On Saturday, the New York Times published a lengthy article about Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that read a lot more like an op-ed written by a Paul-detractor than a news story appearing in the paper’s ‘Politics’ section. In “Rand Paul’s Mixed Inheritance,” writers Sam Tanehaus and Jim Rutenberg look at Sen. Paul’s past and speculate about his future as they reveal just how worried the left must be about his chances in 2016.
“The New York Times has an article on Rand Paul that is absolutely amazing. They are so afraid of this guy, so afraid of him,” Glenn said on radio this morning. “And this is not an op-ed piece… They called him every name under the sun… They have made him into the worst monster… They are terrified of Rand Paul. Terrified of him.”
“I'm not as big a Rand Paul supporter as you are,” Pat added. “But this is a hatchet job.”
You don’t need to read any further than the opening paragraph to understand the purpose and tone of the article. Tanehaus and Rutenberg write:
The libertarian faithful — antitax activists and war protesters, John Birch Society members and a smattering of “truthers” who suspect the government’s hand in the 2001 terrorist attacks — gathered last September, eager to see the rising star of their movement.
“I actually stopped and laughed out loud,” Glenn said. “[Then] sent this to Pat and Stu last night and said, ‘Look at how afraid they are.’”
While Sen. Paul refers to himself as a “Libertarian Republican,” the article points to Sen. Paul’s admission that he considers his father, former Texas congressman Ron Paul, his “hero” as proof he is far more libertarian than Republican. Furthermore, the piece explains his father’s involvement in the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Alabama.
According to the article:
Some scholars affiliated with the Mises Institute have combined dark biblical prophecy with apocalyptic warnings that the nation is plunging toward economic collapse and cultural ruin. Others have championed the Confederacy. One economist, while faulting slavery because it was involuntary, suggested in an interview that the daily life of the enslaved was “not so bad — you pick cotton and sing songs.”
But, not to worry, the writers are quick to remind us that Sen. Paul “says he abhors racism, has never visited the institute and should not have to answer for the more extreme views of all of those in the libertarian orbit.”
Phew.
“This is a coordinated attack. Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz are surrounded by people on both sides of the aisle in Washington DC. All of the power brokers hate those guys… We won't cover for them. We will not make excuses for them if they make a mistake, if they go off the rails. But we want you to know that we will also expose the truth about those who are writing things like this in the New York Times,” Glenn concluded. “All the news that's fit to print… It's not fit to print. It's not fit to read. Nobody wants to read it. It screams fear. They are afraid of freedom.”
Read the entire New York Times article HERE.
Front page image courtesy of the AP
