Are We Too Hard On Rand Paul?
Rand Paul was interviewed by the New York Times in a magazine piece titled "Has the 'Libertarian Moment' Finally Arrived?" (a great read actually) and was quoted addressing the criticism he receives from libertarian publications (including ours).
But later, with an irritated edge to his voice, Paul added: “Some people are purists, and I get grief all the time — all these libertarian websites hating on me because I’m not as pure as my dad. And I’m putting restrictions on foreign aid instead of eliminating foreign aid altogether. And I’m like: ‘Look, guys, I’m having trouble putting these restrictions on, much less eliminating them! So give me a break!’ ”
Should we give Rand a break? Despite the numerous articles myself (as our resident Rand lambaster) and others have written on his shortcomings or betrayals of libertarian ethics, the answer to this is a resounding yes. Despite my writing on Rand, I typically couch many of my articles with "yet, he's still the best option we have," which is the truth exponentially multiplied by about one-thousand. And I will most definitely give him kudos for standing up on issues that are libertarian points of interest. But, should we give Rand a break yet? Rand has termed himself as "libertarian-ish" and that's a grand description of the man. He does defend many of the libertarian causes that we "purists" (and that term is up for debate) hold dear - free markets, privacy, etc. And his positions on other hot topics like foreign policy and the war on drugs, while not perfect, are far advanced beyond those of his peers in Washington.Some other views, however, like blindly supporting Israel, I can't tolerate under any circumstances. And when he embraces the neocons and "Stands with Israel" in this fashion he should be called out by we "purists" or anyone else who has a differing opinion on his stances. Just because we levy criticism on the man doesn't mean we don't appreciate who or what he is overall. We'll give Rand a break at the polls. I may even give Rand support financially when the time comes and if he makes a run for President. But until then, he'll have to take his lumps along with his accolades from the libertarian community.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
