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Title: With the Iran deal headed for victory, some libertarians see a missed opportunity for Rand Paul
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URL Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ ... sed-opportunity-for-rand-paul/
Published: Sep 13, 2015
Author: David Weigel
Post Date: 2015-09-13 10:48:10 by Ada
Keywords: None
Views: 253
Comments: 10
Opportunity lost? Thursday's unsuccessful Senate vote to start debate on disapproval of the Iran nuclear deal marked the end of a months-long partisan war -- or at least the end of its first stage. While some Republican donors brainstorm ways to make Democrats suffer for backing the deal, they succeeded in building unanimous opposition in their own party. And their biggest coup might have been Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the closest thing the modern GOP has to a foreign policy dove. Paul had co-signed Sen. Tom Cotton's (R-Ark.) hectoring pre-deal letter to Iran's mullahs, and opposed the deal almost as soon as he was able. That left some supporters of his father, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, wondering what might have been. The elder Paul, from a perch at his eponymous think tank, backed the nuclear deal and compared it to detente with the Soviet Union. "The tone has been changed," he told NewsMax in July. "It's to our benefit; it's to the benefit of world peace." The paleoconservative scribes of LewRockwell.com penned column after column praising the deal and President Barack Obama's bucking of "the Israel Lobby." But they could not find an ally in the GOP field. “What does [Rand] Paul imagine pro-peace voters put at the top of their agenda at this point?” asked Justin Raimondo, the editorial director of the libertarian news site AntiWar.com. “The Iran deal is certainly the most high profile foreign policy issue right now.” Opposing the deal was, and is, an ultra-minority position for Republican voters. Then again, so is support for Rand Paul. In the last CNN/ORC poll before the Senate vote, a poll that reflected dipping overall support, 16 percent of Republicans – and 21 percent of “conservatives” – favored the deal. A Pew Research poll, which found an even bigger swing against the deal, put the Republican support at 6 percent. Rand Paul's libertarian critics see a missed opportunity in those numbers. The decline happened in the hothouse of a partisan debate, one in which anti-deal groups like the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America lit up TV screens, and which no current elected Republican endorsed an agreement with Iran. Political scientists have found, for years, that polarization happens at the supply end and the demand end. If no one from an opposing party endorses an idea, that idea -- regardless of its origins -- is seen as partisan. The Affordable Care Act was the ultimate example of this, and the Iran deal could find a place in the books. No one can say how the debate would have changed if a high-profile presidential candidate had endorsed the deal. And Paul was bludgeoned anyway for insufficient hatred of the deal. After he signed the Cotton letter, he told skeptical libertarian audiences that he did so to help the Obama administration "negotiate from a position of strength." Last month, he told The Washington Post that -- if he won the presidency -- he would see whether Iran was actually abiding by the deal before he make any call about tearing it up. Modest answers like those became fodder for a FSPA TV ad, in which a family sits down to dinner and is vaporized by Iran's bomb, because Rand Paul did not "stand up to Iran."
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#1. To: Ada (#0)
If ya don't hate what they hate and in sufficient measure, don't expect compassion or understanding of a contrary viewpoint however sensitively nuanced in their favor. Expect a swift backhand to the chops. Yarmulke boy will get just what he deserves. "If ignorance is truly bliss, then why do so many Americans need Prozac?" - Dave McGowan
I don't know what Rand Paul is other than just a typical republican politician. Ron Paul supporters put Rand in the Senate. However, now that he is in the senate, he doesn't need us to get reelected to the senate.
As the highest ranking "libertarian" officeholder in the nation, Paul represents what libertarianism has come to on these shores. Stick a fork in it. "If ignorance is truly bliss, then why do so many Americans need Prozac?" - Dave McGowan
In no way is Randi up to the task. KY voters will do well to keep him working on eyeballs, the next go-round. “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
“What does [Rand] Paul imagine pro-peace voters put at the top of their agenda at this point?” asked Justin Raimondo, the editorial director of the libertarian news site AntiWar.com. “The Iran deal is certainly the most high profile foreign policy issue right now.” Opposing the deal was, and is, an ultra-minority position for Republican voters. Then again, so is support for Rand Paul. In the last CNN/ORC poll before the Senate vote, a poll that reflected dipping overall support, 16 percent of Republicans – and 21 percent of “conservatives” – favored the deal. A Pew Research poll, which found an even bigger swing against the deal, put the Republican support at 6 percent. Rand Paul's libertarian critics see a missed opportunity in those numbers. Rand Paul Meets With Zionist Baptist Reverend, Member of AIPAC's National Council, Promises To "Oppose The Iran Nuclear Agreement" "Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you". Sirach 4:28
Rand Paul: "There's probably 20 different groups in our country who support the nation of Israel and support them as our ally. I speak to them all the time. I visit with them daily and weekly in our office." (2 minute video) "Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you". Sirach 4:28
Beanie-baby is clearly no friend of America. Thanks for the reminders of where his fealty lies. “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
At this point I wouldn't want to see him win the nomination even if he was leading. He is the anti-Paul, the demon-seed that Ron didn't expect to sire.
John Howard says: There are 4 schools of economics: Exodus to Europe: Who’s to Blame?And Paul was bludgeoned anyway for insufficient hatred of the deal
#2. To: randge (#1)
#3. To: DWornock (#2)
just a typical republican politician
#4. To: randge, 4 (#1)
#5. To: DWornock, ada, lod, randge (#2)
Rand Assures AIPAC He Will "Defend Our Friend and Ally" Israel.
AIPAC describes Ayers as a "Non-Jewish Leader of the Pro-Israel Movement." 
#6. To: All (#5)
#7. To: Artisan (#6)
#8. To: Ada (#0)
Marxism: steal everything
Keynesianism: steal by counterfeiting whenever needed
Chicago school (Milton Friedman): steal by counterfeiting at a steady, predictable rate
Austrians: don't steal
'Wiped off the Map' – The Rumor of the Century
#9. To: Artisan (#5)
Yer journalism is always spot on, Artisan. Thanks.
"If ignorance is truly bliss, then why do so many Americans need Prozac?" - Dave McGowan
#10. To: PnbC (#8)
Even if Rand was on the ballet in my state, I wouldn't waste my time voting for him. Because I was was a fool and donated over $1,000 to help get him elected to senate, I keep receiving mail that I toss in the garbage and without opening it. At this point I wouldn't want to see him win the nomination even if he was leading. He is the anti-Paul, the demon-seed that Ron didn't expect to sire.
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