How Low Can Rand Paul Go ?

Posted by Ted McLaughlin

As I posted yesterday, Kentucky's Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate (Rand Paul) wasted no time in making sure everyone knew he was a racist and generally a mean person. He made it clear that he was opposed to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act. He believes that businesses and property owners should be able to discriminate against African-Americans if they want to do so.

He also thinks they should be able to discriminate against disabled Americans of any color, saying businesses shouldn't have to obey the Americans With Disabilities Act. He had already come out in the past as a supporter of anti-government and racist militias. Frankly, considering all of the above, I thought Rand Paul couldn't get any worse. But I was wrong. He found a way to do it.

With his willingness to discriminate against minorities and the disabled still ringing in the ears of voters, Paul has now decided that the United States government is picking on poor BP Oil. He seems to believe that business not only have the right to discriminate, but they also have the right to destroy the environment -- even foreign companies (BP is a British company). Paul told George Stephanopoulos:

"What I don’t like from the president’s administration is this sort of, you know, 'I’ll put my boot heel on the throat of BP.' I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business. I’ve heard nothing from BP about not paying for the spill. And I think it’s part of this sort of blame game society in the sense that it’s always got to be someone’s fault. Instead of the fact that maybe sometimes accidents happen. I mean, we had a mining accident that was very tragic and I’ve met a lot of these miners and their families. They’re very brave people to do a dangerous job. But then we come in and it’s always someone’s fault. Maybe sometimes accidents happen."

BP may not have said they're not going to pay for the damages, but they have certainly been busy trying to minimize those damages. We're just now finding out that the 5,000 barrels a day that BP says is escaping into the Gulf is probably actually several times that amount. I personally think the president hasn't been hard enough on BP. It makes me wonder what the people of the Gulf States think about Paul and his defense of BP's right to contaminate.

As for the mine disaster, Paul seems to completely ignore the numerous violations the mining company had been given before the disaster. It is entirely possible that those miners would still be alive if the company had strictly followed federal safety regulations. But I guess he thinks businesses also have the right to ignore safety regulations and put their workers in unnecessary danger.

I honestly don't think Paul could get any lower on the Human scale than he already is, but somehow I think he'll probably find a way. Really Kentucky, are you guys seriously thinking of sending this sorry excuse for a human to the United States Senate?