Ron Paul is discussed on The Bob Zadek Show as a libertarian politician associated with the Republican Party, a presidential candidate, and a recurring reference point for libertarian influence in electoral politics. The excerpts do not present a dedicated interview with Paul; instead, he appears in host commentary, caller segments, and guest remarks across several episodes.
The California straw poll and donor enthusiasm
In the episode on free speech and higher education, Bob Zadek opened with what he called libertarian news: Ron Paul had won the California Republican straw poll. Zadek said Paul substantially trounced Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, and others, and was by almost acclamation the winner. Zadek framed the result as a possible sign that 2012 could be the moment when libertarians could walk in the sunshine finally. Is Your Alma Mater a Soviet Gulag? (2011)
A caller identified as Chris from D.C. later in the same episode said Ron Paul supporters were electrified by the California victory, which he called a landmark victory. The caller said Paul’s Super PAC would hold a money bomb the following day, Monday the 19th, and urged listeners who believed in Paul’s message of legalized freedom, individual freedom, and educational freedom to donate. The caller added that Paul had never voted to regulate even the internet. Zadek responded that he happened to support Ron Paul and wished the campaign luck. Is Your Alma Mater a Soviet Gulag? (2011)
Paul in the third-party debate
In the episode with Nick Gillespie, a caller from Portland, Oregon, identified as Evan, asked whether a libertarian running for office should run as a Libertarian Party member or enter the Republican Party and use libertarian principles there. Gillespie cited Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul as people firmly ensconced in the Republican Party who had changed a lot of political discourse, adding that their influence was only going to grow over time. Gillespie also said Libertarian Party candidates over the years had influenced people and cost elections for Republicans or Democrats, and that influence could be had either way. Nick Gillespie – The Voice of Reason (2011)
Zadek’s own answer in that segment focused on structural impediments built by Democrats and Republicans — from funding to access to media to primaries — that make it very difficult for a third-party candidate to win. He described a growing mass of independents, mostly libertarians, as a third party being created off the books. Nick Gillespie – The Voice of Reason (2011)
Civil liberties and the ACLU ranking
In the episode with Gary Johnson, Johnson said the ACLU had issued a report grading all the presidential candidates on civil liberties. According to Johnson, Barack Obama took third place, Ron Paul took second place, and Johnson himself received the highest grade. Johnson said he was excited by this because the ACLU is dedicated to the preservation of civil liberties and the Bill of Rights. The Triumph of Principle Over Politics (2012)
Foreign policy and blowback
In the episode with Ivan Eland on partitioning Iraq, Zadek closed by summarizing Eland’s argument that the threat of terrorism is to some degree a self-inflicted or self-induced wound. Zadek said this was sort of the message of Ron Paul, that Paul was ridiculed, and that Zadek was not so sure Paul was so far off. United Iraq Falls: Ivan Eland on Partitioning for Peace (2014)
Eland’s own remarks in that episode argued that empire is the opposite of security, that Osama bin Laden’s primary reason for attacking the United States was non-Muslim intervention in Muslim lands, and that interventions overseas are counterproductive to US security. Eland cited the withdrawal from Lebanon in the 1980s and the dissipation of Hezbollah attacks against US targets afterward. United Iraq Falls: Ivan Eland on Partitioning for Peace (2014)
Immigration and the Federal Reserve
In the immigration episode, Zadek’s closing monologue advocated letting them all in and open the borders, arguing that fixing illegal immigration by making all immigration legal would make the problem go away. In that context he said Ron Paul sort of agrees with this, that Gary Johnson agrees with it quite a bit, and that George Will’s position is hard to discern. Immigration Reform Is Broken (2011)
In the episode with Matt Zwolinski on bleeding heart libertarianism, Zwolinski said it was fascinating how many of the same issues seen today — issues that people like Ron Paul identify with the Federal Reserve — were identified more than 150 years ago in a different context. Matt Zwolinski on Bleeding Heart Libertarianism (2014)
Across episodes
The excerpts show no development in the treatment of Ron Paul across episodes. He is mentioned in the 2011 immigration episode, the 2011 Gillespie episode, the 2011 free-speech episode, the 2012 Johnson episode, the 2014 Zwolinski episode, and the 2014 Eland episode, but the references are brief and do not build on one another.
What the sources do not cover
The excerpts do not include any episode in which Ron Paul is the guest, nor do they state his title, his district, the dates of his service, or the content of any legislation he sponsored. They do not describe the outcome of any election he ran in beyond the California straw poll, and they do not give his position on most of the topics discussed on the show. The ACLU ranking is reported only through Gary Johnson’s account, and the money bomb is reported only through a caller’s account.