Media fail: Sloppy reporting takes a bite out of Rand Paul

Reporters created a false narrative this week about 2016 presidential candidate Rand Paul, suggesting on social media that the Kentucky senator is dismissive of efforts to protect members of the LGBT community from workplace discrimination.

On Wednesday, during a campaign stop at Drake University, Paul took time to answer students' questions. One attendee asked the senator about discrimination in the workplace against members of the LGBT community.

"Do you think an employer should be able to fire an LGBT employee because that person is LGBT?" the attendee asked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jAjcYZWYoA

Paul responded, "I think, really, the things you do in your house, we could just leave those in your house and they wouldn't have to be part of the workplace, to tell you the truth."

"These are very difficult decisions on what you decide will be employers' decisions and not. And it really isn't so much about that question as it is about — it sets up a classification, or a class of people, who can now sue. You see what I mean? So what happens is, it sets up a whole industry for people who want to sue," he added. "So if you happen to be gay and you get fired, now you have a reason you can sue them. But it's almost impossible sometimes. People don't put up a sign and say, 'I'm firing you because you're gay.' It's something that's very much disputed. And so I don't know that we need to keep adding to different classifications to say the government needs to be involved in the hiring and firing."

He explained that although there are still big questions that need to be answered regarding the rights of employers and employees, society is moving quickly towards greater acceptance of the LGBT community. So rather than rely on the government to intercede on behalf of one group, evolving cultural norms could very well answer the question of anti-LGBT discrimination, Paul seemed to suggest.

"I think society is rapidly changing. If you are gay, there are plenty of places that will hire you. I would say the vast majority of corporations already privately have manuals, or work manuals, that say that they don't discriminate in any way," he said.


Reporters responded to Paul's remarks by tweeting out only fragments of his full answer, and focusing especially hard on his conclusion.

"Rand Paul, asked whether employers [should] be able to fire LGBT workers, says, 'If you are gay, there are plenty of places that will hire you,'" the Los Angeles Times' Seema Mehta tweeted, reducing the entirety of Paul's answer into something where he seemingly shrugged at the idea of workplace discrimination.

Her tweet appeared before any video or transcript of the Drake University event were made available. But the absence of the full context didn't stop other reporters from weighing in on what Paul supposedly said.

Fellow L.A. Times colleague Matt Pearce responded to Mehta's tweet by commenting, "Imagine replacing 'gay' with almost any other description of a person."
MSNBC's Benjy Sarlin was incredulous.

"So the Rand Paul solution to LGBT worker protections appears to be applying 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' to the entire economy," he said. "Look, straight people, just never mention your spouse at work ever and no one will have any problems. Leave your home life at home."

Time magazine's Phil Elliott did a better job than Mehta of reporting on the context of Paul's response, but he also contributed to the false narrative by focusing mostly on the "there are plenty of places that will hire you" line.

Out of all the quotes tweeted by Elliott, he led off with this: "Asked about anti-discrimination policies for LGBT workers, Rand Paul says if people kept their home life at home, it wouldn't be an issue." He immediately followed with a tweet that read, "Rand Paul on LGBT workers losing their jobs: 'If you are gay, there are plenty of places that will hire you.'"

Elliott sent out additional quotes from Paul's response, but only after he had highlighted the senator's remarks on employment and the LGBT community.

Unfortunately for the Kentucky senator, and despite that the event's footage has been made available online, it doesn't look like the storyline that he supposedly shrugged off workplace discrimination is going to go away.

The Hill followed Mehta's lead and published a story titled, "Paul: LGBT people should keep their private lives out of the workplace."

And the narrative had spread outside media circles. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's social media team saw an opportunity to boost her standing in the LGBT community, and they acted accordingly:



But not everyone in media felt the same about Paul's answer. The Huffington Post's Sam Stein, for example, conceded after he had watched the video that the senator's comments were not as nearly as controversial as initially claimed.

"Rand Paul's answer on LGBT protections in the workplace was much more thoughtful than what I [re-tweeted]," Stein said.

hxxp://www.washingtonexaminer.com/media-fail-sloppy-reporting-takes-a-bite-out-of-rand-paul/article/2574162

Rand Paul on Obama Continuing War in Afghanistan in Interview on CNN w/ Wolf Blitzer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Jj9L7zrIc

Rand, point blank, says that this stay over in A-stan by Obama is wrong and should be ended now.

'Dumbass' Or Not, Rand Paul's Live Stream May Be The Future Of Campaigning

It was probably only a matter of time before we got the live-streamed campaign.

Between Periscope, Vine, and Snapchat, candidates have seized on new apps this cycle to produce behind-the-scenes, unfiltered moments and deliver them to voters.

On Tuesday, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul took the trend to its inevitable conclusion, and broadcast the bulk of his day on the Iowa campaign trail on the Internet.

Toward the end of the day, Paul answered hostile questions from Twitter users that campaign staffers put in front of him as a gag. He delivered the type of language you don't usually hear from a presidential candidate. "Is Rand Paul still running for president? I dunno," he answered, "I wouldn't be doing this dumbass live streaming if I weren't."

...http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/10/15/448954423/dumbass-or-not-rand-pauls-live-stream-may-be-the-future-of-campaigning

In court, Ron Paul accuses FEDS of targeting Rand's campaign

DES MOINES, Iowa (October 15, 2015)—On Wednesday, retired Congressman and presidential contender Ron Paul came to a Des Moines’ federal courthouse to testify for the prosecution against two of his former top campaign staffers, Jesse Benton, who is married to Paul’s granddaughter, and Dimitri Kesari. With force, Paul told jurors that the timing of the indictments against Benton and Kesari were carefully planned in order to pose a threat against his son, United States Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is currently running for president on the Republican ticket.

...http://truthinmedia.com/ron-paul-says-feds-targeting-rand/

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Rand Paul: ‘Idiots in the Republican Party’ Want War in Syria and So Does Hillary Clinton

If you’ve been watching the livestream of Sen. Rand Paul’s day on the campaign trail in Iowa, you know he drove through a lot of cornfields and listened to some Metallica. But perhaps the most noteworthy moment came when he paused the music and attacked his Republican—and Democratic opponents—for being war cheerleaders.

He said:

I think we should talk about politics for a minute. Shouldn’t we at least talk about what idiots we have in the Republican Party running for president who want to have a red line and a no-fly zone in Syria. What a recipe for disaster. But you know what the interesting thing is, Hillary Clinton agrees with all of them. All of them beating their chest to see who is the most likely to get us involved in a war that really, these people have been at war for a thousand years. You think somehow we’re going to solve their problems?

This is the side of Paul libertarians want to see more of—particularly in the debates. Voters who think it’s a good idea to get involved in the Syrian civil war have plenty of candidates on both sides of the aisle to choose from. On the other hand, voters who are skeptical that further military intervention in the Middle East could possibly be the right course of action have few options. Paul must court them.

https://reason.com/blog/2015/10/13/rand-paul-idiots-in-the-republican-party

Trump-town continues

Running down the GOP race: Trump remains in the top spot with 24 percent, closely followed by Carson at 23 percent. Ted Cruz is third with 10 percent. Those are the only three who receive double-digit backing from Republican primary voters.

Next, it’s Marco Rubio (9 percent), Jeb Bush (8 percent), Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee (5 percent each), and Rand Paul (3 percent). The remaining candidates garner one percent or less.

,,,,,The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,004 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from October 10-12, 2015. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters, and five points for both Democratic and Republican primary voters.

...http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/13/fox-news-poll-carson-giving-trump-run-for-his-money-in-gop-race/?intcmp=hpbt2

Paul Campaign Seeks to Steal Limelight Ahead of Debate With New Ad Aimed at Top Dems

As the Democratic presidential candidates prepare to step under the bright Las Vegas lights and duke it out in their party’s first debate, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul seemingly threw the first punches of Tuesday afternoon.

In an effort to draw stark comparisons between Paul and other presidential contenders — both Republicans and Democrats — the Paul campaign stole some of the limelight away from the Democrats ahead of the debate by allowing voters to follow along with him via a live-stream from sunup to sundown. And as voters tune into the campaign’s live-stream, Paul will release a new ad aimed at Democrats ahead of the debate — targeting Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders specifically.

The ad, a copy of which was provided to TheBlaze Tuesday afternoon, criticizes Clinton and Sanders for “continuing the Obama legacy” and “fighting for the Washington machine” — the latter of which is the opposite of Paul’s own campaign slogan, “defeat the Washington machine, unleash the American dream.”

Unsurprisingly, Paul’s ad hit Clinton on her personal email server and her handling of the Benghazi attack — controversies that the senator said revealed a “lack of judgment.” Paul also hit Sanders’ promises of free college, health care and paid leave.

“It is a disservice to the country for Bernie Sanders to say he’s going to give you all more Social Security and money is going to grow on trees and everybody will be rich and there will be a chicken in every pot,” Paul says in a clip played in the ad.

“We’re going to destroy the country if we do that,” Paul said of Sanders’ plans.

Paul’s nearly two-minute-long ad goes after only Clinton and Sanders, the top two Democratic contenders, but Tuesday’s debate will also feature former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb who will all try to use the debate’s exposure to gain prominence in the race.

Vincent Harris, Paul’s chief digital strategist, told TheBlaze Tuesday that Paul’s ad is a precursor to what he plans to discuss during his live-stream later Tuesday.

“Voters appreciate transparency, they don’t appreciate Hillary Clinton’s secrecy and lies,” Harris said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=zBpF-8ksWW8

more...http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/10/13/rand-paul-campaign-seeks-to-steal-limelight-ahead-of-debate-with-new-ad-aimed-at-top-dems-voters-appreciate-transparency/

Rand Paul will visit 11 Iowa college campuses this week, including three in Northeast Iowa.

http://wcfcourier.com/elections/caucuses/update-new-details-for-rand-paul-s-campus-tour/article_7013a568-5ae8-577e-8d01-3ecb463fbaa8.html

CEDAR FALLS | Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul will visit 11 Iowa college campuses this week, including three in Northeast Iowa.

Paul is working with the Students for Rand chapters on the college campuses. He will talk about his constitutional conservative message and aims to demonstrate that he has more than 10,000 Iowa students committed to caucus for him on Feb. 1.

Ted Cruz’s attempt to encroach on Rand Paul’s libertarian territory falls flat

Over the weekend the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), a group founded in 1991 to represent libertarians active within the GOP, held its national convention in Nashua, New Hampshire.

The event featured many speakers (myself included) but most of the focus was on the two presidential candidate guests: Rand Paul and Ted Cruz. Media outlets covering the race honed in on the convention, pushing a narrative that Cruz was encroaching on what many might consider Paul’s core libertarian territory.

Read more at http://rare.us/story/ted-cruzs-attempt-to-encroach-on-rand-pauls-libertarian-territory-falls-flat/#xtAgCpyDdWJVCCfO.99

Vince Vaughn (major US actor) talks about his libertarian beliefs, film-making and Rand Paul

Vince Vaughn says “the message of individual liberty and peace is contagious,” even in Los Angeles, a city regarded as a progressive haven.

The Hollywood A-lister made his comments at the Young Americans for Liberty California state convention Saturday, where students gathered at UCLA to listen to the actor, screenwriter and producer discuss about one of his favorite subjects—liberty.

To Vaughn, spreading liberty means talking about it. While he says he does occasionally share his thoughts on economic and political issues with his co-stars, it is not his primary focus. Being open about his views when asked, Vaughn said, helps others to find the courage to “come out.”

But what about movies? Could Hollywood help shape this generation’s political ideas?

In Vaughn’s Couples Retreat, those who were patient enough to wait for the end of the credits listened to character Shane (actor Faizon Love) calling the Federal Reserve “a pimp.” When asked whether he inserts libertarian messages into his films, Vaughn claimed his primary concern as a screenwriter is to develop characters.


Read more at http://rare.us/story/vince-vaughn-talks-about-his-libertarian-beliefs-filmmaking-and-rand-paul/#rFrqZOJPKvjTu1Im.99

Rand will make history later today by going live all day on camera.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hit the campaign trail with a presidential candidate? Typically, only staffers, maybe a few select reporters and the candidate themselves would know.

Rand Paul wants to make history.

On Tuesday, the Paul campaign says it will give an unprecedented insider’s look at what campaign life really entails for an entire day—something no other presidential candidate has ever done.

The Paul campaign’s Chief Digital Strategist Vincent Harris told Rare, “In an effort to continue his efforts to run the most digital savvy and transparent campaign on either side of the aisle, Senator Paul will be the first Presidential candidate to live-stream an entire day on the campaign trail.”

The live stream, which will be able to be viewed through the campaign’s Facebook and UStream.tv pages, will begin with Paul’s morning in Iowa and will last throughout the entire day.

The coverage will wrap up Tuesday night with Paul reacting live to the Democratic debate—the first time Hillary Clinton will have to face Bernie Sanders and the rest of her competitors.

Now that could be fun.
...
http://rare.us/story/on-tuesday-rand-paul-will-become-the-first-candidate-to-live-stream-an-entire-day-on-the-campaign-trail/#TAiiBvm8fH3IWilD.99
http://rare.us/story/on-tuesday-rand-paul-will-become-the-first-candidate-to-live-stream-an-entire-day-on-the-campaign-trail/

Delayed flight + rental car + white stripes, 700 students in Iowa to see Rand
Rand Paul Cruising down the Highway Listening to the White Stripes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLYEbfJyO0o


Anyone that comes to the rally are hit up by the Students for Rand organization as well. These kids will have been given voter registration, gotten number and emails taken (by the campaign and college team ), etc. Getting 700 people is a pretty big deal.

Totally, the Clintons are about as corrupt as they come irl. Many people have turned up dead by getting in their way or having the misfortune to be the fall guys for them. Not to mention, Bill was taking bribes from the Chinese Commies and in return, was allowing export waivers for them to get American missile encryption technology which is treason. Hillary one-upped her "husband" by shaking down foreign leaders for hundreds of millions as the Sec of State, then allowed deals to be made to help them out at the expense of this country and our allies.

Too much power has been allowed to corral in the executive's hands so a guy like Trump would be the worst to benefit from it. This guy would set up a bigger police state than we already have and people would cheer it on just to deport all the illegals yet it would cost something outrageous. Just cut off entitlements to illegals and they'd self deport. The productive would keep doing what they currently are and I'm fine with that. Only Rand Paul's tax policy will give this country a chance to redeem its economy and job market plus he wouldn't abuse executive powers and Congress would mean something again.

New CBS Poll (10/11/2015): Rand in 7th, Will Likely Make Debate

Trump 27
Carson 21
Cruz 9
Rubio 8
Fiorina 6
Bush 6
Paul 4
Christie 3
Kasich 2
Huckabee 2
Santorum 1
Jindal 0
Graham 0
Pataki 0

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-trump-still-leads-carson-in-second/

Rand Paul wins ‘liberty voter’ straw poll, Ted Cruz claims otherwise

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) came out ahead of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in a weekend straw poll of libertarian-leaning Republican activists, but the Texan claimed victory anyway -- the latest gritted-teeth exchange between two candidates brawling for a similar base.

"Liberty unites people, and I am honored to win the Republican Liberty Caucus straw poll," Paul said in a statement. "I will continue to represent the Liberty wing of the Republican Party."

In a separate statement, released moments later, Cruz's campaign claimed a "major upset among libertarian voters" had occurred at a conference in Nashua, New Hampshire. "We are very encouraged by the growing support we are seeing among liberty voters in the early states and across the country,” Cruz said. "If I'm elected president, libertarian voters across the country can be confident that I will continue to stand for the U.S. Constitution at every turn.”

The math was kinder to Paul, who has led Cruz in endorsements from libertarian-leaning New Hampshire Republican legislators since the start of the presidential race. Both men spoke to the Republican Liberty Caucus meeting. Paul won 445 votes to 399 for Cruz, in a preference test that combined votes for first-choice candidates and for anyone that voters found acceptable. (Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson trailed with 139 votes, while former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina ran fourth with 79.)

Behind the scenes, Cruz allies had sown doubts about whether Paul's campaign was still competitive with the sort of "liberty" voters who were inspired to enter politics by his father, former Texas congressman Ron Paul. One rumor had Paul desperately busing in supporters from his home state of Kentucky. Another rumor had staff deserting the campaign as the Cruz juggernaut gathered momentum.

Paul's campaign made no attempt to conceal its pleasure at besting Cruz. "While Ted Cruz worked hard and bussed people in, he ultimately did not resonate with liberty lovers," said Paul spokesman Sergio Gor. "Ted Cruz came, Ted Cruz saw, Ted Cruz was conquered."

Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler said flatly that the campaign had not bussed anyone in to the conference, but confirmed that 25 tickets had been purchased for supporters. The campaign's post-vote statement led with how Cruz had won "51 percent" of the vote, based on the strange combined count. (According to this math, Paul won 57 percent of the vote.) Paul's campaign, which has grappled with weeks of stories about whether the candidate can even make it to the New Hampshire primary, was not so coy.

"One thing it should tell you is who has the better organizational muscle for conventions and caucuses," said Paul strategist Doug Stafford, who had previously laughed off a rumor that he'd abandoned the campaign for a struggling pro-Paul super PAC. "We don't spend all weekend planting stories about winning polls that require organization. We just win them."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/10/10/rand-paul-wins-liberty-voter-straw-poll-ted-cruz-claims-otherwise/

Breaking: Rand Paul Wins RLC Convention Straw Poll

Rand Paul has won the 2015 RLC Straw Poll held at the RLC National Convention spanning the weekend of October 8th-11th in Nashua, New Hampshire. The sold out event, with 750 attendees, saw an active presence from multiple campaigns.

Paul garnered 445 votes compared to his nearest competitor Ted Cruz with 399 votes followed by Ben Carson (139), Carly Fiorina (79), Marco Rubio (75), Donald Trump (54) and Bobby Jindal (51).

RLC Chair Matt Nye had this to say about the straw poll results: “This outcome is not surprising, Rand has topped our polls for some time and enjoys some of the support of his father’s activists. Cruz’s strong showing must come as good news to his camp. It’s a great time to be part of the liberty Republican movement. In the past we’ve had only one candidate to choose from, and this cycle we have two solid liberty candidates, both of whom are committed to defending liberty and the constitution.”

...http://truthinmedia.com/rand-wins-republican-liberty-caucus-straw-poll/

Rand Paul On Bernie Sanders: Nothing “Sexy Or Cool” About Socialism
[It] wasn’t an accident that Stalin killed millions of people or Mao Zedong killed millions of people.

Referencing the mass murder that occurred under Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong, Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul said Americans should be wary of the socialism of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is running for president as a Democrat.
“I think it’s very important for Americans not to succumb to the notion that there’s anything sexy or cool about socialism,” the senator from Kentucky said.

“Bernie’s a socialist and ultimately socialism relies on force or implied force and it’s, you know, [it] wasn’t an accident that Stalin killed millions of people or Mao Zedong killed millions of people because you want to control the economy and you want to control ownership of things by the state. You have to forbid other people from owning parts of the economy or controlling parts of the economy.”

Paul also said be concerned about who is going to pay for Sanders’ policy proposals.

“So I think it’s really important that people understand that there is no free lunch when Bernie offers you something for free. He’s going to take it from somebody else first and then all they’re doing is obscuring who pays for it, but ultimately somebody has to pay for things. And so if you want free college for those that go to college, those that don’t go to college and work will be paying for your college. So nothing’s really on the surface. What appears to be free isn’t free,” Paul said.

Audio....http://www.buzzfeed.com/markarce/rand-paul-links-bernie-sanders-to-millions-of-deaths-under-m#.ssyPZek3d

Paul: ‘We’re in an absurd situation’ in the discussion on climate change

To what extent are humans responsible for the Earth’s changing climate? Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul said that’s a discussion that’s impossible to have – in a logical way – in the United States right now.

“It has become sort of like you’re a Holocaust denier if you question any of the religious cult that says, ‘You have to believe as I do.’ I think we’re in an absurd situation,” the U.S. senator from Kentucky said on Friday.

In an interview with the Monitor’s editorial board, Paul said the planet has seen enormous changes in climate in its 4.5 billion-year history, including times when “we had carbon a thousandfold more than we have now.” The ophthalmologist ridiculed those who would draw conclusions based on an observance of one stormy season and said scientists’ reports on climate change “are not nearly as doctrinaire as the conclusions that you hear from many people in the lay public.”

“I don’t think anybody in this room knows how much is nature and how much is man. What I can tell you is, if you read the general lay press, everybody’s like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s all man. It’s 99 percent man.’ They’re convinced of this. They know nothing about (it) – and nobody knows. It’s a conjecture,” he said.

...https://politics.concordmonitor.com/2015/10/gov-federal/paul-were-in-an-absurd-situation-in-the-discussion-on-climate-change/

Why The Patriot Act is Tyranny and Rand Paul is a Hero

Senator Rand Paul is taking a lot of heat from establishment Conservatives and some in the media for his unwavering stand against the Patriot Act. The party line that is emerging says that we are now vulnerable to terrorist attack. Even Senator Paul, himself, said he was being accused of damaging America’s defenses against such attacks.

These accusations are almost humorous considering that many of these same establishment Republicans have refused to force Barack Obama to enforce immigration laws. That fact now allows literally anyone who wants to harm our nation to cross over the border and to not only remain here, but also to receive tax payer benefits and perhaps even the right to vote. Reportedly, Obama is allowing people from the same Middle Eastern nations that give rise to terrorism to flood into our nation at horrific rates.

Newly announced presidential candidate Lindsey Graham is especially guilty of this let down in American security as he has pushed for policies to open our borders even further. So too have Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. Has anyone accused them of damaging American national security?

...http://americanpolicy.org/2015/06/18/why-the-patriot-act-is-tyranny-and-rand-paul-is-a-hero/