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Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is quickly positioning himself again as a starkly independent Republican, the sort of political branding that fueled his presidential campaign last year.

Paul has a clearly conservative voting record. But just six weeks into the new Congress, he's taken some high-profile steps away from party orthodoxy.

He didn't get very far in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination last year. But he stood out then, and is trying to stand out now, by breaking with the party on the same issues where he attracted a following, particularly among the GOP's libertarian wing.

"I think he was trying to signal to his core supporters that he hasn't lost sight of or given up on the fiscal issues that propelled his movement to begin with," said Scott Jennings, a Republican political consultant in Kentucky.

Paul cast the only Republican vote against his party's first attempt last month to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He was also the only Republican to vote against Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's nominee for CIA director.

He's met with members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus _ perhaps best known for forcing a government shutdown and pushing former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to quit Congress _ to discuss health care changes. And he offered his own health care plan.

Paul would not comment to McClatchy, but spokesman Sergio Gor said the senator "has always been willing to work with individuals across the political spectrum who share the same goals."

Craig Holman, a lobbyist for Public Citizen, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, said Paul might be able to step in if Republicans turned on Trump or he became unelectable.

"I would fully expect Rand Paul to throw his hat in the ring," Holman said.

Paul continues to maintain his solid conservative credentials. The American Conservative Union gives him a lifetime legislative score of 97, the highest among Kentucky's delegation on Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has a lifetime score of 89.

Yet in a highly partisan, sometimes bitterly polarized Senate, Paul has proved willing to work with Democrats on issues where they agree, whether it's criminal justice, infrastructure, foreign policy or national security.

"I have heard people say that Rand is a well-liked member who has done a good job of cultivating relationships in both parties," Jennings said.

One of Paul's unlikely partnerships involved former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a liberal Democrat. They pushed a bill in 2015 to change the tax code to raise money for infrastructure.

He's worked with other Democrats who are not ordinarily his ideological soul mates, and they embrace it. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he'd introduced as many bills with Paul as he had with some of his Democratic colleagues.

Both co-sponsored a bill last year to block an Obama administration arms sale to Saudi Arabia over that country's airstrike campaign in Yemen, which has killed thousands of civilians.

"He's a real conservative firebrand who doesn't see relationships with Democrats as a sign of ideological weakness," Murphy said. "He's always been somebody who reaches out vigorously to Democrats, and that hasn't stopped since the election of Trump."

Paul and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker have banded together in an effort to keep nonviolent offenders out of prison and ensure they're not deprived of civil liberties.

"He's willing to lean in and work together with us on it," Booker said. "I'm proud that he's a partner with me on that."

Paul has long been a staunch critic of the foreign policy that got the U.S. into a prolonged and costly war in Iraq, and he hasn't spared either of Trump's predecessors, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W. Bush. It's a position that endears him to Democrats.

"We are often of like mind when it comes to the hubris America has exhibited in the world," Murphy said.

That doesn't have to mean passing a bill, Murphy said. The Senate voted down their legislation to block the weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. However, they forced a debate on the Senate floor, and a few months later, the administration canceled the sale.

"I think the debate we pushed on the floor had something to do with that," Murphy said.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon shares a passion with Paul for protecting the privacy rights of Americans. When Trump nominated Pompeo to lead the CIA, Wyden and Paul agreed that senators should know about Pompeo's proposal to expand a bulk data-collection program that alarmed civil liberties advocates.

Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sharply questioned Pompeo about the issue in his confirmation hearing. Though the committee and later the full Senate ultimately confirmed Pompeo, Wyden and Paul voted no.

Wyden said he spoke frequently with Paul and their staffs communicated, as well.

"National security is what we talk most about," Wyden said. "But our wives like each other."

Jennings said that in an era when Washington was known for its partisanship, Paul's work with Democrats and breaking with Republicans and Trump might not be such a bad thing.

"You're carving out a unique policy position that may align you with unlikely allies," he said. "It probably strengthens your hand when you're arguing on the Senate floor."

Or when you're running for president.

"He wants to shape the Republican Party in his own image," Holman said.

Read the original here:
Rand Paul in 2020? He's showing that independent streak again - MyDaytonDailyNews

In an abrupt and unexpected maneuver, Sen. Rand Paul no-showed at the 2017 International Students for Liberty Conference (ISFLC) in Washington D.C. tonight. The reason given by event organizers was that he was busy with an important Senate vote, but records suggestthat no such vote was taking place.

Wolf von Laer, President of Students for Liberty, claimed that Sen. Rand Paul couldnt make the conference due to pressing Senate business. However, the United States Senate Floors Twitter account reported that the body had adjourned at 1:54 pm in the afternoon, leaving attendees to speculate about the real reason why Rand didnt show up.

Recent controversial decisions from Senator Paulto support border enforcement measures and confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General had spurred ire from left-libertarians. It was heavily rumored that a large walk-out of attendees would have happened when Rand went on stage to protest these actions.

Pro-Islam activist Jeremy McLellan slammed Rand Paul after a taped message was displayed, claiming that Rand was phoning it in for the libertarian cause. McLellan, a purported comedian, didnt prepare much material, but rushed headlong into a diatribe of scripted insults toward Rand Paul. Afterwards, he went on his social media to boast about what he had done.

McLellans words were well-received by the left-libertarian dominated audience, who gave him repeated ovations. Meanwhile, Sen. Paul was treated like a reviled pariah, rather than a champion of liberty, by those in attendance. In fact, the lead singer of Trotskyist group Pussy Riot was much better received than Rand at last years ISFLC conference, even as she wore a pro-Bernie Sanders t-shirt. McLellans slurs against Rand were captured in their entirety:

The rest of the program consisted of a Muslim refugee activist appearing remotely to complain about Trumps temporary travel ban. The night concluded with a panel featuring Grover Norquist and Steve Forbes as well as a performance from the anarcho-capitalist rap group BackWordz. Many attendees were not pleased with how the situation regarding Rand unfolded.

The only reason I came to this event was to see Rand, Macomb Community College Young Americans for Liberty chapter lead Carlo Malaie said. I would have went to CPAC otherwise. It was incredibly disappointing that we were led on by the event organizers.

Even SFL members were disappointed in what took place.

I campaigned extensively for Rand, SFL campus coordinator TJ Roberts said. Most of the people I recruited for this conference attended because Sen. Paul was attending. Because of what happened, I feel like I was cheated and those people were completely mislead.

It remains to be seen whether SFL will providethe real reasons why Sen. Rand Paul didnt appear at the event. The Liberty Conservative will continue our coverage of the ISFLC 2017 as the event continues throughout the weekend.

Read this article:
Fearing Possible Walkout, Sen. Rand Paul No-Shows Students For ... - The Liberty Conservative

On theKilmeade and Friends radio show, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) told the hosts that launching an investigation into former White House security adviser Michael Flynn would be a waste of time.

I think that might be excessive, said Paul. It looks like the President has handled the situation, and unless theres some kind of other evidence of malfeasance, this sounds like something that was internal White House politics and it looks like the Presidents handled it.

Flynn resigned just hours after it was revealed that he had not been forthcoming about his communications with the Russian ambassadorSergey Kislyak. Since then, there have been calls by GOP officialsSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). and Texas Sen. John Cornyn to have Flynn investigated to find out more about what he told the Russian ambassador.

Paul, however, believes that such an investigation would get in the way of the GOP accomplishing greater things.

I just dont think its useful to be doing investigation after investigation, particularly of your own party. Well never even get started with doing the things we need to do, like repealing Obamacare, if were spending our whole time having Republicans investigate Republicans. I think it makes no sense, he continued.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has stated that he has no plans to investigate Flynn, but will instead let the House Intelligence Committee handle any inquiries into Flynn as they are already investigating the Russian hacks.

Read the original post:
Rand Paul says investigating Flynn would be excessive and makes no sense - TheBlaze.com

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Conservatives need to unite behind immediate and complete repeal!

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At the same time, conservatives need to rally to a plan that allows more people to buy insurance at a cheaper price. I have just such a plan, and it is gaining momentum.

We should not hesitate. Repeal and Replacement should happen as soon as humanly possible.

Each day, more stories appear about when to repeal, when and how to replace, and every day it seems some in my party lose their nerve.

Let me be as clear as I possibly can: The time is NOW.

We must keep our promises and FULLY repeal Obamacare, every bit of it. We must also at the same time offer to the American people our plan for healthcare going forward, and it must take us away from government control and toward a free market.

Big Government approaches are wrong, whether they are offered by Democrats and Republicans. We must move in another direction.

Ive offered a broad, bold and free market Obamacare Replacement bill. It is available to view atpaul.senate.gov, along with a summary.

My plan will ensure millions more people have access to better, less expensive health care.

First, my plan legalizes the sale of inexpensive insurance. Under Obamacare, it became illegal to sell or buy less expensive catastrophic insurance plans.

Second, my plan allows people to save for insurance by expanding tax-free Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). My plan allows the individual to use their HSA:

As more and more people spend their first dollar out of their HSA account, a marketplace will develop that makes patients cost conscious driving prices down.

Third, my plan will allow every individual the freedom to join an association to buy their health insurance. For the mom and pop small business, my plan allows them to leave behind a terrible system that causes them to live in fear of becoming ill or getting cancer. Allowing individuals to join an association with hundreds of thousands of other individuals will allow them to gain leverage to get less expensive insurance and demand protections against pre-existing conditions clauses.

Virtually every item in my bill has been previously introduced byRepublicanlegislators. My bill is a consensus bill that compiles the reforms all Republicans generally agree with and leaves out controversial subjects like refundable tax credits that will create a new trillion dollar entitlement program.

While it may not be everything everyone would want, it is largely everything we agree on. So lets get it done, and then continue to work on it over the next year.

So I say, Repeal Now. Replace Now. Keep our promises to those who overwhelmingly voted for change, and do it right now.

As a physician, no one hates Obamacare more than I do. I ran against it. I will vote to repeal it, and I want the chance to do so very soon.

But as a physician, I also know the underlying system is still broken, and simply repealing wont fix it by itself. We need the kind of reforms I have proposed.

I spoke last week to my fellow physician, incoming HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price. He agreed with me on the need to move soon, and the need to both repeal and offer a replacement.

In fact, as I pointed out to him, many of the ideas in my plan came from bills he has offered in the past as a member of Congress.

So we have broad agreement. We have a mandate from the elections. We just need to have the political will to get it done. I plan to lead this charge.

Continue reading here:
Exclusive Rand Paul: Repeal Now, Replace Now! - Breitbart News

WASHINGTON

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is quickly positioning himself again as a starkly independent Republican, the sort of political branding that fueled his presidential campaign last year.

Paul has a clearly conservative voting record. But just six weeks into the new Congress, he's taken some high-profile steps away from party orthodoxy.

He didn't get very far in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination last year. But he stood out then, and is trying to stand out now, by breaking with the party on the same issues where he attracted a following, particularly among the GOP's libertarian wing.

"I think he was trying to signal to his core supporters that he hasn't lost sight of or given up on the fiscal issues that propelled his movement to begin with," said Scott Jennings, a Republican political consultant in Kentucky.

Paul cast the only Republican vote against his party's first attempt last month to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He was also the only Republican to vote against Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's nominee for CIA director.

He's met with members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus _ perhaps best known for forcing a government shutdown and pushing former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to quit Congress _ to discuss health care changes. And he offered his own health care plan.

Paul would not comment to McClatchy, but spokesman Sergio Gor said the senator "has always been willing to work with individuals across the political spectrum who share the same goals."

Craig Holman, a lobbyist for Public Citizen, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, said Paul might be able to step in if Republicans turned on Trump or he became unelectable.

"I would fully expect Rand Paul to throw his hat in the ring," Holman said.

Paul continues to maintain his solid conservative credentials. The American Conservative Union gives him a lifetime legislative score of 97, the highest among Kentucky's delegation on Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has a lifetime score of 89.

Yet in a highly partisan, sometimes bitterly polarized Senate, Paul has proved willing to work with Democrats on issues where they agree, whether it's criminal justice, infrastructure, foreign policy or national security.

"I have heard people say that Rand is a well-liked member who has done a good job of cultivating relationships in both parties," Jennings said.

One of Paul's unlikely partnerships involved former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a liberal Democrat. They pushed a bill in 2015 to change the tax code to raise money for infrastructure.

He's worked with other Democrats who are not ordinarily his ideological soul mates, and they embrace it. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he'd introduced as many bills with Paul as he had with some of his Democratic colleagues.

Both co-sponsored a bill last year to block an Obama administration arms sale to Saudi Arabia over that country's airstrike campaign in Yemen, which has killed thousands of civilians.

"He's a real conservative firebrand who doesn't see relationships with Democrats as a sign of ideological weakness," Murphy said. "He's always been somebody who reaches out vigorously to Democrats, and that hasn't stopped since the election of Trump."

Paul and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker have banded together in an effort to keep nonviolent offenders out of prison and ensure they're not deprived of civil liberties.

"He's willing to lean in and work together with us on it," Booker said. "I'm proud that he's a partner with me on that."

Paul has long been a staunch critic of the foreign policy that got the U.S. into a prolonged and costly war in Iraq, and he hasn't spared either of Trump's predecessors, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W. Bush. It's a position that endears him to Democrats.

"We are often of like mind when it comes to the hubris America has exhibited in the world," Murphy said.

That doesn't have to mean passing a bill, Murphy said. The Senate voted down their legislation to block the weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. However, they forced a debate on the Senate floor, and a few months later, the administration canceled the sale.

"I think the debate we pushed on the floor had something to do with that," Murphy said.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon shares a passion with Paul for protecting the privacy rights of Americans. When Trump nominated Pompeo to lead the CIA, Wyden and Paul agreed that senators should know about Pompeo's proposal to expand a bulk data-collection program that alarmed civil liberties advocates.

Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sharply questioned Pompeo about the issue in his confirmation hearing. Though the committee and later the full Senate ultimately confirmed Pompeo, Wyden and Paul voted no.

Wyden said he spoke frequently with Paul and their staffs communicated, as well.

"National security is what we talk most about," Wyden said. "But our wives like each other."

Jennings said that in an era when Washington was known for its partisanship, Paul's work with Democrats and breaking with Republicans and Trump might not be such a bad thing.

"You're carving out a unique policy position that may align you with unlikely allies," he said. "It probably strengthens your hand when you're arguing on the Senate floor."

Or when you're running for president.

"He wants to shape the Republican Party in his own image," Holman said.

See more here:
Rand Paul in 2020? He's showing that independent streak again - MyPalmBeachPost