‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Dec. 23, 2007

Before you go, Mike Huckabee, Republican candidate for president, ran this commercial for Christmas and many thought that the shelf in the back looked like a cross.  You were asked about it on CNN and this is what you said.

REP. PAUL:  It reminds me of what Sinclair Lewis once says.  He said when fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross.

MR. RUSSERT:  What does that mean?

REP. PAUL:  What?  Fascism or the definition of fascism?

MR. RUSSERT:  Do you believe that Mike Huckabee is...

REP. PAUL:  Oh, I didn't say that.  I said it reminded me--as a matter of fact they caught me completely cold on that.  I had not seen the ad, and they just said there was a cross there.  And, you know, it was an instantaneous reflex because I knew of Sinclair Lewis about being cautious, because, you know, I--what prompts this is things like the Patriot Act.  You know...

MR. RUSSERT:  Let me go back...

REP. PAUL:  No, no.  If you're not a patriot...

MR. RUSSERT:  But let me go back to this ad.  You do not believe that Mike Huckabee, that ad commercial represents the potential of fascism in the form of a cross.

REP. PAUL:  No.  But I think this country, a movement in the last 100 years, is moving toward fascism.  Fascism today, the softer term, because people have different definition of fascism, is corporatism when the military industrial complex runs the show, when the--in the name of security pay--pass the Patriot Act.  You don't vote for it, you know, you're not patriotic America.  If you don't support the troops and you don't support--if you don't support the war you don't support the troops.  It's that kind of antagonism.  But we have more corporatism and more abuse of our civil liberties, more loss of our privacy, national ID cards, all this stuff coming has a fascist tone to it.  And the country's moving in that direction.  That's what I'm thinking about.  This was not personalized.  I never even used my opponents names if you, if you notice.

MR. RUSSERT:  So you think we're close to fascism?

REP. PAUL:  I think we're approaching it very close.  One--there's one, there's one documentary that's been put out recently that has generated a lot of interest called "Freedom to Fascism." And we're moving in that direction. Were not moving toward Hitler-type fascism, but we're moving toward a softer fascism.  Loss of civil liberties, corporations running the show, big government in bed with big business.  So you have the military industrial complex, you have the medical industrial complex, you have the financial industry, you have the communications industry.  They go to Washington and spend hundreds of millions of dollars.  That's where the control is.  I call that a soft form of fascism, something that is very dangerous.

MR. RUSSERT:  For the record, the Sinclair Lewis Society said that Mr. Lewis never uttered that quote.

REP. PAUL:  But others refuted that and put them down and said that--and they found the exact quote where it came from.

MR. RUSSERT:  To be continued.  Dr. Ron Paul, be safe on the campaign trail. Thanks for sharing your views.

REP. PAUL:  Thank you.  Nice to be here.

MR. RUSSERT:  As part of our Meet the Candidates 2008 series, we've invited candidates for president to appear here for in-depth interviews.  Next Sunday, Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, who announced his presidency last January right here on MEET THE PRESS, returns.  In addition, Democratic candidate, Senator Barack Obama, he'll be right here to talk about his campaign.  Four days before the Iowa caucus, Republican Mike Huckabee, Democrat Barack Obama, both next Sunday live from Iowa right here on MEET THE PRESS.  We're also archiving the transcripts and videos of the entire series on our Web site, mtp.msnbc.com, so voters can review the candidates' positions throughout the campaign.

Coming next, the very latest polls, strategies and commercials.  We have just 11 days to go to the Iowa caucuses on January 3rd, 16 days to New Hampshire primary on January 8th.  John Harwood, Chuck Todd are next, right here only on MEET THE PRESS.

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