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On Friday we wrote about John Cornyn's defense of Rand Paul's anti-Civil Rights Act comments. Today, Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie sent out an e-mail encouraging Texans to "teach John Cornyn about the Civil Rights Act." Here's an excerpt from Richie's e-mail:
John Cornyn should know better. The Civil Rights Act is not some technical piece of legislation subject to a “gotcha question.” And it’s not just some “law that was passed 40 years ago.” It is an indelible measure of our character as a nation. Anyone running for the U.S. Senate should be able to intelligently explain their beliefs about the Act that guaranteed the most fundamental rights to all citizens of our American democracy. Click here to donate $5 or more today and tell Texas Republicans we are sick and tired of backward leadership.
Later, he continued making excuses for Rand:
“Rand Paul, like every new candidate, is going to get better,” Cornyn said. Candidates “make mistakes and they misspeak.” (Bloomberg, 5/21/10)
Why is John Cornyn making excuses for Rand Paul’s ignorance? If John Cornyn needs “more detail” about the Civil Rights Act so he can be better informed on historical legislation that transformed America forever, then we’re happy to teach him all about it. I’d tell Senator Cornyn to go look up the Civil Rights Act in a textbook, but I can’t be sure if the State Board of Education has left that in the curriculum standards. He’ll just have to learn “more detail” about the Civil Rights Act from Texans directly.
As Libby Shaw pointed out, David Corn of Mother Jones said on MSNBC that endorsing Rand Paul was like hugging a hand grenade. If Cornyn continues to make excuses for Paul's extremist remarks, it will be a question of when, not if, that grenade is going to go off. The extremist views (and that's the only accurate way to describe them) of Paul and the Tea Party could ultimately alienate moderate and independent voters this November. The sad reality for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (and Cornyn, the group's chair) is that there's more than five months until Election Day. There is no doubt that Paul will make more outrageous comments in the days, weeks, and months to come. And John Cornyn will continue be there to make excuses for Paul's views that are far outside the mainstream of America. You can take Richie's advice by e-mailing Cornyn's office at info@johncornyn.com or calling (202) 224-2934. |
