TPM Reader CS chimes in on libertarianism and civil rights … Read More

It’s sounding like Rand Paul’s would-be senate colleagues are not eager to comment on his views on the Civil Rights Act.

Paul announces: “I Will Not Support Any Efforts To Repeal The Civil Rights Act”

Late Update: Dan Savage has a great headline for the piece linked above: “Rand Paul Distances Himself From Rand Paul.”

Rand Paul says opposing Civil Rights Act is “hard part about believing in freedom.”

So just what did Rand Paul say on Maddow last night? Our Evan McMorris-Santoro explains the details.

TPM Reader SW wrote in this morning cautioning that we make clear that opposing all civil rights legislation on libertarian grounds doesn’t mean you don’t support civil rights. I think this is far from an uncontested claim. And since the Rand Paul situation is going to be raising it to such high salience I wanted to share SW’s email with you and give you my thoughts on the underlying question. Read More

It seems pretty clear that Rand Paul’s views on federal civil rights laws are, rightly, going to be the big story today. But don’t miss this one. Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, who’s now the Republican nominee for Governor, is subpoenaing Twitter to let him know the identity of one of his biggest Twitter critics not for any legal rationale other than he wants to know who’s criticizing him so much. Definitely give this one a read.

The verdict on last’s night state dinner at the White House: no gate-crashers! That and the day’s other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

I’m not sure if it’s case of him calling off the dogs so much as having the dogs unleashed on him. Either way, Democrats quickly coalesced yesterday around Attorney General Jack Conway as the nominee for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, so Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo called off his demand for a recanvass, which seems appropriate since Mongiardo had already conceded on election night.

The state of the Arkansas Democratic Senate primary, with the most recent overnight snap poll released today.

(For a full-sized graph, click the TPM logo at the lower left.)