Senator Rand Paul appeared on the newly minted Fox Business show Kennedy to explain how conservative libertarian Republicans could theoretically win elections.
Paul believes that moderate Republicans such as Jeb Bush who support Common Core will have a harder time, especially if the vote is split between other establishment picks such as Chris Christie. The Kentucky Senator explains that he thinks the GOP has been losing in the past because the party hasn’t been speaking across the board. His criticism of the NSA, and of the racial aspect of the War on Drugs, he thinks might help bring new life into the Republican Party.
Kennedy said that she asked Ron Paul if he thought that a true libertarian could get elected, which he was not optimistic about. Paul didn’t believe so because a pure libertarian would have to actually devote bills. But the younger Paul disagreed, saying that the only person that anyone ever agrees with purely is themselves.
While Paul argued that a national defense is important, but that we don’t always have to see America playing the role of world police. When asked how he would reduce violence around the world, Paul pointed to the failure of interventionism in Libya, and how it sent a bad message to Iran. The senator believes that Iran now is deincentivized to be dissuaded from their nuclear ambitions, owing to the fact that Qadafi’s disarming made him vulnerable to attack.
Paul did part ways with pacifism in the face of ISIS threats, suggesting that the Islamists threatened the American embassy in Baghdad. He believes that people rightly criticized Hillary Clinton for not acting properly to defend American assets in Benghazi, and that we should look to avoid those same mistakes.
Paul also defended the Koch brothers, who he recently met with at a special conference. Paul chastised liberals who vilify successful businessmen, who like many others just want to be left alone. Kennedy asked Paul if he thought the Kochs might bankroll a libertarian leaning candidate. Paul didn’t know, but he defied “liberal haters” to prove that they have ever asked for a government subsidy.
Civil asset forfeiture, and police abuse are also discussed in this wide-ranging and fascinating interview between two libertarian luminaries.
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