Rand Paul says open the government

[Alyosha]

That's too bad. I was having fun watching nothing happen. Party pooper.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/rand-paul-government-shutdown-2013-97632.html


“I think if we did it for a week or two, we could still continue to negotiate, have a conference committee and really I think the American people do want us to work this out,” Paul said.



“New Day” co-host Kate Bolduan told Paul that his comment “might be the first glimmer of hope I’ve heard all morning.”
Bolduan later asked Paul what he thinks of Democrats who believe anti-Obamacare Republicans are “beginning from an irrational bargaining position.”


“If you and I disagree and I start out by calling you irrational, we’re not going to get anywhere,” Paul said. “Obviously when we disagree, we don’t like the premise of the other person’s position. But the thing is, funding is a function of Congress. So, a law is passed, but how we fund it and how we modify that law overtime — it doesn’t mean from here till the end of time Obamacare is everything that the president wanted it to be.”


“The president has been modifying his own plan over the past several months,” he added. “Should Congress not be part of that? Some of us think it’s illegal for the president to do it without our authority. So, really, I think we should be part of the mix and he shouldn’t get 100 percent of Obamacare as he wants it without any input from Republicans as well as the rest of the country.”


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/rand-paul-government-shutdown-2013-97632.html#ixzz2gUhrSA3b

[The Xl]

Rand says, supports, and does a lot of questionable shit.

It may rustle libertarian jimmies, but it be what it be.

[Alyosha]

Yes, I'm perplexed at what he would argue for government. His father must hate him right now.

[jillian]

its great how the extremists can make even rand paul look good.

[jillian]

Yes, I'm perplexed at what he would argue for government. His father must hate him right now.


you mean his father who made a lifetime career in government and then brought his son into the family business?

[Alyosha]

you mean his father who made a lifetime career in government and then brought his son into the family business?

Actually, he made a lifetime career out of medicine and then went into politics when he retired. Just like Rand practiced for 20 years and is not in politics.

Just like I retired from what I was doing once I could cash out and now may be a farmer or something. Who knows?

[Alyosha]

its great how the extremists can make even rand paul look good.

How does this make him look good?

[Cigar]

How does this make him look good?



Wrong wording ... how about it makes him look like an Adult? :laugh:

[jillian]

Actually, he made a lifetime career out of medicine and then went into politics when he retired. Just like Rand practiced for 20 years and is not in politics.

Just like I retired from what I was doing once I could cash out and now may be a farmer or something. Who knows?

as of 2011, paul served 11 different terms in 3 different stages going back to 1976

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/12/ron-pauls-long-record-glorious-failures-congress/46661/

that's a career and an awful lot for someone who claimed to support term limits (well, for everyone else, anyway).

and he never met an earmark he didn't like.

As for earmarks, the congressman requested at least $157 million for fiscal year 2011, and another $398 million for fiscal year 2010, according to his congressional Web site (http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1033& Itemid=68). The provisions included $2.5 million for a “Historic Downtown Redevelopment Project” in Baytown, Texas; $8 million for replacing recreational fishing piers damaged during hurricanes; and $18 million for ship canal operations and maintenance.
The late Tim Russert challenged Paul on his support of earmarks during a 2007 interview (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22379734/ns/politics-decision_08/t/ron-paul-defends-asking-special-projects/#.TvstZCNSQto) on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The congressman explained that he only introduces such spending measures because the political system allows it, and that he ultimately votes against the provisions -- even his own.
Paul denounces all interference in the free market and cries foul whenever the government “chooses favorites,” but he has pushed for certain benefits himself. He can argue that tax credits don’t constitute subsidies, but even libertarian tax economists disagree.
The congressman also provides a shaky defense -- to say the least -- of his earmark requests. It appears, from the way he operates, that he doesn’t want to do his own dirty work. He makes spending requests and votes against them while other lawmakers support the measures, bringing the money to his district anyway.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/ron-paul-on-earmarks-and-corporate-welfare-fact-checker-biography/2011/12/28/gIQAWjEaOP_blog.html

[The Xl]

its great how the extremists can make even rand paul look good.

Your party, the Democrats, support redistribution from the middle, working and upper middle class to bankers and other members of the uber rich, make the poor dependent via massive inflation and a horrible jobs market, and have the same imperialist, interventionist foreign policy as the Neocons.

I don't think you're in any position to label anyone an extremist from any angle you approach it, morally, logically, or anything else.

[The Xl]

Yes, I'm perplexed at what he would argue for government. His father must hate him right now.

Well, their is one possible explanation that would make sense...

[Chris]

Rand's not really backing down but suggesting reopening government temporarily to go back to negotiating--which puts the bacl back in the President's and Senate's hands, who won't negotiate.




Rand says, supports, and does a lot of questionable shit.

It may rustle libertarian jimmies, but it be what it be.

He's young, just in office, he'll learn...or be corrupted by power. I'm still rooting for him!

[The Xl]

Rand's not really backing down but suggesting reopening government temporarily to go back to negotiating--which puts the bacl back in the President's and Senate's hands, who won't negotiate.





He's young, just in office, he'll learn...or be corrupted by power. I'm still rooting for him!
He might have been corrupted from the word go. That's the vibe I get, and some of his actions certainly give credibility to said vibe.

[Chris]

He might have been corrupted from the word go. That's the vibe I get, and some of his actions certainly give credibility to said vibe.



Time will tell.

[Alyosha]

Time will tell.

It could be because he's trying to set himself apart from Ted Cruz. I can see no other reason for it, except maybe 2016.

[Ethereal]

Senator Paul is trying to accumulate more and more political capital in the run-up to 2016. This is a part of that strategy. Basically, he is trying to beat Democrats at their own game, and I think he's doing a great job of it. I don't really care if he wins or not because cultural change will occur with or without him, but I do enjoy seeing him poke the establishment in the eye, so more power to him.

[Alyosha]

Senator Paul is trying to accumulate more and more political capital in the run-up to 2016. This is a part of that strategy. Basically, he is trying to beat Democrats at their own game, and I think he's doing a great job of it. I don't really care if he wins or not because cultural change will occur with or without him, but I do enjoy seeing him poke the establishment in the eye, so more power to him.

Sooooo, I do "hear" what you're saying. I do. However, do you feel that his father would agree? Would Ron Paul say "Open the government"?

[Ethereal]

Sooooo, I do "hear" what you're saying. I do. However, do you feel that his father would agree? Would Ron Paul say "Open the government"?

Well, his own financial plan that he put forward while running for President provided ongoing financing for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, so clearly he has a sense of compromise.

[Alyosha]

Well, his own financial plan that he put forward while running for President provided ongoing financing for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, so clearly he has a sense of compromise.

Yes, yes, but technically they come from a different "pool" of money, Ethereal. Obamacare is a different beast, altogether. It is the government saying, "you have to buy this whether you can afford it or not".

[KC]

Rand says, supports, and does a lot of questionable shit.

It may rustle libertarian jimmies, but it be what it be.

http://static2.fjcdn.com/comments/quot+Gorilla+warfare+quot+My+jimmies+remain+_43caa 0a9d747faf75033e4b10137523d.jpg

[AmazonTania]

I never listened to Rand Paul before. Why start now?

[Alyosha]

I never listened to Rand Paul before. Why start now?

http://www.policymic.com/articles/65185/how-rand-paul-will-win-with-black-voters-and-millennials

Because this twenty something black girl says he can beat the Democrats?


Last week, Senator Rand Paul delivered remarks (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/rand-paul-mandatory-minimum-laws_n_3949415.html) likening mandatory minimum sentencing to Jim Crow (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/books/michelle-alexanders-new-jim-crow-raises-drug-law-debates.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0); he then rallied (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2013/09/17/rand-paul-we-went-crazy-on-the-war-on-drugs/) to get voting rights restored for convicted felons. These stances come on the heels of his tacit approval (http://www.policymic.com/articles/62047/obama-will-not-get-away-with-a-syria-strike-on-my-watch) of President Obama’s handling of the Syrian conflict. Together, Paul's positions bring an interesting turn to his relatively short (http://www.biography.com/people/rand-paul-588472) political career: he is gaining favor among African Americans and young voters, where his conservative counterparts have failed.
Republicans were slammed (http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/elections/how_groups_voted/voted_12.html) in the 2012 presidential election for their racist, homophobic, and misogynistic image (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/05/the-republican-party-loss-among-young-voters-goes-way-beyond-rebranding/). Blacks, Latinos, gays, women, and young people feared a Republican leader unable and unwilling to address their concerns. Rand Paul is trying to change this narrative, and with bold and reasoned (http://www.cato.org/publications/congressional-testimony/mandatory-minimum-sentencing-provisions-under-federal-law) stances on sentencing reform and voting rights, I think he’s on the right path.
This is not to say that Paul is liberal or even center-right. According to his website (http://www.paul.senate.gov/?p=issues), he is pro-life, pro-gun, and anti-Obamacare. His stance on gay marriage is murky (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/06/27/rand-paul-invokes-bestiality-while-discussing-gay-marriage-walks-it-back/) at best, although his vitriolic hatred (http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/laura-chapin/2013/07/29/rand-pauls-anti-abortion-extremism-disqualifies-him-as-a-libertarian) for a woman’s right to choose is more clear. He’s a strong believer in unchecked corporate growth and minimal government intervention. He’s a libertarian (http://watchdog.org/106803/liberty-issues-will-grow-gop-rand-paul-tells-libertarian-conference/), with no plans of compromising his values to fit into a cookie-cutter mold that is current political discourse (http://www.people-press.org/2012/06/04/partisan-polarization-surges-in-bush-obama-years/).

.....


And: he’s right. Sentencing reform is an issue that not only disproportionately (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/racial-disparity-drug-use_n_3941346.html) affects minorities, but also increases the role of government. And that’s why Paul is making sentencing reform key issue; it solidifies his standing with black voters while appealing to his young, libertarian base.
Paul’s black-inclusion strategy didn’t end at Howard. His recent (http://www.kentucky.com/2013/09/16/2825862/paul-backs-sentencing-flexibility.html) tour of black neighborhoods in Kentucky is another indicator of his desire to court black voters. What’s admirable about this campaign is that it’s one of direct action. No conferences, no pamphlets, no sloganeering. He is literally going into black communities, reaching out to black leaders, and hearing black grievances. Additionally, he's pushing actual legislation (http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th/senate-bill/619) on the issue. Plus, let’s not forget that Attorney General Eric Holder (http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/12/politics/holder-mandatory-minimums/index.html) is on board with sentence reform, so again Paul is showing broad appeal and the willingness to work across the aisle.
Where other conservative mouthpieces offer disingenuous “re-branding" campaigns, Paul is in the streets, getting work done. He is proving to black voters that he is ready for black inclusion, not just for the sake of votes or image, but in the interest of American economic viability. Rand Paul is not making this just another “black” issue; he’s making an economic one in which a variety of cultural groups have stakes.
And young voters like it. We care about economic potency. Lessening sentences for nonviolent drug offenses is right up our alley (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/08/13/americans-skeptical-of-value-of-enforcing-marijuana-laws/) — a full 76% of 18- to 29-year-olds think enforcing marijuana laws is wasteful. Young voters understand the American future needs to rely less on antiquated social convictions, and more on pragmatism. Young voters are more critical of government and we are searching for viable options to reduce constant partisan bickering.
Rand Paul may be it.

[AmazonTania]

That girl has some weird looking eyes. Nice lips though...

If Rand Paul develops into anything like his father, message wise, she'll be right.

[KC]

http://www.policymic.com/articles/65185/how-rand-paul-will-win-with-black-voters-and-millennials

Because this twenty something black girl says he can beat the Democrats?

Beating the Democrats won't be a victory. Rand Paul's no exception to the rule of candidates who receive their funding from private interests:

Here's Rand Paul's top campaign contributors by sector, according to open secrets.

www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2014&cid=N00030836&type=I (http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2014&cid=N00030836&type=I)
Sector Totals



Sector
Total
PACs
Indivs


Agribusiness
$150,803
$19,500
$131,303


Communications/Electronics
$128,201
$23,000
$105,201


Construction
$157,335
$22,000
$135,335


Defense
$20,200
$0
$20,200


Energy & Natural Resources
$286,622
$62,100
$224,522


Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
$641,198
$101,400
$539,798


Health
$478,234
$111,000
$367,234


Lawyers & Lobbyists
$171,283
$15,050
$156,233


Transportation
$69,400
$17,000
$52,400


Misc Business
$411,225
$57,000
$354,225


Labor
$250
$0
$250


Ideological/Single-Issue
$518,809
$222,234
$296,575


Other
$673,643
$2,000
$671,643

[Alyosha]

That girl has some weird looking eyes. Nice lips though...

If Rand Paul develops into anything like his father, message wise, she'll be right.
Ethereal and I disagree on Rand's political charity. He feels it that Rand doesn't owe voluntarists anything and I wish he was slightly more like his father.

[Alyosha]

Beating the Democrats won't be a victory. Rand Paul's no exception to the rule of candidates who receive their funding from private interests:

Here's Rand Paul's top campaign contributors by sector, according to open secrets.

www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2014&cid=N00030836&type=I (http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2014&cid=N00030836&type=I)
Sector Totals



Sector
Total
PACs
Indivs


Agribusiness
$150,803
$19,500
$131,303


Communications/Electronics
$128,201
$23,000
$105,201


Construction
$157,335
$22,000
$135,335


Defense
$20,200
$0
$20,200


Energy & Natural Resources
$286,622
$62,100
$224,522


Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
$641,198
$101,400
$539,798


Health
$478,234
$111,000
$367,234


Lawyers & Lobbyists
$171,283
$15,050
$156,233


Transportation
$69,400
$17,000
$52,400


Misc Business
$411,225
$57,000
$354,225


Labor
$250
$0
$250


Ideological/Single-Issue
$518,809
$222,234
$296,575


Other
$673,643
$2,000
$671,643



































































































































































Welllllll.........even his father, who I will stand on a stack of Bibles and shout was the "read deal", got money from businesses. As Ron says, better him than them.

[AmazonTania]

@Ethereal (http://thepoliticalforums.com/member.php?u=870) and I disagree on Rand's political charity. He feels it that Rand doesn't owe voluntarists anything and I wish he was slightly more like his father.

Rand Paul needs to be more like Jack Bauer...

[KC]

Welllllll.........even his father, who I will stand on a stack of Bibles and shout was the "read deal", got money from businesses. As Ron says, better him than them.

I agree that Ron did seem like the real deal. The problem is that a quick glance at a politician's donors tends to be a pretty good indicator of who they will be willing to help once in office. I should hope that Rand is genuine if he ever does win the nomination, or else we're screwed.

[Alyosha]

Rand Paul needs to be more like Jack Bauer...

I think he needs to be more like me. DOH!

[Chris]

I agree that Ron did seem like the real deal. The problem is that a quick glance at a politician's donors tends to be a pretty good indicator of who they will be willing to help once in office. I should hope that Rand is genuine if he ever does win the nomination, or else we're screwed.



Actually it would be interesting to see a break down of those figures in terms of local vs national donations. A representative should be representing local constituents and would be expected to get contributions from there.