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I've obtained a document that the Rand Paul campaign is circulating to those interested in his views on Israel... [snip] "Israel and the United States have a special relationship," Rand's position paper begins. "With our shared history and common values, the American and Israeli people have formed a bond that unites us across the many thousands of miles between our countries and calls us to work together towards peace and prosperity for our countries." [snip] In one clear departure from his father, Rand states that: As a United States Senator, I would never vote to condemn Israel for defending herself.

According to a statement by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, he is planning to propose a bill that would suspend the US government's aid to the Palestinians. The proposal is said to be a response to the reconciliation between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas-led Fatah and Hamas, which is the militant Islamist group that currently rules the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Haaretz said that the proposal also follows the warnings issued by key Congressional appropriators Nita Lowey and Kay Granger, who has voted to cut off financial aid to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the Palestinians' warming to the militant...

Skip ahead to 3:15 for the exchange on foreign aid generally and to 4:15 for the key bit. Paul’s not singling Israel out here; it’s Blitzer who brings it up, and Paul’s careful to offer praise before making his case that we simply can’t afford it anymore. He knows he’s suspect on this point because of his surname and has tried to deal with it behind the scenes. Remember this tidbit from that GQ hit piece on him last year? Ron Paul, in addition to his extreme views on the federal government, has been a harsh critic of the Republican...

Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Stand with Israel Act of 2014 Bill ends foreign aid to Palestinian government Apr 29, 2014 Sen. Rand Paul today introduced the Stand with Israel Act of 2014. This legislation halts all U.S. aid to the Palestinian government until they agree to a ceasefire and recognize the right of Israel to exist. The bill, S. 2265, can be found HERE and below: "Today, I introduced legislation to make all future aid to the Palestinian government conditional upon the new unity government putting itself on the record recognizing the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish...

It’s time to end aid to the Palestinian Authority. This week, three young boys were buried in Israel. The victims of kidnapping, they had been murdered by terrorists from Hamas. The boys, Eyal Yifrach, 19; Gilad Shaar, 16; and Naftali Frenkel, a 16-year-old dual U.S.–Israeli citizen, were like any other children — their lives ready to be lived, their dreams ahead of them. They grew up in a nation that was at war but desperately wanted peace. Advertisement It is a peace they did not live to see, nor will others their age if action is not taken. The Obama...

WASHINGTON – A Democratic operative deleted her Twitter account Monday following a series of what some called racist remarks about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao. Chao, former U.S. Labor Secretary under President George W. Bush, is Asian. Kathy Groob, who describes herself as an “advocate for women in politics,” sent a series of tweets related to Chao at a political event Saturday. According to WKMS, Groob sent the tweets in response to comments McConnell made at the event, in which he referred to his wife as "the only Kentucky woman who served in a president’s cabinet." In...

As the Kentucky U.S. Senate race remains in a dead heat, courting the vote of Kentucky women is becoming a main objective of both campaigns. And Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell has enlisted the help of his wife, former U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. In a new ad released by the McConnell campaign Tuesday, Chao looks into the camera and criticizes the approach Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes takes with women voters. “Have you ever noticed how some liberals feel entitled to speak on behalf of all women?” Chao asks before saying that Grimes gender-based attacks are “desperate and false.”...

CORBIN – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell began his two-day, 10 county, Team Mitch Coal Country Bus Tour on Thursday morning in Corbin with a message of influence being at Kentucky’s aide when it comes to the coal industry. McConnell chose to poke fun at former President Bill Clinton, who campaigned with Grimes Wednesday in Hazard, Kentucky. The senator, who has been in Washington nearly 30 years, told the crowd he has a long history with the Clintons and of beating the candidates they come to Kentucky to campaign for. “You know, the Clintons, they go on just keep coming...

In a joint appearance with former President Bill Clinton at the Carrick House in Lexington, Alison Lundergan Grimes declared her support for the coal industry — attacking U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell on the loss of coal jobs under his watch. Mentioning the line of attack leveled against Grimes that she would work in lock step with President Barack Obama, Clinton said, that McConnell must think Kentucky “has stopped teaching arithmetic.” His point, Obama will only be in office until the end of 2016, and the position of U.S. Senator is a six-year term, meaning a different president will be in...

CHATSWORTH (CBSLA.com) — Hundreds of Angelenos could soon be out of work after Nestlé USA announced it will relocate a Hot Pockets facility in Chatsworth back east. KNX 1070’s Margaret Carrero reports the 184,000-square-foot production facility in the 9600 block of Canoga Avenue has been making the popular snacks since 1988 The Glendale-based Nestlé USA will move the Chatsworth operation to another facility in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, where the company will invest $13 million and hire 150 new employees locally as the operation converts to a round-the-clock schedule, officials announced. Approximately 360 employees will be impacted by the closure, but...

Democratic majority lawmakers on the interim health and welfare panel again approved executive orders creating kynect, Kentucky’s Health Benefit Exchange, down party lines on Monday The vote on the Executive Order was 11-7 in favor with all Democrats voting yes and all Republicans voting no. The latest executive order to keep kynect legal will expire 90 days after sine die of the General Assembly if not approved in the 2015 legislative session. Republican legislators expressed concern over language relating to an Executive Order relating to the establishment and operation of the office of the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange. Rep. Tim...

Over the weekend, both the Senate and the House approved $225M in funding for the Iron Dome. The bill passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and by a 395 to 8 vote. Opposition to the funding of the Iron Dome demonstarted an unfortunate bi-partisan measure – four Democrats and four Republicans voted against it. The four Democrats were Keith Ellison (MN-05), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Jim Moran (VA-08), and Beto O’Rourke (TX-16); The four Republicans were Justin Amash (MI-03), Walter Jones (NC-03), Tom Massie (KY-04), and Mark Sanford (SC-01). Rep. Ellison explains vote on “Meet the Press”: “Because a ceasefire...

You may recall that on Friday, in what would have been a Christmas Miracle were it not several months early, Congress actually got something done. It was the passage of a bill approving $225M in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defensive missile system. It was quite the bipartisan effort in retrospect, garnering an overwhelming 395 votes in the House with only eight in opposition. One of those eight was Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, and as The Corner reports, he went out on the weekend gab circuit to explain why he didn’t support the measure. “Because a cease-fire is what we...

Wow. “The Iron Dome has been a big reason why Israel has been able to withstand the terrorists that have tried to tunnel their way in.” — Alison Lundergan Grimes, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Kentucky. The “Iron Dome” is an anti-missile air-defense system that shoots down incoming rockets, similar to the Patriot-missile batteries that the U.S. used in the Persian Gulf War. It does not work underground.

Speaking at the 134th Annual Fancy Farm Picnic, Saturday… There once was a woman from Kentucky Who thought in politics, she’d be lucky So she flew to LA for a Hollywood bash She came home in a flash, with a bucket of cash To liberals she whispers ‘coal makes you sick’ In Kentucky she claims, ‘coal makes us tick’ (SNIP)

FANCY FARM – While this year’s political speaking at St. Jerome Parish began with a selfie, it quickly returned to its 19th century roots of zingers and criticism between the U.S. Senate candidates, their allies and a record-breaking crowd. ............ But it was the supporting cast who got in the memorable lines – and even a quick rule-bending gimmick by the governor. ............ McConnell also found a way to weave together his two favorite arguments against Grimes: that’s she’s inexperienced and she’s tied to President Barack Obama. “By any standard Barack Obama has been a disaster for our country. If...

Twelve states filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration on Friday seeking to block an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to regulate coal-fired power plants in an effort to stem climate change. The plaintiffs are led by West Virginia and include states that are home to some of the largest producers of coal and consumers of coal-fired electricity. The suit was filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The other plaintiffs are Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming. The E.P.A. rule, announced by President Obama on June...

Representative Paul Ryan has a bold, ambitious proposal “Expanding Opportunity in America,” to completely remake the American welfare state. Along the way he would also change the federal government’s approach to education, revamp what we are doing in our prison system and much more. Here is a surprise. Although Ryan’s approach is based on well-known conservative ideas, some on the left are actually praising parts of the proposal – including the editorial page of the Washington Post. Ryan’s plan shows something I have believed for a long time. All the innovative thinking on how to solve public policy problems for...

Earlier this year, congressman and former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan released a proposed budget for 2015. It contains an impressive list of cuts projecting a $5.1 trillion savings over ten years. It is also the height of political stupidity and an example of everything that cripples Republicans in their battles with the left.If you are going to make budget cuts, you do it. You don’t telegraph it. Paul Ryan can’t even make budget cuts unless Republicans win the White House and he has just made it harder for them to do it.For starters, Ryan’s list of cuts includes the...

CYNTHIANA — The emergency rooms of Kentucky’s hospitals are facing a crisis of too many patients, but not because of an increase in illnesses, like the rest of the nation Kentucky saw an increase in non-emergency visits because more individuals have health insurance coverage. In Kentucky, more than 330,000 people became Medicaid eligible when the state expanded the program on January 1. The expansion covers residents earning up to 138% of the federal poverty rate which is $15,856. The problem is many of the patients now going to the emergency rooms are not actually facing a medical emergency. This is...