Rand Paul smacks down Stephanopoulos for reading DNC talking point memo (video)

PolitiPage.com ^ | 05/21/10 | kevin kristy

[frposty]

I wish Rand Paul had let Stephy finish describing the source of his assertion, and I wish Rand had fully answered all questions asked him. I like his feistiness. I like him. When a politician does poorly in an interview I always blame it on the politician unless there was sneaky editing of the interview. Palin deserves what she got in the Couric interviews, but fortunately they didn’t discourage her and she’s a huge powerhouse now. We don’t know Rand yet.

[A2J]

“Rino?”

[Misterioso]

Suck up to the leftist press? Did you watch Paul skewer Stephanopoulos? It’s Republicans like you that annoy Republicans like me.

[nkycincinnatikid]

“McConnell is probably enjoying a good laugh”

Maybe the most fun he has had since he knifed the Republican from Kentucky Sen. Bunning in the back.
I agree with you that McConnel unquestionably would rather do business with the dem candidate Jack Conway.

[JLS]

Maybe Rand Paul learned. He is in this mess because he thought someone on MS-NBC would treat him fairly. That defines a Rino.

McCain talked tough in the campaign some after those he thought were his buddies at the NY Times. But on some issues he reverted. Will Paul the Rino learn from this and become an ex-Rino or does he have that big political ego and will he imagine the next MS-NBC host will be his buddy?

[nathanbedford]

If conservative "birthers" are indignant that the rest of the country is indifferent to the constitutional requirements of eligibility, consider that the Constitution is not a cafeteria menu. One cannot decide in this season that he will feel bound by one article of the Constitution but not by another. One cannot say that societal means justify unconstitutional ends.

If you are anxious that the Supreme Court is likely to find Obama care to be fully constitutional, perhaps it is because we have countenanced other distortions of the commerce clause for race and for economic agendas when we thought societal means justified the ends.

In fact, the Democrats are delighted to broach the subject whenever opportunistic because it is a lead-in for one of their favorite gambits. They will ask a Republican, a conservative, if he is really a small government balanced-budget Republican, does he want to the repeal Social Security? The Republican is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't and the liberal is delighted to hoist us on this petard.

Liberal bishop to Queen three: If you think it is unconstitutional for the government to expand the commerce clause to empower the federal government to require citizens to buy health insurance of Obama's choice, do you also think it is constitutional to deny African-American children a drink at the fountain?

What is so important about a mere eligibility clause of the Constitution when we have a sitting president to support?

I believe our argument should be that we got to the right results on race by the wrong means. Our Constitution provides for amendment and it is not decent constitutional jurisprudence to distort the Constitution because politics are strong enough to demand the distortion but not strong enough to accomplish the amendment. Popular political will was strong enough for a civil rights law but not strong enough for a constitutional amendment. Roosevelt's new deal coalition was strong enough to ram through the new deal but not strong enough for constitutional amendments to approve it. Indeed, it was not strong enough to pack the court when it could not distort the Constitution in the courts. Yet, intimidated, the courts faithfully distorted the Constitution to accommodate the new deal.

At some point we've got to come to Jesus about what the meaning of a Constitution is. John Marshall said, "it is a constitution we are expounding" emphasizing that it is not a instrument of referendum or polling or focus grouping, not a document of political expediency, not a makeshift for the moment but a compact for the ages.

[chooseascreennamepat]

“Stephanopoulous is a RINO?”

As opposed to a ??????

[Misterioso]

You have no idea what he thought.

[JLS]

He went on MS-NBC and shot his Rino mouth off like he expected to be treated fairly. It is pretty easy to tell what he thought.

[phredo53]

Seems to me he was probably hoping to appeal to some independents by going on msnbc. He should’ve rehearsed their tactics more before he went on. He ended his own honeymoon. Better start learning some debating skills in a hurry.

[Misterioso]

You have no idea what he thought.

[Theophilus]

But these libertarians don't realize that since they are a threat to democrats socialist plans they are considered much more more dangerous to liberalism than RINOs. Now they will see how liberals operate as they try to destroy Paul.

Bump!

[Mamzelle]

I'll choose what words I please.

Libertarians can be maddening in that they refuse to deal with political realities and love to dawdle and ruminate over the fine details of their political positions, like Martha Stewart arranging flowers. Paul was indulging in a "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" kind of discussion. In the meantime, real life is upon us.

The reality is, Paul must choose his own words carefully. No liberal is going to cut him any slack when he openly ponders whether the law overreached in the Civil Rights Bill of 64. Now they'll hope they have a "macaca" gotcha, They don't, but Paul needs to learn the lesson in dealing with media.

[Mamzelle]

Oh, it might have been a good idea to go on the shows—let them squawk about this silliness, get it out of their system.

[Misterioso]

His views are mine, so I support his expressing them to anyone, anytime. Get off the PC kick. You sound like a Rhino.

[Theophilus]

Got us to where we needed to go

You really think so? We are being divided and conquered by institutional racism (affirmative action) on every level of government, education and business and you consider that: "where we needed to go"?

And I have more news for you, the tacit reparations we are paying are getting worse and worse. We are going to go way beyond "where we needed to go."

Before this is all over, the United States will become the Big Zimbabwe.

[Notary Sojac]

What Paul did was to state his own view of the issue, which was well grounded in the Constitution, and with little concern for political correctness.

Silly me, I thought that's what most Freepers wanted more of.

[fortheDeclaration]

Rand needs to get off national TV and concentrate on his State race.

[rfp1234]

Good to see someone fight back! No Macaca Moment for you, Snuffalopagus and the rest of the lib hyenas.