bobbyw24
04-02-2010, 10:14 AM
March 29, 2010
Tea Time
Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON
Kentucky’s Republican Senate primary, to be held May 18, is one of those elections that is being treated as some sort of defining event, a measure of general antipathy toward Washington and the federal government, mainly because you’re ahead in the polls. Do you credit Tea Party activists for your success?
Absolutely. I think there’s a Tea Party tidal wave coming. I think it’s going to sweep a lot of incumbents from office.
Did you consider running for local office? Isn’t it a big leap to go from being a 47-year-old ophthalmologist in Bowling Green, Ky., with no experience serving in government, to being a United States senator?
I tell people that my biggest attribute is having not held public office, which is a great attribute to possess. I think people are looking for regular citizens. I don’t think it’s a prerequisite that you be in office for 10 or 15 years.
What about five minutes? You haven’t even served in government for five minutes.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a prerequisite. I’ve been active in politics for a group called Kentucky Taxpayers United for 15 to 20 years.
As someone who has opposed all tax increases, the Department of Education and the invasion of Iraq, do you consider yourself a libertarian like your famous dad, Representative Ron Paul of Texas?
I call myself a constitutional conservative.
Dick Cheney has endorsed your opponent, Trey Grayson, calling him “the real conservative in this race.” And Senator Mitch McConnell, your fellow Kentuckian and the Senate minority leader, is also supporting Grayson.
I’ve extended the olive branch to Senator McConnell. I called him up and said I would meet with him even though he was working for my opponent.
And did he agree to see you?
We met privately in Louisville at Bowman Field. It’s just this little airport, and we met at a hangar, and I think he was on his way somewhere else.
Did you vote for Senator McCain in the last presidential election?
If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone?
I won’t tell anyone, other than my loyal readers.
I did a write-in.
So then you didn’t vote for Senator McCain. You did a write-in for your dad?
Yes.
Mainstream Republicans seem concerned that their party is being taken over by “angry white guys,” as Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator, said. He doesn’t want you to hijack the Republican Party.
I think this quote you are reading is about my father and not me.
But in light of your distrust of the federal government, where are you on an issue like seat belts? Federal legislation requiring people to wear seat belts could obviously save lives.
I think the federal government shouldn’t be involved. I don’t want to live in a nanny state where people are telling me where I can go and what I can do.
You shouldn’t trivialize issues of health and safety by calling them nanny issues.
The question is, do you want to live in a nanny state where the government tells you what you can eat, where you can smoke, where you can live, what you can do, or would you rather have some freedom, and freedom means that things aren’t perfect?
How often do you talk to your dad?
Pretty frequently. I would say we talk once a week, once every two weeks.
Where are you in the birth order?
I’m the third of five children. I’ve had an interest in politics since I was a little kid.
As a libertarian, did your father grant you great liberty to do what you wanted in your childhood?
The kind of funny thing is that there’s a difference between the government and a family. A family can be a complete dictatorship.
INTERVIEW HAS BEEN CONDENSED AND EDITED.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/magazine/04fob-q4-t.html?ref=politics
Tea Time
Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON
Kentucky’s Republican Senate primary, to be held May 18, is one of those elections that is being treated as some sort of defining event, a measure of general antipathy toward Washington and the federal government, mainly because you’re ahead in the polls. Do you credit Tea Party activists for your success?
Absolutely. I think there’s a Tea Party tidal wave coming. I think it’s going to sweep a lot of incumbents from office.
Did you consider running for local office? Isn’t it a big leap to go from being a 47-year-old ophthalmologist in Bowling Green, Ky., with no experience serving in government, to being a United States senator?
I tell people that my biggest attribute is having not held public office, which is a great attribute to possess. I think people are looking for regular citizens. I don’t think it’s a prerequisite that you be in office for 10 or 15 years.
What about five minutes? You haven’t even served in government for five minutes.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a prerequisite. I’ve been active in politics for a group called Kentucky Taxpayers United for 15 to 20 years.
As someone who has opposed all tax increases, the Department of Education and the invasion of Iraq, do you consider yourself a libertarian like your famous dad, Representative Ron Paul of Texas?
I call myself a constitutional conservative.
Dick Cheney has endorsed your opponent, Trey Grayson, calling him “the real conservative in this race.” And Senator Mitch McConnell, your fellow Kentuckian and the Senate minority leader, is also supporting Grayson.
I’ve extended the olive branch to Senator McConnell. I called him up and said I would meet with him even though he was working for my opponent.
And did he agree to see you?
We met privately in Louisville at Bowman Field. It’s just this little airport, and we met at a hangar, and I think he was on his way somewhere else.
Did you vote for Senator McCain in the last presidential election?
If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone?
I won’t tell anyone, other than my loyal readers.
I did a write-in.
So then you didn’t vote for Senator McCain. You did a write-in for your dad?
Yes.
Mainstream Republicans seem concerned that their party is being taken over by “angry white guys,” as Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator, said. He doesn’t want you to hijack the Republican Party.
I think this quote you are reading is about my father and not me.
But in light of your distrust of the federal government, where are you on an issue like seat belts? Federal legislation requiring people to wear seat belts could obviously save lives.
I think the federal government shouldn’t be involved. I don’t want to live in a nanny state where people are telling me where I can go and what I can do.
You shouldn’t trivialize issues of health and safety by calling them nanny issues.
The question is, do you want to live in a nanny state where the government tells you what you can eat, where you can smoke, where you can live, what you can do, or would you rather have some freedom, and freedom means that things aren’t perfect?
How often do you talk to your dad?
Pretty frequently. I would say we talk once a week, once every two weeks.
Where are you in the birth order?
I’m the third of five children. I’ve had an interest in politics since I was a little kid.
As a libertarian, did your father grant you great liberty to do what you wanted in your childhood?
The kind of funny thing is that there’s a difference between the government and a family. A family can be a complete dictatorship.
INTERVIEW HAS BEEN CONDENSED AND EDITED.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/magazine/04fob-q4-t.html?ref=politics