Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell's marriage of political convenience

The relationship between Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell has always been more a marriage of political convenience than heartfelt bromance, and it is being tested now like never before..

The two Republican senators represent divergent flanks of the Republican Party, often pulling in different directions, most recently over what to do with the nation’s domestic telephone surveillance program.

Paul is the libertarian-leaning firebrand who temporarily shut down the government's bulk collection of Americans’ phone records. McConnell, the Senate majority leader, is the establishment elder who believes surveillance is not infringing on privacy and should be preserved to catch terrorists.

Paul sports blue jeans and Ray-Bans, and cannot seem to run fast enough to keep up with his political pursuits. McConnell, in starched collars and cuff links, moves so deliberately he has been compared to a turtle.

Their shared desire to elect more Republicans, including themselves, to public office has created an unusual alliance.

But their flare-up over the spy bill caused such public and private displays of hot tempers and cold glances that it’s hard to know if this match made of political expediency can survive....

Rand Paul is very much a McConnell man, and McConnell has already informally endorsed Paul for President.

“Rand Paul to steer clear of Mississippi runoff”

“Rand Paul: It’s a ‘misnomer’ to say McConnell isn’t conservative”

“Rand Paul To Campaign for Romney”

March, 2013—”Rand Paul endorses Mitch McConnell in 2014 Senate race, won’t back tea party challenge”

“A week after about 150 tea party activists rallied in opposition to U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s re-election” “Rand Paul of Kentucky said here Monday that he hopes Alexander doesn’t get an opponent and wins re-election.”

“Mitch McConnell, who four and a half years ago didn’t think Rand Paul was fit to be Kentucky’s junior senator, has endorsed Paul’s widely expected 2016 presidential run, adding some early and important establishment heft to the coming campaign.
“I don’t think he’s made a final decision on that,” McConnell told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “But he’ll be able to count on me.””

Rand Paul On Shutdown: "Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea"
I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it's a conundrum. Here's the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can't give the president a blank check. We just can't keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can't vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don't we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.
[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]

Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance
...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.
[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]

Rand Paul's immigration speech
...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.

Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.

Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.

Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.

If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...

This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.

Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reform
Latinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...
[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]

Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt's Generals: 'How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?'
Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt's military -- even as Cairo's security forces massacre anti-government activists. [by "anti-government activists" is meant church-burning Christian-murdering jihadists]
[Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat]

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