One Congressman, Rand Paul, the GOP and What Ails American Politics

National Journal ^ | Ron Fournier

[JohnPDuncan]

“I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it,” Rep. Scott Rigell of Virginia griped over lunch last month at the GOP-run Capitol Hill Club. “All I did was agree to fly aboard Air Force One and talk to the president and for that I got …”

“Hammered,” said Chris Connelly, chief of staff to the Republican lawmaker. “Hammered,” repeated Rigell. “Hammered by my own people.”

Before we could finish our conversation about the dangers of moderation in modern-day politics, Rigell’s cell phone vibrated on the white-clothed table. “It’s Rand Paul,” he said, jumping up from his chair to take a scheduled call from the tea party star, a freshman senator from Kentucky. “Hello, senator,” Rigell said, walking away from our table for privacy. “Can we talk guns?”

I didn’t know it at the time but I had happened to catch Rigell at his career’s most important hour, precisely as he sought to extricate himself from a political vise. On the federal budget and guns, Rigell stayed true to his conservative roots but had the uncommon audacity to insist upon facts, reason and common sense.

And for that, he was punished.

Trouble began for Rigell in late February when he received an invitation from the White House to fly aboard Air Force One and attend an event in his district. President Obama planned to discuss the effects of so-called sequestration cuts, his latest attempt to blame the budget standoff on Rigell’s party.

[COBOL2Java]

Those pesky consituents! Damn them!

[Da Coyote]

I don’t know about punishing the worthless piece of Obamastuff RINO, but if he got on AF-1 with the Loon-O-Dent, he should at least be disinfected.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

On the federal budget and guns, Rigell stayed true to his conservative roots but had the uncommon audacity to insist upon facts, reason and common sense. And for that, he was punished.

"Common sense" is Alinsky-speak for "Anybody who disagrees with us is an inbred, snaggle-toothed RACIST."

[AppyPappy]

” but had the uncommon audacity to insist upon facts, reason and common sense. “

No bias in that article.

[JohnPDuncan]

You know what you get with national journal... i wasn’t going to edit it...

[laweeks]

Did he get a little cap with a propeller on it as a reward for getting on Obambi's plane? Kook-cinich did.

Why would anyone with any kind of brains have anything to do with that idiot, much less get on a plane with him.

[dirtboy]

But he agreed to travel with Obama for two reasons. First, he wanted to tell the president to his face that the White House had failed to lead on negotiations.

Like Obama cares. You would think a pubbie congresscritter would have figured that out by now.

[sauropod]

I don’t trust a damn thing Ron Fournier writes.

[brownsfan]

Liberals, including BHO, have made it abundantly clear that all Republicans are the enemy. Liberals have declared war. Flying with BHO on AF1 is fraternizing with the enemy, and should be grounds for punishment.

Learn your lesson.

[JohnPDuncan]

Here’s the reason why his constituents are upset with him and i dont think it’s for riding on AF1:

-
Rigell knew he would be criticized by fellow conservatives for giving Obama political cover. Right-wing ideologues were already skeptical of the second-term lawmaker because he had disavowed an anti-tax pledge, voted to raise the debt ceiling and opposed holding Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt (one of only two Republicans to do so). Rigell represents one of the dwindling few swing districts left.

[Responsibility2nd]

So he flew on AF1. Meanwhile these RINO's had dinner with Barry.

 

12 GOP Senators Had Dinner With Obama During Rand Paul’s Filibuster

March 7, 2013

By Lonely Conservative

Senator Rand Paul lasted just shy of 13 hours with his filibuster yesterday. He had some help from Senators Mike Lee, Ted Cruz and John Barrasso. While he was conducting his bladder-busting exercise in liberty, some of his fellow Republican senators were dining with President Obama.

In no particular order, those senators dining with Obama were John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Ron Johnson, Tom Coburn, Kelly Ayotte, Mike Johanns, Pat Toomey, Saxby Chambliss, John Hoeven, Dan Coates and Richard Burr.

The dozen GOP Senators who dined with Obama while Paul filibustered CIA Director nominee John Brennan in opposition to the unconstitutional authorization of drone killings of American citizens on American soil may have expressed a spirit of bipartisanship, yet the imagery and optics juxtaposing the two events could prove difficult to overcome.

Anyone following #StandWithRand on Twitter last night knows who the American people were standing with, but Senator Johnson told Greta VanSusteren that dinner was a jolly good time:

 

 

[rockrr]

Hi John, and welcome to FreeRepublic. A little procedural note - the powers that be would prefer that you post the actual title of the article and not a paraphrase. In this case the title should be: “One Congressman, Rand Paul, the GOP and What Ails American Politics”

The reason why we do this is to try to reduce multiple posting of the same article. You might consider asking a moderator to change it for you.

As to the article itself, this guy Rigell strikes me as a weasel. He can’t be stupid enough not to know what consequence his actions are going to spawn so it is especially weenie of him to be whining now.

[Standing Wolf]

RINOs: the other white meat, except it tends to be awfully fatty.

[JohnPDuncan]

I understand that but that title is boring (as is most of NJ’s content) so I decided to give it a better title, no harm in that. I doubt anyone will post the same article from that rag!

[DesertRhino]

Tough,,, in the real world you are judged by the company you keep. He decided hang out with a not so closeted homosexual, marxist, muslim, America-hating, foreigner president Obama. And he is trying to bankrupt our nation and is aggressively paving the way for a socialist dictatorship of the few.

And now we don’t like you. Whats so hard to understand?

[AngelesCrestHighway]

All I did was agree to fly aboard Air Force One and talk to the president and for that I got …” “Hammered,”

You dick weed!...We don’t tolerate traitors anymore! They are out to steamroller all of us! Get on board or go to hell!

[Tupelo]

On one hand, he has only been in Congress for two years and is probably still a little star struck.

On the other hand, who really gives a rat's patoot what a Republican/Democrat politician does?

[longtermmemmory]

not hammered enough.

RINOs are always in season.

[Georgia Girl 2]

We are in a cultural war. Rigell took tea with Musselinni and thought he would get away with it. Now he’s whining because Rand Paul won’t pull his fat out of the fire. Rand Paul knows we are at war.

I stand with Rand.