The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Rand Paul Is Not Stupid

Posted on | April 8, 2015 | 32 Comments

“Turn the camera around,” as Andrew Breitbart said. Make the media’s bias the subject of discussion. Rand Paul did it right today:

Rand Paul says he doesn’t want to be grilled about abortion until Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz answers similarly tough questions. . . .
Paul, the Kentucky Republican senator who launched his 2016 presidential campaign this week, bristled at a question about abortion while talking with reporters in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
“Why don’t you ask the DNC, ‘Is it OK to kill a seven-pound baby in the uterus?'” Paul said.
His comment came after The Associated Press published a report that said Paul had ducked questions about his views on what exceptions — if any — he’d support if abortion were to be banned.

The media routinely ask Republicans these “gotcha” questions — in effect, acting as propaganda agents for the Democrat Party — while giving Democrats a free pass. Allahpundit:

The great majority of Americans oppose late-term abortion; the vast majority, maybe a unanimous majority at this point, of Democratic leaders support it without restriction. They are, without exaggeration, absolute fanatics on this subject.

Matt Vespa reports a poll: 52% of Americans say life begins at conception. This means 48% of Americans are wrong.

 

Category: Abortion, Media Bias, Rand Paul

Comments

32 Responses to “Rand Paul Is Not Stupid”

  1. Adobe_Walls
    April 8th, 2015 @ 5:55 pm

    That problem is neither ”that reporter” or any other is going to do that. Instead the Democrats with bylines will make the Paul’s reaction into a whole other news story. The question is or should be, why don’t real reporters ask this question all the time. The solution is to get people who will ask questions like this credentialed and have them dog these Democrats every time they get in front of a mic. I have no idea how much this would cost but it would be a bargain at twice the price.

  2. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:20 pm

    I think Rand had a big problem with Ron which is not going away, but I am glad he is in the race and I like what he is doing with the media.

  3. kbiel
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:21 pm

    DWS already responded with a non-answer; claiming that she is for leaving the decision between a woman and her doctor. I would love to Rand escalate this and push for a better answer.

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  5. Adobe_Walls
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:25 pm

    That’s not going to happen.

  6. Proof
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:25 pm

    Props to Rand on this. It’s going to take more than that to get him close to the Oval Office (unless he takes a tour!).

  7. Adobe_Walls
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:36 pm

    I’m sure he doesn’t see himself in this role, but it would be useful to have a ”candidate” who isn’t going to get the nomination just keep hammering the media. Carly Fiorina isn’t going to win the nomination either but it would be most useful for her to be in the race, as long as the charade doesn’t wear too thin, pounding Hillary.

  8. Rob Crawford
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:38 pm

    Your first prediction of what won’t happen already failed.

  9. Adobe_Walls
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:51 pm

    Do really think the reporter who asked that didn’t already know the pat Democratic answer? In my reply to you it’s the better answer I’m predicting won’t happen.

  10. reliapundit
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:54 pm

    In glorious progressive europe, abortion is illegal after 12 weeks.

  11. CrustyB
    April 8th, 2015 @ 6:58 pm

    Schultz answered the question in typical liberal fashion, focusing on “women,” “doctors” and “choice” but not on the 7-pound homicide victim. I supposed they shouldn’t have executed John Wayne Gacy since he was simply exercising his “choice.”

  12. K-Bob
    April 8th, 2015 @ 7:03 pm

    Like I wrote elsewhere, the best way to deal with these social issues is to do like Reagan did and turn it back into a question. Rand threw that question back in the reporter’s face with an anvil to make sure it stuck.

    I knew he’d be fun to have in this primary. I just don’t want him in the Oval Office. I really do like him being in the Senate, and hope he gets another term.

  13. K-Bob
    April 8th, 2015 @ 7:04 pm

    And you can’t become a citizen just by “migrating”.

    Those crazy, conservative Europeans!

  14. Matt_SE
    April 8th, 2015 @ 7:14 pm

    The man has skillz.

  15. Matt_SE
    April 8th, 2015 @ 7:15 pm

    I’d take him as Veep, but I agree: not ready for the show.

  16. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    April 8th, 2015 @ 7:54 pm

    Ask Debbie Wasserman Shultz if the science is settled on vaccinating children (the ones that survive the Democrat abortion gauntlet). https://twitter.com/MsEBL/status/585859738782404609/photo/1?cn=cmV0d2VldA%3D%3D&refsrc=email

  17. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    April 8th, 2015 @ 7:56 pm

    ask DWS if Marie Harf is related to Garth.

    https://twitter.com/MsEBL/status/585939835199696896

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  19. arcadius
    April 8th, 2015 @ 8:30 pm

    Even “far left” Europe generally doesn’t allow late term abortions.

  20. Quartermaster
    April 8th, 2015 @ 8:49 pm

    He was also very much misunderstood.

  21. Daniel Freeman
    April 9th, 2015 @ 1:00 am

    That’s the same as saying “no government restrictions,” and Rand Paul made it stick.

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  23. totenhenchen
    April 9th, 2015 @ 6:20 am

    This incident inspired me to start the #AskDNC hashtag on Twitter for posting hardball questions that the media should be asking Democrats.

  24. Quartermaster
    April 9th, 2015 @ 7:12 am

    If Paul could articulate a good position on immigration, he would stand a very good chance of walking away with the nomination. He won’t however.

  25. Finrod Felagund
    April 9th, 2015 @ 8:19 am

    Actually, DWS rose to the bait on Twitter, so Paul’s gambit worked.

  26. Squid Hunt
    April 9th, 2015 @ 12:02 pm

    Paul leans libertarian. His view on immigration is obvious and not going to change. Even libertarians for the most part don’t trust him, though. He comes across as a sleazeball. Conservatives aren’t going to bite and all liberals see is Republican.

  27. AdoEdem
    April 9th, 2015 @ 12:37 pm

    He just might even if he waffles about immigration. Right now, the big issue du jour is the rather blatant bias in the media, and even many leftists outside the cocktail party circlejerks are fed up with being maligned in service to The Cause. Both conservatives and libertarians have been chomping at the proverbial bit for years for someone to “stick it to The Man”. Paul finally did that.

    The problem is whether or not he can keep it up. If “journalists” learn their lesson (for once) and back off, people will forget soon enough. However, if they remain true to form (overconfident; assume their enemies are “stupid” because, “not leftist”; try to stir up yet another nontroversy) and are dense enough to keep trying — and Paul can keep turning the camera back around — then he has a decent shot.

  28. Quartermaster
    April 9th, 2015 @ 12:58 pm

    I don’t think he will be able escape the immigration problem. Over the next two years Zer0 is going to rub it in our faces and make it a much bigger problem than it is now. If Rand is mealy mouthed about it, he will not get the nod.

  29. AdoEdem
    April 9th, 2015 @ 1:08 pm

    I’m not certain anyone outside the GOPe is going to get the nod. No one likes Jeb Bush, Clinton would decimate him, but he’s the GOPe darling. Meanwhile, Cruz polls ahead among all the potential candidates, Rand is now polling ahead of Clinton, but the GOPe won’t even consider anyone who has a real shot.

    I doubt they even care whether or not Bush would be elected or not, in spite of the inevitable performing the same tap dance about “electability”. Can’t permit an *gasp* outsider into the ring! Why, that would be unthinkable! An outsider might not go to the right cocktail parties!

  30. Quartermaster
    April 9th, 2015 @ 1:13 pm

    I’m with you on the GOPe. They don’t care about anything other than being in the position to pass some goodies.

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