Continuing my discussion of the howling coming from the neocon-leftist anti-Paul Popular Front, demanding that he return a $500 contribution from a politically incorrect source, we have a fascinating debate unfolding over at the Goldberg National Review. Here’s their token paleocon (they keep him around because of this), the delightful John Derbyshire:

“Has anyone else noticed that “Ron Paul” almost rhymes with “Goebbels,” if you drop the “s”? And look”€”it has the same number of syllables!”

John is funny, but he makes a serious point in asking don’t the anti-Paul “folk understand how paranoid bullying like that just reinforces the worst stereotypes about ethnocentric Jews? For all I know, Stormfront.org may have quoted me with approval on some topic or other. What does that make me”€”Derbyshitler? For heaven’s sake: Does anyone really think Ron Paul is an antisemite?”

This prompted a scolding from The Goldberg, who intoned:

“It’s easy for people standing very close to the political center to draw bright lines between themselves and extremists.  But it’s much less necessary (or interesting) for them to do so. For someone in Paul’s position it’s much more difficult for him to do it, but far, far more necessary (and interesting).”

Why is it “necessary” for Paul to kowtow to people who will keep smearing him no matter what? Aha, funny you should ask:

“Conservatives have a lot of experience with this, starting with Buckley. The left is perfectly happy to blur the lines between a mainstream conservative and a Klansmen. For this and other reasons, it’s that much more important for conservatives to make those distinctions very clear. Of course, sometimes this can seem like hoop-jumping for a bunch of jerks who, in their monumental bad faith, don’t care what the truth is and merely want to make all conservatives appear evil to the American public. Hence, it can be very annoying. And there are times when it is right to refuse to jump through their hoops.  But there are other times when it is wrong not to make a clear statement, even if it’s prompted by someone yelling ‘Dance!’ Ron Paul is getting real money, real attention and, increasingly real poll numbers. It’s time he learned how to dance like a pro.”

One can just substitute the word “neocon” for “liberal,” in the above, and come up with the reason why Paul should ignore the Smear Brigade and soldier on: because we all know the neocons are “perfectly happy” to “blur the lines” between a paleocon-libertarian and a Klansman. Indeed, they are absolutely ecstatic when they get to do it. That’s because they’re a bunch of jerks—but smart jerks!—who have always aligned themselves with liberals against anyone to their right, as long as it serves their purposes. They don’t care what the truth it and merely want to make all paleocons, libertarians (the antiwar ones, that is). and “isolationists” appear evil to the American public.

Dance to our tune, says The Goldberg—or else you’re not a “pro.” Or is that ho?

Dance to our tune, say the neocons—or else you’re an “unpatriotic conservative.” Dance—or get smeared.

Paul didn’t get to where he is by dancing to the neocons’ tune, or to anybody else’s, and there’s no reason for him to start now. To Goldberg and the rest of the hacks at the Goldberg National Review: by the time we’re done, the movement we’re building will dance on your graves—metaphorically speaking, of course.