It’s no secret that mainstream establishment Republicans can’t stand Ron Paul. They really dislike him, and there’s only one honest reason why.

For two presidential election cycles, the 76-year-old congressman from Texas has siphoned off support from the “inevitable” Republican Party nominee. His blunt, purist radicalism has been popular with young voters and with a certain segment of the conservative base.

Paul very rarely speaks of his more radical and racially tinged Libertarian views on the national stage. A recent rediscovery of newsletters, published by a group associated with him in the late 80’s and early 90’s, has Paul’s campaign defending and disavowing several troubling passages within them.

An excerpt from a March, 15 1990 edition of The Ron Paul Political Report:

“The (Advocate) reporter – who certainly has an axe to grind, and that’s not easy with a limp wrist – claimed that (Andy) Roony said “I’ve believed all along that most people are born with equal intelligence, but blacks have watered down their genes because the less intelligent ones are the ones that have the most children.”

The newsletter makes light of the late Roony’s controversial opinion of gays and African Americans. Read the full article here.

It’s no surprise to anyone that the Republican establishment isn’t rushing to defend Paul on this issue of free speech. The newsletters are now widely available for viewing online. Paul did not do himself any favors by walking out of a CNN interview, during which Gloria Borger pressed the candidate for concrete explanations.

Paul didn’t deny knowledge of the newsletters. More egregiously, he didn’t put to rest the claim that some of the more incendiary passages were written or approved by him before publication. Regardless, owning up to his views wouldn’t negatively affect his poll numbers.

The core of folks supporting Paul (and his son Rand) aren’t concerned with these newsletters. Spending any more than two or three news cycles on this issue -- especially because Paul isn’t going to snag the Republican nomination -- is a waste of time for the media and his fellow candidates.