Last week, someone posted at Twitter comments attacking Ron Paul. The comments absurdly labeled Paul — who has spent decades arguing for peace, free markets, and liberty — as adhering to “xenophobia” and promoting both “anti-trade conspiracy theories” and “a hideous corruption of libertarian ideas.”
“So what?” you may ask. After all, ignorant or spiteful comments are posted on the internet all the time. An important difference is that the someone who posted the comment on Twitter in this case has the title of Vice President For Research at the Cato Institute, a large Washington, DC-based think tank that presents itself as “dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.” Coming from a person with such an affiliation, the absurd comments may lead people not well informed about Paul to shut off considering Paul’s educational efforts.
This week, two persuasive and influential libertarian communicators presented answers to Brink Lindsey’s bizarre attack on Paul. Read here the response of Target Liberty and Economic Policy Journal editor and publisher Robert Wenzel, and read here the response of author and talk show host Tom Woods. Woods also devoted the Wednesday episode of his talk show to the matter.
