Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) got into a testy exchange Wednesday with a female anchor whom he accused of “editorializing” for pointing out his evolving foreign policy positions.
In an interview on NBC’s “Today,” Savannah Guthrie asked the newly-minted presidential candidate whether he’d “mellowed out” over the years on his “unorthodox” positions toward Iran, foreign aid to Israel and defense spending.
“Why don’t you let me explain instead of talking over me, okay?” Paul interrupted. “Before we go through a litany of things you say I’ve changed on, why don’t you ask me a question? ‘Have I changed my opinion?’ That would be sort of a better way to approach an interview.”
“Okay, is Iran still not a threat?” Guthrie ventured.
“No, no, no, no, no, listen,” Paul replied. “You’ve editorialized. Let me answer a question. You ask a question and you say, ‘Have your views changed?’ Instead of editorializing and saying my views have changed.”
The interview was reminiscent of a February exchange between Paul and CNBC anchor Kelly Evans about tax holiday legislation. Paul had accused Evans of mischaracterizing the issue, told her to “calm down” and shushed her.
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Thin skinned butthead. This guy is going to be lunch meat once the GOP “debates” ratchet up.
Asshat! R. Paul has a bad habit of doing this, to women in particular.
Well if this is how he’s going to handle questions from a Today Show anchor, then his candidacy is in big trouble if some real journalists (wherever they are) start questioning him on his many positions over the years
The true definition of ‘mansplaining’.
This seems to be his MO, talking down to women who ask what he deems impertinent questions or running away from them, in the case of Maddow’s persistence (and then there was the running away from the Dreamers). He’s going to have to learn he has to answer questions that aren’t always the ones he wants asked. And if he doesn’t learn that? Buh bye.