The man they call Dr. No – A look at GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul

Texas Congressman and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks to voters during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

He's long been dubbed an outsider by the Republican establishment for refusing to toe the party line. But in an era of blowback against all things “establishment,” could 2012 be the year for Ron Paul? Tea Party politics that are newly en vogue to the GOP faithful are old hat for the 76-year old, twelve-term Congressman. A devout libertarian, Paul is the original small-government, anti-interventionist, cut-taxes candidate (or as The New York Times describes him “The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug-Enforcement-Administration, Anti-Medicare Candidate”). The practicing obstetrician is well known for refusing Medicare and Medicaid funding from patients -- sometimes offering free care instead. He’s opted out of a pension when he leaves office. He doesn’t want support from “the welfare state” for himself – or anyone else. He’s respected for being one of the most consistent and principled politicians inside the beltway. Despite being nicknamed Dr. No for going alone against bills with Republican or bipartisan support, he's praised as a gentle and likeable man. Blustery Democratic Congressman Barney Frank compliments Paul as being one of the easiest colleagues to work with on the Hill: “He is independent but not ornery.” What else do you want to know about Ron Paul? Why has he come under fire from the NAACP and organized labor in the past? How do his pro-life views mesh with his small government ideals? Can he sell abolishing the Federal Reserve and the IRS? If politics is the art of the possible, can Dr. No be effective as President?

He's long been dubbed an outsider by the Republican establishment for refusing to toe the party line. But in an era of blowback against all things “establishment,” could 2012 be the year for Ron Paul? Tea Party politics that are newly en vogue to the GOP faithful are old hat for the 76-year old, twelve-term Congressman. A devout libertarian, Paul is the original small-government, anti-interventionist, cut-taxes candidate (or as The New York Times describes him “The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug-Enforcement-Administration, Anti-Medicare Candidate”). The practicing obstetrician is well known for refusing Medicare and Medicaid funding from patients -- sometimes offering free care instead. He’s opted out of a pension when he leaves office. He doesn’t want support from “the welfare state” for himself – or anyone else. He’s respected for being one of the most consistent and principled politicians inside the beltway. Despite being nicknamed Dr. No for going alone against bills with Republican or bipartisan support, he's praised as a gentle and likeable man. Blustery Democratic Congressman Barney Frank compliments Paul as being one of the easiest colleagues to work with on the Hill: “He is independent but not ornery.” What else do you want to know about Ron Paul? Why has he come under fire from the NAACP and organized labor in the past? How do his pro-life views mesh with his small government ideals? Can he sell abolishing the Federal Reserve and the IRS? If politics is the art of the possible, can Dr. No be effective as President?

Guests:

Doug Miller, Political reporter, KHOU

Robert Stein, Professor of Political Science, Rice University and Fellow in Urban Politics, James Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University