Sens. Mike Lee, Rand Paul are holding up 9/11 victims fund

[loveshiscountry]

"Rand does this for every bill. He tries to fund every bill with existing funds before tapping into new funding."

Sure, by cutting funding that doesn't harm the special interests in his home state. I don't know about you but being "fiscally responsible" has better optics when you're NOT trying to stick the budget knife in someone else's back, especially when they are in wheelchairs.

What's the smart move here slick? Cutting something from the Federal budget that helps your state of hurts your state? You sound like you don't get it.

"Rand is the best in the Senate when it comes to fiscal responsibility."

That's akin to being the tallest building in Topeka. Considering the red ink the country is drowning in right now, I'd rather be screeching with my hair on fire (which one would expect when one's hair is on fire) than be the emperor with no clothes on, oblivious to his situation such as yourself.

No it means he's the best in the Senate on fiscal responsibility. He was being fiscally responsible in this bill and for some reason you are against that? You sound like you don't get it.

Reportedly McConnell told Trump that no President ever lost re-election spending more money so we can expect the new budget deal to pass the Senate next week and Rand will get his free vote when the margin is 79-21 in favor and he can posture and preen about spending and be utterly irrelevant while the country continues to drown in red ink. And then we can wonder if had chosen to use his political capital to back Matt Bevin back in 2014 and send McConnell to the dustbin of history where he belongs instead kissing his arse to get his non-support for his "glorious" Presidential run, whether it would be Rand in the White House setting the budget and not Trump.

So Trump is going to do something because McConnell said something? btw What does this have to do with the topic? rhetorical

He wishes not to be a gadfly like his father. That's fine. But I'd rather be a gadfly than a slug any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Gadflies still fly. Slugs get stomped on.

You made this up and none of it applies. It's about being fiscally responsible and nothing to do with the silly gossip you've presented.

[vita3]

Easy for some "conservatives" to dismiss any care for 30,000+ sick responders since many hate NYC & Unions which police & firefighters are in.

[Danke]

Easy for some "conservatives" to dismiss any care for 30,000+ sick responders since many hate NYC & Unions which police & firefighters are in.

Police and Firefighters in the US have some of the best benefit packages in the world. That includes health care and pensions.

[Badger Paul]

"You are the slug."

Nope, still flying. Looking down at you right now.

I get that some people are still invested in Rand's career but you're wasting your time in my opinion. For the Republican Party, the "Conservative Movement", even some quarters of libertarians, it's Trump's World and he's just living in it. For all of these things and the country as well has turned its back on what father stood for which Rand failed to advance. What we have in 2019, over a decade after Dr. Paul first Presidential run is an authoritarian state with a massive military-industrial-complex, involved in countless wars and drowning in red ink. One potential young leader of the Freedom Movement in Congress leaves the GOP and another may very well be primaried out too.

Speaking of war, I have no doubt Rand is sincere in wanting to be a back-channel from Trump to the Iranians and wants to prevent Bolton and Pompeo from starting a war. The problem is, he has nothing to offer Iranians, short of asking the Islamic Republic for surrender terms in order to get the sanctions removed. Remember, he opposed the nuclear deal. So what can he say or do other than "Trump doesn't want a war." Fine. But if he really wants to de-escalate the best thing to do is fire Bolton and Pompeo, stop selling arms to the Saudis and remove the navy from the Persian Gulf. He has not done this, ergo we remain on the brink and thus there's really nothing for Rand to discuss with the Iranians. By the way, I seem to recall some Paul saying "Sanctions are an act of war." But it wasn't Rand.

And regardless whether Trump wins or loses next year, the situation within the party and on the Right will remain the same. After a decade it is clearly obvious that a quite strong majority of Republicans favor what Trump or any-Trump-like replacement in the future will offer, not "Paulism" or "Ryanism" or what the never-Trumpers and the neocons offer either. In other words, even if Trump loses, Rand isn't going to be the one to pick up the pieces, someone else, a more competent version of Trump, will emerge. Many Republicans in the House opposed the budget deal but a good chunk of them supported it and will do so in the Senate and say "Hey, President Trump is in favor of the deal, so am I!" So there you go, "deficits don't matter" and it isn't just Dick Cheney saying this but also Rush Limbaugh and all of Conservative INC. which Trump now owns lock, stock and barrel.

So when 2022 rolls around my guess is Rand will go back home to Kentucky and back to medicine and away from the swamp of D.C. and the snake-pit of politics where I think he will be a lot happier. More power to him. He isn't his dad, he knows it, doesn't want to be and in time he'll stop pretending.

[Swordsmyth]

"You are the slug."

Nope, still flying. Looking down at you right now.\

[Swordsmyth]

"You are the slug."

Nope, still flying. Looking down at you right now.

I get that some people are still invested in Rand's career but you're wasting your time in my opinion. For the Republican Party, the "Conservative Movement", even some quarters of libertarians, it's Trump's World and he's just living in it. For all of these things and the country as well has turned its back on what father stood for which Rand failed to advance. What we have in 2019, over a decade after Dr. Paul first Presidential run is an authoritarian state with a massive military-industrial-complex, involved in countless wars and drowning in red ink. One potential young leader of the Freedom Movement in Congress leaves the GOP and another may very well be primaried out too.

Speaking of war, I have no doubt Rand is sincere in wanting to be a back-channel from Trump to the Iranians and wants to prevent Bolton and Pompeo from starting a war. The problem is, he has nothing to offer Iranians, short of asking the Islamic Republic for surrender terms in order to get the sanctions removed. Remember, he opposed the nuclear deal. So what can he say or do other than "Trump doesn't want a war." Fine. But if he really wants to de-escalate the best thing to do is fire Bolton and Pompeo, stop selling arms to the Saudis and remove the navy from the Persian Gulf. He has not done this, ergo we remain on the brink and thus there's really nothing for Rand to discuss with the Iranians. By the way, I seem to recall some Paul saying "Sanctions are an act of war." But it wasn't Rand.

And regardless whether Trump wins or loses next year, the situation within the party and on the Right will remain the same. After a decade it is clearly obvious that a quite strong majority of Republicans favor what Trump or any-Trump-like replacement in the future will offer, not "Paulism" or "Ryanism" or what the never-Trumpers and the neocons offer either. In other words, even if Trump loses, Rand isn't going to be the one to pick up the pieces, someone else, a more competent version of Trump, will emerge. Many Republicans in the House opposed the budget deal but a good chunk of them supported it and will do so in the Senate and say "Hey, President Trump is in favor of the deal, so am I!" So there you go, "deficits don't matter" and it isn't just Dick Cheney saying this but also Rush Limbaugh and all of Conservative INC. which Trump now owns lock, stock and barrel.

So when 2022 rolls around my guess is Rand will go back home to Kentucky and back to medicine and away from the swamp of D.C. and the snake-pit of politics where I think he will be a lot happier. More power to him. He isn't his dad, he knows it, doesn't want to be and in time he'll stop pretending.

Rand is helping to change what Trumpism is.

That's the key to long term victory.

[vita3]

Police and Firefighters in the US have some of the best benefit packages in the world. That includes health care and pensions.

Yep & that's why some conservatives/libertarians hate them.

[kcchiefs6465]

Yep & that's why some conservatives/libertarians hate them.

Next you'll claim libertarians don't like taxation!?

[vita3]

Next you'll claim libertarians don't like taxation!?

Just pointing out that deep seated HATE lets some people not give a sh$t about 1,000+ Americans being killed from cancers from whomever blew up those three towers..

[kcchiefs6465]

Just pointing out that deep seated HATE lets some people not give a sh$t about 1,000+ Americans being killed from cancers from whomever blew up those three towers..

It has also been pointed out that robbing people for charity isn't generous.

It doesn't make you decent or better than anyone else to advocate other people's money be used for good causes.

[vita3]

It has also been pointed out that robbing people for charity isn't generous.

It doesn't make you decent or better than anyone else to advocate other people's money be used for good causes.

Don't drink all the Kool-Aid...

[kcchiefs6465]

Don't drink all the Kool-Aid...

Calm down Ron Stewart.

[Badger Paul]

"Rand is helping to change what Trumpism is."

Cute.

[Swordsmyth]

"Rand is helping to change what Trumpism is."

Cute.

I accept your surrender.

[Badger Paul]

"I accept your surrender."

It's written in invisible ink.