And that's no small matter. For Ron Paul served on YAF’s board of advisors for more than two decades. They have extravagantly praised one another for years. He was once given the YAF's most distinguished honor, the Guardian of Freedom award.
But Ron Paul's over-the-edge isolationism finally became too much for the organization, a conservative powerhouse since its creation at Bill Buckley's home in 1960. In a dramatic move occurring the very week of CPAC (a week when Ron Paul's aggressive teenage fans dominated the once-important conservative event), Young Americans for Freedom got a little aggressive too and publicly blasted Paul as they kicked him off their Board.
Citing his "delusional and disturbing alliance with the fringe Anti-War movement," YAF’s Senior National Director Jordan Marks explained why Paul had been "purged" from the organization: "Rep. Paul's refusal to support our nation’s military and national security interests border on treason, aside from his failure to uphold his oath to the United States Constitution and defend our country and citizens against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
“Rep. Paul has strayed to the left of Obama and allied himself with the radical anti-war left by laying the blame on America for the unprovoked attacks of Sept. 11th. Additionally, Rep. Paul has not condemned the 9/11 "Truther" conspiracy theorists that support him, and he has repeatedly insisted, that the United States not bring justice to those who have murdered thousands of our civilians and soldiers at home and abroad. This is simply unacceptable. Clearly Rep. Paul cares more about a doomed presidential run than he does our country,” Marks added.
YAF National Chairman Michael Jones also issued a statement on the matter:
"The United States is in a time of economic crisis, but this is no excuse to abandon the principles that have built this great country and spread its ideals to the darkest recesses of the planet. The United States is the world's leader--a beacon of light for the wretched and the oppressed. God has blessed the United States with liberty and the strength and heart to spread that liberty to all of his children. Rep. Paul has abandoned this mission, abandoned the United States' citizens, and abandoned the citizens of the world in their quest for their God-given natural rights."
And, about the CPAC straw poll that once again put Ron Paul at the top? As an arbiter of true conservative opinion, it is completely bogus. Indeed, if the libertarian yahoos who have begun to invade CPAC are not brought under control, the entire conference will become worthless. For more on this particular angle, including the rowdy Paulites and the impact of a lewd libertarianism on CPAC, check out Kevin McCullough's Fox News report, "Disrespectful Libertarians Hijack CPAC Poll -- And Its Mission" and Warner Todd Huston's blog post, "CPAC 2011: Ron Paul’s Last Straw With YAF (Time for Paulies to Grow Up)."
