Lamar Alexander: I Can Still Support Rand Paul

Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a member of the Republican leadership, said on "Face the Nation" Sunday that he can support Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul despite the "mistake" Paul made in offering less than full support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"Even a very good baseball player sometimes has a hard time going from AAA to the major leagues," Alexander said of Paul, who recently won his primary campaign over the GOP's preferred candidate. "And that's what happened to him last week. If he'll stick to the jobs, debt and terror and providing a check-and-balance on a runaway government in Washington, he'll be the next Republican senator. We'll be glad to have him."

Host Bob Schieffer noted that in addition to suggesting the Civil Rights Act may have overreached by telling private businesses they can't discriminate based on race, Paul has questioned the Americans with Disabilities Act and discussed abolishing the Federal Reserve and Department of Education.

After calling Paul's comments on the Civil Rights Act a "mistake" and noting that there are already senators who want to "get rid of the Fed," Alexander invoked Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats) as a corollary to Paul.

"We've got a Democratic caucus with nearly 60 votes that includes a very nice senator from Vermont who proudly describes himself as a socialist," he said. "So a little check and balance in the Senate wouldn't be a bad thing."

Schieffer noted that the GOP is trying to broaden its appeal to African-Americans and asked how any member of a minority group could back a candidate who questions the Civil Rights Act. [Following his comments, Paul said he wouldn't vote to repeal the Act but did not explicitly state that he agrees with it in its entirety.]

Alexander noted that he has backed three civil rights acts and that he got 25 percent of the African-American vote in 2008, despite President Obama's presence on the ticket.

"We have plenty of Republican candidates who will get plenty of African-American votes," he said. "I think Rand Paul had a tough week last week. If he'll focus on providing a check-and-balance on a runaway Washington government he'll be fine - he'll be elected."

Alexander suggested the Tea Party movement, which backed Paul, is on balance a good thing for the GOP, even though Tea Party candidates are taking on mainstream Republican candidates.

"When you have a lot of energy, Bob, out there in the country, one party or the other is going to attract it," Alexander said. "…We want that energy in our party. I think we're getting it. And it's going to produce some surprises. And several new faces."

[cuban casinoh]

Lamar is ok with Rand, Sen. Cornyne says he is going to work with him, Sen McConnell is going to mentor him, I guess they just don't get it. Rand Paul was sent to REPLACE Cornyne McConnell, McCain,Luger,Shelby,Corker, Graham and the rest of the twenty year vets of the bloated and corrupt GOP. Go tea people, we know you hate the Dems, but arnt the GOP in for a nice surprise this fall?

[jefflz-2009]

As with all purely theoretical political philosophies, Libertarians find themselves forced to make convoluted arguments to defend the indefensible. The Tea Party/Libertarian philosophy is in reality a return to the 19th Century view of the world in the same way that fundamentalist Islamists want to return to the days of the Caliphate. They have a simplistic and purist view of the Constitution. No government regulation of the market - i.e., a return to bare-knuckle capitalism is a founding principle. These so-called "idealists" actually believe in their puerile hearts that there is such a thing as a free market and we just have to get the government off its back. They are too naive to understand that an unregulated market led to the 2008 Crash and the loss of trillions of tax payer dollars.

I listened closely to the comments Rand Paul made. He claims he is not a racist and supports civil rights laws in public places. He says he does not condone racism but believes that private businesses have the right to discriminate on their own property. Well, that is the essence of a racism no matter how it is dressed up as a property rights issue. Rand Paul believes business such as lunch counters have the right to exclude blacks, gays or anyone else they don't like. Liberty is the right to discriminate against others in a place of business !?? How about Jews, Mr. Cantor of Virginia? Can you back this type of doubletalk ?

[Palin_for_Presidentess]

Excellent post.

[tsigili]

The point is......just how well is the "politically correct" method working for us??????? Not very!!!!!!

[RobAla]

I'm not so sure about the Federal Reserve, but I fully agree that the federal Department of Education should be abolished. States are in charge of education in this country, not the federal government. The Federal Department of Education has educated no one. It just sounds good to have a federal Department of Education. Every worthless department or program should be done away with. With the national debt approaching $14 trillion, it is passed time to continue playing games. We need to seriously reduce the federal government to a manageable size.

[retiredgustav]

You want them to all be like Texas and revise history the way they see it! If you want to reduce the deficit. Start with the big elephant in the room, the department of Defense.

[antoniof123]

Rob I have had enough of the smaller government nonsense I want a government that works PERIOD. The GOP have failed and NO isn't going to be enough any longer.

[jimbot1957]

@Raising_Nazizona:

"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which
granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money
of their constituents." - James Madison

"Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government." - James Madison

"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are
the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of
religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county
and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their
own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout
the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the
regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, every thing, from the
highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police,
would be thrown under the power of Congress... Were the power of Congress to be
established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations,
and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the
people of America." - James Madison

We have been brought up by the progressives (liberals) that without stealing
from our neighbor, there is no way to help the poor and those that need help.
That is the biggest lie every put out there...and most of the American people
have fallen for it.

[jimatmadison]

This wasn't a case of a guy having a tough transition from AAA to the Majors.

This was a case of the Republican Party sending Rand Paul up to the plate and he didn't know which end of the bat to hold.

[jimbot1957]

No this is a case of a non-Politician speaking about Principles to a "Progressive"-biased press that will try to pillory anyone that sounds "Politically Incorrect!"

[troutfishyman]

He says dumb stuff, and has a gay looking hairdo. Otherwise, guess he is OK.

[jimatmadison]

The other way that Rand Paul acts as a counter to Bernie Sanders is that Bernie Sanders is incredibly smart, and Rand Paul is incredibly not.

[bradkt1]

This was not some mere slip up or "rookie mistake" by Rand Paul. These are his true feelings that he has publicly expressed about the Civil Rights laws...and he has previously expressed these feelings directly to a local newspaper...on several occasions. A rookie mistake happens once. Mr. Paul is saying the same thing over and over and he means exactly what he says.

Those who object to what Mr. Rand is saying on this subject are not playing the race card...but he is. Like far too many conservatives, he accuses the other side of playing the race card in order to cover the fact that he just did.

[retiredgustav]

Lester Maddox would b so proud of him.

[jimbot1957]

@bradkt1:
One: Truth is a totally inadequate defense. Intent to inflict psychological harm,
even if unconscious, trumps data. To insist, for example, that blacks commit more
crime than whites, and that this fact is indisputable, again, counts for zero.
Broaching this fact signifies racism since the only reason for its expression is to
wound. Such facts are sometimes called "hate facts" or "dangerous stereotypes."
It is tacitly assumed that while such "hurtful" facts exist and are truthful,
a non-racist person can -- or should -- live an entire life without bringing them up.
Only racists make them public.

Two: The victim of racism is the best and only judge of racist intent. The alleged
racist speaker's intentions and purity of heart count for zilch. Even seemingly
innocent praise might be racist. To say, for example, that Obamatron is articulate might
signify racism since it singles out a black for this compliment, an act that would
not occur if Obamatron were white. Just ask Harry Reid on this one.

Three: The hanging judge of racism is the most thin-skinned, sensitive person of all
those who might be offended. It is the jury system in reverse: one vote to convict out
of twelve seals the verdict. Given that rewards, including litigation settlements that
might flow to the most thin-skinned, a Darwin-like competition exists for discerning
"racism" invisible or inaudible to others. Nor can the accused counter with "you are
being overly sensitive" since "being sensitive to racism" is celebrated in today's
identity politics.

Four: The powerless, which means any allegedly suffering racial or ethnic minority,
even women, cannot by definition be racists (whites, no matter how poor, need not apply).
So for an African-American to insist that whites are bloodsucking devils is not racist.
When 90% of blacks support a black candidate, this is called "community cohesion," but
the same pattern among white voters is racist.

Does racism exist? Absolutely, but using it exclusively to judge everything is Intellectual dishonesty, if not outright insanity!

[ejavam07]

So, Lamar, you're saying that if we can just get him to cover up his true feelings he will get along in Republican circles just fine? So if the chief among you says jump (or we're going to be racist now), you all will?

[Perish1]

If a prerequisite to being republican is being racist, then a prerequisite to being a democratic is to be a child molester. Any one can say vile hateful things can't they Nazi?

[antoniof123]

Perish Nazi is a right wing idelogy.

But yes republicans can really come up with some noise can't they and lies. Look how well it works for Palin she has sheep following her like death panels oh yea that was a real truth and eye opener.

By the way how is that Drill baby Drill phrase coming along?

[mjwilstein]

Here are videos of the different opinions of Rand Paul from Palin and Steele:
http://******/9BXDVA