Topic: GOP - Rand Paul's Presidential Highlight Reel w/ his Libertarian Twist - page 36. (Read 205816 times)

Rand is ready to rumble.

A super PAC supporting Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has taken out the first Republican-on-Republican ad of the 2016 election cycle, a WWE-inspired spot where he promises a "Brawl for Liberty" under the Capitol dome Sunday over the Patriot Act, which he has vowed to end.

The Kentucky senator and his allies spent 11 hours speaking on the Senate floor last week and played a role in the Senate's decision to adjourn without voting on the issue; the body will reconvene Sunday to take it up.

"Get ready, America, for the biggest brawl for liberty of the century!" a WWE-style announcer screams as a cartoon of a screeching bald eagle flies across the screen.

"Defender of freedom, Senator Rand Paul!" the announcer yells. The ad was funded by America's Liberty PAC.

The video cuts to Paul's head superimposed on the torso of a jacked, shirtless man standing in front of an American flag. A cloud of flames explodes in back of him.

He's taking on President Obama or, his wrestling name, "Obama the email reader." He is aided by his "so-called conservative" sidekicks -- and here comes the Republican-on-Republican violence.

Meet "The Capitulating Canadian," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who is battling Paul in real life for the 2016 nomination. Cruz is pictured wearing shorts and boxing gloves and standing in front of the Canadian flag, flanked by a moose and Obama.

Paul's other competitor is Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has repeatedly clashed with Paul and rolled his eyes while Paul was talking on the Senate floor. Graham is "trying to read your emails while doing donuts in a 1997 Geo Metro." The pink car ends up in flames.

"Watch them battle it out under the dome on the floor of the United States Senate," the ad says.

The ad is part of a multi-platform digital campaign that will include Facebook, Twitter and search advertising. It comes as Paul's camp issues a deluge of tweets, fundraising e-mails ads pledging to continue to fight the Patriot Act. In the wake of his Senate floor marathon, critics -- including Obama, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) -- have piled on Paul, who seems to relish in swinging back.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/05/29/rands-ready-to-rumble-in-a-wwe-style-ad/

Here's the ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7qy-4CBBZo

Chris Matthews: Rand Paul Is America's No. 1 Whistleblower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfLgx_jCzEI
Transcript:
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC'S HARDBALL: Let me finish with this. I would like to salute the country’s number-one Republican whistle-blower: Rand Paul.

You see, you don’t have to agree with libertarianism to see the guts that it takes. It means smashing through all the obligations the right or left applies to government and saying, “Guess what? I’d rather not. I’d rather have no government than what you’re offering here.”

And so, it’s not surprising that the country’s lone libertarian presidential candidate is the one Republican with the courage to call out his party for the disastrous route this government has taken since the weeks after 9/11… When Dick Cheney and the neo-cons found a route to Iraq, a route through the drafty mind of a president, a complicit mainstream media and a public dog-trained to believe whatever a president says about national security.

Just tell me if you ever heard the phrases that sold us into that Iraq war: “W-M-D,” “homeland,” “regime change,” a vocabulary of war, the strange, foreign phrases meant to incur in us some deep need to attack and to hate any country that saw the nuttiness in it. Remember “Freedom fries?” We weren’t supposed to even say “French” fries because that country thought the war talk stupid.

Here we are a dozen years later and still, even now, the Republican party has but one, lone candidate who stands out there being truthful. Rand Paul is like the skinny, quiet, uncool kid who doesn’t get picked for the intramurals because he dares to think for himself.

Well, the Republicans like Bobby Jindal can mock Paul. I think he deserves credit for his guts. His father got whacked by Rudy Giuliani for daring to challenge the stupid, horrid Iraq war. Let’s see if the Republican peanut gallery roars as loud when some dimwit goes after Senator Paul this time.

The war was bad. If the Republicans want the White House the first thing they have to do is confess the horrible decision they made the last time they had it.

Hillary Clinton called her support of the war a mistake. I dearly hope she means it.

Except for Rand Paul, the Republicans haven’t even gotten that far.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/05/28/chris_matthews_rand_paul_is_americas_number_one_whistleblower.html

Honest mistake! Fox news excludes Rand from poll yet again

This is how Fox will be showing polling for Rand going forward by hiding him unless it suits their purpose to show it. Go to 2:25 of this clip and check out the "fair and balanced" reporting for yourself. It doesn't get more obvious than this and watch what the host says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=171&v=-4rQH4HTlw0
Once again, Fox News forgot to include Sen. Rand Paul in their coverage of a new 2016 presidential poll, even though the senator outperformed other candidates mentioned and the survey cited made Paul a significant part of their original headline.
Quinnipiac released a poll today featuring the headline “Five Leaders In 2016 Republican White House Race, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Rubio, Paul Are Only Republicans Even Close To Clinton.” Yet in Fox News’ coverage, Paul apparently didn’t register enough to justify being shown on the broadcast of the poll.

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Instead of mentioning Rand Paul’s competitiveness against Hillary Clinton (Paul and Rubio paired better against the former Secretary of State than any other Republicans), Fox left Paul’s name out to focus on lower-tier performers Donald Trump and John Kasich.

Read the rest...http://rare.us/story/fox-news-continues-to-blackout-rand-paul-in-their-poll-coverage/

Hardball: Rand Paul calls out GOP hawks over ISIS and Iraq
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciP6axk7zY8
Lot's of love from some genuine parts of the left and much disdain from many of the ostrich-hawks on the right as Rand just lit the fuse by calling out these neocons for their complicity in helping to spawn and strengthen ISIS.

A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN DEMOCRATS CAN LOVE

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I have a man crush on Rand Paul.

Yes, it’s enough to drive me to confession: Every day I find myself agreeing more and more with the libertarian senator from Kentucky. He may be running for president as a Republican, but he says some things that any liberal Democrat like me could support.

If truth be known, I often agreed with his father, too, especially on Ron Paul’s opposition to the war in Iraq and the national security state. But son Rand, dare I say, is less kooky, more thoughtful, more believable and much more politically savvy. Plus, in a world of politicians who all look and sound alike, he’s the only one of either party who defies pigeon-holing. You never know where he’s going to pop up on any issue. And, more often than not, it’s the opposite position of what you’d expect from any Republican.

Who’s the leading champion to shut down NSA’s vast phone spying operation? Not some liberal Democrat. It’s Rand Paul! With a 10 and a half hour filibuster, he single-handedly blocked last week’s Senate effort to extend the Patriot Act, which he calls “the most unpatriotic of acts.” Instead of limiting NSA’s metadata operation, Paul says we should shut it down because it’s a clear violation of our right of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. His first filibuster was against drones. He’s right on both.

...

http://www.wnd.com/2015/05/a-conservative-republican-democrats-can-love/

Rand Paul to push for declassification of 28 pages of 9/11 report

The growing, nonpartisan drive to declassify a 28-page finding on foreign government support of the 9/11 hijackers is about to take an enormous step forward with the introduction of a Senate resolution urging the president to release the material to the public. Dramatically compounding the issue’s visibility, the resolution is being introduced by high-profile Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul of Kentucky.

A spokesperson for Senator Paul told 28Pages.org that Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden will cosponsor the resolution, which will serve as the upper chamber’s companion to House Resolution 14.

Paul will unveil the Transparency for the Families of 9/11 Victims Act at an outdoor Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday, June 2 at 10:00 am, joined by Representatives Walter Jones (R,NC), Stephen Lynch (D, MA), Thomas Massie (R, KY) and former Democratic Senator Bob Graham.

...
According to Graham, “the 28 pages primarily relate to who financed 9/11 and they point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principal financier.” Further, he has said the U.S. government’s shielding of Saudi Arabia’s role in funding extremism helped pave the way for the rise of ISIS.

...

http://28pages.org/2015/05/28/major-development-rand-paul-ron-wyden-to-introduce-28-pages-resolution-in-senate/

Paul: Providing arms to Syrian rebels led to ISIS growth

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said on Thursday that "no one's to blame for ISIS, other than ISIS," but he nonetheless argued that the idea the terrorist group rose up because of the decision to pull American troops out of Iraq is false.

Paul, who announced his candidacy for president last month, was in Davenport to sign his new book then make remarks at Modern Woodmen Park.

...

In an interview with the Quad-City Times, Paul said "no one's to blame for ISIS, other than ISIS. They're terrorists with an apparent religion and a crazy, murderous sort of ideology."

Still, he stuck by the idea that it was a decision by the U.S. and other countries to put arms into Syria that allowed ISIS to grow.

"There is a significant body of objective evidence that says that by pouring arms into the Syrian civil war, to the allies of ISIS, that created a safe haven for ISIS," he said. "And ISIS grew stronger over time."

Later, in front of the audience, Paul explicitly rejected the idea — promoted by many of his Republican rivals — that it was the Obama administration's decision to pull troops out of Iraq that led to the terrorist group's rise.

"Someone might say, 'Oh no, ISIS grew because we left Iraq.' That's not the truth," he said. "ISIS grew in Syria and invaded Iraq."

...

http://qctimes.com/news/local/government-and-politics/elections/paul-providing-arms-to-syrian-rebels-led-to-isis-growth/article_8efa918d-6b9c-559e-bbba-a2018e5c0474.html

‘Severe Case Of Amnesia': Chris Christie Rips Rand Over Patriot Act Opposition

Chris Christie went directly after Rand Paul’s opposition of the Patriot Act Thursday, saying he has a “severe case of amnesia” over the tragic events on September 11, 2001.

In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt Thursday, Christie continued his criticism of the Kentucky senator, saying Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should stare Paul and other Patriot Act critics down in an effort to extend the law. The New Jersey governor added that he himself has “no amnesia” of 9/11 after attending funerals of friends in the Garden State.

“I think [McConnell] should stare down the critics of the Patriot Act. I absolutely believe — you know Hugh, of all the people who are engaging in this national conversation right now, I’m the only person who’s used the Patriot Act,” Christie said. “The only person who has reviewed applications and the only person who has, you know, convicted terrorists using the parts and the tools we have in the Patriot Act.”

...

http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/28/severe-case-of-amnesia-chris-christie-rips-rand-over-patriot-act-opposition-audio/

Senator Rand Paul Cuts His Own Hair: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me

1. My wife [Kelley, 51] and I met at an outdoor oyster roast in Atlanta. At first, she thought I was much younger than I actually was and she gave me the cold shoulder. Eventually she realized that I was 26 years old, and we hit it off!


2. As a child, I loved to collect old coins with my grandmother.

3. The same grandmother inspired me to become an ophthalmologist. As her vision began to fade, I became her eyes when we inspected mint marks on coins.

PHOTOS: Celebs' political affiliations

4. I am the father of three: William, 22, Duncan, 19, and Robert, 16. When they were little kids, I loved coaching their soccer, baseball, and basketball leagues.

5. My son turned me on to Sundy Best, a country duo from Prestonsburg, Kentucky. Check them out!

More...http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/senator-rand-paul-cuts-his-own-hair-25-things-you-dont-know-about-me-2015275#ixzz3bRVcCjqR

Bobby Jindal Attacks Rand Paul, Violates The Louisiana Constitution In The Process

Today Kentucky Senator Rand Paul went on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and he was asked about Lindsey Graham’s comments that a restrained U.S. foreign policy led to the rise of ISIS. Here’s what Paul said in response:
ISIS exists and grew stronger because of the hawks in our party who gave arms indiscriminately and most of those arms were snatched up by ISIS. These hawks also wanted to bomb Assad which would have made ISIS’s job even easier. They created these people. ISIS is all over Libya because the same hawks in my party loved Hillary Clinton’s war in Libya, they just wanted more of it. But Libya is a failed state and a disaster, Iraq really is a failed state or a vassal state now of Iran, so everything they’ve talked about in foreign policy they’ve been wrong about for 20 years and yet they somehow have the gall to keeping saying and pointing figures otherwise.
Now you can argue both sides of Paul’s statement and it’s not the point of this piece. The point of this piece is what Governor Bobby Jindal said in response. Here’s a press release sent out by Jindal attacking Paul.

Governor Jindal is certainly positioning himself as a hawk in the race and this press release really isn’t surprising. However, it may be a violation of the Louisiana State Constitution’s ban on using public funds to urge the vote for or against a candidate, in this case Rand Paul for U.S. President.C.B. Forgotston, who has been a thorn in the side of Jindal since he became governor, sent out an e-mail to his massive e-mail list pointing out that this press release is a violation of Article 11, Section 4 of the Louisiana State Constitution. He copied his entire list on a-mail to Stephen Street, the State Inspector General.
Stephen:The below press release from the governor’s office is a violation of Louisiana Constitution, Article XI, 4. It clearly urges a vote against U.S. Senator Rand Paul for President of the United States. The press release was issued by state employees and has no disclaimer that public funds were not used.If this is not a violation of the law, please advise why it isn’t.A RESPONSE IS REQUESTED.C.B.
Here’s what Article 11, Section 4 says:
§4. Prohibited Use of Public FundsSection 4. No public funds shall be used to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or proposition, or be appropriated to a candidate or political organization. This provision shall not prohibit the use of public funds for dissemination of factual information relative to a proposition appearing on an election ballot.
I think C.B. is right on this one. The press release is a violation of state law because it was issued on official state stationary and released by state employees. Shannon Bates Dirmann is an employee of the State of Louisiana, not Jindal’s exploratory committee. The press release was written by Governor Jindal’s office, which is paid for by all Louisiana taxpayers.Between this and his use of executive orders to make law, what does this say about Bobby Jindal’s respect for the rule of law?

http://thehayride.com/2015/05/bobby-jindal-attacks-rand-paul-violates-the-louisiana-constitution-in-the-process/

Rivals lash Rand Paul on security

Republican presidential contenders are beginning to go after Rand Paul, sensing that the Kentucky senator’s national security positions could become a liability with GOP primary voters.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ripped into Paul this week for his statements about terrorist threats and government surveillance.

Christie accused Paul of siding with the “criminal” leaker Edward Snowden, while Jindal declared the Kentuckian unfit to be commander in chief because of a statement he made blaming GOP hawks for the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
GOP strategists say Paul has left himself vulnerable with the Republican base by crusading against National Security Agency surveillance and bashing fellow Republicans for arming Syrian rebels.

“The reason that they’re going after Rand Paul is, they feel like Rand Paul’s views were more popular and more on the ascendancy a couple years ago than they are today,” said Peter Wehner, a veteran of three Republican administrations who now serves as a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

“He’s doubling down on these views. He’s doing filibusters and a lot of television talk shows trying to make the case that the Patriot Act and the NSA are infringing on civil liberties and that this is a tremendous threat to the country. I don’t think that’s where most Republican primary voters are.”

Christie timed his comments ahead of a five-state tour planned next month to prepare for the launch of his own presidential campaign.

“Christie’s target base of voters is in the center of the party, the more establishment voters,” said John Ullyot, a GOP strategist and former Senate aide. “He’s trying to raise his profile by being the most strident in attacking Paul and hurt Paul with the more middle-of-the road voters.”

A nationwide poll commissioned this month by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that 58 percent of likely Republican voters want to modify the NSA’s surveillance program, while 36 percent want to preserve it.

But Paul wants to go further. He is pushing to end the agency’s bulk collection of telephone data and opposes a reform bill, the USA Freedom Act, passed overwhelmingly by the House and backed by President Obama.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (N.C.) have a much different view, as do many Senate Republicans. They want to extend the program for five years without changes.

Strategists say the rise of ISIS has raised the profile of national security in the GOP's 2016 presidential primary, posing a problem for Paul. GOP primary voters who cast ballots on the basis of national security tend to favor a muscular U.S. policy.

More...http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/243277-rivals-lash-rand-paul-on-security

Scarborough (MSNBC host): "If We Followed Rand Paul's Foreign Policy There Would Be No ISIS;" Hillary Wrong About Iraq Twice

On Thursday's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough reacted to an opinion piece by the Wall Street Journal editorial board which responded to Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul blaming the hawks in the Republican party for the formation and growth of ISIS. The Journal explains why Rand Paul and his foreign policy is at fault for ISIS.

"If we followed Rand Paul's foreign policy, there would be no ISIS, because we would never have gone into Iraq and Saddam Hussein would still be there, ISIS would not," Scarborough said.

Scarborough also brought up part of the op-ed where it is explained how Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was wrong about Iraq twice.

"The argument you could make is if you're a Republican, that the Wall Street Journal did make, is that it was Hillary Clinton, people like Hillary Clinton that were wrong both times," Scarborough said. "That were wrong saying let's go into Iraq and then let's leave Iraq quickly that created the first void."

More...http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/05/28/scarborough_if_we_followed_rand_pauls_foreign_policy_there_would_be_no_isis_hillary_wrong_about_iraq_twice.html

Want to Run For President But Lack Momentum? Attack Rand Paul!

On Wednesday, not one but two Republican likely presidential prospects attacked Sen. Rand Paul for his stances on terrorism and National Security Agency surveillance.

First, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie put Paul and Sen. Mike Lee on blast for opposing the Patriot Act, and accused them of "siding with" Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor.

"He's a criminal and he's hiding in Russia, and he's lecturing to us about the evils of authoritarian government while he lives under the protective umbrella of Vladimir Putin?" Christie said in a Fox News interview. "That's who Mike Lee and Rand Paul are siding with? With Edward Snowden? Hey, come on."

Later in the day, the office of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal sent out a press release saying Paul is "unsuited" to be commander in chief, after Paul attacked Republican hawks on MSNBC's Morning Joe Wednesday morning. "ISIS exists and grew stronger because of the hawks in our party, who gave arms indiscriminately, and most of those arms were snatched up by ISIS," Paul said.

...

Christie and Jindal are united in three ways: They are Republican governors; they fall on the hawkish side of foreign policy; and they (most likely) would like to see themselves in the White House at some point in the future. However, polls show that Jindal—and to a lesser extent, Christie—are struggling to gain that all-important momentum with Republican primary voters. A recent Fox News poll found that 6 percent of respondents would like Christie to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2016, while just 1 percent of respondents would want Jindal to win the nomination.

...

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2016-elections/want-to-run-for-president-but-lack-much-momentum-attack-rand-paul-20150527

‘Rand Paul Should Just Run as a Democrat': The New GOP Talking Point

Over the past 24 hours, an extraordinary conservative talking point was born: If Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) thinks so poorly of his own party’s aggressive foreign policy vision, then he should just pack up and leave.

Senator Paul’s act of heresy? Daring to suggest that the Republican Party’s hyper-aggressive hawkish wing at least partially contributed to the environment in which the militant Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant currently thrives.

The libertarian-leaning senator famously holds noninterventionist views on foreign policy, and his opposition to the Patriot Act, NSA surveillance programs, and much of President Barack Obama‘s drone policy. Such positions have led to inevitable clashing with the likes of Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain, Rep. Peter King (shocker!), Govs. Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal, Fox News pundits, and certain publications who’ve nary met a war they didn’t like.

Each time, their line was nearly the same: Sen. Paul is “to the left” of President Obama on foreign policy. But with his Morning Joe soundbite on Wednesday came a ramped-up talking point that will likely last throughout the rest of the GOP primary: Rand Paul should just run as a Democrat already.

...

http://www.mediaite.com/online/rand-paul-should-just-run-as-a-democrat-the-new-gop-talking-point/

GOP rep (Peter King-neocon/terrorist sympathizer) criticizes Rand Paul's ISIS remarks: He doesn't belong in the GOP

Andrea Mitchell talks with Rep. Peter King about concerns over the accidental mailing of anthrax to 19 labs in the U.S. and an American military base in South Korea. King also responds to Rand Paul's remarks that ISIS was created by Republican hawks.

Video...http://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/gop-rep--rand-paul-is-not-fit-to-be-president-453343299892

brb prepping for apocalypse.

Rand Paul on the Daily Show (Comedy Central w/ Jon Stewart) the other night (Tues)
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/full-episodes/kmy1ta/may-26--2015---rand-paul
Very entertaining and epic interview, crowd loved him as did the host.

Rick Santorum (google last name for a laugh) Slams Rand Paul on ISIS: 'I'd Expect to Hear That From Maybe Bernie Sanders'

Newly-minted presidential candidate Rick Santorum today slammed fellow 2016 hopeful Rand Paul, who said he blames Republican hawks for the rise of terrorist group ISIS.

“I think that is just fundamentally a misunderstanding of the nature of the enemy we face,” Santorum said in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos.

“ISIS didn't come about because of ... the arms that America left behind. ISIS came about because they hate everything that we believe in and we stand for,” Santorum added. “I think the idea that we accept now that this tripe from the left that it’s our fault that ISIS exists -- go back to the thousand-year history of Muslim expansionism, and look at some of the horrible things that were done to spread radical Islam. That is not something that America had anything to do with.”

On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, Sen. Paul asserted GOP hawks “created” ISIS.
“ISIS exists and grew stronger because of the hawks in our party who gave arms indiscriminately,” he said. “They created these people.”


But Santorum, who touted his national security credentials, took issue with Paul’s comment.
“I would expect to hear that from maybe Bernie Sanders. I don't expect to hear that from someone running for the Republican nomination,” Santorum told Stephanopoulos.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rick-santorum-slams-rand-paul-isis-id-expect/story?id=31343065

See how the attacks are piling on over Rand's obvious call of ISIS being created to begin with? Things are getting fun.

Rand Paul to Christie: 'That wasn't very nice'

TRENTON — Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday said Gov. Chris Christie's recent verbal jab at him "wasn't very nice."

Paul, who's no stranger to engaging in public spats with New Jersey's governor, responded during a TV interview over their differing opinions about the Patriot Act. Christie, without calling them out by name, recently criticized federal lawmakers who oppose the Patriot Act, a group that includes Paul. Christie said such opposition is "misguided."

Christie made the comment during a speech at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference on Friday. It mirrored a similar statement Christie released on Saturday when the governor slammed "misguided ideologues" with "no real world experience in fighting terrorism" for "putting their beliefs above the safety and security of our citizens" after the U.S. Senate failed to extend certain provisions of the Patriot Act.

In an interview on FOX & Friends, Paul was asked to respond.

"That just wasn't very nice, I'll put it that way," he said, before articulating his opposition to the government's intelligence gathering methods.



"Christie worries about the dangers of freedom," said a message on Paul's Twitter feed. "I worry about the danger of losing that freedom. Spying without warrants is unconstitutional."

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/05/rand_paul_to_christie_that_wasnt_very_nice.html#incart_most-read_politics_article

MSNBC host praises Rand Paul's leadership on Patriot Act filibuster
Ari Melber, co-host of The Cyle on MSNBC - 5/27/15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cPb57mfJF8