Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I have a man crush on Rand Paul.
Yes, it's enough to drive me to confession: Every day I find myself agreeing more and more with the libertarian senator from Kentucky. He may be running for president as a Republican, but he says some things that any liberal Democrat like me could support.
If truth be known, I often agreed with his father, too, especially on Ron Paul's opposition to the war in Iraq and the national security state. But son Rand, dare I say, is less kooky, more thoughtful, more believable and much more politically savvy. Plus, in a world of politicians who all look and sound alike, he's the only one of either party who defies pigeon-holing. You never know where he's going to pop up on any issue. And, more often than not, it's the opposite position of what you'd expect from any Republican.
Who's the leading champion to shut down NSA's vast phone spying operation? Not some liberal Democrat. It's Rand Paul! With a 10 and a half hour filibuster, he single-handedly blocked last week's Senate effort to extend the Patriot Act, which he calls "the most unpatriotic of acts." Instead of limiting NSA's metadata operation, Paul says we should shut it down because it's a clear violation of our right of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. His first filibuster was against drones. He's right on both.
This week, the unorthodox candidate released his new book, "Taking a Stand," in which he proves to be even more of an iconoclast than his fellow Republicans feared. Credit Dana Milbank of the Washington Post for digging in and unearthing some very non-traditional Republican views.
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On the environment, for example, Paul admits: "You'll find I'm a tree hugger, literally. I'm a Republican who wants clean air, clean water and the life-extending miracle of electricity. I compost." On drug sentencing, Paul channels former Attorney General Eric Holder: "We should free those who are in jail under the old guidelines. Our prisons are bursting with young men – and women – who are poor or of color." And on voting rights, Paul condemns recent actions taken by red-state governors: "The Republican Party should not be about suppressing the vote but about enhancing the vote."
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As further proof that he marches to his own drummer, Rand Paul's the only Republican candidate to reach out to African-Americans for their support. And the only candidate of either party to travel to Ferguson, Missouri, after the murder of Michael Brown, where he denounced the excessive display of police military force: "Thousands of peaceful protesters were met with rubber bullets, tear gas and a police department that showed up in gear more fitting for Fallujah or Kandahar."
One other sign of Paul's willingness to buck the official party line: In December 2014, when President Obama announced plans to restore normal relations with Cuba, most Republicans accused him of appeasing a Communist dictator. But Rand Paul stood with Obama, saying the embargo no longer made any sense.
Rand Paul's greatest break with the establishment came over the Islamic State. Who does he blame for the emergence and growth of this militant group? Not President Obama. He points the finger at Republican foreign policy hawks, notably George Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Told by MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that some Republicans blamed anti-war skeptics like him for the Islamic State, Paul fired back: "I would say it's exactly the opposite. ISIS exists and grew stronger because of the hawks in our party who gave arms indiscriminately. And most of those arms were snatched up by ISIS. … They've created these people."
Paul drives fellow Republicans crazy. John McCain has called him a "wacko bird." Gov. Bobby Jindal branded him "unfit to be commander in chief." And Bill Kristol, influential publisher of the Weekly Standard, grumbled that Paul "wants to be a liberal Democrat." Which is hardly the case. No doubt about it, Rand Paul's a card-carrying Republican conservative. He wants to repeal Obamacare, privatize Medicare, increase the Pentagon budget and slash social spending. He's a climate change denier and one of 47 Republicans who signed a letter warning the leaders of Iran against making a nuclear deal with President Obama.
Still, Rand Paul is honest enough to say: "Right now, the Republican brand sucks." No wonder I have such a man crush on him. But I'd feel a lot less guilty – if only he'd run as a Democrat.
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