Actually I have no idea if he’s racist or not. But that doesn’t matter: Talking about his alleged racism misses the real story.
We need to stop focusing on Civil Rights, which aren’t exactly a good issue for us in Kentucky. Remember this from the 2008 primary?
Nearly two in 10 whites said race was an important factor in their vote, and nearly nine in 10 of them voted for Clinton. More strikingly, among those whites who called race a factor, just 29 percent said they'd support Obama if he's the nominee in November – the fewest to date in states where the question's been asked.
This, from Democratic Primary Voters. Dkos and Rachael Maddow calling Rand a "racist" is not going to cost him many votes. In fact, it may get him some!
Instead, we need to focus on the fact that "Ayn" Rand Paul is something much worse than a Racist.
He’s a Libertarian.
Yes, a God-dammed Libertarian. Don’t ask him about Rosa Parks. Ask him about:
- FDA meat inspection
- Mine safety regulations
- Regulating oil drilling
- Highway funding.
Ask him about Social Security.
Ask him if he wants to de-regulate Banks some more. Ask him why tax cuts for the rich wrecked the economy; ask him if we should still privatize Social Security.
Once people see how nutty Libertarianism is, they will recoil from it.
The KY Senate race is the race we have been waiting for. It is a chance to finally attack the ideology of the Right-Wing without the confusing fog of "God, Gays, and Guns". Small-government free-market conservatism is wrong, it is bad, its legacy costs us blood and treasure as we speak. But by bringing up Civil Rights, we are letting "Ayn" Rand Paul run against Jeremiah Wright. Instead we need to let Jack Conway run against Milton Friedman.
But, please...stop with the Racism accusations. That is not how to win swing voters in Kentucky.