Rand Paul Likens Obama Exec Action To Japanese Internment Camp Order

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) speaks at the California GOP convention on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, in Los Angeles. Paul has sought a broader audience this year as he has aggressively traveled the country ahead of a potentia... Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) speaks at the California GOP convention on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, in Los Angeles. Paul has sought a broader audience this year as he has aggressively traveled the country ahead of a potential presidential bid in 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) MORE LESS
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) likened President Barack Obama’s decision to take executive action on immigration to then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s executive order authorizing putting Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II.

Paul made the comments on Friday, a day after Obama formally announced the executive actions, at the Kentucky Association of Counties conference in Lexington, Kentucky.

“I care that too much power gets in one place. Why? Because there are instances in our history where we allow power to gravitate toward one person and that one person then makes decisions that really are egregious,” Paul said. “Think of what happened in World War II where they made the decision. The president issued an executive order. He said to Japanese people ‘we’re going to put you in a camp. We’re going to take away all your rights and liberties and we’re going to intern you in a camp.'”

“We shouldn’t allow that much power to gravitate to one individual. We need to separate the power.”

The video of Paul’s comments were clipped by the Democratic-leaning opposition research shop American Bridge. Watch Paul below:

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Notable Replies

  1. I see. Is it the Zyprexa-free tangential word association hour at the mental institution again already?

  2. One of the few Republicans with any interest in doing outreach to minorities just decided that not only way he going to come out against Obama’s immigration order, but he was going to make sure to drag the Asians into it.

    Mission Accomplished, Senator Paul!

  3. …except this isn’t putting people into camps and stripping them of their rights, liberties and possessions.

    It’s giving them a chance to be true Americans.

  4. Asshatsaywhat?

    The obvious coda to Sen. Paul’s idocy being, “Unless I’m elected President, of course, then let the good times roll!”

  5. And, of course!, if a Democrat had ever made an analogy like this, every. single. pundit in the MSM would be OUTRAGED beyond words. Apoplectic for days.

    When a Repub does it, they smile faintly and say it was a bit over the top but they understand the point.

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