Paul passes out Constitution text, speech lamenting Civil War

Ron Paul was the high bidder for real estate at the Ames straw poll and his setup outside the Hilton Coliseum is grand, with music, food and free stuff in spades.

Among the campaign giveaways are copies of the U.S. Constitution with two images on the cover: a painting of George Washington at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and a photo of Ron Paul addressing a “Rally for the Republic” crowd.


In addition to the text of the Constitution, the brochure includes a speech Paul gave on September 23, 2004, decrying the “persistent abuse of the Constitution” by all branches of government. The speech also features this riff on what Paul considers the down side of the Civil War:

Although the 19th Century generally was kind to the intent of the Constitution, namely limiting government power, a major setback occurred with the Civil War and the severe undermining of the principle of sovereign states. The Civil War profoundly changed the balance of power in our federalist system, paving the way for centralized government.

That’s the kind of thing Paul can get away with saying; he’s been saying it for sometime and, as the speech shows, under presidents of both parties.

But imagine if Rick Perry made – and advertised – a similar comment about the Civil War and federal power.

This article tagged under: Ron Paul

2012 Elections