Posted on 05/31/2015 5:29:06 AM PDT by GIdget2004
Rand Paul’s presidential campaign wants to portray his fight to block any Patriot Act extension as a faceoff against President Barack Obama. But the Kentucky senator is waging an increasingly lonely battle.
Some of his usual tea party allies are abandoning him. House Republican leaders are not pleased with his antics. And then there’s Paul’s feud with the senior senator from Kentucky and the most prominent Republican to endorse his presidential campaign, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Put it this way — there aren’t many times that Obama, Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, Speaker John A. Boehner, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid all agree on something.
But this weekend, at least, they are singing off the same song sheet: Rand Paul is wrong.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.rollcall.com ...
I’m with Rand Paul on this one. Giving up liberty to gain some security leads to the loss of both.
Yes, it is Rand Paul and freedom-loving Americans...he is not alone.
Damn!. Looks like the Patriot Act is going to get renewed.
Rand Paul versus every “mainstream” enemy of freedom politician.
One wonders if the ruling elites are not more interested in control and power than security. They seem to have an obsession with controlling everything. Perhaps it is simply the gravitational effect of concentrating all power in the Federal Government draws in people who crave power.
Collecting massive amounts of data indiscriminately may in fact be less secure. It certainly didn’t help with preventing the Boston Bombers. Maybe if the government actually focused on using old fashioned man-on-the-ground intelligence and was less enamored with fancy toys that are more about feeding egos and padding the pockets of crony contractors, we might actually have better security.
Go Rand!
Whether he wins or loses in the presidential primary, I will be sending him some $$cash$$ to help him along the way. Primarily because win or lose, Rand Paul will be a very important voice in driving various debates on the issues. Illegal, warrantless searches and seizures by the government needs to be hammered until they stop it.
Rand Paul is not my first choice, but he’z right in the top 5. Strangely, Paul is the only one standing up for our liberties in a big bold way.
Good job Senator.
He pisses me off on many of his stands. But not this one. Go get em.
Screw the Patriot Act. If they cared about security, they would stop importing foreigners.
That's not true - on either end. First, Cruz is standing up much firmer to Obama Care and to cronyism, both of which destroy liberties. Walker is standing up to government unions, which destroy liberty. Rand is pathetic on both of those issues. Rand also plays right into the race pimp industry and the 9-11 truther movement with his idiotic comments, and all of that hurts the cause of liberty.
So while Rand is standing up for this one, he's really off the reservation on other issues, while others are standing up for liberty on those issues.
Rand Paul has become the Don Quixote of the Republic party.He is tilting at a very good windmill. But he is right in terms of the way things should be. What bothers his Republican colleagues is that he has large public support.
There should be no warrant-less searches. If they need metadata, the government will have to do it themselves and not rely on Google and Bell Telephone, and take the risk of being wrong.
Well....ok
I admit to having mixed feelings about the Patriot Act. On the one hand, I understood that we might need some extraordinary means to apprehend terrorists and prevent their nefarious deeds. But it always stuck in the back of mind that these powers could fall into the wrong hands and be used in ways that had nothing to do with terrorism. A certain president might use these powers against his personal enemies and anyone he deemed an enemy of the state — such as white conservative Christians.
I was right.
It’s time for the Patriot Act to go.
Cruz voted for the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) which was a COLOSSAL MISTAKE.
The flooding of all the illegal immigrants....translation Democrat voters.... Then compound that with no collage degree. Walker is going to get savaged for not having a college degree. I agree it’s stupid and he has done a good job as Governor. I know their were U.S. Presidents without degrees, but that is not going to get you very far on the national level.
I know Walker is winning in Iowa, but do you really think Iowa looks like America? LOL! No...
It’s high time that we stop just renewing laws, for years at a time, unamended, without debate, and by unanimous consent!
On the Patriot Act, and some of its odious provisions, Rand Paul is taking a stand and I stand with him!
The Patriot Act was written at a time of emotional fervor. Let it expire. The Congress can easily create a new law with provisions that would be good for the people, and amend them as needed. That’s what legislatures are SUPPOSED to do, not back their members into a corner, threatening “renew, or else!”
Not without Senator Paul on board. Due to Senate rules, Paul can single-handedly block final passage of the bill until Thursday. The Patriot Act expires on Monday.
Paul has vowed to do exactly this.
As when Clinton's Assault Weapons Ban sun-settted in '04, If the Patriot Act expires, it will have to be passed again as a new law, something that will be far more difficult in today's political climate.
Something tells me this is a whole world view, permanent spying as a way to keep bad things from happening due to making our borders irrelevant. They couldn’t just take this for what it was... a one time look in order to flush the terrorists... Oh no, heaven forbid that DC should act sensibly when they can instead push the envelope!
These asshats don’t solve problems, they manufacture problems, and here is a perfect example.
Well, they did create a new proposed law - the USA Freedom Act, which is what the House passed, and is the only option if the Senate doesn’t want to have the Patriot Act go away entirely at midnight.
Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about the differences between the Patriot Act and the USA Freedom Act, but I know it does eliminate the bulk data collection that many have had concerns about.
The USA Freedom Act passed fairly easily in the House, and fell three votes short in the Senate. The plan had been to re-vote on USA Freedom tonight, but Rand Paul and to force a delay, meaning the whole thing will expire.
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