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Rand Paul, Opinion contributor Published 9:01 a.m. ET Aug. 20, 2020 | Updated 9:37 a.m. ET Aug. 20, 2020

Those with liberal or libertarian views on war and justice should prefer Trump over this ticket. He signed the First Step Act and hasn't started a war.

As a libertarian Republican, there are often times I agree with those on the other side of the aisle. Among those issues are war and criminal justice reform. Many if not all of my efforts in these areas have been rooted in my commitment to lead as many of my fellow Republicans as possible to what I believe is the position of principle and constitutional government.

Unfortunately, and too often in the past, these are the exact areas where the new Democratic ticket has fallen very short. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, much like Hillary Clinton, have poor records on foreign policy and criminal justice.

In 2002, Joe Biden was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As such, he could and should have been the check and balance against a misguided attempt by the Bush administration to go to war with Iraq.

Instead, as usual, Joe Biden chose the wrong, more hawkish path. Twenty-one of his Democratic colleagues, including my friends Ron Wyden and Pat Leahy, took the principled stand to oppose this war.

Do you know who else opposed this war? Donald Trump.By 2004 he was a full-blown opponent, and he ran for president loudly proclaiming that it was a geopolitical mistake that led to 15 years of increasingly bad policy in the Middle East.

When a candidate for office comes to me to ask for my endorsement in their campaign, this is the first question I ask: Do you believe the Iraq War was a mistake?

Joe Biden, who defended his vote to authorize the war for years, fails that test.

Biden is a reliable interventionist.He supported war in Libya, Syriaand Serbia. He pushed for NATO expansion and for more foreign aid to countries who hate America, like Pakistan.

Donald Trumps policy is to stop the endless wars Joe Biden spent his career starting.

The choice is very stark and very clear.

Joe Biden signs documents for receiving the Democratic presidential nomination in Wilmington, Delaware, on Aug. 14, 2020.(Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

On the issue of criminal justice, we have a two-for-one deal. Both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have a troubling history of putting minorities in prison for drug crimes.

Of course, once again, Joe Biden tops the list by far.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law a bill that brought great harm to a generation of Blackand Hispanic Americans.

Who stoodbehind him, applauding,when he signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act into law?

Joe Biden.

It was part of a long history of Biden playing the law and order card, which meant putting people away for harsh sentences, with clearly racial implications.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds: When Black lives matter to Democrats, and when they don't

Biden said it himself in a Senate floor speech earlier that same year: The truth is, every major crime bill since 1976 thats come out of this Congress, every minor crime bill, has had the name of the Democratic senator from the state of Delaware: Joe Biden.

Or, to put it more colloquially as Biden did: Lock the SOBs up.

Kamala Harris' record as a prosecutor was closely examined in the Democratic primary, and she was famously taken to task on it by my friend Tulsi Gabbard. Harris was on the wrong side of reform, or consciously silent. She refused to fight to overturn wrongful convictions, worked to continue draconian marijuana laws, and aggressively went after parents oftruant school children.

To put it mildly, this is not a ticket that those with liberal or libertarian views on war and justice should embrace.

Donald Trump signed historic, first-in-a-generation criminal justice reform legislation with the First Step Act, the first step to undo the damage of both Biden and Harris.

He has changed our foreign policy away from the hawks of both parties, and he became the first president in memory to not start a war in his term in office and is working to end the ones he inherited.

USPS: Unhinged liberals are trying to scare voters with Postal Service conspiracy theory

As America watches the Democratic ticket this week at their convention, I urge them to look closely. Look at the issues, the recordand the facts, rather than the rhetoric and promises of the speeches.

Perhaps youll find, as I did, that Donald Trump beats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on these issues, and it's not even that close.

Rand Paul is a Republican senator from Kentucky. Follow him on Twitter:@RandPaul

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On war and criminal justice reform, Trump is better than Biden and Harris: Sen. Rand Paul - USA TODAY

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Sen. Rand Paul gets it.

He understands that when it comes to the health, education and welfare of children, few things are more important to a family. He also knows a monopoly when he sees one.

Enter the SCHOOL Act, legislation Mr. Paul introduced in early August that encourages parents to opt their kids out of public schools and hands them the money to pay for tutoring, nonpublic schooling and education items, among other things.

Under the Kentucky Republicans plan, public school monopolies will have to share taxpayer dollars, and funds will have to follow the child, not the dictates of the system.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year opened the door to more public funding of private schools, and Mr. Paul goes even further with legislation that discards the one-size-fits-all system with its laws, practices and policies largely controlled by unions and educrats.

The federal government used to give families a lot of leeway. The Founding Fathers did, too allowing states to handle education matters. That was before Congress and the White House instituted reforms in 1953 via the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

President Carter flipped the script again in 1979 by taking education out of the bureaucratic HEW equation and establishing the cabinet-level Department of Education.

Oh well. Here we are.

State and local leaders are wearing their health (i.e. COVID-19) crayons into nubs and ignoring their education obligations.

In Maryland, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich tried to shutter private and religious schools during COVID-19. Parents told him to step back and leave our schools alone. Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, had their back.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio dont cotton to school choice and parental wherewithal. In left-leaning California, some public schools were pushing virtual learning, with teachers face-timing with students for only 1.5 to 2.5 hours a day.

If kids dont learn, tough.

And in the nations capital, the Bowser administration and the ultra-liberal D.C. Council are trying to juggle so many policies during the coronavirus pandemic, City Hall is on a virtual shutdown as well as the virus-related one. (City Administrator Rashad Young also walked away from the job in recent days.)

Whats especially troubling is that it seems none of the Democratic leaders are listening to parents, who need schools reopened so children can learn and play in familiar structured environments, and so parents can go back to work.

Police officers have children. Firefighters have children. Paramedics have children. Doctors, nurses and orderlies have kids. They cannot effectively and efficiently work virtually, and if public schools and day care centers are closed, they cannot get to their job sites.

The SCHOOL Act wont be voted on before Labor Day for two reasons: Congress is in recess; and the political conventions are on our doorstep. When lawmakers do return, another trillion-dollar stimulus package will perch atop the congressional to-do list.

Wisely, Mr. Paul is prepared to add the SCHOOL Act as an amendment to the next stimulus package and could very well proposal it as a standalone bill.

Of course, the Democrats, who are holding the Democratic National Convention this week, are unlikely to praise Mr. Pauls efforts at their confab because its their show and their show alone. Business as usual. But the Republicans, regardless of their personal thoughts about Mr. Paul. have a gathering coming up too, and the GOP should get behind the SCHOOL Act.

Education should focus on children and families, not the political proclivities of unionized, bureaucratic educrats.

The proposal mandates that money follows the child, not the system, whether learning in person or remotely, to the public school, private school, or home school they attend.

By the way, the bill applies to in-school and virtual learning, and the full title is the Support Children Having Open Opportunities for Learning Act of 2020.

Spot on.

Deborah Simmons can be contacted at [emailprotected]

Link:
Rand Paul's SCHOOL Act is spot on - Washington Times

Melinda Deslatte and Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press

Photo: Gerald Herbert, AP

Sen. Cassidy tests positive for virus, has COVID-19 symptoms

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing some COVID-19 symptoms. He said he is quarantining in Louisiana.

The Republican senator, 62, who is running for reelection on Nov. 3, is experiencing mild symptoms that began this morning, from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, his spokesperson Cole Avery said. Cassidy is at least the 13th member of Congress known to have tested positive for the coronavirus and only the second senator.

Cassidy, a physician from Baton Rouge who regularly wears a mask when in public and on Capitol Hill, said in a statement that he was tested after being notified Wednesday night that he'd been exposed to someone infected with the virus. The senator said he is adhering to medical guidance and notifying people with whom he may have come into contact.

I am strictly following the direction of our medical experts and strongly encourage others to do the same, he said.

A few hours later, the senator posted a short video on Twitter to thank folks for their concern and to let them know I'm OK. He also made a pitch for his legislation seeking more money for coronavirus testing.

Cassidy's announcement came a day after he was in north Louisiana, visiting a veterans hospital in Shreveport, where he posted a photo with an official from the facility.

His positive test comes as some Senate Republicans have pressured Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to boost testing for senators. McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have remained firm that there should be no special access for lawmakers as long as the general public doesnt have widespread workplace testing. They have both said that equipment and tests should instead be directed to front-line workers.

McConnell has also said he doesn't see the need for mask mandates in the Senate, where work spaces are more spread out and most members and staff have faithfully worn masks. In July, Pelosi and Capitol officials set broad new mask mandates after a Republican who had been walking the halls without a mask tested positive.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, was the first senator to contract the virus. He received a positive test in March but was asymptomatic. Paul, who is also a doctor, has since refused to wear a mask on Capitol Hill because he says he has already had the virus. It is not yet clear whether a person can contract the virus again.

Cassidy faces 14 opponents on the November ballot but is favored to win election to a second term in a deep red state where he has the backing of President Donald Trump and a $6 million campaign account. His highest-profile opponent is Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, a Democrat.

___

Jalonick reported from Washington.

Read more:
Sen. Cassidy tests positive for virus, has COVID-19 symptoms - The Advocate

Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota will accept crypto donations for his campaign.

The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and member of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus opened his first cryptocurrency town hall on Thursday with the announcement, telling CoinDesk that BitPay will process all donations.

The town hall, announced last week, was held in conjunction with the Chamber of Digital Commerce PAC to celebrate innovators in the crypt industry and to encourage engaged voters to participate in political discourse.

CDC founder and President Perianne Boring told CoinDesk contributors can make donations to Emmers campaign using any of the eight cryptocurrencies supported by BitPay, including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, Geminis U.S. dollar stablecoin and Circles USDC.

Emmer is not the first politician to accept crypto contributions. In 2015, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) accepted bitcoin to fund his presidential campaign. Last year, Democrats Rep. Eric Salwell of California and Andrew Yang both accepted crypto donations for their presidential campaigns as well. But, according to Boring, Rep. Emmers initiative is different.

Hes engaging the community. Its more than just adding a button on his campaign website. Its about including more people in the political process, especially young people who prefer to leverage advanced technologies, Boring said.

The crypto town hall was described as a celebration of innovators in the crypto space, and featured industry leaders BitPay CEO Stephan Pair, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, eToro Managing Director Guy Hirsch, Bloq co-founder and Chairman Matthew Roszak as well as Paxos co-founder and CEO Chad Cascarilla.

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US Congressman Tom Emmer Will Accept Crypto Donations for Reelection Campaign - CoinDesk - CoinDesk

Just like a bad break up, we point out the flaws that Amazon saw in your city's bid for their second headquarters. USA TODAY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. If Amazon brought its second headquarters to Louisville, city officials pitched the company, it could settle its employees on a riverfront campus spanning both sides of the Ohio River, retire to a "Camp Alexa" retreat location at General Butler State Park and enjoy $2.5 billion in incentives over 20 years "based on the sharing of future revenues."

The 137-page bid for Amazon's "HQ2" project, which Mayor Greg Fischer's administration has refused to release for two years, offers city-owned land and facilities downtown for an urban headquarters and sells the city's affordability, spirit of "exploration" and ability to serve as a regional talent magnet.

"Louisville is THE place to live, work, create and innovate," officials write in the document. "Swinging for the fences? Invented here. We believe that the homestretch is just the beginning. Just like our hometown hero Muhammad Ali, Louisville is the Greatest of All Time."

Read more: Louisville forced to hand over Amazon HQ2 proposal

If Louisville had won the Amazon sweepstakes, the company would have brought up to 50,000 high-paying jobs to the Derby City, as well $5 billion in capital investment over 15 to 17 years, according to Amazon's HQ2 request for proposal.

After Louisville's bid was rejected, The Courier Journal filed an open records request for the plan.Fischer's team has fought its release in court, arguing that releasing it would hurt the city's economic "playbook."

The Courier Journal won a Kentucky Court of Appeals case in 2019regarding the release of the Amazon bid, and prevailed again this month when the Kentucky Supreme Court declined the city's motion for review.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon,Fischer spokeswoman Jean Portersaid this was, and remains, "the most unusual business location process ever taken" because Amazon publicly announced its intent, process and other details.

Typically, she said, economic development prospects want confidentiality or anonymity.

Porter said the city took this open records fight to court "not because of concern about this particular proposal, but because of concerns about how future economic development projects which may need or want to remain confidential until a business decision is made could be impacted by the question about what is and what is not exempt under Kentucky's Open Records law."

"If Amazon had chosen to locate here, there certainly would have been a robust public discussion as seen in New York and Virginia particularly in Frankfort, which is the primary source of job creation incentives," Porter said.

See also: Why didn't Louisville make the Amazon HQ2 list? Here are some clues

Louisville's bid cost about $170,000 to prepare, The Courier Journal previously reported. Of that, $70,000 came from the city and about $100,000 came from private donations raised by Greater Louisville Inc., the region's chamber of commerce.

Highlights include:

Louisville's bid was one of238 proposals submitted across the United States. But it came up short:Amazon announced in November 2018 that its second HQ would be split into two locations: New York City and Arlington, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. Louisville was not named as one of the 20 finalists.

More on this:Watch the video used to pitch Louisville to Amazon in its failed bid

A few months later, on Valentine's Day 2019, Amazon broke up with New York City, announcing that a headquarters would not be placed in the Queens borough following intense opposition from local political leaders, including Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The retail giant said it would not search for a replacement.

Louisville's proposal included a plethora of testimonialsfrom local business executives, U.S. Sens.Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, Rep.John Yarmuth of Louisville, former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Fischer, among others.

Bevin wrote that the Bluegrass State "already enjoys a wonderful and prosperous relationship with Amazon," pointing to the 10,000 workers employed by the Seattle-based company in the commonwealth at the time and the selection of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport as a new cargo hub for Amazon Prime Air.

"We have already made great strides toward transforming Kentucky into one of America's most business friendly states, and you may rest assured that those efforts will continue," Bevin wrote in the letter dated Oct. 12, 2017.

Meanwhile, in an Oct. 16, 2017, letter, Fischer focused on Louisville's history of bringing in innovative minds, from Frederick Law Olmsted designing a system of parks and parkways in the 19th century to Henry Ford naming Louisville a pilot site for the auto manufacturing industry in the 20th century.

"The future of Louisville and the surrounding region will build on our storied heritage of makers, innovators, dreamers and change-agents a city that has never been content to sit still, but determined to punch above its weight," Fischer wrote.

The Fischer administration previouslyprovided The Courier Journal with several redacted pages about the proposal, includinga presentation dubbed "Louisville Bold" touting the cost of living, labor pool and internet connectivity.

It said Louisville would be "a bold choice for Amazons future" and that the city is "gathering momentum every day" to attract companies.

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Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Ben Tobin: 502-582-4181; bjtobin@gannett.com; Twitter: @TobinBen.

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'Camp Alexa' and $2.5 billion over 20 years: What Louisville offered Amazon in HQ2 pitch - Courier Journal