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Entry: Hit and Run Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/some_libertarians#2786 Post contents: In the piece, "Is He Good for the Libertarians?" Doherty seems to use slight of hand language to slyly raise the allegation of racism against Ron Paul. First, Doherty clearly characterizes Ron Paul as "yokel" with, "some ugly things in his past that no Libertarian wants to be linked with." In the next sentence almost, Doherty makes the horrible nature of those "ugly things," totally clear. He then refers to Ron Paul's past newsletter which allegedly made some "ugly" (re: racist) and "race-baitng comments." Doherty also, almost as an after-thought of fairness, mentions that Ron Paul, attributed the comments to one of his staffers. But now that the racist allegation has been made, and the reader's opinion already formed, the damage to Ron Paul's reputation has already been already accomplished. In American politics, the allegation of racism is always the kiss of death---or so it would seem to me. Doherty's piece gives evidence of a pundit inclined to abuse language for the sake of dishonest rhetoric. On the other hand, maybe he can be judged in a more positive light on the basis of his other pieces. Anyway, that's sort of a first impression of his piece. I had to scan over the piece kind of fast, so maybe I didn't read carefully enough. Glenn Fitzgerald. Sent at: 2008 07 06