As part of his campaign for reelection to the U.S. Senate, Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has released a compilation video highlighting all his major speeches since being elected to Congress in 2010.
Apart from his bid to return to the Senate, Paul is a delegate to the Republican National Convention to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, in July. Although Paul has publicly promised to endorse his party’s presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, representatives from his office told the New York Times that Paul may not attend the convention.
The statement supplied to the Times explained that Paul’s schedule is “still being firmed up.” This could provide Paul the flexibility he needs should he decide to assert a more independent position when push comes to shove regarding his support for Trump.
Paul’s legislative activity highlight video — entitled “Defend” — focuses on the Bill of Rights and his defense of the rights it protects. Specifically mentioned are the Second Amendment (protecting the right to keep and bear arms), the Fourth Amendment (guaranteeing the right to be free from warrantless searches and seizures), national defense, and his pro-life bona fides, among others.
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The montage opens with Paul praising American exceptionalism, insisting that all Americans must “protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” emphasizing the word “domestic,” likely to be considered a shot at Barack Obama and his co-conspirators in Congress who work tirelessly to obliterate the constitutionally imposed separation of their powers.
Next, a clip of a speech is presented where Senator Paul declared, “I’ll be damned before I let the government take guns from the very veterans who fought to preserve this country.” This portion of the video refers to the effort currently being carried out by the Obama administration to deny gun permits to veterans suffering from PTSD or other related psychological disorders.
As the video continues, Paul calls on so-called pro-choice advocates to accompany him to a neonatal nursery and see if they will continue to stand by their decision not to protect the lives of the unborn.
The exchange of liberty for security, a topic near and dear to the heart of Senator Paul, makes an appearance in the video as well.
“We will not submit and we will not trade our liberty for security. Not now, not ever,” Paul promises, in a clip from a CPAC speech.
Finally, the compilation ends with Senator Paul calling for the preservation of the entire Bill of Rights, explaining, “The Bill of Rights protects us all but only if we stand up for the entire Bill of Rights.”
Although the video was produced to promote Paul’s senatorial reelection campaign, the junior senator from the Bluegrass State is no newcomer to standing up for the rights that make up the roster of the video’s clips.
In March 2013, Paul stood for nearly 13 hours filibustering the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA. He spoke at length on the lack of executive authority to deploy drones to kill American citizens without providing them with the constitutionally mandated due process that must precede such action.
Just two months after ending the filibuster, Paul introduced the Fourth Amendment Restoration Act, explaining at the time, “I have long argued that Congress must do more to restrict the Executive’s expansive law enforcement powers to seize private records of law-abiding Americans that are held by a third-party.”
Paul has proposed legislation to protect the Second Amendment’s guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms, as well.
In 2013, Paul joined with Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in sending a letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), informing him that they would oppose any legislation infringing on the constitutionally-protected right of Americans to keep and bear arms as set out in the Second Amendment.
The senators wrote that they “intend to refuse consent to adopt the motion to proceed and will decide if further action is necessary.” Although the word isn’t used in the letter, in legislative parlance “further action” signals their determination to mount another marathon filibuster should the Second Amendment be threatened by a gun-control bill.
After a landslide victory in the Republican primary — Paul garnered just under 85 percent of the vote — all news organizations are predicting that he will safely win another six years in D.C.
Paul’s Democratic opponent is Jim Gray, the mayor of Lexington. Voters will make their choice at the November 8 general election. Gray received nearly 59 percent of the vote in a field of seven contenders.
During a speech delivered at the Wendell Ford Dinner (a gathering of Democratic Kentucky faithful), Gray refused to take shots at Donald Trump, choosing his challenger as the target of his attacks.
Gray said Senator Paul is “big on talk, and you know this, but little on action.”
“There is one thing he’s done — he changed the rules, of course, so he could run for president and Senate at the same time,” Gray said. “Now, you have got my word. You’ve got my word: I am never running for president. And that’s a commitment you will never hear from Sen. Paul,” Gray added, referring to Paul’s controversial manipulation of Kentucky elections rules so as to permit himself to carry on simultaneous senatorial and presidential campaigns.
For now, while the “Rand’s Record” videos look back at Paul’s finest moments, the senator’s official web page continues promoting the various legislative agendas being pursued currently by the self-described “constitutional conservative.”
While one expects the candidate’s campaign machine to promote Paul’s constitutional bona fides, those looking for a less self-interested gloss on Paul’s — or any other lawmaker’s — record need only turn to a very reliable source: The New American.
The New American regularly publishes a detailed and independent evaluation of lawmakers’ fidelity to the Constitution called the Freedom Index.
The Freedom Index rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements.
In an effort to assist voters in determining a legislator’s fidelity to his oath of office, the Freedom Index evaluates several key votes cast by sitting congressmen and senators, including Rand Paul.
The latest Freedom Index report gives Senator Paul a 93 percent cumulative score, based on the constitutionality of his voting record.
Paul’s 93 percent cumulative score is the highest among his colleagues and nearly 50 points above the average score of senators during the latest session.
While such a record is commendable, Kentucky Republicans would be wise to hold Senator Paul — and all other congressional representatives — accountable for every vote, demanding adherence to the enumerated and limited powers granted to the legislative branch of the federal government.
In fact, voters would be well served by providing Senator Paul a copy of his Freedom Index rating and demanding he account for the votes he cast which would allow the federal government to exceed the constitutional limits on its power.
Image: screenshot from Rand Paul’s “Defend” video on YouTube
(The New American never endorses candidates. Our purpose is to inform the electorate and enable them to draw their own conclusions.)
