During his filibuster earlier this year, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was widely viewed as an enemy of the state by the mainstream media. During the more recent Obamacare and debt ceiling debates, however, Sen. Paul has taken a sideline approach as his colleagues like Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) garner the majority of the media attention.
Apparently Sen. Paul’s silence has been construed as disgruntlement by at least some in the media, for CNN’s Candy Crowley actually asked Sen. Paul if he would consider switching parties during an interview on Sunday’s State of the Union.
“Candy Crowley, I mean, didn't they hate Rand Paul recently,” Glenn asked on radio this morning. “But because Rand Paul is out of this fight and has stayed on the sidelines, now Rand Paul is suddenly the most reasonable man in America. In fact, maybe Rand should become a Democrat. I'm not kidding you.”
CROWLEY: Do you see yourself at any point in the future being other than politically a member of the Republican Party?
RAND PAUL: You mean, you're implying a third party or some other party?
CROWLEY: Or if you wanted to become a Democrat. There's lots of third parties out there. Just wonder if you see, see yourself being anything other than a Republican.
RAND PAUL: No, I've always been a Republican and I'm one of those people who actually is a real lover of the history of the Republican Party – from the days of abolition through the days of civil rights. The Republican Party has a really rich history. In our state, I'm really proud of the fact that the ones who overturned Jim Crow in Kentucky were Republicans fighting against an entirely unified Democrat Party. So I am proud to be a Republican, can't imagine being anything else.
“That is the greatest answer I've ever heard,” Glenn said.
“It is,” Pat agreed, “because he's not necessarily proud of the current Republican Party. But he's proud of the rich history of the Republican Party.”
The beauty of Sen. Paul’s answer is that it does not condone or support the current state of the Republican Party, but it also doesn’t give Crowley the satisfaction of hearing him bash Republicans. Glenn explained that conservatives should actually find solace and hope in the history of the Republican Party that Sen. Paul refers to.
“I want you to think of one thing. I want you to remember that the Republicans in 1850 didn't exist. 1850 they didn't exist. And we were talking about slavery and it was the Whigs and the Democrats. And the Democrats were all for slavery and the Whigs were too. It's kind of like the Republicans now. The Whigs were, too, but they'd talk a better game. The Democrats were into, ‘These aren't people. Let's put chains around them.’ The Whigs were like, ‘Oh, come on now. Let's vote me in another time and we're going to end this slavery thing’ and then that would never happen… It [was] a one-party system,” Glenn explained. “And so there were 20 of them, mainly Whigs but I think there were a couple of Democrats, and they left. And they said, ‘We're going to start our own party.’ That was I think 1850 to 1853, somewhere in that area. By 1860 the Republicans had not only destroyed the Whigs but they ran a Republican president, Abraham Lincoln.”
“From zero to the president of the United States within 10 years. And that's with no real press… You couldn't share this information as rapidly as we can now. You don't need ten years. You could do it in 18 months,” he continued. “And I think you're approaching it. And I think the way to do it is to try to save the rich heritage of the Republicans, although I don't know anybody even cares anymore, but save the rich heritage of the Republicans, leave that infrastructure in place but get the people like John McCain and all of those guys out. Get them to leave the party.”
