“Rand Paul isn’t a racist” is a straw man.

[kpete]

“Rand Paul isn’t a racist” is a straw man. Paul’s position, that government shouldn’t have the authority to regulate private businesses, is, to put it mildly, fucking crazy. And that’s why Paul’s in trouble.

Does Paul think Philip Morris should be able to pay children a nickel an hour to make cigarettes twelve hours a day? Does he think BP should be able to drill however and wherever they want? Does he think grocery stores should be able to sell tainted food? Does he think drug companies should be able to sell unsafe medicines? Does he think Wall Street should be able to sell whatever subprime crap they want — and then bet against it?

Because all would be perfectly consistent with government not being able to “intervene in the policies of private businesses.”

I mean hey, if your kid dies from tainted cough syrup — you just won’t buy that brand any more — and the manufacturer will go out of business. The market works! Problem solved.

more:
http://firedoglake.com/2010/05/20/david-weigels-pathetic-defense-of-rand-paul/

[WeDidIt]

1. I was with you all the way up to your link

and then you lost me.

[ClassWarrior]

6. Because one's grudges are more important than one's values?

:shrug:

NGU.

[WeDidIt]

9. I trust NOTHING that comes from Liardogfake. n/t

[ClassWarrior]

10. I trust my own values, and I trust myself to make judgments based on those values.

I guess that's what makes us different.

NGU.

[WeDidIt]

13. So do I

which is why I reject anything printed on Liarfdogfake out of hand just as I do with anything printed on Free Republic Dot Com.

[calimary]

18. Hot diggity damn! I LOVE that sig line image (or whatever the term is)!

Hi Dear Bro!

:patriot:

[ClassWarrior]

29. Thanks Sis!

I borrowed it from another DUer (tho I confess, I don't remember who).

NGU, Mar... NGU.

[calimary]

33. Cheers!

And NNNNNNNNNNNNGU!!!

:toast: :yourock: :fistbump:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. The evil of racism is 10,000,000,000 times as big as anything FDL may have done. So I'm reccing.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Ummm...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. What the intercourse was THAT?

:wtf:

[Winterblues]

14. And the L:ogic in the post went over your head as well I suppose

It couldn't possibly be sound logic as it comes from a site you despise..

[WeDidIt]

16. No, it means I reject the source out of hand.

I stopped reading when I saw the source.

I refuse to participate in driving advertising revenue to a site I consider a political enemy.

[Ramulux]

31. Whats wrong with FDL?

Are you basing your entire opinion on that Lieberman in black face photo?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. "Rand Paul isn't a racist" is a lie.

[ejpoeta]

5. but he keeps saying that he abhors descrimination and racism.

and we should just trust businesses to do the right thing. because they were probably doing the right thing way back when when they had to make a law to FORCE THEM to quit descriminating.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. He is a liar.

[name not needed]

26. I'm sure he has a black friend too.

[uponit7771]

20. Nah, he just thinks the government should allow it when it comes to private hospitals and banks...

...what an asshole

[Blue-Jay]

25. Yep. A liar. Nothing in that 5-word sentence presents a strawman fallacy.

I mean, if you're being technical about it.

[thereismore]

3. If his policies allow for racist treatment of people, then, well, he is a racist. nt

[Lance_Boyle]

24. Careful - you've just labeled everyone who supports free speech a racist.

Paul may or may not be a racist - he is firmly into nutjob territory, though, with his stand on governmental regulation. Why struggle to pin the former charge on him when the latter is sufficient to ruin him politically, and quite easily?

[thereismore]

28. Nonsense. His policy amounts to closing eyes on racial segregation, if it's done on private property

And that is wrong. Don't bring free speech into this.

[Maru Kitteh]

4. and an obvious lie as well.

[moondust]

11. He's the star candidate of a lunatic fringe racist movement.

If he wasn't a racist he very likely would not be their standard bearer.

[lsewpershad]

17. All democrats

all over America should now work do whatever it takes to defeat this guy.

[sinkingfeeling]

19. To answer your questions, "Yes". Rand Paul is a Libertarian. He doesn't want a government big enough...

to act as a nanny state and regulate business.

[WeDidIt]

21. But he DOES want a government big enough to FORCE women to carry every pregnancy to term

even in cases of rape and incest.

Paul is no Libertarian.

Paul is a bigot.

[uponit7771]

22. Yeap, he'll never ever answer that question either...the "libertarians" always fall apart when...

...pressed on conservative social issues.

[elleng]

23. I agree, but

I wouldn't start by saying 'fucking crazy.' I'd say something like foolish, short-sighted, something to promote discussion, not enflame. JMO

[JCMach1]

27. certified Libertarisn crazy with a side order of racism...

[Dawson Leery]

30. Of course Rand Paul doesn't believe that children should make a nickel an hour.

It's more like they should make a nickel a day.

[Johonny]

32. But remember if someone breaks into Rand Pauls home and steals his stuff

there is no reason to use the public police to catch them, and the public courts to prosecute them and the public jail to hold them. Why the criminal would regulated himself. He would understand that it's bad business to have people breaking into each others homes. He wouldn't want to live in a society like that. Thus he would voluntarily penalize himself and pay to lock himself up in a private jail until such time as he feels his debt to Rand Paul has been served.