Posted on 01/22/2013 6:46:23 AM PST by JohnPDuncan
Sen. Rand Paul accused House Republican leaders of having “retreated” in the face of a confrontation with President Barack Obama, criticizing their decision to vote on raising the U.S. debt ceiling this week during a speech in South Carolina Monday night.
In remarks to the Charleston Meeting, a gathering of conservative leaders in the first-in-the-South presidential primary state, Paul rebuked the House for its plans to delay the debt limit fight by a few months. Republicans intend to vote this week on raising the country’s statutory debt limit to delay a spending standoff with the White House by about three months.
“I saw the speaker on TV handing the newly sworn-in president a flag. I am afraid it was the white flag of surrender,” the Kentucky Republican said, according to a GOP source present at the meeting.
Alluding to the House GOP’s gathering last week in Williamsburg, Va., Paul jabbed: “They came out of their retreat and retreated.”
Paul’s Inauguration Day remarks are the latest indication that he’s staking out an unrelenting, small-government position in the Republican Party as he weighs a national campaign in 2016. The Kentuckian voted against a fiscal cliff deal earlier this month that a huge majority of Senate Republicans supported.
In South Carolina Monday, he spoke at length about the need to home in on spending and debt as the country’s chief challenges. His remarks on the debt ceiling put him squarely on the conservative, confrontational side of the GOP’s internal debate over how aggressively to use the borrowing limit as leverage against the White House. Obama has said he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling and Democrats have derided Republicans as “hostage-takers” for threatening to trigger a national default.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
They're already being Alinsky'ed. I just heard on the news that golfer Phil Mickelson apologized for saying he might leave California because of high taxes, saying, “I apologize to those I have upset or insulted and assure you I intend to not let it happen again.” Apparently opposition to excessive taxation is now considered offensive by those on the left.
He picks his battles carefully.
Most senators trade their consent with Reid to allow them to offer amendments to bills that can get a vote since he controls the whole process.
Rand has been able to get votes on his amendments, sometimes very obscure amendments where he knows he only has 10 votes like for cutting foreign aid but it puts the senators on record.
You're quite an A-hole when you get caught being an idiot, aren't you?
RP is defining his borders...
Maybe he doesn’t know, after all he is a Senator.
It takes courage and a willingness to pay a price,
but isn’t that just what he’s saying others should be willing to do?
I hope for more of that from all of them... and expect to be disappointed LOL!
WHAT?? Threats and coercion in the HOUSE??
Why... I'm SHOCKED!!! :-O
Now... where are my chips?
Then Rand should do his job and keep those bills from making out of the Senate, if Reid cant get the extension passed out of Senate then Romney is off the hook.
Voting ‘no’ on stuff that passes is a pretty safe personal play for him.
Personally I think playing up the debt limit getting O to focus all his fire on it and then (Rs) moving to a play on the CR would be a smart move if that's what they are up to. (Big ‘if’) It makes the CR shutdown look much less scary to the average voter, plus now Dems have gone on record saying that Rs should cut spending over it.
The debt limit play is a loser. O has little incentive to give in on that. Close to zero chance that it would accomplish anything.
Are you not aware that DC is a small town and when you're discussing the political class, it gets even smaller?
Overall, I've found FreeRepublic the be probably the best place on the web for respectful discussion; I see I've found the exception.
He has used the filibuster with regards to the 4th amendment and I think on foreign aid in order to force votes, google ‘rand paul filibuster’
Quote of the year so far - even if the GOP is just doing what their bankster masters are telling them. :)
I hope so.
Back in late 2008 and early 2009 I remember watching a clip and reading Ron Paul’s anti-TARP floor speech and it was one of the most inspiring ones I heard from anyone.
So I watched Ron for a while but I eventually came to the conclusion that with all his ‘stands’ that he never accomplished anything.
He always stood for what he considered the ‘perfect’ but he that I know of never got any bills passed into law.
And that takes me back to my theme.
Either Scott Walker or Rand Paul would get my vote if they were to run for White House Fumigator in 2016. The rest of the GOP can KMA.
I think Rand Paul/Walker would be a good ticket.
Boner’s white flag must be getting kind of tattered by now; it’s been in his hand for two solid years.
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Unlike his father, Ron, who often found himself lost in a sea of symbolism, Rand has shown himself to be a man of substance.
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