Category Archives: Rand Paul

Rand Paul: Benghazi should preclude Hillary Clinton from higher office

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Sen. Rand Paul Delivers Immigration Address Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce Conference

The most likely character to oppose Hillary Clinton’s candidacy in 2016, Sen. Ron Paul, claims she shouldn’t run because of Benghazi.  It’s Amazing just how dense those guys really are.  Hillary hasn’t even announced that she’s running at all, but they’re so afraid of her supposed momentum from both Democratic and Republican women voters, that they are trying to stop her before any announcement.

MSNBC

If Rand Paul sees himself as the Republican Party’s 2016 presidential nominee, it’s clear he’s prepping for Hillary Clinton to be his Democratic opponent.

A full three and a half years out from the next presidential election, the Kentucky senator spoke before the Iowa Republican Party Friday night in a speech that rivaled a campaign rally. He latched onto the GOP’s latest rallying cry against the Obama administration’s handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead last September, to focus his criticism on the former secretary of state.

“First question to Hillary Clinton: Where in the hell were the Marines?” he asked.

This week saw a resurgence in the GOP-led crusade to surface what some in the party have called a massive “cover-up.” Their efforts were already successful in blocking Obama’s hand-picked nominee to succeed Clinton at the State Department, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, leaving Clinton herself as next-in-line to be cast with blame.

“It was inexcusable, it was a dereliction of duty, and it should preclude her from holding higher office,” Paul said.

Paul was coy in expounding on his presidential ambitions, telling reporters Friday that while he had not ruled out gunning for the party’s nomination, he would not make a decision until 2014. Clinton has largely avoided addressing 2016 chatter, though a number of polls matching her up with an array of hypothetical opponents show Americans see her as a favorite to lead the Democrats in the next election cycle.

The roughly 500 attendees at the state GOP’s annual Lincoln Dinner seemed keenly aware of Iowa’s electoral influence in the early presidential landscape. “The process of selecting the next leader of the free world begins in Iowa, and it’s already begun,” GOP Rep. Steve King said earlier in the evening.

Paul, who joined the theme of Obamacare-bashing seen throughout the annual event, said that after the Republican loss in the last election—largely due to lacking appeal with minority voters—the party needed to adjust how it treated Hispanic voters and work toward a deal on immigration reform.

“We have to change the way we’re talking about it and who we are if we want attract the Latino vote,” he said.

“If kids think we’re hostile toward them, they’ll never vote,” he added of appealing to young people. ”We’re an increasingly diverse nation, and I think we do need to reach out to other people that aren’t like us, don’t look like us, don’t wear the same clothes, that aren’t exactly who we are. We’re going to have to do something.”

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Jon Stewart rips apart Rand Paul’s attempted outreach to black students

Jon Stewart screenshot

The Raw Story

On The Daily Show Thursday night, host Jon Stewart and correspondent Larry Wilmore mocked Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) recent speech to black students at Howard University.

Stewart observed that Paul portrayed himself as courageous and heroic for appearing before the highly prestigious students, which was not a particularly dangerous situation.

Stewart also noted that during his speech, Paul condescendingly explained that Republicans had at one point been strong supporters of civil rights for African Americans. But Paul completely ignored the political realignment that occurred in the mid-20th century and the so-called “Southern strategy” used by Republicans.

“You can’t just yada yada yada the last 60 Republican years,” he remarked. “‘A Republican freed the slaves, gave black people the vote, yada yada yada and now all blacks vote Democratic. I mean, what the hell.’”

Employing a relationship metaphor, Wilmore complained that the Republican Party had disappeared for 50 years but now wanted to hook-up with black voters.

“How can we trust that you’ve changed if you’re pretending it was always all good?” he asked, noting a Republican official in Kansas recently used the term “nigger rigging.”

“Black people aren’t coming back until the Republicans admit we aren’t just dealing with ‘accidental racism,’” Wilmore remarked. “Believe me, if the past 50 years had been some of that Brad Paisley, LL Cool J bygones-be-bygones shit, we’d have gone with the tax breaks.”

Watch video, via Comedy Central, below:

Part 1

Part 2

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Tweet of the Day

Ta-Nehisi Coates referencing Sen. Rand Paul’s lecture and Q&A at Howard University.

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Five Ways Rand Paul Whitesplained Politics At Howard University

In my mind, Rand Paul has always been and will always be a tool.  I imagined his speech and  the HBCU, Howard University in Washington, D.C. would be filled with innuendos, lies and frankly  propaganda in an effort to win a few Black GOP voters.

How’s that working out for you Rand?

Think Progress

On Wednesday morning, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) gave an address at the historically-black Howard University designed to convince black voters to support Republicans. While some of his remarks, most notably on harsh drug laws and other civil liberties issues, were well-received, the majority of the speech consisted in Paul condescendingly explaining American racial history to the audience, occasionally incorrectly, and expecting that it would open black voters’ eyes to the real Republican Party. Here are five moments that encapsulated the general problem with Paul’s speech:

1. The Civil Rights movement is actually the “history of the Republican Party”.The thrust of Paul’s speech was a recapitulation of the history of race and racism and a defense of the Republican record on race (representative line: “The story of emancipation, voting rights and citizenship, from Fredrick Douglass until the modern civil rights era, is in fact the history of the Republican Party.”) The problem was that this speech, ostensibly designed to persuade black voters that the GOP was interested in them, was telling the audience things it already knew. Moreover, the speech didn’t grapple with what happened to make the Democrats the more racially liberal party in the mid-40s or the turn towards racially divisive politics on the Republican right, essentially skipping over the real reason the GOP alienated African-American voters.

2. Assumed the audience didn’t know the history of the NAACP. In one of the most awkward moments of the talk, Paul asked the audience if anyone knew that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had been founded by Republicans. The audience responded with a resounding “yes!”

3. Suggested that African-Americans were “demeaning” the history of sergregation by calling voter ID laws discrimination. When asked how African-Americans could trust the Republican Party given its generalized support fordiscriminatory voter ID laws, Rand Paul told the audience to chill out about the measures, suggesting they were common sense. Paul argued that the view that these laws were an updated version of poll taxes was “[demeaning] the horror” of segregation. NAACP President Benjamin Jealous has said voter ID laws are “pushing more voters out of the ballot box than any point since Jim Crow.”

4. Mangled the name of the first popularly-elected black Senator. In what appeared to be an attempt to demonstrate his familiarity with the subject matter, Paul brought up Senator Edward William Brooke III (a Republican mentioned in the prepared remarks as “the first [elected] black U.S. Senator”). He referred to him, however, as “Edwin Brooks,” a point the audience corrected.

5. Misled about his opposition to the Civil Rights Act. Paul said “I’ve never wavered in my support for civil rights or the Civil Rights Act.” The problem, asMother Jones‘ Adam Serwer pointed out, is that he opposed the law’s ban on discrimination in “places of public accommodation” like businesses, one of its most important planks. As an audience member asking Paul about this issuepointed out, “this was on tape.”

If Paul wants to spearhead Republican overtures to African-Americans, he’s got his work cut out for him. Over 50 percent of black voters in the last election believed Republicans “don’t care at all about civil rights,” while 71 percent thought Democrats were doing strong work in the area. President Obama won 93 percent of black voters.

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The Top 10 Reasons Rand Paul should never start a sentence, ‘Had I been president …’

Daily Kos

No doubt you’ve seen Sen. Rand Paul’s made-for-TV tantrum yesterday at the U.S. Senate’s Benghazi hearing. When the Kentucky senator had his turn to question Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he said:

“I’m glad that you’re accepting responsibility. I think ultimately with your leaving that you accept the culpability for the worst tragedy since 9/11. And I really mean that. Had I been president and found you did not read the cables from Benghazi and from Ambassador Stevens, I would have relieved you of your post. I think it’s inexcusable.”

Setting aside Sen. Paul’s thickheaded and insensitive remark that the murder of four Americans in Libya is “the worst tragedy since 9/11″—worse, for example, than 4,000 Americans killed in a pointless and costly war—his tea party toadying, “Had I been president,” should not pass without comment.

If Sen. Paul had been president, of course, the mess in Benghazi probably would’ve been a lot worse, as our embassy personnel would have had much less protection, given the GOP’s deep cuts to Secretary Clinton’s security requests. But he’s not president, and here’s why he shouldn’t even open his pie hole to entertain the possibility:

The Top 10 Reasons Rand Paul should never start a sentence, “Had I been president…”

#10. Half the audience will laugh so hard they won’t hear the rest of your comment.

#9. The other half of the audience will cry so hard your remaining words will be lost in their bawling.

#8. Security will remove you as an outside agitator, perhaps even an anarchist.

#7. Your nitwit tea party followers will have to change their “Rand Paul for Emperor” signs. (They have to change them anyway because they misspelled Emperor.)

#6. Sinners will buy up the world’s supply of coats, jackets, and blankets, anticipating hell freezing over.

#5. Michele Bachmann will sue you for “Presidential Batshit Crazy” copyright infringement.

#4. World leaders will set their nuclear missiles on high alert.

#3. Capitol police will immediately perform a breathalyzer test on you.

#2. Stocks will plunge, except for the companies that make “The End is Nigh” signs.

And the #1 reason Rand Paul should never start a sentence, “Had I been president …”

#1. Forget it, dude, ain’t gonna happen.

H/t: Yankee Clipper

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Rand Paul: I Didn’t Think Obama’s Views On Marriage ‘Could Get Any Gayer’

United States Senate candidate , at a town hal...

United States Senate candidate , at a town hall meeting in Louisville, . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In my opinion, Rand Paul has always seemed dumber than a s**t load of bricks!

TPM LiveWire

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) became the latest Republican to weigh in on President Obama’s decision to personally support same sex marriage Friday. From his speech before a Faith and Freedom Coalition meeting in Iowa, per the Des Moines Register:

At the Iowa Faith & Freedom event, Paul mocked President Obama’s remark that his view on marriage was evolving.  “Call me cynical, but I didn’t think his views on marriage could get any gayer,” he said.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition is a socially conservative group led by former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed. At the event, Paul’s speech focused on what he said are the connections between social conservatives and the more libertarian conservatives who support his father’s presidential bid.

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CNN’s Don Lemon and Rand Paul Clash Over The Tea Party’s Role In The Debt Crisis- July 30, 2011

The Huffington Post

CNN’s Don Lemon had a very testy exchange with Sen. Rand Paul about the debt ceiling drama on Saturday night.

As the House and Senate again failed to reach an agreement on how to raise the debt ceiling, Paul appeared on CNN to explain the Tea Party position on the talks. Lemon started off the interview by asking him to chat “without talking points.” He also began aggressively trying to get Paul to answer his questions, asking him repeatedly how he had voted on the so-called “Cut, Cap and Balance” bill from the House.

Lemon then wondered whether Paul’s insistence on measures like a balanced budget amendment were isolating him.

“The Democrats have made many concessions when it comes to what’s going on here, and even the Tea Party position it appears to most people remains rigid,” Lemon said. “The question is, have you made your point? And by continuing to go on with this, do you feel like you’re overreaching and that you’re going to lose the clout?”

Paul started talking about how he didn’t want to add any more debt to the country’s finances. Lemon cut him off. “Hang on, hang on,” he said. “Can we just stick to that–we’re going to get to that–”

“Let me finish my thought,” Paul said.

“Hold on, please, be respectful here,” Lemon responded. “I’m trying to answer your question, you’ve interrupted my answer,” Paul said.”If you answer the question, I’ll give you plenty of time,” Lemon said.

Continue reading here…

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Free Speech For Dummy

Digby and Think Progress actually get what Rand Paul is really about…

Hullabaloo – byDigby

Why am I not surprised that the alleged libertarian Rand Paul is just a tad uhm … incoherent?

PAUL: I’m not for profiling people on the color of their skin, or on their religion, but I would take into account where they’ve been traveling and perhaps, you might have to indirectly take into account whether or not they’ve been going to radical political speeches by religious leaders. It wouldn’t be that they are Islamic. But if someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government, that’s really an offense that we should be going after — they should be deported or put in prison.

Think Progress goes on to note all the praise Paul has been receiving from libertarians and liberals alike for his courageous support for constitution principles. And they also note how many of those constitutional principles he has ignored. What explains this?

How shall I put this delicately? The man isn’t playing with a full deck. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He’s a few tacos short of a fiesta platter. His jogging trail doesn’t go all the way round the lake…He’s an idiot. The fact that we have to count on him to be the guardian of the constitution in the US Senate says everything you need to know about the state of civil liberties in this country.

Continue reading here…

Update:

Barefoot and Progressive’s Joe Sonka notes that by Paul’s own logic, he should be put in jail, as he himself has flirted with rhetoric about violently overthrowing the government.

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Ron Paul Bashes Paul Ryan’s Budget, Calls Big Government ‘King’

Huffington Post

Potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul (Texas) on Monday panned Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget proposal, telling a crowd in Iowa that the Ryan plan will not end big government, which he said is becoming like a monarchy.

Speaking at a forum organized by the Family Leader, a local Christian and socially conservative group, the Texas congressman referred to a passage in the Old Testament where the Israelite people asked the prophet Samuel for a king to rule over them. He used the story a parable to illustrate where he believes the once self-reliant American culture is headed.

“We don’t have a king today but unfortunately I think we’re drifting to a point that our big government is king, and the government tells us what we can do and be responsible for us,” Paul said. “And if we don’t have a house, they’ll give us a house. If we don’t have education, they’ll give us free education. If we’re hungry, we get food stamps. And deficits don’t matter. And if you need money, you print the money. And we have this moral obligation to police the world.”

“It goes on and on,” the congressman said. “The king will take care of us.”

Paul, who had a surprisingly strong showing in the 2008 Republican presidential primary but has not yet declared his intentions for the 2012 race, also talked about Ryan’s budget and the Federal Reserve with an audience of roughly 150 people in Sioux Center, in the state’s northwest corner.

He said the budgets proposed by Rep. Ryan and President Obama wouldn’t put Washington on a path to limited government.

“Neither of those budgets will solve our problems, or even come close,” Paul said.

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Rand Paul: Newt Gingrich ‘May Have More War Positions Than He’s Had Wives’

Huffington Post

Freshman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tested his comedy act during a speech at the Congressional Correspondents’ Dinner on Wednesday night, taking aim at Newt Gingrich with an edgy joke comparing the former Speaker of the House’s recent flap over flip-flopping on his Libya stance to his number of wives.

“I was happy to see that Newt Gingrich has staked out a position on the war, a position, or two, or maybe three. I don’t know. He may have more war positions than he’s had wives,” Paul said, seemingly triggering more shocked murmurs than laughs.

Paul then quickly switched gears, skewering Fox News for their position on Libyan intervention.

“There’s a big debate going on over at Fox News. It’s really messed up, I mean they don’t know what to do. They just really can’t decide over at Fox News, it’s like, what do they love more, bombing the Middle East or bashing the president? It’s like, I was over there and there was an anchor going — they were pleading, they were pleading — ‘please, please, please, can’t we do both? Can’t we bomb the Middle East and bash the president at the same time? How are we going to make this work?’”

Watch:

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