October 26, 2007

Ron Paul's Donor Problem

The Lone Star Times has found an embarrassing donation in the Ron Paul records. The new husband of David Duke’s ex-wife Chloe and a supremacist in his own right gave $500 to Paul’s campaign, which reignited a past controversy of an earlier Paul campaign. It also calls into question just how much responsibility a candidate has for its donors.

At Heading Right, I urge a little caution before leaping to a conclusion about the Paul campaign on this score. In the first place, no one has any indication that the Paul campaign even knew who David Black is when the donation came into the campaign. There is a vast difference between solicited and unsolicited donations, and until someone shows that Paul solicited the donation, holding him responsible for its appearance is a dangerous precedent -- as I explain at HR.

Paul's campaign should do the right thing quickly and jettison David Black's $500. If they don't, then that allows us to draw other conclusions. LST did a good job bringing this issue to light, and now we need to see what Paul does before we reach any conclusions.

UPDATE: Several commenters objected to the title of the post, including Skeptic, who wondered if it would have been better to ask if he had stopped beating his wife. I've changed it, especially since it's the conclusion against which I argue, at least until further evidence arises.

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