Rand Paul Meet Elizabeth Warren
Can a dream ticket cross party lines to restore America?
Is Rand Paul plus Elizabeth Warren the threat to America that many in their respective parties seem to make them out to be? Exactly what is it that they advocate that makes these two Americans political enemy number one in a system already littered with wealthy elites buying elections, and a political machine actively pumping out the illusion of electoral choice for Joe Public? Upon close observation, it appears one could make the argument that these two politicos are only a threat to a small number of puppet masters behind the scenes profiting from war, bank crime, fraud, and a myriad of other sinful pleasures a handful in America fear losing.
Elizabeth Warren and Rand Paul: Why Are They So Scary?
Rand Paul is a junior Kentucky Senator running for President for the first time in 2016. Known best among the GOP for his libertarian views, he most recently made headlines for conducting a filibuster to restore constitutionally sound civil liberties to American citizens. Specifically, he ‘filibustered’ in the Senate to force an expiration of certain sections of the National Security Agency’s Patriot Act that allowed for mass spying of Americans’ telephone records and metadata collection among other things (RealClearPolitics).
In his own words, Paul stated that, “In the aftermath of 9/11, the Patriot Act was rushed to the floor. Several hundred pages. Nobody read it … But people voted because they were fearful and people said there could be another attack and Americans will blame me if I don't vote on this…Any time someone tries to tell you that metadata is ‘meaningless, don't worry, it's just who you call, it's just phone records, it's not a big deal’ – realize we kill people based on metadata. So they must be pretty darn certain that they think they know something based on metadata.”
Needless to say that Paul’s position has ruffled feathers on both sides of the aisle. One could even conclude that Senator Lindsey Graham, another GOP Presidential hopeful, only threw his hat in the ring to ‘take down’ the Paul campaign from the start. In a statement to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, Graham said of Paul, “Well, when I came out of my coma, I would support Rand Paul…I mean, it would be devastating, I think, for our party to nominate Rand Paul as our nominee on national security, in particular.”
Graham is not the only ‘Just Say NO to Rand Paul’ guy seeming to be running a campaign specifically against the Kentuckian. A handful of super wealthy individual donors and Super Political Action Committees with unlimited spending capacity have also very vocally begun the anti-Paul jog around major and even minor media sources. With so many people against Paul, it begs question, is he saying something right that a very tiny minority don’t want the masses to know about?
According to the Christian Science Monitor, people like “Las Vegas casino owner Sheldon Adelson, New York hedge fund pioneer Michael Steinhardt and Ken Abramowitz, founder of a venture capital firm in New York” are all onboard to conduct a serious campaign against Paul. Furthermore, one of Mitt Romney’s wealthy campaign buddies from 2012 has come out publicly and stated "I do not know of a single person in Mitt Romney's donor network who will be with Rand Paul," said Phil Rosen, a Manhattan attorney and top fundraiser for the 2012 Republican nominee. Rosen said he met with Paul and politely told him he wouldn't be supporting him "because of his isolationist and libertarian policies" (Christian Science Monitor).
A Vegas casino owner. Venture Capitalists. Attorneys. These are the people who fear a Paul presidency so much they would indirectly advocate for the Democratic nominee by slamming a fellow Republican. Interestingly, it’s people in these professions that Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts appears to most disdain. The feeling is entirely mutual.
A fair number of wealthy democrats who have yet to fall back in love with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination have vocally requested Senator Warren to strongly consider a run for the highest office in the country. Among her supporters is a recently disbanded organization entitled ‘Run Warren Run’ who formed in hopes of enticing Warren to enter the presidential race fray. Noteworthy is the controversy Warren drummed up right before the organization decided to end their campaign.
It appears the only frays Warren is interested in presently is a continual push against forces she appears to think are as bad for the middle and lower economic and social classes. Her vocal advocacy has rubbed many the wrong way.
According to National Public Radio, “Warren continued to be a thorn in the side of not only corporate America but the regulators who keep their eye on it, with a scathing letter to SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White. In it, Warren takes aim not only at the SEC but at White personally, complaining that she herself has not done enough to hold corporate America accountable.
"I am disappointed that you have not been the strong leader that many hoped for — and that you promised to be," Warren wrote (NPR).
Apparently, Warren does not mince words. This habit could also be the same poison pill that has the GOP choking on the possibility of a Paul presidency. But the question remains—why? When placed side by side, what do these two people stand for that scares the elite and has yet to really attract the attention of an ailing middle class that according to most polls has lost hope in Congress and isn’t thrilled with their current president? Is it possible that these two candidates, when put together, have all the right answers to return America to greatness, but the ruling class that governs the nation’s two political parties can’t stand the thought of losing what they have gained for themselves? As a quick litmus test, perhaps the middle classes should take a quick look at these two on the issues when side by side.
*Information for above chart taken from http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/
What isn’t immediately obvious in the above chart is the level of sincerity both of these candidates speak with when they are in front of any—absolutely any—audience. Both candidates share a desire to improve the lot for the average American. One candidate, Rand Paul, wants to do it by preserving civil liberties for all people. The other candidate wants to do it by expanding opportunities for middle and lower income people of all backgrounds. The common thread for both includes the sincerity, tenacity, and overall general goal of improving things for the common man as opposed to continuing the status quo for the elite classes capable of buying access to the country’s ‘leaders.’
Sadly, the world will never know what these two people together might accomplish. Hence expect the wars to continue, the rich to grow richer, and minorities to continue to be oppressed due to over-surveillance of impoverished neighborhoods and a lack of forgiveness in our justice system.
Americans, according to political experts, won’t elect these people to the highest levels because they will decide to vote for more of the same.
Or, will they?
Sources:
"Rand Paul's NSA Filibuster: His Notable Quotes | RealClearPolitics." Rand Paul's NSA Filibuster: His Notable Quotes | RealClearPolitics. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015.
Dukakis, Ali. "Lindsey Graham Would Support Rand Paul Over Hillary Clinton 'After I Came Out of My Coma'" ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 04 June 2015.
"Rand Paul's Money Problem." POLITICO. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015.
"Why GOP Donors Are Giving to Everyone except Rand Paul." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, n.d. Web. 04 June 2015.
"Pro-Warren Group Disbands, As Senator Splits Again With Obama." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 04 June 2015.
"Rand Paul on the Issues." Rand Paul on the Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015.