Sen. Rand Paul aggressively courting evangelicals to win over GOP establishment

[Brett85]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...17ccb4-b8af-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html

 

[compromise]

I thought the GOP establishment didn't like evangelicals and wanted to go moderate on social issues.

 

[trey4sports]

At a lunch Friday with about a dozen evangelical pastors in a Cedar Rapids hotel, Paul assured the group that he disagreed with libertarians who support legalizing drugs. When one pastor inquired about ideological ties between Paul and his father, the senator asked that he be judged as his own man.

Must. bite. my. tongue.

 

[PatriotOne]

At a lunch Friday with about a dozen evangelical pastors in a Cedar Rapids hotel, Paul assured the group that he disagreed with libertarians who support legalizing drugs.

Whelp...there goes the heroin/crack addict voting bloc .

 

[AlexAmore]

Must. bite. my. tongue.

When you look at minorities such as blacks and Hispanics, a lot of them vote Dem even though they are socially conservative. They are low hanging fruit. I think Rand is targeting them and everyone around them. It's a large ever-growing niche of voters that shockingly no other Republican is grabbing up. I think Rand is banking on his dad's supporters tagging along with just a little wink and a nod (and we will). I see the strategy and it's a smart one imo.

 

[Brett85]

Must. bite. my. tongue.

I agree with Rand on abortion but don't agree with his support for the war on drugs. I hope that taking such authoritarian positions in the GOP primary doesn't hurt his chances to win a general election.

 

[VoluntaryAmerican]

I hate articles like this that mix facts and obvious opinion...

Don't trust this article for a second.

 

[AlexAmore]

I agree with Rand on abortion but don't agree with his support for the war on drugs. I hope that taking such authoritarian positions in the GOP primary doesn't hurt his chances to win a general election.

The economy is going to be the deciding issue.

 

[BAllen]

I don't understand why the church would be against legalized drugs or gambling. What happens when someone gets addicted? They need help, and the church can be one place to get that help.

 

[trey4sports]

I agree with Rand on abortion but don't agree with his support for the war on drugs. I hope that taking such authoritarian positions in the GOP primary doesn't hurt his chances to win a general election.

I just hope that it is an inauthentic position. I really do. I hope he is simply saying, well we're not debating legalization at this point so I will just work to move the needle in the right direction. (no pun intended).

If Rand's true ideological position was that he does support the drug war I would have a very, very sick feeling in my stomach.

 

[Warlord]

He does not support the war on drugs. He's against changing the federal statutes.

Big wow.

He does support the 10th amendment.

So his position is a plus. If the Feds legalized drugs they would tax them to hell and back along with the states.

 

[Sola_Fide]

I just hope that it is an inauthentic position. I really do. I hope he is simply saying, well we're not debating legalization at this point so I will just work to move needle in the right direction. (no pun intended).

If Rand's true ideological position was that he does support the drug war I would have a very, very sick feeling in my stomach.

I don't think Rand is a liar. I think he honestly supports the war on drugs.

 

[MRoCkEd]

Rand's answers about drugs are brilliant. They try to pin him with "supporting legalizing drugs" but he disarms them immediately: "I am not for legalization, but I am for local adjudication." Effectively it is the same policy as federal legalization, but allows him to preach moving policies to states and localities (and removing federal sentences) without alienating people by "wanting to legalize heroin!"

 

[Brett85]

Rand's answers about drugs are brilliant. They try to pin him with "supporting legalizing drugs" but he disarms them immediately: "I am not for legalization, but I am for local adjudication." Effectively it is the same policy as federal legalization, but allows him to preach moving policies to states and localities (and removing federal sentences) without alienating people by "wanting to legalize heroin!"

Except that he didn't actually say that.

 

[Warlord]

No he does not.

Supporting the war on drugs implies he will prosecute it through the DoJ. He's never said that. I'm guessing he would tell the DoJ not to prosecute those cases.

Which is exactly what I would do .

What do you want the Feds to do? Legalize weed/coke and then they tax it at 50%, setup a new federal agency, license it etc.

First of all if you're president it's unlikely to ever get through Congress so what's the point of expending politcial capital on it?

Secondly this would make the product very expensive. Legalized weed would cost $1,000/ounce or something crazy.

If you want drugs to be legal go to the statehouse and get them to pass a bill nullifying the drug laws like CO and WA just did last year and which MO and KS just did with the gun control laws.

 

[MRoCkEd]

Except that he didn't actually say that.

Not at this event, but he has said it in other interviews.

 

[AlexAmore]

I don't think Rand is a liar. I think he honestly supports the war on drugs.

he's been very clear that he's against a federal role in drug laws.

 

[Brett85]

No he does not.

Supporting the war on drugs implies he will prosecute it through the DoJ. He's never said that. I'm guessing he would tell the DoJ not to prosecute those cases.

Except that no one really knows since Rand hasn't said what he would do.

 

[Warlord]

If I was president i'd immediately tell the DoJ to stop prosecuting drug cases.

He's not saying he won't do this. You probably wont know about it until the day he's sworn in because he's unlikely to make that clear before an election.

I dont think he would aggresively prosecute a war on drugs.

 

[matt0611]

I agree with Rand on abortion but don't agree with his support for the war on drugs. I hope that taking such authoritarian positions in the GOP primary doesn't hurt his chances to win a general election.

Why would it? Obama doesn't even support legalization of marijuana.