Mark in Minnesota wrote:

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I don't think Perry can get the nomination.

I think his opponents just have to press him in certain ways on Social Security and on previous positions of his like the Texas secession issue until he becomes unelectable in key battleground primaries.

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- When Congressman Ron Paul questioned al Qaeda's motives for attacking the U.S. in Monday night's "Tea Party" debate, he drew the ire of his political opponents and a chorus of boos from the Florida crowd.

Moments like this make me afraid for America.

It's been 10 years since Sept. 11 and many Americans still haven't had a serious conversation about why we might have been attacked and why we're fighting a war on multiple fronts. In fact, the single line of reasoning that "the enemy hates our freedom" is still trumpeted throughout the nation.

This echoes the strategy employed in WWII Nazi Germany.

Hermann Goering -- Hitler's Reichsmarschall -- infamously spoke the following words to an interviewer -- from prison -- during the Nuremberg war crime trials:

Goering: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece.

Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.

Interviewer: There is one difference. In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.

Goering: Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

Consider these words when deciding whom to vote for. Also, consider these two questions:

Would this candidate allow any form of harm (economic, social, physical) to inflict America if it meant scoring a personal or political gain?

If not, does this candidate have the wherewithal and strength of character to ask the same question of his or her peers?

Paul may or may not be a viable presidential candidate, but the congressman is undeserving of the scorn he has received for trying to have a real discussion about geopolitical issues that affect every American.

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Star Tribune Hot Dish Blog wrote:

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Minnesota professor offers $1,000 for Bachmann's HPV vaccine victim

A University of Minnesota bioethicist is offering $1,000 for medical proof that a woman’s daughter suffered mental retardation from the vaccine for human papillomavirus virus, a story that was told by Rep. Michele Bachmann after Monday’s debate.

Bachmann has come under fire from the medical community for suggesting the vaccination for the HPV virus, a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer, is linked to mental illness.

Steven Miles, a U of M bioethics professor, said that he’ll give $1,000 if the medical records of the woman from Bachmann’s story are released and can be viewed by a medical professional.

His offer was upped by his former boss from the University of Minnesota, Art Caplan, who is now director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics. Caplan said he would match Miles' challenge and offered $10,000 for proof of the HPV vaccine victim.

“These types of messages in this climate have the capacity to do enormous public health harm,” Miles said of why he made the offer. “The woman, assuming she exists, put this claim into the public domain and it’s an extremely serious claim and it deserves to be analyzed.”

After attacking Texas Gov. Rick Perry over his vaccination executive order at Monday’s debate — which scored Bachmann points from debate pundits — the Minnesota Republican said a woman had told her that the HPV vaccine had caused her daughter’s mental retardation. Bachmann repeated the story on NBC’s “Today” the next morning.

“There’s a woman that came up crying to me tonight after the debate,” Bachman told Fox News. “She said her daughter was given that vaccine. She said her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result of that vaccine.”

The comment has sparked widespread criticism from the medical community, which has said Bachmann was stoking unfounded fears similar to claims made about vaccines and Autism. The Centers for Disease Control website makes no mention of mental illness in its “adverse events” report on the HPV vaccine.

Bachmann somewhat walked back her comments Tuesday on Sean Hannity’s radio show, where she said she had “no idea” if the HPV vaccine was linked to mental illness. “I’m not a doctor, I’m not a scientist, I’m not a physician,” Bachmann said. “All I was doing is reporting what this woman told me last night at the debate.”

Miles and Caplan said they aren’t expecting much from their offer, but they are prepared to pay should the Bachmann campaign provide the woman or if she comes forward independently.

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Asterax wrote:

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Mark in Minnesota wrote:

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I don't think Perry can get the nomination.

I think his opponents just have to press him in certain ways on Social Security and on previous positions of his like the Texas secession issue until he becomes unelectable in key battleground primaries.

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Yup.

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Plum Puddin' wrote:

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icarus502 wrote:

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FuseONE wrote:

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Something interesting about perry...as recently as 2000, he was a democrat. its hard to believe given his extreme views. but he obviously saw the winds changing.

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Not that recently. He left the Democratic Party in '89. At least until the early '90s, in some Southern states — Texas being one of them — all politicians who wanted statewide influence had to be Democrats, regardless of their stances. In Kentucky, which is far from a liberal state, Republicans have only held the governor's office for 20 of the past 100 years.

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futuristxen wrote:

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icarus502 wrote:

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FuseONE wrote:

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Something interesting about perry...as recently as 2000, he was a democrat. its hard to believe given his extreme views. but he obviously saw the winds changing.

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Not that recently. He left the Democratic Party in '89. At least until the early '90s, in some Southern states — Texas being one of them — all politicians who wanted statewide influence had to be Democrats, regardless of their stances. In Kentucky, which is far from a liberal state, Republicans have only held the governor's office for 20 of the past 100 years.

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He was actually Al Gore's campaign head in Texax back then, no? I'm just surpised no one has gone to town on that stuff in the primary? But then I would guess by this point Perry has several canned responses against it.

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3flip wrote:

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futuristxen wrote:

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icarus502 wrote:

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FuseONE wrote:

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Something interesting about perry...as recently as 2000, he was a democrat. its hard to believe given his extreme views. but he obviously saw the winds changing.

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Not that recently. He left the Democratic Party in '89. At least until the early '90s, in some Southern states — Texas being one of them — all politicians who wanted statewide influence had to be Democrats, regardless of their stances. In Kentucky, which is far from a liberal state, Republicans have only held the governor's office for 20 of the past 100 years.

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He was actually Al Gore's campaign head in Texax back then, no? I'm just surpised no one has gone to town on that stuff in the primary? But then I would guess by this point Perry has several canned responses against it.

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Paul actually had a tv ad dedicated to the fact.

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