Ron Paul did actually say on Leno that Americans had it pretty good in the 1800s. No joking. Don't believe me? Here it is.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=B0KwY9Uzqtk
This is also where he affirms his love of Austrian economists. The audience are like barking seals of uppers. I cannot stand Paul and the weird pull he has on some people who really, really ought to know better.
Yes, he says good stuff about empire, etc. (And, again, so has Buchanan!) But healthcare, his views on abortion, his obnoxious hypocrisy about being Libertarian when it comes to helping the poor (deny govt. funds, slash labor laws, etc.), but not when it comes to himself (becoming a doctor thanks to the govt.), and his repeating the Buchananite/Lou Dobbs "NAFTA Superhighway" anti-immigrant crap is beyond annoying.
-B.
Doug Henwood wrote:
"...from the heavy-breathing Mike Whitney: http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney11092007.html [...] At least the mystery of Whitney's heavy breathing has been solved: if only things were like back in the 19th century! Except for all the panics and depressions."