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Rand Paul won't answer Civil Rights Act question — Moving from the Republican Primary to the general election means, for Rand Paul, addressing a broader set of issues than the anti-tax, anti-spending focus of his campaign. — And while he's answered this question before …
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Rand Paul, telling the truth — If we use “gaffe” in its proper, Kinsleyan form, that's what U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul issued to NPR yesterday, and that's what he defended on Rachel Maddow's show last night. He told the truth about his stance on the Civil Rights Act.


Rand Paul: ‘The Hard Part Of Believing In Freedom’ Is Opposing Ban On Whites-Only Lunch Counters — The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is one of the greatest accomplishments of the 20th century, banning whites-only lunch counters and similar discrimination in hiring, promotions, hotels and restaurants.


Freedom as White Supremacy — It seems that yesterday US Senate candidate Rand Paul let the cat out of the bag and admitted that under his brand of libertarian conservatism he can't support the 1964 Civil Rights Act or other non-discrimination legislation as applied to private businesses.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog

Paul blames ‘loony left’ for civil rights focus — Rand Paul lashed out at the “loony left” for pressing him on his view of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in an interview with Laura Ingraham this morning. — “I've never really favored any change in the Civil Rights Act,” he said.

Rand Paul may not be a racist, but he is an extremist — Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy — It's safe to say Rand Paul's first few days as the Republican nominee for the open Senate seat in Kentucky are not going well.

Paul: I Support the Civil Rights Act — Reacting to an avalanche of criticism over his perceived views of the Civil Rights Act, Rand Paul's campaign issues this statement today: … Sphere It!

Paul: Civil rights ‘settled’ law — Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul acknowledged Thursday that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was necessary to foster racial integration, a day after stumbling into a political mess by dodging questions about whether he would have voted for the law.

Rachel Maddow demolishes Rand Paul — The Tea Party favorite says he'd have marched with Martin Luther King Jr., but he opposes the law that forced businesses to serve him — Kentucky GOP Senate nominee Rand Paul is squirming under the bright lights of national media attention since …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Guardian, Moonbattery, Pam's House Blend, TPMDC and Barefoot and Progressive

Rand Paul's America — The attack on Rand Paul's principled libertarianism — which appears to hold that private businesses should be allowed to discriminate on race — writes itself, and it's hard to see how he makes it to the Senate if he can't give a better explanation than he gave Rachel Maddow last night:

In Defense Of Rand Paul (Kinda)
Discussion:
Barefoot and Progressive

Rand Paul on Civil Rights: Private Restaurants Wouldn't Have To …

Critics weigh Blumenthal's words — “I wore the uniform in Vietnam and many came back & to all kinds of disrespect. Whatever we think of war, we owe the men and women of the armed forces our unconditional support.” — The occasion was the Stamford Veterans Days parade: Nov. 9, 2008.
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Salahis Stopped by Secret Service Near White House Last Night — The Salahis were stopped by the U.S. Secret Service last night at around 8 p.m. ET during the State Dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderon as their stretch limousine ran a red light and seemed to be trying to turn …


The New Free Speech Movement — Today is Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, a completely made-up satirical “holiday” dedicated to the concept of drawing Mohammed cartoons, as a way of making a statement about freedom of speech. — Not everyone agrees with this idea, however.
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Big Hollywood, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, The Jawa Report, Big Government, Telegraph, Confederate Yankee and TigerHawk
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Election 2010: South Carolina Republican Primary for Governor — South Carolina GOP Primary for Governor: Haley Jumps Ahead — With South Carolina's Republican Primary for Governor less than three weeks away, State Representative Nikki Haley, coming off a fresh endorsement by Sarah Palin, now leads the GOP pack.

Stunning Drop in Whitman's Support Transforms GOP Race for Governor — Fiorina, Campbell in Dead Heat While DeVore's Support Doubles — Support for Meg Whitman has plummeted 23 points since March, and she is now in a far closer race with Steve Poizner to become the Republican nominee for governor.
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Scientists Fault Lack of Studies Over Gulf Oil Spill — Tensions between the Obama administration and the scientific community over the gulf oil spill are escalating, with prominent oceanographers accusing the government of failing to conduct an adequate scientific analysis of the damage …

Bring it on: Pelosi predicts ‘for sure’ that Dems will win House — Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a message for Republicans this fall: Bring it on. — A buoyant Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday basked in the Democrats' special-election triumph while bashing Republicans and expressing confidence …

A big hit against big government — As we approached the Tuesday night with the year's most significant senatorial primaries so far, I turned for guidance to a man who had already been through the fires that define the incendiary politics of 2010. — Ten days after he was barred from the ballot …
Discussion:
PostPartisan, Commentary, Daily Kos, United States of Jamerica, Firedoglake, Riehl World View, Ezra Klein and Balloon Juice


Landis Admits Doping, Accuses Others — Floyd Landis, the American cyclist whose 2006 Tour de France victory was nullified after a positive doping test, has sent a series of emails to cycling officials and sponsors admitting to, and detailing, his systematic use of performance enhancing drugs during his career.

EPA demands less toxic dispersant — The Environmental Protection Agency informed BP officials late Wednesday that the company has 24 hours to choose a less toxic form of chemical dispersants to break up its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to government sources familiar with the decision …
Discussion:
Emptywheel, Climate Progress, New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Washington Independent and The Agonist

Democratic New York senator Chuck Schumer is poised to become majority leader — On Mother's Day, Chuck Schumer delivered two commencement speeches upstate, flew back to Brooklyn to eat dinner with his wife, mother and daughters and at 7:38 p.m. toted a briefcase into his midtown office …