Key quote (as he pulls out a rifle): “We’re Republicans, we should be better than that.” Dale Peterson, who’s running for a fairly random state position in Alabama, has been getting a lot of attention for this this ad, which seems to fit absolutely every cliche of the current GOP. It’s not ironic. Well, at least we don’t think it is. Someone actually made a “Chuck Norris Facts”-style parody site for Peterson, and Peterson linked to it on his campaign site. Nice. source
Dude has been keeping a tally of who supports his leadership in the GOP. With dozens of names already ticked off, nobody has said no, not even candidates who appear fundamentally against his style of leadership, such as Sen. Jim DeMint. That Rand Paul win in Kentucky hasn’t hurt him yet. “The people of our caucus want him leading,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, DeMint’s more moderate counterpart in South Carolina. “He has my confidence. I think he has the confidence of the conference. He has done a good job with 41 people.” source
Let’s face it; this bill has about as much a chance of passing as anything Dennis Kucinich has submitted in the last fifteen years, but it’s pretty brilliant in its conceit; take the extra money for the Iran and Afghan wars and give most of it it to the taxpayers, and use the rest to pay off the federal deficit and federal debt. It’s kind of a dream bill for the far left, especially given its name. However, much like everything Grayson has done in the last year and a half, it’s an attention grab. Well, it worked. Kucinich wishes he had this kind of attention. source
Rand Paul was simply making a point that every time an issue arises, the automatic response from the Democrats is not to find out what went wrong and why, but to propose more government, more regulation and more taxes.
Republican National Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh • Regarding what Rand Paul was trying to say when he criticized Obama for being “un-American in his criticism of business,” specifically with the Gulf oil spill. (Oh, and trying to save Paul’s butt.) We actually understood this the first time. We just think it’s wrong and shows a deep misunderstanding of why regulation is important, especially in the wake of this oil spill, where it’s seemingly clear that the government regulatory machine was asleep on the job. Surprising thing we just noticed: Reason Magazine’s site hasn’t even mentioned the new Rand Paul controversy, even though they’ve brought up the Civil Rights Act thing today. Dudes, the silence says more than you think. source
What I don’t like from the president’s administration is this sort of, ‘I’ll put my boot heel on the throat of BP.’ I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business.
Rand Paul • Criticizing Obama for their handling of the BP oil spill, you know, one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the country. Daring to pull out the regulatory dogs is un-American? This comes just days after the Civil Rights Act controversy, and as a result Paul is extending his stay in the Twitter trending topics. Protip: If you win a primary in May, stop talking until September. Will really help your standing. source
I thought I was supposed to get a honeymoon. When does my honeymoon start after my victory?
Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul • Talking to our boy Wolf Blitzer about how his last couple of days went after winning the Republican primary. It hasn’t been good. He’s been taking heat left and … well, mostly left … for comments that he made regarding the 1964 Civil Rights Act in the last couple of days. He suggested that businesses shouldn’t have to allow everyone in. And who does he blame? The messenger. “I think what troubles me is that the news cycle has gotten out of control,” he continued. “For several hours on a major news network [MSNBC] yesterday, they reported repeatedly that I was for repealing the Civil Rights Act. That is not only not true, never been my position, but is an out and out lie. And they repeated it all day long.” source
Guess which congressman said this: “This thing is the bomb. It’s light; it’s portable. It’s accessible information. I love it.” The Blackberry was perhaps the killer device for legislatiors of the last decade, but this decade it’s proving to be the iPad. With laptops still not allowed on the floor, the aluminum and glass love machine is a major hit for some. If it takes off, it could straight-up replace the need for paper in the famously-tree-killing legislative branch. We haven’t heard if Robert Byrd is using one yet, though. Maybe he’s waiting for the second-gen. source
You have the whole world telling him he’s crazy to do this. It’s pretty remarkable when you can stand up against those odds and take on the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania history.
Campaign Group founder Neil Oxman • Regarding Senate candidate Joe Sestak, who his media company made much-heralded commercials for. Sestak, two days after winning against Arlen Specter, is currently getting loved and appreciated by the Obama administration, which backed Specter’s campaign to the point where they reportedly offered Sestak a position in the cabinet if he was willing to quit the campaign. Now, they’re willing to give him a chance. He proved his worth. Sestak won against the odds. source