Topic: GOP - Rand Paul's Presidential Highlight Reel w/ his Libertarian Twist - page 37. (Read 205816 times)

Rand Paul blames Republican hawks for growth of ISIS

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday blasted members of his party for sending arms to the Middle East that have ended up in the hands of Islamic militants.

Paul, a Republican presidential candidate who has often sparred with others over his non-interventionist positions on foreign policy, faulted GOP lawmakers for helping the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

"Right now there are 1,500 groups, many of them bad people, including ISIS, that hawks in our party have been arming," Paul said during an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
 
"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," he continued.

He made the remarks when asked about comments from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who is expected to launch his own White House bid next Monday.

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More...http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/243171-rand-paul-blames-republican-hawks-for-growth-of-isis

Christie: Rand stands with 'criminal' Snowden

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.) is taking aim at likely 2016 rival Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for opposing renewal of the Patriot Act, accusing him of siding with “criminal” leaker Edward Snowden.

Christie, a possible 2016 GOP presidential candidate, slammed Paul and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) for their vocal push to end the surveillance practices of the National Security Administration (NSA) that Snowden exposed to the world by releasing classified documents.

“He’s a criminal, 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 of Snowden on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”

“That’s who Mike Lee and Rand Paul are siding with — with Edward Snowden?” he added. “Come on.”

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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/243183-christie-rand-stands-with-criminal-snowden

Bobby Jindal slams Rand Paul as unfit to be commander-in-chief

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal lashed out at Sen. Rand Paul for his recent comments about Islamic State, saying the presidential contender is unfit to be commander in chief and is taking the “weakest, most liberal Democrat position” when it comes to fighting the militant group.

Using unusually harsh rhetoric and an unusual forum, Jindal posted a statement condemning Paul on his “office of the governor” website.

“This is a perfect example of why Senator Paul is unsuited to be Commander-in-Chief,” Jindal said. “We have men and women in the military who are in the field trying to fight ISIS right now, and Senator Paul is taking the weakest, most liberal Democrat position. It’s one thing for Senator Paul to take an outlandish position as a Senator at Washington cocktail parties, but being Commander-in-Chief is an entirely different job. We should all be clear that evil and Radical Islam are at fault for the rise of ISIS, and people like President Obama and Hillary Clinton exacerbate it.”

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http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/bobby-jindal-rand-paul-unfit-president-118322.html

Rand Paul Campaigns in Chicago

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul will bring his campaign to Chicago Wednesday.
Paul is scheduled to discuss “failed liberal policies in Chicago” at a “Stand With Rand” rally at Project HOOD with South Side Pastor Corey Brooks.

He plans to talk about “unequal economic opportunity, failing schools and the broken criminal justice systems that plague cities all across the U.S., including Chicago.”

He will also headline an event with the Illinois Policy Institute Wednesday afternoon at 1871 in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart and attend the DuPage County Lincoln Day Dinner in Lisle later in the day.

Paul announced his candidacy last month, telling supporters that he was running for president because he wanted “a return to government restrained by the constitution” and “a return to privacy, opportunity, liberty.”

"Too often when Republicans have won, we've squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine," he said as he officially kicked off his bid for his party's nomination for 2016. "That's not who I am."


Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Rand-Paul-to-Campaign-in-Chicago-Wednesday-305135891.html#ixzz3bMU8V6Sm

Rep. Labrador signs on for official role in Rand Paul's presidential campaign

Rand Paul’s 2016 presidential campaign today named Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador to an official role with the campaign, as western states co-chairman. “In this role, Congressman Labrador will provide the campaign with important insights from grassroots leaders,” the campaign said in a statement.

Paul said, "Congressman Labrador is a staunch defender of our Constitution and since taking office, he has fought for fiscal responsibility, regulatory restraint and individual liberties. Raúl has lived all across the western part of the country, and I am honored to have his support as the Western States Co-Chairman of Rand Paul for President."

I requested the names of the other western states co-chairmen, and got this response from Paul’s campaign press secretary, Eleanor May: “We have not announced that yet. Rep. Labrador is first.”

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http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2015/may/27/rep-labrador-signs-official-role-rand-pauls-presidential-campaign/

Hopes dim for the Patriot Act

The PATRIOT Act is going to need a miracle to survive the weekend unscathed.
Backers of the post-9/11 anti-terror measure are scrambling this week to prevent the law’s key surveillance programs from lapsing at midnight Sunday. But with the Senate not slated to return to Washington until just hours before that deadline, opponents like Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) showing no signs of budging, and the House so far unwilling to bail out the upper chamber, the prospects for an eleventh-hour breakthrough look slim.

Pressing their advantage over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and others who lost a late-night gambit last weekend to prolong the current law, even for a matter of days, reform backers say the only way out of the jam is simple: Pass our bill. They’re claiming momentum for the USA Freedom Act, which would rein in current surveillance initiatives by ending the so-called bulk collection program, among other reforms. The House approved the legislation overwhelmingly, and on Saturday, it fell just three votes shy of the 60-vote threshold needed to advance in the Senate.

“Our options are a lot more limited” given the time constraints, said Utah Sen. Mike Lee, the chief Republican backer of the bill in the Senate. “We can either let the provisions at issue expire, or we can pass the House-passed USA Freedom Act.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/prospects-dim-for-11th-hour-patriot-act-deal-118300.html

Standing With Rand at the Strand
At New York City's famous bookstore, the most literary Republican 2016 candidate greets his base.

The jacket copy of Senator Rand Paul’s new book, Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America, out Tuesday, says that “Rand Paul’s Republican Party is for young and old, black and white, those with tattoos and those without. This is not your grandfather’s GOP.”

His appearance at the Strand bookstore in lower Manhattan Tuesday night appeared to attract that new GOP: young children and old retirees, some people who weren’t white, and at least one guy with several bright tattoos up and down his arms. Dan Rossano, a 40-year-old office manager and independent voter, said he stopped by to see what Paul was about and was leaving more likely to vote for him.

“The vibe I got is that he seems to be the most independent out of everyone, and if you can equally annoy Democrats and Republicans at the same time, you’re probably a decent guy,” Rossano said as he waited in the book-signing line.

Though Paul canceled a scheduled question-and-answer session to leave for another event, he briefly addressed a large, standing-room-only crowd of people in the Strand’s rare-books room to promote his new publication. At his side was his wife, Kelley, who briefly talked about her own book about the women in her family, released last month. The couple was introduced by Nancy Bass Wyden, the store’s co-owner and the wife of Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, Paul's Patriot Act-fighting friend on the left. (Paul ended the night by saying that there are “things that are much more important than party and I value the friendship that I have with Senator Wyden.”)

...

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-27/standing-with-rand-at-the-strand

Rand Paul stokes feud with GOP leaders over NSA: 'We are on opposite sides'

Rand Paul rejected criticism that his 10-hour filibuster against the government’s bulk data collection programs was a fundraising ploy on Tuesday, casting it as “an unfair characterization” while calling on Barack Obama and Paul’s fellow Republicans to push for further clampdowns on the legal justification for the NSA’s dragnet surveillance.

Last week, Paul conducted a marathon speech in an attempt to halt the US government’s mass surveillance of Americans’ phone records and to derail an extension of the Patriot Act. His talkathon led to a legislative impasse on the USA Freedom Act, as the Obama administration effectively ended its bulk dragnet.

Embarking on a week-long book tour in between Senate sessions, the Republican presidential contender said on Tuesday he still thinks the Senate can “win that vote” on bulk collection.

More...http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/26/rand-paul-nsa-surveillance-reform-republicans

I've been thinking about changing the name of the thread because this has pretty much expanded into a full blown highlight reel/news blog that I keep updating about Rand's presidential run rather than just the initial polling thread. I just thought by now that all interested parties would note what is going on in here. I'm open to title suggestions tho.

Sadly, I doubt Rand will ever make it, politics is all about who can suck the most billionares cocks.

Heh, Megyn obv loves both of them and must try extra-hard to keep up her professional tough-at-nails take-no-guff front.   

Mrs. Paul is a million times better than Billy Bob as a potential first lady.  She's a star; Rand's 'Secret Weapon' wins over Hilldog's female voters on contact.

Chef, you should update this or start a new thread to align with the newest candidates in the running!

[Video] Rand Paul and Kelley Paul on The Kelly File 5/26/15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsKMXcYGrgo
Judge the exchange for yourself, especially the wife's.

Obama and Rand Paul face off over the Patriot Act

WASHINGTON — – President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged the Senate to renew National Security Agency surveillance powers before they expire at midnight Sunday, as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul vowed to keep working to block the Patriot Act and the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records.

“This needs to get done,” Obama told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, asked what Obama was doing to round up votes, suggested, without naming him, that Paul needs to put the country first as he runs for the Republican nomination for president.

"Right now, I think what we're seeing is a difference of opinion on the Republican side of the aisle," Earnest said. "At some point, the political ambitions of individual members of the United States Senate are going to have to come second to the national security of the United States."

Obama called on the Senate to approve a House-passed bill that would change the phone record collection program while renewing less controversial Patriot Act provisions that also expire at the end of the month. The Senate rejected the House bill by three votes last weekend and is on a break until Sunday, just hours before the spying powers are scheduled to expire.

Obama said reauthorizing the surveillance efforts is “necessary to keep the American people safe and secure.”

“I strongly urge the Senate to work through this recess and make sure that they identify a way to get this done,” Obama said.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/05/26/267822/obama-and-rand-paul-face-off-over.html#storylink=cpy

White House Implies Rand Paul Puts ‘Political Ambition’ Above National Security

White House press secretary Josh Earnest not-so-subtly called out Republican Kentucky senator and presidential candidate Rand Paul for his 10-hour long filibuster of the NSA’s metadata surveillance practices, accusing him of putting “political ambition” above national security.

EARNEST: All the hard work’s been done on this. I mean, it’s complicated policy, it’s working through the partisan politics that’s involved, trying to understand the technology that’s involved, the stakes are really high when it comes to our national security and when it comes to civil liberties of the American people. All of that’s been worked out, because of the President and his national security team working effectively with Democrats and Republicans.

The other thing I would point out is that every single Democrat in the United States Senate voted for this compromise. And right now what we’re seeing is a difference of opinion of the Republican side of the aisle. At some point, the political ambitions of individual members of the U.S. Senate are going to have to come second to the national security of the United States.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/26/wh-accuses-rand-paul-of-putting-political-ambition-above-national-security-video/

Rep. Brat and Sen. Paul: FREEDOM Act won't fix government overreach

After we have been so outspoken about the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone data, many have asked why we so strongly oppose the USA Freedom Act. The Freedom Act, which passed the House last week and now goes to the Senate, reauthorizes and reforms the parts of the USA Patriot Act that are set to expire. While one of the reforms is an attempt to stop the government’s bulk data collection, the bill’s wording leaves considerable gaps in privacy protections, and that greatly concerns us both.

The Freedom Act directs phone companies, rather than the NSA, to hold certain data that the government can later search during an investigation. The act also limits the government to only asking for records based upon a “specific selection term.” Unfortunately, “specific selection term” is defined so broadly under the bill that it could include a whole corporation or a whole geographic region — a reduced form of bulk collection, but bulk collection nonetheless, and one that ropes in the records of many innocent people.

Additionally under the act, the standard required for initiating searches is much lower than what the Constitution calls for. The Fourth Amendment requires having “probable cause” that a crime has been committed before initiating a search, while the act lowers that bar to only “reasonable suspicion” — an unconstitutional standard.

While the USA Freedom Act certainly creates some very needed reforms, we’ve seen what happens when the executive branch isn’t limited by Congress’ checks and balances. We don’t like the broad language of “specific selection term” that leaves the discretion of how sweeping these dragnets can be to the people who have already shown they don’t mind violating the Fourth Amendment.

As recently as this month, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deemed this bulk collection of data to be illegal. Yet just a week later, with the passage of the Freedom Act and its broad language, the House of Representatives seems to have given the NSA the legal authority the court said it was lacking.
...
The director of national intelligence, James Clapper, blatantly lied to Congress when he denied the NSA spying program existed at all. During the recent IRS scandal, we also learned that this administration took confidential tax information belonging to political opponents. And the Justice Department was used to intimidate journalists who were critical of the administration.

More...http://www.richmond.com/opinion/their-opinion/guest-columnists/article_db5b9bef-a392-5bdc-a7d0-9a714f63f8f7.html

New Poll, Rand Paul leads GOP field in Washington State with strong support among gun owners

Washington Republicans are lining up for Kentucky’s Sen. Randal H. “Rand” Paul with strong support from gun owners, according to the May 18-19 Townhall/Gravis Insights poll of 523 Republican voters.

“Rand Paul has a national following that has not been reflected in our state-by-state polls, until we took at look at Washington State,” said Doug Kaplan, the managing partner of Gravis Insights, the Florida-based polling company that conducted the poll. The poll of Republicans carries a 4 percent margin of error.

Gravis Insights, a nonpartisan research firm, conducted a random survey of 1,032 registered voters in

Washington regarding potential election matchups and other relevant issues. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percent for the general election questions, 6 percent for the 256 Democratic respondents, he said. The poll was conducted using IVR technology and the results were weighted by anticipated voting demographics.

In other matchups, Democratic Sen. Patricia L. Murray leads her potential Republican challenger Rep. Catherine McMorris Rodgers, the chairwoman of the House Republican Policy Committee, 51 percent to 40 percent.

A Murray v. McMorris Rodgers battle would pit the moderate congresswoman, who has led Republican support of Obamacare in the House, against one of the most partisan senators in the Democratic caucus.

Paul is the choice of 13.2 percent of Republicans, he said. The other top four candidates are: Wisconsin Gov. Scott K. Walker, 12.4 percent; former Florida governor John E. “Jeb” Bush, 11.5 percent; Florida’s Sen. Marco A. Rubio, 11.3 percent and Dr. Benjamin Carson with 7.6 percent.

“Paul comes to Washington with advantages, too,” Kaplan said. The senator’s father former Texas congressman Dr. Ronald E. Paul won the 2012 Washington caucuses with strong grassroots organization.

Sergio Gor, a spokesman for the senator, said: “Senator Rand Paul has worked very hard to grow the party over the last few years, his focus on issues like privacy and criminal justice reform gives him a unique ability to successfully engage the youth community.”

http://gravismarketing.com/polling-and-market-research/washington-state-pool-paul-leads-gop-field-murray-leads-mcmorris-rodgers-right-to-work-up-45-to-33/

FBI admits no major cases cracked with Patriot Act snooping powers

FBI agents can’t point to any major terrorism cases they’ve cracked thanks to the key snooping powers in the Patriot Act, the Justice Department’s inspector general said in a report Thursday that could complicate efforts to keep key parts of the law operating.

Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said that between 2004 and 2009, the FBI tripled its use of bulk collection under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows government agents to compel businesses to turn over records and documents, and increasingly scooped up records of Americans who had no ties to official terrorism investigations.

The FBI did finally come up with procedures to try to minimize the information it was gathering on nontargets, but it took far too long, Mr. Horowitz said in the 77-page report, which comes just as Congress is trying to decide whether to extend, rewrite or entirely nix Section 215.

Backers say the Patriot Act powers are critical and must be kept intact, particularly with the spread of the threat from terrorists. But opponents have doubted the efficacy of Section 215, particularly when it’s used to justify bulk data collection such as in the case of the National Security Agency’s phone metadata program, revealed in leaks from former government contractor Edward Snowden.

The new report adds ammunition to those opponents, with the inspector general concluding that no major cases have been broken by use of the Patriot Act’s records-snooping provisions.

“The agents we interviewed did not identify any major case developments that resulted from use of the records obtained in response to Section 215 orders,” the inspector general concluded — though he said agents did view the material they gathered as “valuable” in developing other leads or corroborating information.



Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/21/fbi-admits-patriot-act-snooping-powers-didnt-crack/#ixzz3bGvAMgSM

Rand presented this in his filibuster as one of the main reasons that the bulk data collection is wrong over and above constitutional reasons. The neocons lie time and again saying that the Patriot Act and this bulk collection is what has kept us safe and now the facts are clear.

Rand Paul Breitbart op-ed: The Patriot Act Provides No Security At The Cost Of Our Liberty

Supporters of the NSA’s large scale spying on the American people claim the program has made our country safer. Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

This week, I stood on the Senate floor for over 10 hours explaining just that. We should never give up our rights for a false sense of security, but supporters of the PATRIOT Act are also presenting voters with a false choice. This week, the Investigator General reported that the FBI has not cracked a single terrorist plot thanks to the invasive spying powers implanted under the PATRIOT Act. Let me reiterate that: even the most vocal defenders of the spying program have failed to identify a single thwarted plot.

When will we realize that trading liberty for security is a monumental mistake? The Revolutionary War was fought to protect against writs of assistance, general warrants written by soldiers not judges. Our Founding Fathers believed that the right to be left alone—the right to be secure in your own persons—is the most cherished of rights.

Politicians like Senators Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Lindsey Graham(R-SC), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Governors Jeb Bush and Scott Walker have all endorsed the NSA domestic surveillance program. Alone among presidential candidates, I am leading the fight to end this unconstitutional program. They are threatening our rights, freedoms, and privacy by encouraging the NSA to continue their warrantless tapping of American’s cell phones, and all without good reason.

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http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/26/exclusive-rand-paul-the-patriot-act-provides-no-security-at-the-cost-of-our-liberty/