Rand Paul: "Unite 'the two Americas"

ecard71 Mon, 01/18/2016 - 17:51

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is using Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to push for criminal justice reform to unite "the two Americas."

"Let’s commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King by uniting the two Americas into one: an America that includes justice for one, and justice for all," Paul wrote in a Time op-ed on Monday. 
A bipartisan group of senators has also rolled out legislation that would reduce some mandatory minimum sentences, including those for nonviolent drug offenders, while increasing mandatory minimums in other areas. 
 
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who is competing with Paul for the GOP presidential nomination, was one of five Republicans to vote against the legislation during a Judiciary Committee meeting. 
 
Paul added in his Time op-ed that while Americans should "be aware" of injustices included in the criminal system, "we shouldn't be misled to believe that excessive force is the norm, not the exception." 
 
"I believe that most police are conscientious and want only to provide safety for us," he wrote. "The blame should be directed to the laws and the politicians who order police into untenable positions, that insist on 'taking down' someone for selling a couple of untaxed cigarettes."
 
The use of force by police officers has been under the media spotlight after a string of deaths of African American men sparked protest around the country over the past year. 
 
Paul also discussed the issue during his campaign stops in Iowa on Monday, and suggested that Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has tried to distance herself from the policies of her husband's administration. 
 
"She conveniently forgets that many of the worst bills that need fixing in our fight for justice are Clinton bills," he said. "Fed mandatory minimums and 3 strikes & life bills came from Clinton's attempt to look tough on crime. They put a [generation] of minorities in prison."

http://time.com/3671819/sen-rand-paul-eric-garner-and-michael-brown-and-...

 

In another post, BaneMaler posted a short clip of the following:

More than 50 people packed into the Platinum Kutz barbershop in the Drake neighborhood in Des Moines to ask Paul questions.

“I’ve been working with the other side for several years now on all of these issues above and beyond the presidential campaign,” Paul said. “I think you’ll find me a different sort of Republican.”

Paul said he has proposed at least 10 criminal justice reform bills, and has worked with the Congressional Black Caucus to form policy. He said he wants to see more records expunged for non-violent criminals who have “done their time” and who “ought to get a second chance.”

Paul said he would also get rid of mandatory minimum sentencing and give judges more discretion when it comes to sentencing. The reforms would not apply to child predators or other violent criminals who “hurt somebody in the process” of their crime, he said.

“I also think that we need sentencing reform, where people aren’t going to jail for 15, 20 years for youthful, non-violent mistakes,” Paul said to applause from the crowd. “Republicans are always saying 'we don’t want this big welfare state, we want people working.' We do, we want people working but what’s the biggest impediment to getting a job in our country? Having a criminal record.”

Paul questioned Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s stance in Sunday’s debate regarding her husband’s criminal justice reform bill passed in the early 1990s. He said Clinton should say whether she’s sorry for supporting a bill that “put a whole generation of young African-Americans in jail.”

Employees and patrons of Platinum Kutz got to ask Paul direct questions during the stop. He spent about 20 minutes with the group, before pastors said a prayer and local rapper Will Keeps sang the national anthem in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Among the attendees was State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines, who told Paul: “The urban core is largely forgotten. I don’t know another candidate that has walked in a barbershop ever before, and we applaud you for that.”

REACTION: The crowd asked the senator several questions, listened politely, and applauded several times.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucu...

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ecard71's picture
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I STILL STAND WITH RAND!
herbrp's picture

I would actually favor a Rand Paul/Bernie Sanders ticket. Screw the rest of the candidates. If they joined as running mates it might set the table to be one of the greatest landslide victories in Presidential history. It would bring together fiscal conservative, non-interventionist foreign policy and more liberal social platforms that might be the only way to make a dent in the military industrial, big pharma, mainstream media and other corporate fascist strangleholds on society.