Dr. Paul supports getting the government completely out of health care so the forces of the free market can help lower costs. Score: 0
    
20. Ability To Spread The Liberty Message - Obama has probably more ability to spread a liberty message than any other candidate in the race, yet his platform runs completely counter to Ron Paul’s message of liberty. Obama advocates raising taxes, futher redistribution of wealth, and countless new federal government programs. There is no Ron Paul-style liberty in that message. Score: 0

Barack Obama’s Final Paul-O-Meter Score: 17 out of 99 possible points

(Remember only Ron Paul can score a 100 on the Paul-O-Meter)

This was a brutal exercise. Obama doesn’t even come close to Ron Paul on the issues. He scored far lower than we expected. We incorrectly assumed he would score much higher on the privacy and civil liberties issue. His highest score was on the Religion vs. Public Policy criteria with a 4. If the results of this Obama Paul-O-Meter reveals anything it is highly unlikely that many Ron Paul supporters will be voting for Obama in the general election.

The next candidate to be dragged through the Paul-O-Meter will be presumptive Republican nominee John “The Chameleon” McCain. Following McCain we will begin tackling the third party/independent candidates.

Soon you will be able to submit your own scores for each of the candidates.  Stay tuned!