Washington Post: "Rand Paul Should Get Real"

[Mr.NoSmile]

So in the day following the addresses, we of course have news commentary, such as by The Washington Post. Give it a read, see what you think. Though the line in the first paragraph about Paul's message being 'deceptively effective' I think could've been worded differently. How about just effective?


Surely he must know that foreign aid is a microscopic part of the the budget and that Republicans already accepted significant cuts in the military to the tune of $487 billion over 10 years before sequestration. To pretend that cutting foreign aid and national security will solve our problem is absurd and all too reminiscent of the phony frugality of which he complains.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/02/13/rand-paul-should-get-real/

Now before people just immediately write this off as 'neocons trying to keep Rand down' or 'typical establishment drivel' or 'I won't waste my time clicking the link' and so on and so forth, remember that there's always room for improvement. And if the author presents something valid, consider it. See what, if anything, Rand Paul could improve upon in his message. Remember, the whole drinking water bit with Rubio will only be but a slight road bump as the GOP continues to tout him as a future GOP savior and leader. We present the alternative.

[acptulsa]

Surely he must know that foreign aid is a microscopic part of the the budget and that Republicans already accepted significant cuts in the military to the tune of $487 billion over 10 years before sequestration. To pretend that cutting foreign aid and national security will solve our problem is absurd and all too reminiscent of the phony frugality of which he complains.

The 'miniscule part of the budget' line reminds me of the person who is ten grand deep in credit card debt, but keeps using the card, saying, 'I only buy things less than twenty dollars with it. Of course, I buy things less than twenty dollars fifty times a day. But it couldn't possibly add up that fast.'

And 'cutting foreign aid and national security' is an interesting euphamism for 'ending a couple of wars of occupation and a few unwanted police actions.' No, the only way Rand gets a pass from the Post is if he starts voting for The Agenda. Nothing in the way of smoothing his message will satisfy the tools of the Military Industrial Complex.

[itshappening]

Nobody listens to her rantings.

They're worried about Rand that's for sure...

Although, Billy Kristol's outfit was fair (I won't link to it)

[July]

If foriegn aid is microscopic, why the intense resistance to cut it?

[Occam's Banana]

So in the day following the addresses, we of course have news commentary, such as by The Washington Post. Give it a read, see what you think. Though the line in the first paragraph about Paul's message being 'deceptively effective' I think could've been worded differently. How about just effective?

Now before people just immediately write this off as 'neocons trying to keep Rand down' or 'typical establishment drivel' or 'I won't waste my time clicking the link' and so on and so forth, remember that there's always room for improvement. And if the author presents something valid, consider it. See what, if anything, Rand Paul could improve upon in his message. Remember, the whole drinking water bit with Rubio will only be but a slight road bump as the GOP continues to tout him as a future GOP savior and leader. We present the alternative.

It *is* typical Establishment drivel, and I *will* write it off as such. "Deceptively effective" my ass ... The only deception going on here is the author's attempt to undermine Rand's effectiveness. The author has presented nothing of validity here. The entire article is nothing more than an attempt at "concern trolling".

In addition to acptulsa's on-the-mark comment, I would add that serious entitlement reform and real cuts in military spending (both of which Rand endorsed in his address) are not insignificant in any way, shape or form - in spite of this person's attempt to make it appear so. Especially laughable in this regard is the author's claim that "Republicans already accepted significant cuts in the military". Bullshit! This is just more of the same old "reduction in increases = cuts" double-speak. That right there - all by itself - proves beyond any doubt that the author is just another Establishment hack.

[supermario21]

It's easy to spin. Listen to Rand Paul or essentially Dick Cheney. He was on Capitol Hill warning Republicans on the danger of the sequester.

[fisharmor]

I have a bottle of Vaseline Intensive Rescue hand lotion on my desk.
I will now review the ingredients of this product, confident that after doing so I will be wiser than if I had spent that time reading anything from the Washington Compost.

[Spikender]

It's always grand when the people living in a fantasy world tell you to get real.

The only thing they need to get is to get bent.

[misean]

It's interesting that Rand Paul is probably the best read, most educated, most principled AND most willing to provide concrete biparitsan solutions that solve problems of anyone in the Senate and people like Jennifer Rubin dump on him as basically offering shallow solutions. What has Marco Rubio proposed or done? Marco Rubio is not that bright and offers nothing but gets praise from these retards. What concrete solutions is Marco Rubio offering? If Rand Paul is nothing else, he's substantive (at least for a politician.)

[braane]

Seems pretty typical.

"It's such a small amount, why even cut it? It's just a drop in the bucket"

Well those drops in the bucket start to add up. Adding a few drops to the bucket is better than lighting the bucket on fire.

[idiom]

I have a bottle of Vaseline Intensive Rescue hand lotion on my desk.
I will now review the ingredients of this product, confident that after doing so I will be wiser than if I had spent that time reading anything from the Washington Compost.

Slightly more personal information than I needed this morning.

[TonySutton]

When I started paying off my debt the first thing I did was stop buying little treats/drinks at the corner store. Although these were small amounts of money they added up over the month. By adding those savings to other small savings I was able to pay extra on credits cards each month. I believe it also gave me the mental fortitude to stick it out because I was overcoming the urge to spend on a daily basis.

[nayjevin]

To pretend that cutting foreign aid and national security will solve our problem is absurd

'I'll tell you where we can start, and that's by not sending more abrams tanks ...'

enter spindoctors at the Washington Post.

[alucard13mmfmj]

Seems pretty typical.

"It's such a small amount, why even cut it? It's just a drop in the bucket"

Well those drops in the bucket start to add up. Adding a few drops to the bucket is better than lighting the bucket on fire.

its like saying researching robotic squirrels and mars menu should continue on because its just a drop in the bucket. pretty soon nothing gets cut because its a tiny drop.

military is easy to cut.

[supermario21]

I could understand the Post saying this if Rand always said this was the sole problem. Except he's actually written a budget that would be balanced in 5 years.

[fr33]

People like Rubin are responsible for Obama's election and re-election.... and those same people seem to be doubling down on being stupid.

[jkr]

rand should say:

"real? im keeping it REALER!"

[matt0611]

Rand knows the real budget problems come from medicare and social security, which is why he has plans to cut/reform those as well.

[dinosaur]

The concrete example of foreign aid is a smart one to give as a soundbite, because it illustrates the larger problem (that we are spending tons of money making the world less safe). They are just upset that Rand is effectively making his point.