What did Rand Paul accomplish last night?
March 7, 2013 | 9:29 am
12 Comments
On the most practical level, Sen. Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster from Wednesday morning til after midnight accomplished this: delaying for a day the vote on President Obama’s nominee to head the CIA, John Brennan. Soon enough, Paul ceded repeatedly, Brennan will win confirmation.
So, did Paul accomplish anything besides “blowing up Twitter,†as his cohort Ted Cruz put it? He certainly did. How much he accomplished will be determined, but here are some places to look:
•He got the major media talking, for almost the first time, about the government’s ability to kill U.S. citizens, without trial, even when they’re not posing an imminent threat, on U.S. soil. Also, more broadly, about our government using drones to execute people that maybe we should be trying to capture and try.
•He got many Republicans to express objections to extrajudicial drone killings. Republicans, as a party, haven’t been very worried about U.S. overreaches in the “Global War on Terror.†Paul was something of a loner on this front when he was running in 2010. But Paul’s filibuster captured the attention of the media, and the heart of conservatives and libertarians around the country.
Twitter provided such instant feedback, that it was pretty easy for Republican politicians to see there is a real demand for these sorts of civil liberties concerns on the Right. It may even be that some conservatives who rushed to “Stand to Rand†were really coming out of the closet, emboldened by Paul. Probably, most politicians coming to Paul’s side were being opportunistic. Certainly many conservatives in the Twitterverse and Blogosphere were motivated a bit by partisanship — knocking Obama’s hypocrisy on due process and civil liberties.
Maxx • 5 hours ago
−+
150,000 following one man.
One man following the Constitution.
This guy is the real deal.
•He got the major media talking, for almost the first time, about the government’s ability to kill U.S. citizens, without trial, even when they’re not posing an imminent threat, on U.S. soil. Also, more broadly, about our government using drones to execute people that maybe we should be trying to capture and try.
A Twitchy comment:
I'm still reading through the reaction. I will say I disagree with Freeper's cynicism. Someone pushed the hell back on Obama, and stood up to him. "You cannot do this, you are not judge, jury and executioner."
Oh really? (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/07/how-did-the-mainstream-media-cover-rand-pauls-historic-filibuster/)(http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-07-at-8.45.46-AM-620x551.png)(http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-07-at-8.45.18-AM-620x541.png)(http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-07-at-8.44.32-AM-620x556.png)(http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-07-at-8.44.15-AM-620x474.png)(http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-07-at-8.44.57-AM-620x549.png)
Which major media outlet(s) are talking about the Senator's grand standing again? :thatsright:
Do you know for a fact that he's going to vote for him?
You damn cynic.
Yes. Yes I am.
You, Eupher and myself are the only 3 cynics here. lol
63-34
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323628804578346333053356560.html
Who voted against him?
I couldn't find a roll call, only a headline.
Fourteen Repubs voted for Brennan. So far I've found three who voted for him. Rubio, Graham and McCain. Rand Paul did not.
Seriously Rubio voted for him?
Okay if Rand voted nay then I feel a little better about him. I still have my concerns but at least he did right this time. Now Rubio is on my shit list.
Took me forever to find the list;
NAYs ---34
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Grassley (R-IA)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lee (R-UT)
McConnell (R-KY)
Merkley (D-OR)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sanders (I-VT)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Wicker (R-MS)
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00032
I keep hoping that Rubio was a misprint or something. Why is it every repuke that I like lets me down at some point?
Aside from the fact that I am all "woot woot" about my home states Senators.....did anyone see that there is a Senator from Idaho with the last name Crapo? I just don't know what to say.
Leahy?
Aside from the fact that I am all "woot woot" about my home states Senators.....did anyone see that there is a Senator from Idaho with the last name Crapo? I just don't know what to say.
I keep hoping that Rubio was a misprint or something. Why is it every repuke that I like lets me down at some point?
I guess they get pulled into a lot of different directions. I just hope he doesn't get influenced by the likes of McCain and Graham. Obama just voted present on difficult decisions when he was in the State Senate and as a US Senator.
Well it does worry me a bit that they choose Rubio to rebut the state of the union.
Well it does worry me a bit that they choose Rubio to rebut the state of the union.
At least Rubio isn't as bad as Charlie Crist would have been. :-)
.
Well it does worry me a bit that they choose Rubio to rebut the state of the union.
Here is a list of the repukes who voted yes.
Burr (R-NC)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Kirk (R-IL)
McCain (R-AZ)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Rubio (R-FL) :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Of that list the only surprise to me is Rubio.
Everyone else is the usual RINO suspects and a couple of names I'm not familiar with.
This sucks I voted for Rubio and he does this, I voted for Rick Scott and he ends up embracing 0bamacare, and earlier this year Steve Sutherland voted for Boner for Speaker.
Maybe you need to stop voting?
ETA: :-*
I am just joshing you Freep. I love ya.
lol maybe I do.
Even though I'm grumpy I still love you back.
You, Eupher and myself are the only 3 cynics here. lol
Naw... You're just 100 percenters.
:cheersmate:
yeah. 100% of nothing is still nothing.
:-)