Rand Paul Steps Away From Bundy: ‘I Wholeheartedly Disagree’

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talks to media outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, after an event hosted by President Barack Obama about the Promise Zones Initiative. The Promise Zone Initiative is ... Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talks to media outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, after an event hosted by President Barack Obama about the Promise Zones Initiative. The Promise Zone Initiative is part of a plan to create a better bargain for the middle-class by partnering with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster MORE LESS
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U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) sought to distance himself Thursday from Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy after the latter’s racially charged comments.

“His remarks on race are offensive and I wholeheartedly disagree with him,” Paul told Business Insider in a statement.

Bundy had openly wondered last weekend if black people had been “better off slaves” in comments reported Wednesday by the New York Times.

Paul had offered some support for Bundy’s cause in earlier remarks about the rancher’s standoff with the federal government, criticizing the armed federal presence.

“The federal government shouldn’t violate the law, nor should we have 48 federal agencies carrying weapons and having SWAT teams,” Paul had said.

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  1. As usual, when libertarians unleash their bromides that sound pleasing to pot dealers and such, I am left confused as to the details of exactly how the particular piece of the Freedom Utopia agenda would work.

    Is he saying would prefer for the federal government just have One Big Agency with SWAT teams that get used to enforce the laws administered by every department and agency when law breakers break out the guns and camo? Because that doesn’t sound very freedomy.

    Or could it be that what he really wants is for us to have to send in Army or National Guard units whose train to respond to military threats and would thus believe the proper response is to call in artillery strikes and armor and Apache gunships to wipe 'em off the face of the Earth?

    Or is he saying the federal government should have no capacity whatsoever to enforce federal law when people resist it by force of arms?

    Or is he saying that we should privatize federal law enforcement and pay independent contractors to deal with armed resistance to federal law?

    I’m suspecting it’s one of the latter two.

  2. We also shouldn’t have elected officials personally making millions of dollars from government programs while simultaneously running around and campaigning against said programs.

  3. So, let me get this straight.

    Everyone should be able to carry weapons except the federal agencies?

  4. Too late, Rug Head. They’ve got this thing called the Internet? And cell phone cameras? And The Google? You’re on record and it’s going to continue to bite you on the ass.

    You’re never, ever, ever going to be President, you tiny little man.

  5. Rand Paul Steps Away From Bundy: ‘I Wholeheartedly Disagree In Public

    • there, fixed it for ya.

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