I was watching Paul being interviewed tonight on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show, and it brought back memories of discussions I had with self-described conservatives back in the 1980s. I would ask them about certain things that would happen if their policy notions were implemented, and they simply ignored me or went on to talk about something irrelevant. I remember one issue in particular: abortion. I told them that I could understand if they wanted to believe in a theological idea that human life began at conception, but then they obviously couldn't want to compel others to live by their theology, if they still wanted to observe any reasonable notion of "freedom of religion." I also suggested that if they wanted to demonstrate scientifically that a sperm or egg cell wasn't "alive" but that once fertilization occurred there was "life," I would welcome reading their thesis. The point is not that my argument is good, but that they would not address it. They acted like it did not exist.
Tonight, Maddow asked Paul several times about a specific instance during the "Civil Rights Movement," which involved "black" citizens who wanted to sit at a Woolworth's lunch counter (in Greensboro, NC; 1960) and eat, even though the store told them that they were not allowed. He kept telling her that it was somehow not relevant, but that "liberals" should worry about it being "turned" on them, because gun owners might want to bring guns into stores or restaurants. Apparently, he doesn't realize that states can pass laws about private ownership of guns, and that the Supreme Court has yet to rule on all the minutiae involved in attempting to interpret the Second Amendment.
Instead, he mentioned the First Amendment several times, apparently thinking that racial (or other) discrimination should be viewed as "free speech." His appearance was confusing (in terms of his attempts at logical thought) and frightening, because he seemed to be saying that because he thinks he is a "good man" who is against racism that his specific positions on issues as basic and important as racial discrimination should be ignored. Sorry, but if my grandfather was a racist, or was willing to accept racist policies, I would still vote against him, regardless of how I treated him at family gatherings.