The saving grace of Rand Paul

Senator Rand Paul is naive and ignorant, he has an inadequate political philosophy, but he has the heart of a human being.

Rand Paul

Which is more than you can say for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie or Paul Ryan, to name a few.

He does not allow Orwellian language to blind him to the human reality behind extrajudicial executions, military intervention or preventive detention.  He does not justify or protect thieves, assassins or torturers.

A couple of years ago he made a fool of himself addressing students at Howard University, both underestimating their intelligence and knowledge and overestimating his own.  He made things worse afterwards by whining.

Yet how many other Republican politicians would have the guts to open himself up for questions from a predominantly black audience — as distinguished from giving an insulting lecture on the value of the work ethic.

Rand Paul is one of the few national politicians who is trying to reform drug sentencing policy, which has, as Michelle Alexander pointed out, resulted in mass incarceration and subsequent denial of civil rights to millions of young black men.  That’s more than can be said of Barack Obama, Eric Holder or Hillary Clinton.

###

Here is the New Republic’s view of Rand Paul, which is less sympathetic than mine.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113494/president-rand-paul-hes-becoming-better-politician-every-day

Here are Rand Paul’s views on drug sentencing, drone killings and military spending.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/rand-paul-sentencing_n_3949209.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/07/rand_paul_on_defense_spending_the_senator_does_not_believe_that_republicans_or_democrats_are_serious_about_cutting_.html

Here is a response to Rand Paul’s talk at Howard University.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/04/the-journey-to-mecca/274980/

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/04/the-limits-of-good-faith/275001/

Tags: Rand Paul