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ReasonWho is the most influential libertarian in the United States? Ron Paul, according to this fun top-100 list put together by the conservative outlet Newsmax, working from (and supplementing) a poll put together by our friends at FreedomFest, the annual liberty-movement/free-market gathering in Las Vegas. (See Reason's coverage of Ron Paul, read Senior Editor Brian Doherty's book on the man, and browse through Paul's archive in our pages.)

Paul's son Rand (coverage, most recent Reason interview, 2011 cover story) came in second place, and let the furious arguments begin! But first, a few words from the creators about their parameters:

To compile this list, our editors defined a libertarian as a consistent advocate of free-market capitalism, minimal government, and social tolerance (thus distinguishing libertarians from conservatives). Their motto might be "Keep government out of the boardroom and the bedroom." [...]

Still, a list like this is subjective at best, and should be viewed as interesting and informative, rather than definitive. We very likely missed people who should have been on the list, and we welcome your input and correction for future editions. Moreover, while selecting only 100 is difficult, coming up with a ranking is even more subjective. We tried to rank the entrants in what we believe is a somewhat logical order of influence, but we certainly recognize that many readers (and perhaps even some people whose names are on the list!) may take exception to the ranking.

Finally, it is important to note that we chose to leave out a few individuals whose credentials as libertarians might be less convincing, such as Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and Howard Stern.

The list definitely tilts to the right, and some libertarian credentials have already been greeted with skepticism by the listees themselves, such as #75 Charles Gasparino of Fox News ("Ok I guess I'm a libertarian sort of"). But these things are fun, and, well, let's go ahead and get the most controversial sequence out of the way:

22) Nick Gillespie

23) Clint Eastwood (Reason archive about)

24) Matt Welch

SMDH!

The Reason family overall is well represented on this list, which is as good a reminder as any to subscribe to the damn magazine, donate to the Foundation that makes it all possible, re-read Brian Doherty's great 2008 oral history of the magazine, and by all means come out to FreedomFest this year to see me and Nick and Katherine Mangu-Ward from the main stage, and also a whole universe of futuristic Reason Day goodness on Saturday, July 21.

After the jump, the rankings of our employees, donors, contributors, ex-staffers, and friends.

Reason4) John Stossel (Reason archive, most recent Reason interview, 2004 cover story)

6) Reason Trustee David Koch (archive about)

8) Andrew Napolitano (archive, most recent Reason interview)

17) Trustee Drew Carey (archive, Reason Saves Cleveland)

19) Robert Poole, Jr. (archive, most recent interview)

40) Courtney and Ted Balaker (archive, archive about, 2015 interview)

48) Radley Balko (archive, archive about, most recent interview)

51) Kennedy (archive, archive about)

62) Trustee Joan Carter and John Aglialoro (archive about, 2014 interview)

84) Veronique de Rugy (archive)

87) Deirdre Nansen McCloskey (archive)

Plenty of other friends, contributors, donors, and interview subjects on the list, including Penn Jillette (21), Matt and Terry Kibbe (28), Trey Parker and Matt Stone (43), Andrea and Howie Rich (53-54), Jeffrey Miron (76), Matt Ridley (83), and many more. Only non-Paul politicians on the list are Gary Johnson (7), Justin Amash (20), and Thomas Massie (55).

Am I giving away too much? Go read the full list! And then check out Reason's 35th anniversary "35 Heroes of Freedom" feature, which features several people from this list, and several others who no sane person would precisely describe as "libertarian." And though you need no urging from me, let's hear it in the comments: What's your own top 10? Greatest omission/worst inclusion? And who deserves the top slot on the "100 Most Influential Libertarian Commenters" list?

Link:
List of '100 Most Influential Libertarians' Topped by Ron and Rand Paul, Riddled with Reasonites - Reason (blog)

Aaron Kall, Guest Contributor Published 11:51 a.m. ET May 31, 2017 | Updated 12:37 p.m. ET May 31, 2017

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says his directive that prosecutors should charge suspects with the most serious crimes is a "key part of President Trump's promise to keep America safe." (May 12) AP

In this April 7, 2017, file photo, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington.(Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul recently introduced in Congress the Justice Safety Valve Act. The bipartisan legislation is also supported by Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy with the intent of amending current law to grant judges the authority to issue sentences below a mandatory minimum in the appropriate situations. Paul believes the country's rampant drug epidemic should be treated as a public health crisis, as opposed to a war that disproportionately impacts minorities. Despite the war on drugs that has spannedseveral decades, the size of the U.S. prison population has exponentially increased, in addition to the billions of dollars the country currently spends on incarceration.

Despite its noble intent, Paul's legislation is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Congress anytime soon. It's opposed by powerful Republican Senators such as Tom Cotton of Arkansasand David Perdue of Georgia. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had the opportunity to advance similar legislation to the floor before the 2016 presidential election but demurred because of the intraparty dispute over a controversial subject that could impact elections and spillover to other policy agenda items.Paul concedes the bill currently faces an "uphill battle" getting to the president's desk.

More: Rand Paul: Nobody wants war with North Korea

The impetus behindPaul's legislation was elevated by the recent directive of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for federal prosecutors throughout the country to charge criminal suspects with the most serious offenses possible.

This is a radical reversal from the Obama administration Justice Department guidelines that were constructed by Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. Sessions has a long track record as a federal prosecutor and U.S. Senator in supporting the imposition of mandatory minimum criminal sentences. He believes that such draconian sentences keep America safe from drugs and the crime associated with their trafficking and use.

As a U.S. attorney in Alabama during the 1980s, Sessions infamously said he thought the Ku Klux Klan were OK until he found out they smoked marijuana.

He attempted to single-handedly derail the bipartisan congressional efforts at criminal justice reform while in the Senate. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has referred to Sessions as the number one opponent of the Senate's effort to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for low-level nonviolent drug offenses. In spite of this lengthy rap sheet regarding lengthy drug sentences,Paul voted to confirm Sessions as President Trump's attorney general on February 8.

Paul recently commented that Sessions' lack of sympathy and aggressive enforcement of mandatory minimum sentences really "surprised" him. Given his transparent history, this is a shocking amount of naivete and lack of deft political instincts from a senator.

Paul has had a very complicated relationship with Trump over the years but surprisingly has been a rubber stamp for all of his Cabinet picks.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., (left), Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget (center) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (right) converse after returning to the White House from a round of golf with President Trump at his golf course, Trump National in Virginia on April 2, 2017.(Photo: Pool, Getty Images)

More: Kentucky political racing form for Kentucky Derby visitors | Al Cross

Trump rudely complained that Paul shouldn't have been included in the 2015 Simi Valley Republican primary debate because of low polling numbers and said there was a lot of subject matter to attack regarding Paul's physical appearance.

The two played golf last month in Virginia to discuss health care reform despite their previous acrimony.

Rather than feign surprise by the predictable actions of Sessions and propose legislation that has zero chance of passing Congress,Paul should appeal to the better angels of his Libertarian tendencies and do a better job of holding the Trump administration politically accountable.

To date, the only measures taken in this vein were to vote against the confirmation of the CIA director (who received 66 votes) and abstain from voting on the confirmation as David Friedman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

This is hardly a profile in courage and a major departure from the presidential candidate that was willing to challenge Trump at every turn during the primary season.

Sessions was narrowly confirmed by a 52-47 vote in the Senate. If Paul could have convinced only three Republican Senators who opposed mandatory minimum sentences to vote against Sessions for attorney general, the need for his Justice Safety Valve Act would be moot.

This is the type of real leadership a presidential candidate and dealmaker exercises. If Paul has any future ambitions for higher office, bold moves like these are what he should do to best distinguish and prepare himself for such an important role.

Aaron Kall is the Director of Debate at the University of Michigan, editor/co-author of "Debating The Donald"and 2001 University of Kentucky graduate.

Read or Share this story: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/05/31/sen-rand-paul-not-example-profile-courage-aaron-kall/357991001/

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Sen. Rand Paul not an example of profile in courage| Aaron Kall - The Courier-Journal

Rare.us

Rare Review: War Machine, the satire movie Rand Paul says is required viewing Rare.us The movie Senator Rand Paul said should be mandatory for Congress to watch premiered on Friday. At its best, it pushes absurdity to the point of poignancy, offering a stinging rebuke to those legislators who seem, as Paul put it in a Facebook post ... and more »

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Rare Review: War Machine, the satire movie Rand Paul says is required viewing - Rare.us

(Breitbart) Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a leading ally of President Donald Trumps in the U.S. Senate, told Breitbart News exclusively in an interview in his office this week that at least six million U.S. jobs are at risk if President Trump does not pull out of the leftist Paris climate deal.

Paul told Breitbart News of the Paris deal:

I think it would be terrible for our country. We have the potential of losing 6 million jobs and it would cost $3 trillion. Really, I dont think President Obama had the right to do it. He did it by himself without the approval of Congress. One of the problems we have in government is we let one person have so much power that he could do something that could cost 6 million jobs and nobody gets to vote on itI think thats outrageous. It kind of looks like a treaty. If its a treaty, it should come to the Senate and be passed. But I think President Trump has the ability and he indicated during the campaign that he wanted to get rid of and get out of the Paris accord so we hope we will. We have introduced a resolution to send it to the president to encourage him to get out of the Paris accord.

What do YOU think? Why didnt Trump announce decision on Paris climate deal? Sound off in todays WND poll.

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Rand Paul: Paris climate deal would kill 6 million US jobs - WND.com

Sen. Rand Paul's planned bill disapproving of the arms deal comes as Trump completes the first leg of an overseas trip that began with a warm welcome from the Saudi royal family in Riyadh. | AP Photo

By Elana Schor

05/23/2017 05:32 PM EDT

Updated 05/24/2017 10:05 AM EDT

Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul is expected to offer legislation as soon as Wednesday that would block President Donald Trump's $110 billion weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Paul's planned bill disapproving of the arms deal, confirmed by a Senate source familiar with the timeline, comes as Trump completes the first leg of an overseas trip that began with a warm welcome from the Saudi royal family in Riyadh. Paul recently joined three Democrats in proposing to make future arms sales contingent on reining in Saudi military involvement in Yemen's civil war, and he is likely to take advantage of a 1976 law that allows any senator to force a vote on halting overseas arms sales.

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Paul is going to be joined on the forthcoming resolution by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, his partner last year in forcing a Senate vote to halt then-President Barack Obama's plans for a $1.15 billion Saudi arms sale. Their effort was defeated on a 71-27 vote, with Republican Sens. Dean Heller of Nevada and Mike Lee of Utah joining 23 Democrats in voting to block the deal.

Murphy tweeted early Wednesday that the bill would not look to stop all $110 billion of Trump's planned sales, but instead "target munitions used" in the ongoing violence in Yemen. Humanitarian groups have warned that the new Trump-backed sales are likely to be used against rebel factions in Yemen that the Saudi government sees as aligned with Iran.

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The Connecticut Democrat also has spoken out against Trump's Saudi arms sales, warning in a Saturday column that the inclusion of precision-guided munitions goes further than Obama's weapons deal and runs the risk that "more not fewer civilians will be killed" in the ongoing Yemeni conflict. It remains unclear how many Democrats are preparing to join him in signing onto the latest disapproval measure.

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Rand Paul to tee up vote on blocking Trump's Saudi arms deal - Politico