GOP - Rand Paul's Presidential Highlight Reel w/ his Libertarian Twist

[Chef Ramsay]

Sens. Paul, Schatz & Rep. Ellison Introduce RESET Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and U.S. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) yesterday reintroduced the Reclassification to Ensure Smarter and Equal Treatment Act of 2015, known as the RESET Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would reclassify specific low-level, non-violent drug possession felonies as misdemeanors, eliminate the distinction between crack and powder cocaine for sentencing, and ensure that food products containing drugs are weighed fairly. Rep. Ellison sponsors the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“The RESET Act will end the worst sentencing injustices for non-violent offenses in our criminal justice system. It will more closely align punishment with the severity of the offense and make it possible for someone to get a second chance after a non-violent youthful mistake, instead of a lifetime punishment,” Sen. Paul said.

“Today, our flawed criminal justice system imposes harsh punishments for non-violent, low-level drug crimes, creating a destructive cycle of recidivism that impacts those in our most vulnerable communities. The RESET Act helps fix some of the problems facing our justice system by ensuring punishments for low-level crimes are fair. By making these commonsense changes, we can make sure resources are directed toward violent criminals and give petty offenders a better chance at becoming productive members of society,” said Sen. Schatz.

“The failed war on drugs is designed to keep entire communities in a cycle of debt and poverty,” Rep. Ellison said. “1.5 million African American men are missing from society due in large part to our broken criminal justice system. We need to bring the punishment for non-violent and low-level drug offenses back into proportion with similar crimes.”

More...http://www.paul.senate.gov/news/press/sens-paul-schatz-and-rep-ellison-introduce-reset-act

[Chef Ramsay]

Everyone: Wanna help Rand on one of the largest talk shows in the USA?
Glenn Beck Presidential Letter Grade Survey Poll Round #5. Go Vote!

Let's see if we can push Rand to the top this time or at least get him an A grade. He's been B+. I believe Cruz is the only candidate to average an A in these polls.

They will be discussing the poll on this Friday's show. Voting continues up until the time they discuss it on Fri.

hxxps://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2016GopMAY15 - change the xx to tt and fill it out from far and wide. The audience is made up of millions of conservatives and the social ones that are likely acceptables of the likes of Cruz, Huckabee and Rubio. Let's get down and make this something that Beck (who's cordial w/ Rand unlike his dad in the past) reports on across the board.

The survey is wanting you to grade all these people from A+ to F and everything the rest down the line with the known necons deep in the F territory. Help out if you're obliged to. It's pretty fun tho.

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul's Digital Chief Says Plea for Ideas Is Crowdsourcing

Political campaigns are notoriously opaque. They're also typically pretty top-down affairs despite staffers' insistence that "It's all about the grassroots."

So it was a bit surprising to see Vincent Harris, the young entrepreneur heading digital for GOP presidential hopeful Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, asking supporters on Twitter for ideas.

Specifically, he asked followers of his @VincentHarris account on Wednesday what the candidate might do better in digital media. In a related post he wrote, "I am around always to listen. Have had folks as young as 14 send in great tips to vincent (at) http://randpaul2016.com Please keep 'em coming."

This request might seem odd to some. Isn't Mr. Harris, the expert the Paul camp wrested from the claws of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, supposed to know what to do already? Mr. Harris's Austin-based consultancy, Harris Media, is depicted in a recent Politico article as a group of seriously no-nonsense dudes (and gals). In one scenario, Mr. Harris blows off a couple Facebook reps in favor of a guy from Meerkat. A photo of the Harris Media staff accompanying the article looks like a promo shot for the next CW drama, but with all the tough guys front and center.

...

http://adage.com/article/campaign-trail/rand-paul-digital-chief-plea-ideas-crowdsourcing/298498/

If any of you geniuses have any great ideas, be sure to hit him up.

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Celebrates Ruling Against NSA's Bulk Data Collection

He was accused of responding too sluggishly and carefully to the Baltimore unrest and last month's drone revelations. No one can accuse Kentucky Senator Rand Paul of avoiding the New York appeals court decision that found the NSA's bulk data collection program to be a violation of the Patriot Act. Within minutes, Paul's social media accounts were turned over to the NSA story.

"This is a monumental decision for all lovers of liberty," Paul said in a later statement. "I commend the federal courts for upholding our Constitution and protecting our Fourth Amendment rights. While this is a step in the right direction, it is now up to the Supreme Court to strike down the NSA's illegal spying program. It is the duty of elected officials to protect the rights of all Americans, and Congress should immediately repeal the Patriot Act provisions and pass my Fourth Amendment Preservation and Protection Act. I will continue to fight to prevent the Washington Machine from illegally seizing any American's personal communication."

...

More...http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-07/rand-paul-celebrates-ruling-against-nsa-s-bulk-data-collection

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Apparently Paid $100,000 for RandPaul.com

Days before Paul launched his bid for president, his campaign shelled out more than $100,000 to a domain-buying firm to purchase a "domain name." Soon after, RandPaul.com, which had previously been a pro-Paul site run by his fans, emerged as the official portal for the campaign.

Federal campaign records show Paul used his Senate reelection committee to pay $100,980 to Escrow.com, a domain service, on March 27 for what is described as a "domain name." Previously, Paul's political homepage was RandPaul2016.com, an address that now automatically redirects to his RandPaul.com page.

The payment is an enormous sum even in the murky world of political cybersquatting. "Holy crap," a top Republican digital strategist said when informed of the price. "That's a ton."

Patrick Ruffini, a veteran GOP digital strategist, said that he had never heard of a campaign paying so much for a URL, though he was not shocked. "It's very much a seller's market," Ruffini said, adding that owning a candidate's "FirstnameLastname.com" was the gold standard in the digital world. "I would argue that almost nothing else matters."

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2016-elections/rand-paul-apparently-paid-100-000-for-randpaul-com-20150506

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Slams Jeb Bush For Agreeing With Obama’s NSA Data Collection

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a 2016 GOP presidential candidate, slammed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush—a likely 2016 candidate who hasn’t announced yet that he’s running—for agreeing with President Barack Obama on the National Security Agency (NSA) data collection program. The program was ruled illegal by a federal appeals court on Thursday, prompting a likely Supreme Court battle soon—something Paul expects to win.

“Well I think I’m the only Republican or Democrat candidate for the presidency who has said that I would end the bulk collection of records on day one,” Paul said in his interview with Breitbart News on Thursday.

It was started by executive order and I would do it by executive order. The thing that’s been disingenuous by the president is his privacy committee says he should end it, and he says “okay, I’ll end it when Congress does it.”

Well, it was started by executive order—it can be ended by executive order. I’m the only presidential candidate who has said that I would do this. There are in fact some that are completely the opposite. Jeb Bush has said that he’s basically so much in love with the program that he’s complimenting the president and saying this is the best thing President Obama ever did. So if Jeb Bush and President Obama are in complete agreement on this, I think it’s important that maybe we talk about a Republican candidate who would be opposed to President Obama on this.
Back in February in a foreign policy speech in Chicago, Jeb Bush sided with Obama in favor of the NSA data collection program.

...

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/07/exclusive-rand-paul-slams-jeb-bush-for-agreeing-with-obamas-nsa-data-collection/

[Chef Ramsay]

According to reports, Rand Paul will be opening his long awaited office in California this weekend, as part of a visit to San Francisco. Dr. Paul will be attending an event entitled "Disrupting Democracy: Growing a New Generation of Voter Engagement" on Saturday, May 9. Opening an office in the San Francisco Bay Area has been touted as way to gain access to a tech-savvy demographic of libertarian-minded supporters and voters. Rand's trip follows on the heels of a visit by Hillary Clinton, who has also joined in the competition to establish a NorCal supporter and donor base.

Get tickets...https://www.eventbrite.com/e/disrupting-democracy-growing-a-new-generation-of-voter-engagement-tickets-16652020642

[Chef Ramsay]

EXCLUSIVE — RAND PAUL: WE’RE GOING TO TAKE NSA ALL THE WAY TO SUPREME COURT. AND WIN

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)93%
 is celebrating the news a federal appeals court rejected President Barack Obama’s National Security Agency (NSA) data collection program on Thursday. In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Paul says he can’t wait for the Supreme Court to eventually rule it unconstitutional.

“We initiated a lawsuit on this over a year ago, and we are excited that the appeals court agrees with us,” Paul said.

Now, they’re saying it’s illegal in that Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act doesn’t authorize that—that the government has gone too far—I think that’s a good first step. We want the Supreme Court to eventually rule on whether this is Constitutional or not. Our main complaint, or one of our main arguments is, the Fourth Amendment says you have to name the person who you want to get a warrant—but not naming anyone and putting “Mr. Verizon” down and saying you can get the records of millions of people, you’re not writing a specific warrant.

You’re writing a generalized warrant. This is one of the things that we fought against that the British were doing to us. James Otis famously argued in court that the writs of assistance that the British were using were non-specific and didn’t use the person’s name—and so we wrote the Fourth Amendment to try to stop this kind of stuff. I guess it’s gratifying that the courts are beginning to recognize the problem. We are anticipating and eager for this to get to the Supreme Court.

More...http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/07/exclusive-rand-paul-were-going-to-take-nsa-all-the-way-to-supreme-court-and-win/

[Chef Ramsay]

WMUR/UNH Poll: Rand Leads Clinton by 4% in NH

Kentucky senator Rand Paul currently is among the leading Republicans vying for the nomination and he also does well against Clinton. If Paul were the Republican nominee, 47% of likely voters say they would vote for him, 43% would vote for Clinton, 2% support someone else, and 7% are undecided. In February, Clinton held a 10 percentage point lead over Paul.

Independents split between Paul and Clinton – 43% favor Paul and 36% favor Clinton. Clinton leads among women by 13 percentage points but Paul leads among men by 24 percentage points.

https://cola.unh.edu/sites/cola.unh.edu/files/research_publications/gsp2015_spring_presgen050715.pdf

[Chef Ramsay]

The Economist/YouGov Poll: Rand 2nd Nationally

Top Four:

Bush: 11%
Paul: 9%
Scott Walker: 8%
Marco Rubio: 8%
Undecided: 30%

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/president/

[Chef Ramsay]

GOP consultant on hot seat over Rand Paul attack

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and senior Republican officials are calling out a GOP firm that worked on a seven-figure ad campaign lashing Rand Paul over his foreign policy views.

The problem? The firm’s co-founder is also working for a McConnell-backed super PAC that’s defending the GOP Senate majority in 2016, when Paul is also on the Senate ballot in Kentucky.

Last month, the Republican firm Black Rock Group was hired to do communications work for the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America, which bombarded Paul with a $1 million ad campaign calling him “dangerous” because of his positions on Iran. But Black Rock’s co-founder, Carl Forti, also works as the political director for American Crossroads, which has formed the Senate Leadership Fund, a McConnell-backed super PAC.

The awkward situation of Forti’s firm being paid to promote a political attack on Paul — while also trying to keep GOP senators like Paul in office — has prompted strong reactions in GOP circles.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/gop-consultant-black-rock-rand-paul-foreign-policy-117738.html#ixzz3ZZMQjV00

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul has best week ever with anti NSA ruling

In truth, the U.S. Constitution and Edward Snowden had the best week ever with a federal ruling against NSA bulk collection, but we’ll let things slide by giving Rand Paul the credit. After all, it’s good click bait these days. Scroll down to see the full original court documents.

Now, they’re saying it’s illegal in that Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act doesn’t authorize that—that the government has gone too far—I think that’s a good first step. We want the Supreme Court to eventually rule on whether this is Constitutional or not. Our main complaint, or one of our main arguments is, the Fourth Amendment says you have to name the person who you want to get a warrant—but not naming anyone and putting “Mr. Verizon” down and saying you can get the records of millions of people, you’re not writing a specific warrant.

You’re writing a generalized warrant. This is one of the things that we fought against that the British were doing to us. James Otis famously argued in court that the writs of assistance that the British were using were non-specific and didn’t use the person’s name—and so we wrote the Fourth Amendment to try to stop this kind of stuff. I guess it’s gratifying that the courts are beginning to recognize the problem. We are anticipating and eager for this to get to the Supreme Court.

http://iroots.org/2015/05/07/rand-paul-has-best-week-ever-with-anti-nsa-ruling/

[Chef Ramsay]

I'd also add w/ the former link and story that CNN and MSNBC did video pieces on and the MSNBC one had Glenn Greenwald on to comment which is a totally a treat considering how on fire Glenn is considering this whole looking down upon Snowden because of the revelations. Ya gotta see Glenn doing his intelligent, homeworked and thoroughly animated thing in the MSNBC interview link on iroots.

[Chef Ramsay]

It's basically the conservative version of MoveOn.org. It's TurningPointUSA.net.

Here: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-07/conservative-boy-wonder
They seem pretty balanced and friendly to Rand so far, having him speak on some campuses already. But if WE get involved, it could be a huge resource and tool for Rand. If you go to the site (TurningPointUSA.net) you'll see all kinds of ways you can get involved in your area.

PLEASE do. Organized numbers are so crucial right now! Please post to let me know your thoughts, maybe that you signed up for something, and to keep this thread a live. Thanks.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-07/conservative-boy-wonder

[Chef Ramsay]

Sen Rand Paul blasts McCain over criticism of NSA stance on last nights Hannity Program on Fox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHjOxuE_MA0&feature=youtu.be
Pretty good interview

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand spoke at Arizona State University yesterday to an audience of about 600+, too bad is was finals' week and a friday but decent and diverse crowd nonetheless. Here are some photos...https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore

[Bit_Happy]

Rand spoke at Arizona State University yesterday to an audience of about 600+, too bad is was finals' week and a friday but decent and diverse crowd nonetheless. Here are some photos...https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore

This early 600+ is good since not too many people are focused on politics right now. Events will get much more exciting after the TV debates get rolling.

[tins]

Rand spoke at Arizona State University yesterday to an audience of about 600+, too bad is was finals' week and a friday but decent and diverse crowd nonetheless.

Not bad...draws almost as many people as Joe Biden. 

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand spoke at Arizona State University yesterday to an audience of about 600+, too bad is was finals' week and a friday but decent and diverse crowd nonetheless.

Not bad...draws almost as many people as Joe Biden. 

The next University visit/speech will have more as daddy-Ron usually corralled at least a thousand to plenty more during his tenure. Rand could've easily doubled attendance if it wasn't finals' week, of course I would've like the whole damn campus to show up.

[Chef Ramsay]

Court Ruling on N.S.A.’s Data Collection Jolts Both Defenders and Reformers

A federal appeals court ruling that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of phone records is illegal has scrambled bipartisan efforts to overhaul the program, emboldening those who say the efforts do not go far enough and undermining Senate Republican leaders who want to keep the current program in place.

Although both chambers of Congress are under Republican control, only the House has coalesced around a bipartisan effort to make substantial changes to the government’s bulk data collection, while the Senate has grown more divided in light of the court’s decision. Emblematic of that, the three declared Senate Republicans running for the White House have adopted different positions on a path forward.

“The sacrifice of our personal liberty for security is and will forever be a false choice,” Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, wrote for Time magazine, vowing to block even a short-term extension of the Patriot Act, under which phone data has been collected. “And I refuse to relinquish our constitutional rights to opportunistic and overreaching politicians.”

More...http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/us/politics/court-ruling-on-nsa-data-collection-jolts-both-defenders-and-reformers.html?_r=0