On Thursday’s PoliticsNation on MSNBC, host Al Sharpton was irritated that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) dared to suggest that President Obama should be more concerned about NSA spying because of our country’s history of civil rights leaders being spied upon. Sharpton thundered, “[W]ho is Rand Paul to make this point? This is a cynical use of race from some on the right.”
It was “cynical,” according to Sharpton, because some Republicans have done the opposite of Paul and criticized Obama when he does talk about race. But who is Al Sharpton to accuse someone else of the cynical use of race? The reverend has built his career by relentlessly exploiting racial issues.
Rand Paul
By Paul Bremmer | March 21, 2014 | 12:11 PM EDT
By Mark Finkelstein | February 17, 2014 | 8:08 AM EST
So who's being the sexist? Mika Brzezinski went ballistic on today's Morning Joe over Republicans like Rand Paul raising Monica Lewinsky in the context of a possible Hillary presidential run, calling them "sexist" and "misogynistic." But in the course of her rant, Mika mockingly referred to such Republicans as "little peanuts." Hmm.
Did Mika need to use such suggestive, demeaning language in making her point? You have to view the video to get just how derisive was Mika with her "little peanut" line. View the video after the jump.
By Matt Hadro | February 4, 2014 | 11:35 PM EST
CNN's Wolf Blitzer pelted Sen. Rand Paul with pro-ObamaCare talking points on Tuesday's The Situation Room, going so far as to list what he thought were the "all the positive features" of the law.
"But you like the fact that people can stay on their parents' health insurance programs until they reach the age of 26. That you don't have to worry about pre-existing conditions any longer. You can change your jobs, still get health insurance. You like all the positive features of the Affordable Care Act?" Blitzer pressed the senator.
By Jeffrey Meyer | January 30, 2014 | 12:09 PM EST
Sen. Rand Paul sat down with NPR anchor Audie Cornish on the January 29th All Things Considered, and from the moment the interview began, NPR’s listeners knew the likely outcome: a one-sided attack job.
Anchor Robert Siegel explained that while Cathy McMorris Rodgers gave the official GOP response, Sen. Mike Lee had a Tea Party response, and Paul had an online video response. Cornish began the interview by asking, “How do you convince the independent voter out there who sees this kind of mishmash of responses from various Republicans and no definitive agenda?”
By Scott Whitlock | January 29, 2014 | 10:05 AM EST
The women of CBS This Morning did not seem to appreciate Rand Paul's recent comments on Bill Clinton and his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The Republican senator appeared on the morning show, Wednesday, to discuss the State of the Union address. However, King echoed the language of Secretary Clinton's famous testimony about the Benghazi terrorist attack. Speaking of the ex-president's affairs, she huffed, "But what difference does that make and what good comes of that now two decades later? What do you hope will come of that conversation?" [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
Paul retorted by calling the former president a "serial philanderer" and added, "But he was a person who took advantage of a young girl in the workplace and I think that's inexcusable and that kind of war on women should end." O'Donnell icily responded, "And what do you think that has to do if Hillary Clinton runs for president?" Speaking of the potential Democratic presidential nominee, Paul quipped, "She's had to tolerate the same sort of problems from him, you know, I guess, over time."
By Mark Finkelstein | January 28, 2014 | 7:52 PM EST
Did Al Sharpton just stumble into some unfortunate phrasing, or did he take an intentionally vulgar shot at Rand Paul?
On his MSNBC show tonight, discussing the fact that Paul recently raised the most salacious scandal of Bill Clinton's presidency, Sharpton said "Rand Paul is really going to try to do the Monica Lewinsky on the Democrats as a way of countering the war on women that they're doing with legislation and all kinds of things." I'm inclined to believe the sly Sharpton knew exactly what he was doing. View the video after the jump.
MSNBC's Joy Reid: GOP Bringing Up Clinton Lewinsky Affair 'Might Be the Definition of the War on Women'
By Brad Wilmouth | January 28, 2014 | 5:23 PM EST
On Monday's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC, responding to Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul invoking former President Bill Clinton's behavior toward women, MSNBC contributor Joy Reid ridiculously asserted that linking Hillary Clinton to her husband's behavior "might be the definition of the war on woman, war on women to reduce Hillary Clinton to the wife of the cheating ex-President."
After host Lawrence O'Donnell played the clip of Senator Paul from NBC's Meet the Press, Reid began:
By Matt Hadro | January 27, 2014 | 10:05 PM EST
On Monday's Nightly News, NBC's Brian Williams fretted over "personal" shots at Hillary Clinton from Republicans, and correspondent Andrea Mitchell suggested that the GOP has an ongoing women problem.
"[T]he attacks are already underway in case she [Clinton] joins the race. And it's indeed already getting personal," said Williams, referring to Sen. Rand Paul's remark that Bill Clinton's sex scandal should "complicate his return to the White House as a spouse." Paul wasn't even referring to Hillary, though, and said as much to Meet the Press host David Gregory.
By Kyle Drennen | January 27, 2014 | 10:34 AM EST
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul appeared on Sunday's Meet the Press and pointed out the hypocrisy of Democrats accusing Republicans of a "war on women" despite their support of former President Bill Clinton, who "took advantage of a girl that was 20 years old and an intern in his office." Despite Paul making on the comments on NBC, only CBS This Morning on Monday reported the remarks. [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
This Morning co-host Norah O'Donnell told viewers: "Senator Rand Paul says any Democrat who believes there's a GOP war against women should think about former President Bill Clinton....Paul said Sunday that if Hillary Clinton runs for president, Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky is a legitimate campaign issue."
By Noel Sheppard | January 26, 2014 | 11:15 AM EST
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) made quite a strong statement Sunday about the so-called “Republican War on Women” and the double standards by which the sexual escapades of both Parties are reported by the media.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Paul said, “One of the workplace laws and rules that I think are good is that bosses shouldn't prey on young interns in their office. And I think really the media seems to have given President Clinton a pass on this” (video follows with transcript commentary, relevant section begins at 2:41):
By Brad Wilmouth | January 6, 2014 | 10:57 AM EST
Friday's All In with Chris Hayes exhibited host Hayes's latest example of fuzzy logic as he argued that paying people unemployment benefits, rather than encouraging them to go longer without taking a new job, actually encourages them to "get back to work."
After applying loaded words and phrases like "unconscionably" and "screwing over millions of people" to Republican opposition to unemployment benefit extension, the MSNBC host played a clip of Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul arguing that unemployment benefits encourage people to remain unemployed longer, and then responded:
By Brad Wilmouth | December 27, 2013 | 12:23 PM EST
On Thursday's PoliticsNation on MSNBC, during a discussion of Republican resistance to extending unemployment benefits, MSNBC political analyst Goldie Taylor charged that the GOP "almost single-handedly blew up this economy," and that it was "as if" they "blew up" the "bridge" and then "dared people to cross to the other side of the canyon on their own."
After host Al Sharpton played several soundbites of Republican elected officials and complained that they "act as though" the unemployed are "dependents, that they're some kind of beggars," he turned to Taylor who responded: