politico: Baltimore, SC missed opportunities for rand

[Sola_Fide]

I agree.

 

[Badger Paul]

Everything that was done to create a ghetto like West Baltimore was done with full, faith a credit of the federal government. Not to mention the black neighborhoods that were destroyed by the interstate highway program and other acts of government designed to keep a slum a slum. People who pay local taxes (sales and license fees that for the police department) should not be brutalized with their own money. If that's not a hanging curve ball for Rand Paul to knock right out of the park, nothing is. His campaign is choked with caution and thus is utterly pointless.

 

[hells_unicorn]

Everything that was done to create a ghetto like West Baltimore was done with full, faith a credit of the federal government. Not to mention the black neighborhoods that were destroyed by the interstate highway program and other acts of government designed to keep a slum a slum. People who pay local taxes (sales and license fees that for the police department) should not be brutalized with their own money. If that's not a hanging curve ball for Rand Paul to knock right out of the park, nothing is. His campaign is choked with caution and thus is utterly pointless.

If you can figure a way to package all of this information (which is true) in such a way so that the average, woefully uneducated resident of Baltimore can understand it, you'll be the first person I've heard of to do so. Part of pulling it off would involve getting somebody other than yourself to deliver the message since the fact that you are most likely white (unless I'm mistaken) and a Libertarian/Republican will cost you in the street cred department. The other part of pulling it off will be convincing the same people that their local community leaders, who consistently tell them that Uncle Sam is their only friend since he's giving them their monthly check, are lying to them. Good luck with that one.

 

[r3volution 3.0]

One does not win the GOP primary by expressing sympathy for the rioters, which is how any comment about injustices would have been taken as long as the rioting was underway.

Look at the sources of the commentary on Rand.

The left media is saying he missed an opportunity to address the underlying problems and/or is racist/insensitive/whatever (e.g. Politico).

The right media is applauding him for taking a stand against the mayhem, and defending him from attacks from the left (e.g. HotAir, Blaze).

This is the right position to be in (no pun intended).

....And just because Rand isn't talking up his civil liberties/outreach bone fides right now doesn't mean they're going to be forgotten.

If anything, Rand's mistake here was to partially walk back his train remark.