Think Progress: Ron Paul Disagrees With Mitt Romney -- Corporations Are Not People

Ron Paul Breaks With Mitt Romney: ‘People Are Individuals…Not Companies’

By Scott Keyes and Travis Waldron on Aug 15, 2011 at 9:35 am

ThinkProgress filed this report from the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, IA.

Late last week, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) told Iowa fair-goers during a question-and-answer session about his belief that “corporations are people.” Romney, who earned a reputation in 2008 as a flip-flopper, was loathe to back down from the misstep, doubling down on his comments over the weekend. Other conservatives also rushed to his defense, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), both of whom told ThinkProgress they supported the idea that corporations are people.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), who placed second in the Ames Straw Poll over the weekend, took a far different view when speaking with ThinkProgress. Unlike Romney and his own son Rand, Ron Paul argued that corporations are “obviously” not people. “People are individuals,” Paul affirmed. “They’re not groups and they’re not companies.”

KEYES: What did you make of Mitt Romney’s statement that “corporations are people” yesterday?

PAUL: Obviously they’re not. People are individuals, they’re not groups and they’re not companies. Individuals have rights, they’re not collective. You can’t duck that. So individuals should be responsible for corporations, but they shouldn’t be a new creature, so to speak. Rights and obligations should be always back to the individual.