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Paul part pundit, part teacher at B'port
Published May 13, 2008
FREEPORT — When asked by students who he thought would win the Democratic nomination for the upcoming presidential election, U.S. Rep Ron Paul chose Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
He also said presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona has a small chance of keeping the White House in GOP hands for another four years.
“When there’s a bad economy and a war going on, the party in power loses,” the Lake Jackson congressman and GOP presidential candidate said. “So I would say the Republicans have just a minuscule chance. Six months or a year ago, I would say no chance of possibly beating any Democrat.”
Paul also said Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton might be dueling now, but in a few weeks, they will “make up and be buddies.”
Those were just a few answers the representative from Texas’ 14th Congressional District gave Monday to students from Brazosport High School’s Advanced Via Individual Determination class. Paul talked about the political process, economics and the importance of a good education.
“We try to bring in people from all different facets of life over the course of the year just to give these guys some different perspective on success and education,” said Jason Thompson, an AVID program instructor and the Exporters’ baseball coach. “I thought he did a great job with that. He did a great job of tying in education from his perspective.”
Thompson called Paul’s representatives six weeks ago and asked if the congressman could speak to his students about the importance of a proper education. He came up with the idea after seeing Paul at a restaurant. Weeks later, Paul’s staffers confirmed the meeting.
“They were absolutely fantastic,” Thompson said. “I went back and forth with them and they made it all happen. It was great. I’m glad it worked out.”
Paul spoke to an audience of more than 50 people that included students, teachers and a Brazosport ISD school board member.
“The kids I think enjoyed it,” Trustee Mario Martinez said. “They listened and asked some very intelligent questions.”
Paul’s aides passed around pamphlets with the Constitution printed on them for students to study, and Paul told students to stand up and tell governmental officials what they want, not to just sit there and let them decide.
“The issues that he talks about, they affect us,” said Carrington Brown, a 16-year-old sophomore. “He’s a great influence on us. If he were to run for president and I were older, I’d vote for him.”
Carrington said she agreed with Paul that the United States should not be fighting in Iraq. Paul had said war and guns don’t lead to progress.
“It’s really none of our business,” she said. “It really doesn’t concern us. I think we shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
Carrington was pleased when Paul said he expected Obama to win the Democratic nomination. Although she can’t cast a vote in this election, she supports Obama’s push for the White House.
“We should have somebody different,” she said. “Having a black person has never been done before. Maybe the issues that he talks about, he’s been there, he’s had to go through some of the stuff that black people have had to go through.”
Sophomore Wendolline Hermosillo, 16, was impressed with Paul’s knowledge on politics. After hearing him discuss the state of the nation, she plans to learn more about the political process.
“I wasn’t really interested and I didn’t know anything about it and I’ve never met a congressman or anything,” she said. “It showed me how people think and how interesting the world is.”
Students ended the discussion by asking Paul to name his three favorite former presidents. His choices were Thomas Jefferson, because he wrote the Declaration of Independence; Grover Cleveland, because he followed the Constitution strictly; and Calvin Coolidge, because he worked behind the scenes.
“My third of that choice would be Calvin Coolidge because nobody every paid any attention to him,” Paul said of the nation’s 30th president, who took office in 1923. “They said he was a silent guy and didn’t do much. If you truly have a free country, your president shouldn’t be doing a whole lot.”
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