| In the wake of Tuesday's Republican Senate primary in Kentucky, where Rand Paul defeated Trey Grayson by over twenty points, Sen. John Cornyn finds himself in a difficult position. Grayson had entered the race as the chosen candidate of Cornyn, who chairs the NRSC, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Cornyn even contributed to Grayson's campaign. With their anointed candidate completely rejected by Kentucky Republican primary voters, Cornyn and the NRSC have thrown their support to Paul. There's one problem: Rand Paul's views are way outside the mainstream of America and Kentucky. During an interview on MSNBC with Rachel Maddow, Paul refused to say whether he would have supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. And who was there to defend Paul's comments? You guessed it, John Cornyn. From Politico: “I think it was sort of a gotcha question,” Cornyn said of Maddow’s approach. “If I’m walking down the street minding my own business and somebody sticks a microphone under my nose about a law that was passed 40 years ago, without more detail — I think it probably caught him a little bit by surprise.”
Unfortunately for Cornyn and Paul's hope for victory in November, Paul's comments actually fit into his rigid ideology. What he said was not a gaffe; it is simply what he believes. His beliefs place him (like his father) far outside the political mainstream of America. Cornyn fails to understand this. From The Hill: "Rand Paul, like every new candidate, is going to get better,” Cornyn told Bloomberg's Al Hunt in an interview to air this weekend. Candidates, Cornyn said, “make mistakes and they misspeak.”
If Cornyn is waiting for Rand Paul to stop talking about the extremist views he has held his entire life, he'll be waiting forever. Paul's lack of experience and extremist ideology make him an underdog in his race against Democratic nominee and Attorney General Jack Conway. If elected, Rand Paul would be one of (if not the most) extremists senators in the history of this country. And John Cornyn is his biggest cheerleader. What's worse is, given Cornyn's past behavior and eagerness to put his duties as NRSC chair above his duties as senator, this is no real surprise. |
