Rand Paul speech at Howard University 4/10/13 (tube added)

[jmdrake]

"Rand Paul depression" is trending on yahoo, and apparently "the consensus" is that Rand's speech was incredibly ignorant.


http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articl...-depression-racist-black-african-american.htm

Interesting. The last question (comment really) directed at Rand kind of proves his point. That was the student that said that he disagreed with Rand because he wanted the government to interfere with his life. Part of the reason that George Wallace was so popular among blacks once they got the vote is that despite his overt racism (which was really just a ploy to get white votes), he was generous with the handouts. There is a documentary about George Wallace's political career called "Setting the woods on fire" that documents this. A black civil rights lawyer commented on how his mother told him she was voting for George Wallace. He said "Ma! You can't tell people that! It's embarrassing, especially considering my background." She said "Son. All I know is I'm a teacher. And Wallace gave us a pay raise and a pension and health insurance and....."

Also this from the article you posted is incorrect. (I'm sure you already know this, but I'm harping on it to make a point).

The Civil Rights Act, which ended segregation in the South, passed in a Democratic environment and drove Southern Democrats out of the party and into the Republican party permanently.

The Civil Rights Act did not end segregation in the South. The 1954 Brown v Board of education ruling, which came out 10 years prior to the CRA, made segregation in the public square illegal. Yes it took a while to implement Brown, but by the time the CRA passed many schools, libraries, public parks etc had already been desegregated. Nor did the CRA end segregation is all private spheres. You can still create a segregated country club if you want. The CRA ended segregation in private institutions that are open to the public. Yet many such institutions had already been desegregated or were on their way. The famous lunch counter "sit ins" in Nashville led to a deal on desegregation of the downtown Nashville lunch counters based on economic and media pressure alone. Also, what does "a democratic environment" even mean? Yes a democrat was president. But more republicans voted for the CRA than democrats. And what was the CRA followed up with? Lyndon B. Johnson's "great society" and super expansion of the welfare state. Many democrats and republicans would also be shocked to learn that Richard Nixon started the first federal affirmative action programs. (See: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20649393.html)

Anyhow, overall I don't think it was a trainwreck. I think he could have handled the CRA questions a bit better and not left himself open so much. But the most important thing is there weren't a lot of vectors for attack. Not honest attack anyway.

 

[Brett85]

I thought we thought of people as individuals here, not parts of a collective? [/sarcasm]

Unfortunately you have to look at people as parts of a collective if you want to win elections. Obama figured that out.

 

[jmdrake]

Yeah, Rand should oppose voter ID laws when 85% of Americans support it, and it's a completely reasonable requirement. You have to have an ID to fly on a plane for goodness sake.

So how far do we take that argument? "You have to get body scanned to get on a plane so of course you have to get body scanned to vote." Yeah, that's a bit out there, but not much. While I don't see the voter ID issue as a biggie, it does bother me that everyone having an ID is becoming more and more of a "requirement" just to live in this country. "Your papers please." Waiting for the day when I can't buy or sell unless I have the mark of the beast a federally approved ID.

 

[angelatc]

Yeah, Rand should oppose voter ID laws when 85% of Americans support it, and it's a completely reasonable requirement. You have to have an ID to fly on a plane for goodness sake.

I thought he nailed it with his response to the follow up question, when he said that comparing asking for a driver's license to a literacy test demeaned the whole Jim Crow struggle.

 

[Brett85]

So how far do we take that argument? "You have to get body scanned to get on a plane so of course you have to get body scanned to vote." Yeah, that's a bit out there, but not much. While I don't see the voter ID issue as a biggie, it does bother me that everyone having an ID is becoming more and more of a "requirement" just to live in this country. "Your papers please." Waiting for the day when I can't buy or sell unless I have the mark of the beast a federally approved ID.

These laws include a provision that if you don't have an ID, the government will actually come to your house and deliver one to you. The idea that voter ID laws are "oppressive laws" is just an absolute joke. Rand had it right here; it's a reasonable requirement. If the Republican Party has to take a position as absurd as opposing voter ID laws in order to win the black vote, they might as well just forget about even trying.

 

[angelatc]

Amy - the WSJ has the complete text: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/04/10/rand-paul-delivers-speech-at-howard-university/

If you get that stupid paywall thing, type "Rand Paul Delivers Speech At Howard University" into Google, and that should bring it up.

 

[jmdrake]

These laws include a provision that if you don't have an ID, the government will actually come to your house and deliver one to you. The idea that voter ID laws are "oppressive laws" is just an absolute joke. Rand had it right here; it's a reasonable requirement. If the Republican Party has to take a position as absurd as opposing voter ID laws in order to win the black vote, they might as well just forget about even trying.

Again, I object, in general, to the expansion of the idea that I must have a federally approved ID for anything under the sun. For me it has nothing to do with race and everything to do with concern over the expansion of government power. Next thing you know I won't be able to get a job without a government approved idea. Wait a minute...that's already in the works!

 

[No Free Beer]

"Thar gonna put ya'll back in chains!" - Biden

"We'll have the n***ers votes for the next 200 years." - LBJ

 

[jtstellar]

results. get results, or shut up. rand paul is showing results. no, stop talking, please stop flapping that lip. there's been too much talking.

 

[J_White]

Very good Q&A session.
he answered some quite nicely but not as convincingly in some others.
how come he didn't know about the Monsanto protection act ?
CRA and voting rights act strikes again ! still got some Paulians clapping !
good question on Presidents being impeached or considered war criminals for going to war w/o declaration - the good thing is he included Obama along with Bush.
good way connecting environmental stuff to private property.
interesting question on Malcolm X and separate Af-Am nation.
and then the lefty who read out the question straight from his phone ( DNC?) wanting more Govt !

 

[jct74]

oh. my. god.

that was a trainwreck.... and it just. kept. getting. worse.

it wasn't a homerun but you are being way overdramatic, nothing close to a trainwreck here and no one on the left is even claiming it is, just picking it apart plenty in the usual ways.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any positive media of this event outside of our own little Ron Paul Forums bubble that we live in.

and you expected differently?

 

[anaconda]

What happened at 11:49 when Rand remarked about "entertainment?'

 

[jmdrake]

interview with the "white supremacy" protesters



http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=3yeybMYfykU

You know, I'm glad I spent 2:21 minutes watching that. It was a couple of very articulate young men using big words to say absolutely nothing. Nothing they said had anything to do with Rand Paul or the civil rights act or even racism. "Research the tea party and where they get their funding. They're a bunch of old white people who don't like black people. Some young white people too. Republicans, democrats, their all messed up. Capitalism is the problem. Look at the big universities, Yale, Howard, they all have huge endowments and what's it based on? Slave labor you know?"

Really, the brother with the "skull t-shirt" jumped the shark with that last one. He freaking attends Howard. If the "slave labor" funded endowment (whatever that is supposed to me) bugs him so much then what is he doing there?

 

[Rudeman]

You now, I'm glad I spent 2:21 minutes watching that. It was a couple of very articulate young spend using big words to say absolutely nothing. Nothing they said had anything to do with Rand Paul or the civil rights act or even racism. "Research the tea party and where they get their funding. They're a bunch of old white people who don't like black people. Some young white people to. Republicans, democrats, their all messed up. Capitalism is the problem. Look at the big universities, Yale, Howard, they all have huge endowments and what's it based on? Slave labor you know?"

Really, the brother with the "skull t-shirt" jumped the shark with that last one. He freaking attends Howard. If the "slave labor" funded endowment (whatever that is supposed to me) bugs him so much then what is he doing there?

I didn't watch the video before reading your post and the first thing I thought was no way he included Howard as part of the big universities with huge endowments, it had to be Harvard. Then I decided to watch the video and sure enough it sounds like he said Howard. Talk about discrediting your message.

 

[jmdrake]

I didn't watch the video before reading your post and the first thing I thought was no way he included Howard as part of the big universities with huge endowments, it had to be Harvard. Then I decided to watch the video and sure enough it sounds like he said Howard. Talk about discrediting your message.

Yeah. I wen't back and listened to it 5 times at least before making that post. I kept thinking "He's got to be saying Harvard...he's got to be saying Harvard."

 

[Rudeman]

Yeah. I wen't back and listened to it 5 times at least before making that post. I kept thinking "He's got to be saying Harvard...he's got to be saying Harvard."

haha I did the same thing, I still can't believe it. It's just one of those things that defy logic.

 

[itshappening]

Watching the Q&A again I was surprised Rand didn't know much about the Monsanto Protection Act. Seems he's not reading InfoWars or other alternative media (or listening to Alex Jones).

I know he's busy but he should have been on that issue and after a recent break I'm a little surprised he knew nothing about it when asked!

This is an issue where liberals are disappointed with Obama and where WE have the correct position.

Rand voted against the bill it was in so he could have proudly said he voted against it so suck on that!

But he didn't know anything about it.

 

[itshappening]

You know, I'm glad I spent 2:21 minutes watching that. It was a couple of very articulate young men using big words to say absolutely nothing. Nothing they said had anything to do with Rand Paul or the civil rights act or even racism. "Research the tea party and where they get their funding. They're a bunch of old white people who don't like black people. Some young white people too. Republicans, democrats, their all messed up. Capitalism is the problem. Look at the big universities, Yale, Howard, they all have huge endowments and what's it based on? Slave labor you know?"

Really, the brother with the "skull t-shirt" jumped the shark with that last one. He freaking attends Howard. If the "slave labor" funded endowment (whatever that is supposed to me) bugs him so much then what is he doing there?

The gentleman also called gays 'Queer people'. That's not the best use of language for them.

 

[green73]

Drudge

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ajority-black-audience-Howard-University.html

 

[itshappening]

Drudge

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ajority-black-audience-Howard-University.html

Drudge likes that picture. I think there's better ones.