pittsburgh native republican canidate ron paul polling at 10% nationally according to gallup (Penn Hills: loans, landlord)

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by steelers#6pa

Romney, Palin Lead Reduced GOP Field for 2012

Just seeing peoples thoughts on this , how cool would it be if a pittsburgher became president?

Back to Pittsburgh focus please. ^^

[squarian]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Back to Pittsburgh focus please. ^^

Right - so, what was Pittsburgh like in the last year Ron Paul lived here? As far as I can tell, that would be the autumn of 1953, when he left to begin his B.S. at Gettysburg College.

Dwight Eisenhower was President. James H. Duff, a Republican I've never heard of, was governor of Pennsylvania. The Korean War was still on. There were still two Germanies. The Commies were out to get us. If you knew the name Mao Tse Tung, you probably worked at the State Dept.

If a Pittsburgher could find Vietnam on a map, he probably couldn't name its head of state, who was an emperor. Iraq was ruled by a king. So was Afghanistan. No one in Pittsburgh knew their names either.

Every Pittsburgher could name a queen, though - Elizabeth II's coronation had just happened, and everybody had seen the newsreels in movie theaters. And everybody in Pittsburgh could name her prime minister, Winston Churchill. He smoked cigars everywhere.

Pittsburgh was much more crowded, smokier and blue-collar. Men wore hats and ties. Women wore hats and gloves. Everyone smoked everywhere, and lots of men smoked cigars like Winnie. You talked to an operator when you made a phone call, but she probably didn't wear a hat or gloves. The call cost you a dime. A dime would buy you a good cigar, like Winnie's.

Elevators also still came with operators, who wore proper uniforms with nifty peaked caps. The police still wore proper uniforms with nifty peaked caps, and they wore white gloves to direct traffic. Milkmen wore uniforms with nifty peaked caps. Cabbies wore uniforms with nifty peaked caps.

The Civic Arena hadn't been built yet. The parkways hadn't been built yet. Hardly any of the skyscrapers had been been built yet. Quite a lot of the city had been built before your grandparents came over from Europe.

The Steelers had been around for twenty years, but had only been the Steelers for the last thirteen. They had only made the playoffs once, in 1947, and wouldn't again for another 19 years.

The Pirates on the other hand had been around forever, still played at Forbes Field in Oakland, but were just as awful then as they are now - Roberto Clemente wouldn't join the team for another two years.

If you were "urban" it meant you were like everyone else except farmers. If you were "ethnic" your grandparents probably came over from Europe. Ron Paul wasn't ethnic; his parents were Howard and Margaret (née Dumont) Paul. In 1953, some people still knew what "née" meant, but usually not the ethnics. If you left for college, it usually meant you were rich. If you left Pittsburgh at all, you probably left on a train.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Picksburg Stillers

His stance on the Civil Rights Act is based on his interpretation of the Commerce Clause. It says nothing about his moral belief in segregation itself. As it is, all we know is that he is opposed to the procedures used to end segregation, not that he is opposed to ending segregation.

That's not true. I've seen a lot of what he has said on the subject, and he hasn't just made a federalism argument, he has also made a property rights argument.

The justification for Congress to regulate private businesses came from the Commerce Clause.

This is a complicated issue, but I believe the Supreme Court has artificially narrowed the 14th Amendment such that Congress cites the Commerce Clause instead. But really, I think the 14th gives them all the authority they need for these laws.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

It has no bearing on my vote either, but to discount an upbringing in an area? Geography has some influence on the make up of people and the most influential years are when people are young. He went to Dormont Schools. That has a bearing on his makeup. Regardless if you like him or not, he is from the burgh. Maybe his fiscal policies come from being from the burgh?

Nothing to do with my likes or dislikes, I just don't see how where he was born is particularly predictive of anything. Perhaps you could draw some generalizations as to the community at large, but I don't believe that means you can necessarily ascribe those traits to the individual.

You don't know two people from Pittsburgh, born and raised, who are the exact opposite of one another? I would think that you do. Think about local pols, all from here, who stand for different things and vehemently disagree about issues.

Ron Paul, Dick Thornburgh and Andy Warhol, all born in Pittsburgh within 10 years of each other or so. Similarities?

I find any influence unlikely so maybe it's better to ask you what attributes that you see in Ron Paul that you feel are somehow related to his Pittsburgh birth?

[mike02]

Originally Posted by Lobick

Wouldn't Obama be Bush III? I stopped reading after that because you gave me a headache. Feel free to go to the politics forum and rant with all the others howling at the moon. Where is the heavy hand of Yac when it's actually needed?

When the title says "republican" "ron paul" and "polling" there is bound to be a discussion of politics and it already happened long before I posted. Mine was just lengthier and probably got on your nerves more than others

[gg]

Originally Posted by Lobick

Nothing to do with my likes or dislikes, I just don't see how where he was born is particularly predictive of anything.

He wasn't just born here, he was raised here. I personally feel there are some styles where people grow up. If you grow up in Miami, I feel it is a little different to growing up in Warren, PA.

Doesn't really matter either way to me. I was just a little more interested in the OP's topic and not a political discussion on Ron Paul. I at least posted where he went to school and lived. He worked on the family dairy farm. Maybe there is some more. Doesn't have to be some big blown out political discussion.

[BrianTH]

The thing is, if Ron Paul was still in Pittsburgh, we wouldn't be talking about his Pittsburgherness--we'd be talking about him just like we did in this thread.

[squarian]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The thing is, if Ron Paul was still in Pittsburgh, we wouldn't be talking about his Pittsburgherness--we'd be talking about him just like we did in this thread.

Unless staying in Pgh had changed his entire life, in which case he might be working behind the cheese counter at PennMac, sweetheart.

[gg]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The thing is, if Ron Paul was still in Pittsburgh, we wouldn't be talking about his Pittsburgherness--we'd be talking about him just like we did in this thread.

That may be true, but there is nothing wrong with learning a little about his life while he was here. I posted a few tidbits and was hoping someone would add to it. He is an interesting person. I realize there are many that don't like him and some that do, but he grew up in Pittsburgh and is in the media enough. It was interesting to me where he grew up and graduated from, but I can separate the political view point from the person and his past. To each their own.

Thanks for posting that he was from Pittsburgh. I didn't know that and I enjoy learning a thing or two. Doesn't happen often around here. No offense.

[Love2Golf09]

I had no idea he had spent time in Pittsburgh. I will be watching the debates closely. If he says "yinz" rather than "y'all" he may get my vote. And if he wins the primary, which is doubtful, i'd vote for him no matter what. Heck, I'd even consider voting for Scott Hartnell for president over Obama. I kind of gagged a little as I typed that.