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Rand Paul said sometimes accidents happen, in reference to the Gulf oil spill. AP Photo
Rand Paul has had a week now filled with highs and lows. Paul may have just hit a new low with his most recent comments.
The week began well for Paul as he gained the Republican nomination over the "establishment" candidate Trey Greyson. Paul not only won, but won by a large margin in the Republican primary and immediately became the new "golden boy" of the Tea Party.
However, it did not take Paul long to make his first campaign mistake. The night of his election Paul gave an interview with Rachel Maddow. Maddow questioned Paul about his opposition to one particular part of the Civil Rights Act. Paul refused to express support for all parts of the Civil Rights Act, and repeated his libertarian philosophy that the federal government should not regulate private businesses even if the purpose is to end racial discrimination. Paul stated he would have tried to change the part of the Civil Rights Act which made it illegal, among other things, for a lunch counter to refuse to seat blacks.
For a while Paul stuck to his position, but after a huge media fallout ensued Paul began to walk back his statements. First, Paul blamed the media and liberals for bringing up a hypothetical situation. Then, Paul stated he would vote against any effort to repeal the Civil Rights Act. The next day Paul would go further in saying he would have voted for the law if he was in office at the time. Finally, Paul later announced his full-fledged support not only for the Civil Rights Act, but for the way it is enforced against private businesses.
At this point, Paul was ready to get the story behind him and start once again riding the populist wave that helped him gain the Republican nomination. Unfortunately for Paul, today he expounded on how his libertarian beliefs affect his view of the Gulf oil spill. Paul criticized the Obama administration's tough stance against British Petroleum (which many liberals claim is not tough enough) and even called criticism of BP "un-American." Paul alse seemed to excuse BP from any fault saying that sometimes accidents just happen. Finally, Paul seemed opposed to any additional regulation on offshore oil drilling companies.
Scientists and experts within the oil industry may disagree with Paul's assessment of the tragedy. A number of failures by BP, Transocean, and Halliburton have now been well documented. Many of these failures likely contributed to the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which caused the oil spill. Some of these failures included:
- Skipping a number of tests which may have detected problems with the well before the blowout.
- Continuing with the drilling operation just hours after at least one test on the well failed.
- A poor job of "cementing" the well which would have prevented methane gases from rising to the top.
- Dead batteries on one of the devices which would have been able to shut off the flow of oil after the explosion.
- A general failure of the blowout preventer which was a supposed "fail-safe" to cutoff the flow of oil in such circumstances.
Accidents do happen, but sometimes accidents can be prevented. Environmentalists argue that with the potential consequences involved with an oil spill everything should be done to prevent an accident.
Comments
There are many reasons to call Obama un-American.
We have now the N Koreans sinking S Korean ships. FOUR terrorist attacks on American soils since Obama took office. Iran rattling their nukes. China drilling for oil in Cuba.
And no coverage of REAL news?
JOe, how can a feller "show his butt" so many times in just three sentences?
That's impressive!
@Joe King: I suppose you think Obama should declare war on North Korea, Iran, China & Cuba. Well, I guess that WOULD be typically American. Seriously though, how would you define being "American"? And what does any of that have to do with Rand Paul's idiotic notions?
The theories about free enterprise one finds in Paul's libertarianism may work in theory, or in some simplified computer simulation or economics lab, but if one wants a just and livable society, those theories are just untenable. We can't wait for market corrections if lives are lost or the environment is being polluted in the meantime.
Jayboner, why is it that people like you aholes must feel obligated to attribute things to people that did not say anything close to your attribution?
Obama hates America and all it stands for. Thats why he is "fundamentally transforming America".
If you love your country, you do not feel the need to make "fundamental transformations" to it now do you?
Meanwhile the demoncrat party has Rep Bobby Rush, an avowed racist ex-Black Panther. You have unabashed KKK leader Sen Byrd.
Who was Bill Clinton's mentor? the self identified racist segregationist?
Ryan, I think in the interest of "fairness" you should mention that the Administration was all set to give BP a "Safety Award" - had this happend a mere few weeks later how do you think it would have played out?
@Jaybone - Free enterprise does work, the crony capitalism we have does not. Big gov't does not. Half of our populous didn't pay any federal income tax last year - what's that about? If our system of big government was soooo good, how can that be? If half your citizenry have no "skin in the game" sure makes it easy to ask gov't for more regulations, handouts, more taxes, healthcare, more borrowing, more taking from the haves! If big gov't is sooooo good how can we have a 13 trillion dollar national debt? So many people at the teet of the gov't (read true taxpayers). Those "theories" are not what's untenable, they're common sense. Your too blind to see your ideals are what is truly untenable...
Unabashed KKK leader?
He has expressed remorse for it numerous times. Please keep up with reality.
Joe, changing something doesn't mean you hate it. I can love someone, but still think they need to be a better person.
You are saying America is perfect then? Nothing needs to be changed? What an idiotic thing to imply.
He needs to shut up and stop saying un-American things himself.
Joe King are you just copying straight from the Hannity transcripts?
I didn't think people actually believed his BS.
Let's see, Katrina was Bush's fault but an oil spill wasn't Obama's? Liberal biased s**t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama, un-American? How dare he say that about someone who won't present proof that he has a legal right to assume the office of President. How could a foreign born individual be un-America.
And how dare Paul imply that there could be anything wrong with so sensitive a law as the Civil Rights Act? Why it's downright politically incorrect!
We cannot criticize this law because we will be tarred and feathered as "racists." If there is any weakness in it, we cannot work to change it because some brain dead people might criticize. And brain dead people are what makes America what it is today.
So, you don't like the political direction America is taking? You can always move to Venezuela.
free markets - govt. regulations = crony capitalism
What is really outrageous is that half of our population cannot earn enough to reach that threshold where they would owe tax.
Barley Frumpmeister says:
Joe King are you just copying straight from the Hannity transcripts?
OUCH!! That Hannity slur really hurts!!! Ohhh owww.
idiot!
Joe it must smart a little since it's the only charge you responded to. Don't feel bad, half the people who post here just repeat what they hear in the morning from Glenn Beck ,Rush and Hannity.
what they MIShear, Barley.
Media Matters reported today that the Rand Paul speech brought listeners close to large containers of radio active materials.
I call Obama 'unamerican' because he wants to 'transform' Amrica into something it's never been. With an 'American' like that, who need enemies?
@marilyn
You're an idiot, instead of taking the time to educate yourself and look up the definition of crony capitalism you make up your own!
Your right that is outrageous - but not for the reasons you've been brainwashed to think! Do you think if the gov't doubled our outrageous national debt by spending another 13 trillion big brother could right all the wrongs? Maybe a 100 trillion more and double the beaurocracy? The problem is due to our socialist/paternalistic "the fed is all knowing all caring" policies that people like you ascribe to! The free market is the best system to allocate resources efficiently not politicians trying to regulate an orwellian society! It's because of our gov't policies/regulations those 50% don't pay any federal income tax. Just look to our wonderful gov't run educational system where 1 in 3 drop out, and the quality of education of half those who do graduate is suspect. No capitalism there, and look how good that is!
You guys, always with the name calling...according to Investopedia I'm not. While not purely Socialist, I do believe that there needs to be a balance between it and unfettered capitalism for a country to thrive. I have never been a fan of "The Fed" or the "powers that be" and have loved every minute of life working in the marketplace. From your overuse of talking points I would have to question which one of us is "brain-washed".
Marilyn,
Which country has 'thrived' over the last 150 years more than the US? You can 'believe' what ever you want to, but where's the evidence. It's just 'wishful thinking'!
What Rand Paul said about the Civil Rights Law regarding private business is not only correct but is actually in pratice many companies that deal with the public and wnat to maintain a certain immage. For example, Hooters won a number of cases regarding standars for employment. They do not have to hire a server who is 200 pound, a transvestite or other's not suitable to promote their public image. Also, for anyone who has shopped at Nordstums or other high line stores, you will notice no extremely over weight people, or people with piecings or
inapropriot dress as a matter of life style ect are not hired no matter what the race. There are many other examples of private employer discrimination. On the other hand, a trim, well dressed black or Hispanic, who are qualified for the business they are applying for, would have no problem with getting hired at any of these type of business who deal with the public and want to maintain a certain image.
Gigi, this country has had its ups and downs over those years and currently we are down. If deregulation and tax cuts are the road to prosperity then you would think that after decades of such policies we would have reached something that resembles it.
Are you saying that we haven't had prosperity for decades?
We've had more prosperity than any country on earth, have we not?
I never know what the h@!! you weirdos are talking about.
There's been huge amounts of prosperity for those at the top and hardly any for us schmucks that are the majority in this country. Even the CIA fact book states that "since 1975 practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households". Do you think it is because they work harder and the schmucks are lazy? No. It's very profitable to offshore jobs and profits and socialize losses. The schmucks have had their American Dream rug pulled out from underneath them.
Gigi,
Don't waste your time, Marilyn is not really concerned with facts. Her whole outlook is based on what she "feels" is right and not on reality. Facts and reality just get in the way of her agenda. She can't fathom that the trust she places in big brother/politicians could be misplaced. She can't understand that it is more compassionate to teach a man to fish than to give a man someone else's fish. She can't fathom that the tax cuts have actually (mostly) increased federal tax revenue over the years. She believes that gov't growing bigger and bigger over the years is actually deregulation. I agree with her on one point though, she is a schmuck!
Kentucky is a long way from these sludgy beaches here. I suppose if a coal mine caves in, Randy boy will apologize to company who likely intentionally neglected OSHA safety standards.
I saw an ex-Shell Exec essentially say that This continued mess would have been dealt with had it been a Shell platform. As someone in the oil industry, trust me when I say that BP has a bad reputation industry wide.
...Hey,why don't we just practice REAL capitolism...It's called the "black market"...Then whomever has the toilet paper makes the rules..lol
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