The Week: Most Recent 2010 Elections:Rand Paul

Rand Paul 'stomper' asks victim for apology: First reactions

The Week — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:38:00 -0400

The video: The Rand Paul supporter who was caught on video stomping on the head of a MoveOn.org protestor has suggested that an apology from his victim is in order. (Watch a local news report below.) Tim Profitt, a former Paul campaign volunteer, told a local TV station that his stompee, Lauren Valle, is a "professional" rebel-rouser and had "initiated the whole thing." Kentucky police have issued a criminal summons for Profitt, who was dismissed by the Paul campaign after the incident.
The reaction: So "the guy who stomped on a defenseless woman's head wants her to apologize to him?" asks Steve...

Rand Paul fan stomps on liberal protestor's head: First reactions

The Week — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:03:00 -0400

The video: Supporters of Kentucky senate candidates Rand Paul and Jack Conway clashed outside a Lexington TV studio before the rivals' final debate — apparently resulting in two violent incidents. (Watch video below.) While trying to present Republican candidate Paul with a satirical "employee of the month award," Lauren Valle, a liberal MoveOn.org protester, was pushed to the ground by what appear to be Paul supporters, one of whom then stomped on Valle's head. Elsewhere, say some reports, a Conway supporter stomped on the foot of a Rand supporter who had recently undergone foot surgery...

Jack Conway vs. Rand Paul: The 'Aqua Buddha' war

The Week — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:05:00 -0400

Democrats and liberal bloggers are sparring over the Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway's controversial "Aqua Buddha" ad, which raises GOP rival Rand Paul's reported college antics as a campaign issue. (Watch the ad below.) Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) calls the spot "very dangerous," while others say highlighting such moments from Paul's past shows the disconnect between the man and the candidate. Paul, for his part, punched back with a commerical accusing Conway of "bearing false witness," and refused to shake his hand after a debate. Did Conway go too far? Did Paul?

Conway hit below the...

On the campaign trail with Rand Paul

The Week — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:29:00 -0400

At this strange moment in American politics, Tea Party hero Rand Paul may "soon be the most radical member of the U.S. Senate," says GQ's Jason Zengerle in his new 5,000-word profile of the GOP upstart, a Senate candidate in Kentucky. Here are five key insights from this "long-awaited" article:

1. Paul has a complicated relationship with the GOP
As an anti-establishment candidate embraced (and funded) by the Tea Party, Paul made his primary campaign in large part a referendum on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), using his "nothing-to-lose freedom to attack the most powerful figure...

GQ's Rand Paul exposé: Top 5 revelations

The Week — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:35:00 -0400

Little is known about the life of Rand Paul, the GOP candidate for Kentucky's Senate seat, before he hit the political stage. But GQ's Jason Zengerle went digging into the libertarian Paul's time at Baylor University, Texas — a school from which he did not manage to graduate — and unearthed some details about Paul's extracurricular activities, such as "kidnapping, drug use [and] sacrilege," says Dan Amira at New York. "How could the Paul campaign possibly explain all of this to its many conservative supporters?" But the Paul campaign is threatening GQ with legal action over the piece...

Rand Paul's poll slump: 5 theories

The Week — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:22:00 -0400

If a new poll is to be believed, voter support for the GOP's anti-establishment Senate nominee in Kentucky has taken a big hit in recent weeks. According to new survey from Public Policy Polling, Rand Paul — son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) — is now running roughly even with his lesser-known Democrat opponent, Jack Conway, in a state long considered a "Republican stronghold." Paul's favorability rating, which was net positive in December, is now net negative. Here are 5 opinions on why the grassroots darling seems to be struggling to win over voters: (Watch a local report about Rand Paul...

Is Rand Paul a real doctor?

The Week — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:50:00 -0400

Libertarian Rand Paul, the eye doctor turned Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky, may not be a "board-certified" ophthalmologist, as he reportedly claimed. Paul's certification comes from a board he incorporated and heads, but he hasn't been certified by an organization recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties for five years. When reporters asked Paul to explain, he said, "What does this have to do with our election?" He subsequently released a statement saying he had a certification from the main medical board until 2005, but let it lapse to protest a decision to make doctors...

Rush vs. Rand Paul and 5 other clashes between rock and politics

The Week — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:03:00 -0400

Will politicians never learn that you can't co-opt some aging rocker's music without consequences? Lawyers for the 1970s power band Rush have ordered Tea Party candidate Rand Paul to stop playing their song "The Spirit of Radio" to amp up rallies. (Listen to Rand Paul recite Rush lyrics at an event.) The Canadian trio and the Kentucky Senate candidate both have a fondness for libertarian ideas and Ayn Rand, but business is business, says Rush attorney Robert Farmer: "This is not a political issue — this is a copyright issue. We would do this no matter who it is." Here are some other candidates...

Does Rand Paul understand his own conspiracy theories?

The Week — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:45:00 -0400

With Rand Paul’s victory in the Kentucky Republican primary, an old conspiracy theory has suddenly gained a prime-time audience.

Campaigning in Montana for his father, Ron Paul, in 2008, Rand Paul explicated his belief in an elite plot to replace the U.S. dollar with a new currency: “the Amero.” (You can listen to Rand Paul discuss the plot here.)

Creation of the Amero is alleged to be just one step toward a sinister “North American Union.” Another step is a putative “NAFTA super-highway” -- 10 lanes of roaring road stretching through the middle...

Is Rand Paul the new Sarah Palin?

The Week — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:41:00 -0400

After his rocky debut on the national stage, Rand Paul canceled an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," citing "fatigue." Sarah Palin, on Fox News, was sympathetic, saying the Kentucky GOP Senate candidate is learning, as she did in 2008, that "prejudiced" reporters and media personalities are mostly "looking for the gotcha moment" with certain conservatives. Palin's not the first person to compare Paul and herself — Bill Maher on Friday said of Paul, "It's as if Sarah Palin somehow made it through medical school" — but are the two candidates really similar? (Watch The Week's Sunday...

Rand Paul, race, and Republicans

The Week — Mon, 24 May 2010 09:30:00 -0400

What's your opinion on Tea Partier Rand Paul's primary win?

The Week — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:41:00 -0400

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Rand Paul's 5 most controversial beliefs

The Week — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:40:00 -0400

Rand Paul is walking back his much-derided comments about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, saying he's been "trashed up and down" by Democrats eager to sink his bid for Kentucky's open seat in the U.S. Senate. (Watch Rand Paul defend himself on ABC News.) For their part, liberals have argued that Paul's libertarian ideology lies well outside the mainstream of American politics. "I take Paul at his word that he's not a racist," says Ezra Klein at The Washington Post. "What he is, however, is an ideological extremist." Is that the case? Here is a look at some of Paul's most controversial beliefs, in his...

Is Rand Paul 'crazy'?

The Week — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:57:00 -0400

Hours after winning Kentucky's Republican Senate primary, Rand Paul met his first big-time controversy. Interviewers, including MSNBC's Rachael Maddow, grilled the libertarian opthamologist on his suggestion that he wouldn't have voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act because the law forces private businesses to serve people of all races. Paul, while eschewing racism, made a case that business owners should be allowed to make their own mistakes. Is Paul's argument "crazy," or is he taking a principled stand for the Constitution?

He's "absolutely out of his mind": "I believe Paul when he says he&rsquo...

Does Rand Paul's win signal a 'Tea Party tidal wave'?

The Week — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:11:00 -0400

Rand Paul trounced "establishment" Republican Trey Grayson in Kentucky's senate primary, saying his win was a "loud and clear," unambiguous "message from the Tea Party." Republicans pledged unity after the divisive vote, but Paul said he would stick with the Tea Party message during the general campaign. Was this just another local upset, or is Paul right that his victory is strong evidence that November will bring a "Tea Party tidal wave"?

Paul is just a taste of what's to come: Rand Paul's win "speaks volumes" about how "disgruntled" voters are, says Dana Pretzer at Scared Monkeys, and it sets...

Who is Rand Paul?

The Week — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:30:00 -0400

Political novice and Tea Party insurgent Rand Paul is poised to upset "establishment candidate" Trey Grayson in the Republican primary to replace Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) next Tuesday. Grayson, Kentucky's secretary of state, was recruited by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and was the presumptive GOP nominee until Paul's grassroots candidacy took off. (Watch Rand Paul warn a "Tea Party tidal wave is coming")

Who is Rand Paul?
Randall Paul, 47, is an ophthalmologist and anti-tax activist who's never held elective office. He started the group Kentucky Taxpayers United and is, famously...