Fwd: This Week in News for Senator Rand Paul - July 20, 2018

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From: U.S. Senator Rand Paul

 

Dear Friend, You can find out the latest about my week in Kentucky and on Capitol Hill below!  Dr. Rand Paul Visits Louisville On Monday morning, I had the opportunity to spend time speaking with community members and business leaders in Louisville about our economy, the federal government's attacks on your Fourth Amendment rights, what lies ahead on trade, and other pressing issues in Washington.  In addition to answering audience questions, I also spoke with local media outlets after the forum.  (Dr. Paul Speaks to Business and Community Leaders in Louisville - July 16, 2018) Dr. Rand Paul: "Trump Is Right to Meet Putin" With President Trump meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, I applauded his decision to keep the lines of communication open with Russia in my latest piece for Politico. "Politicizing international affairs is a dangerous game," I observed, "but that hasn't stopped far too many in Washington, who seem to have forgotten that a vital part of keeping America safe and secure is avoiding war through strong and consistent diplomacy, from playing politics.  One way they do this is to insist we not meet with or speak openly to our adversaries on the world stage. "I disagree," I continued.  "Dialogue is especially important when hundreds of millions of lives are at stake, as is the case in relations between the United States and nuclear-armed Russia." I also pointed out that, historically, "both sides maintained constant dialogue and communications" - including while the Cold War was at its height and even during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The hysteria of the past couple years has had an impact many have missed, with the hostile climate leading to "a vacuum in cultural, educational, and even legislative exchanges, while elected officials from both Washington and Moscow are now on so-called 'ban lists.'"  Ultimately, I believe that nothing will be achieved if each country closes the door on the other. To be clear, I noted that "[o]f course, we don't have to make decisions based on whether they will or will not make Russia mad.  But we should at the very least recognize the impact of our actions before we take them." We don't have to consider Russia our friend, I went on to say, but we do have common interests, such as Syria and combating terrorism, that require us to maintain an open dialogue.  You can read my entire op-ed HERE. Dr. Rand Paul: Continuing to Work for Peace I also talked about President Trump's trip and outreach in my latest video update this week, where I said that "Trump haters and hawks from both sides of the aisle were quick to denounce the president's actions, but I for one am glad he went."   "The world is too dangerous to threaten war over hacked emails," I continued, "and it is too dangerous to choose isolation when confronted with the challenges to our relations and to world peace." I also strongly agreed with President Trump's statement that he "would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace, than to risk peace in pursuit of politics."  You can watch my update video HERE. Yesterday, I continued speaking out by objecting to an amendment offered by Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont) that would have further broken down diplomatic communications with Russia.   In a short speech on the Senate floor, I responded to the effort by saying, "Trump Derangement Syndrome has officially come to the Senate.  The hatred for the president is so intense that partisans would rather risk war than give diplomacy a chance." Nobody is excusing Russia's meddling in our elections, and we should stand firm and protect the integrity of our elections, but we must also maintain open channels of discussion.  You can watch my speech HERE. (Dr. Paul Stands up for Diplomacy and Peace on the Senate Floor - July 19, 2018) Dr. Rand Paul Asks Why U.S. Taxpayers Are Paying for Pakistani Kids to go to Space Camp and Dollywood As I continue working to make sure the American people know what their government is doing with their money, I recently sat down with Sinclair Broadcast Group's Kristine Frazao to discuss the U.S. State Department spending $250,000 of taxpayer funds to send 24 Pakistani kids on a trip to the U.S. that included multiple days at Space Camp and stops at Dollywood and Washington, D.C. "I think we have so many problems here at home that we need to address before we think about spending money on somebody else's kids," I pointed out in the interview. You can learn more about this misuse of taxpayer funds HERE. Media Wrap-Up This week, I appeared on Fox News' Fox & Friends Weekend, Your World with Neil Cavuto, The Story with Martha MacCallum, America's Newsroom, and Tucker Carlson Tonight (you can find my appearance on Wednesday night HERE and Thursday night HERE); CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer; CBS' CBS This Morning; and PBS' PBS Newshour. I also talked with outlets including the AP, Politico, and ABC News, and I spoke with radio hosts Tom Roten, Chad Young, Bill Cunningham, Chris Ryan, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity. Have an Issue or Concern? If you are a Kentucky resident and need assistance with a federal agency, please feel free to contact my Bowling Green office at 270-782-8303.  One of my staff members will be more than happy to assist you. Stay in Touch with Dr. Paul on Social Media You can stay up to date on my latest news and activities by visiting my Senate website, www.paul.senate.gov, or my official Facebook and Twitter pages.  You can watch my Senate floor speeches and press interviews at my YouTube channel HERE. Warm Regards, Bowling Green 1029 State Street Bowling Green, KY 42101 Phone: 270-782-8303 Washington, DC 167 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC, 20510 Phone: 202-224-4343

Election brochure and CD Cover for Elect.Rauterkus.com

Some old materials, blast from the past. 

Candidates for PA House with Pitt connections: Josh Nelph, Jacob Pavlecic, Kareem Kandil and Sara Innamorato.

Pitt News, nice work.
Josh Nelph, Jacob Pavlecic, Kareem Kandil and Sara Innamorato.

Wanted: Running Mates and places to run to!

Time to hit the road to share insights about this ballot question for city voters in the 2017 general election.

Who wants to help spread the word?

Where and when are the meetings being held? 

Who can we talk to about getting an invite to speak to the audiences -- for only a couple of minutes.

Candidate for US Congress, me, and spouse

Do you know this couple?

Kickoff for Pittsburgh Mayor Candidate, John Welsh, seeking the D-Party nomination in spring 2017

Video camera of a Saturday event at the Homewood Library featured a new candidate to challenge for the Dem Party Nomination for Mayor, City of Pittsburgh.

Exciting event in terms of audience and messages of the need for a new movement in Pittsburgh.

These are three segments (not complete) from the podium.

Family photo after the speech:

Big welcome for a movement:

Great news on ballot access in PA

The ballot access struggles have become something that is able to be managed in Pennsylvania.

http://www.post-gazette.com/early-returns/erstate/2016/07/01/Federal-judge-gives-third-parties-a-helping-hand-on-PA-ballot/stories/201607010174

Welcome changes. Thank goodness. 

I had first hand experiences with the crazy requirements that have been part of the landscape in PA. Let's hope for sanity in the future.

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By Chris Potter / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A federal judge has made it easier for third-party candidates to appear on the state ballot this November, possibly adding a new variable into an already dizzying presidential election.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lawrence F. Stengel of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued an order asserting that presidential candidates in three minor parties — the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party — will need only 5,000 voters to sign their nominating petitions. That's roughly a quarter of the 21,775 signatures they would have needed under the old rules.

The order "restores voter choice to Pennsylvania elections, which has been absent other than the major parties," said Oliver Hall, an attorney who represented the minor parties. "Now people can decide if they want to vote for someone else entirely, and that's how our elections should work."

Major-party candidates need only 2,000 signatures to get on the primary ballot — where a win ensures a space in November. But previously, minor-party statewide candidates were obliged to meet a threshold equal to 2 percent of the previous statewide vote-count. In past years, that has required candidates to obtain up to 67,000 signatures.

Mr. Hall said that even under the old rules, it was “close to a certainty” that the third-party contenders would have won spots on the 2016 ballot. But Thursday’s ruling also makes it harder to remove them.

Previously, if the legitimacy of a candidate’s signatures was successfully challenged in court, the winner could recoup the legal costs of doing so. In 2004, for example, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader was billed over $80,000 -- a crippling sum for smaller political parties.

Judge Stengel's ruling restricts the ability to assess such costs. That was "absolutely a load off our minds," said Shawn Patrick House, who chairs the state Libertarian Party.

Signature requirements for other races are also lower. Candidates for auditor general, treasurer, and attorney general — all of which are on this year’s ballot — must procure 2,500 signatures. Senate candidates must also produce 5,000 signatures. But the ruling may have the greatest impact on the race for president.

Pennsylvania is a potentially key battleground, and polling shows many voters discontented with both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

“Usually I discount third-party candidates,” said Muhlenberg College pollster Christopher Borick. “But the polls in Pennsylvania show the race as fairly close. Put that together with the high unfavorable ratings of both candidates, and a third-party candidate or two could be pivotal.”

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Ms. Clinton leading Mr. Trump by 39 percent to 36 percent, with Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson garnering 9 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein with 4 percent. Mr. Borick said that while Ms. Stein would likely appeal to “disenchanted progressives” who might otherwise back Ms. Clinton, Mr. Johnson’s impact was harder to gauge: “Nationally, it seems like he draws marginally from both candidates.”

The legal dispute over the requirements dates back years. In 2015, Judge Stengel ruled that the high signature requirements, combined with the threat of financial penalties, meant "the ability of the minor parties to ... voice their views has been decimated.” Gov. Tom Wolf's administration appealed, saying it had no power to change election rules set by the courts and the legislature.

Judge Stengel’s order bridged that impasse, and in fact incorporated the administration’s own proposed signature requirements. “Governor Wolf ... wants to ensure greater ballot access for minor parties,” said Mr. Wolf’s office in a statement, “and he is pleased with Judge Stengel’s ruling.”

The state Republican Party sounded less pleased. "These are decisions that we believe are best left to the General Assembly,” it said in a statement.

In fact, Judge Stengel’s order applies “until ... the Pennsylvania Legislature enacts a permanent measure amending or modifying the process to place [minor parties] on the general election ballot.” A measure to do so, House Bill 342, was passed by the House, amended by the Senate last month, and is pending in the House again. The bill sets out petition requirements consistent with those in Judge Stengel’s order.

But for the time being, as Mr. House put it, "We have more than Coke and Pepsi candidates.”

Bliss.... the feeling of ignorance

The crazy ones who thing they can change the world are the ones that do.

Candidate Sanders

Fwd: Trump voters

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington

Below is a link to an interesting article from the Allentown Morning Call describing the fact that many Democratic voters, particularly white working class voters, are switching parties in order to vote for Donald Trump.  This seems to come as a surprise to many, but it shouldn't be at all unexpected given the way working class Americans have been both ignored and screwed by the elitist leaders of both major political parties since 1980.  The reality is that these so-called leaders have come to represent only one class of voters – or, more accurately, donors – corporate rulers and the billionaire class.  Working class voters, particularly working class white voters, had come to expect and depend upon the ever rising standard of living which persisted from the end of World War Two until about 1980.  But that expectation began to dissolve with the advent of Ronald Reagan's presidency in 1980 and continued to dissipate during the Bush I years.  However, it was during the presidency of Bill Clinton that the floodgates finally opened with the Clinton promulgated "New Democrats" or Washington Consensus version of the Democratic Party.  This amounted to a deliberate sell-out of middle and working class Americans dreams and aspirations to the monied corporate and financial elites. 

It also marked a total reversal of prior Democratic support for poor and minority populations in deference to myth-based ideas that the nation could no longer support or justify social programs because of their cost.  It also marked the advent of "trade agreements" which were supposedly going to make American products more competitive, but instead made foreign lands more profitable as locations for corporate manufacturing   At the same time the political mantra of both parties was cuts to taxes for the rich and social programs for the poor.  During this period working class whites were told that their jobs were being eliminated because of unstoppable foreign competition and the unstoppable flow of immigrants from Mexico and Latin America; that undeserving Blacks and Latinos were gobbling up all of the money available to satisfy their desire to lay around and collect welfare payments for doing nothing.  It was more of the old tactic of dividing those at the bottom and turning them against one another by claiming that one group was the cause of the problems of the other when both were victims of a system designed to keep them subservient to the rich and powerful.

The election of Barak Obama based on a campaign of "hope and change" with promises that he would change the basic tenor and operation of the system that had become so oppressive to the middleclass, working classes and the poor proved to be an illusion based on lies and distortions.  Not only did Obama continue and expand upon the unconstitutional policies of the Bush II administration including more wars everywhere, he effectively completed the process of selling out the country to the financial elite which had begun during the Clinton administration – there could no longer be any hope for any real change in the political landscape. 

So now here we are confronted with a new election cycle once again dominated by corporate and financial interest money with Hillary Clinton once again carrying the banner of the "New Democrats" for the financial elite – a woman who never met a war, an Israeli leader, or trade agreement she didn't love – competing with a billionaire real estate mogul who appeals to those working class voters who have been shafted again and again by a system gone berserk in the name of money power.  Can there be any wonder that the Donald generates such a visceral level of support when he strikes out against the entrenched elitist political class?  The surprise to me would be if those he didn't attack, the white working class people of this country, didn't flock to his side and support his candidacy no matter how irrational he might appear to many of us.

Yes, Donald Trump may well be an incipient Fascist.  He certainly has the narcissistic need for adulation and control; but that is not going to dissuade those who feel that the entire political system is arrayed against them and their children's future – and with good reason.  Most of these people are not crazies.  Most are feeling a desperation which is rooted in years of declining living standards and years of false promises by the political class of both parties.  They have been conditioned not to anything which smacks of socialism even though some socialist type policies would benefit them mightily (think Social Security – which the love – Medicare for All, unemployment compensation, postal service, infrastructure maintenance, and many others), but the mere word sends chills down their backs.  Thus, in all likelihood, insufficient support for Bernie Sanders to overcome the fixed non-democratic Democratic Party primary system, even though Sanders is not a socialist in any real sense of the word.  He is an unreconstituted Roosevelt liberal of the post-World War II vintage.

Thus, there is only one place left for those frustrated working class Republicans and party-switching Democrats to turn and that is Donald Trump.  Unfortunately, it appears that people of color and Latinos are continuing to buy into the self-created Clinton myths that she has fought for Blacks and Latinos for years when the only thing she has really fought for is money and power. Perhaps someday they will figure out the "New Democrat" scam and finally rebel, shedding the political chains which bind them.  For the rest of us there appears to be little or no hope for anything positive to come out of this election.  But things could get much worse for all of us with either Hillary or Donald – not to mention Ted.

John

Article

Some are going to be really mad when Rand Paul wins Iowa

Rand in Iowa

Power. Privacy.

Bad answer....

Debate recap

Another FB post had this gem:

Marco Rubio puts forth that Vladimir Putin is just an organized crime thug who is controlling a 6 trillion dollar economy which is a disaster, but is putting a trillion dollars into his military which will surely bankrupt Russia; 15 minutes after he complained that the US economy is a disaster and by the way, we need to increase military spending by a trillion dollars.

Ba-Dow!
... and the hits just keep on a'comin'...

My point about the hawk, Marco Rubio, is that he should not be POTUS (President of the United States).

Marko Rubio for Union Boss of the Zen of Aimless Welding. As a back-up, he can be CEO of Candy Crush.

Rand Paul in show with plenty of topics

Reading up on Bernie

Interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

In the first D-candidate debate, the introduction time for each candidate was 2-minutes long. Senator Sanders spent his time talking about issues and gave little, if not nothing, about himself.

I do enjoy seeing a guy who bucked the two-party system get some traction in political circles. Props too for University of Chicago grad. Our swim team captain from last year's squad at Obama Academy is a freshman there now.

Another good article about Socialism and Bernie's stances with those political terms:

http://www.vox.com/2015/10/14/9530787/socialism-history-explained

A good runner in high school too.

http://magazine.good.is/articles/feel-the-bern-bernie-sanders-facts?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood

Recent Interview with the BBC. Podcast-like from Pittsburgh, about a swimmer I coached 30+ years ago, Randy Paul

Listen to the 13-minute podcast from across the pond. Be sure to stay tuned all the way to the end as the closing statement come from me too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n23wz

Candidate History

Public Elections with Mark Rauterkus

Pittsburgh voters have seen Mark Rauterkus, candidate, six times.
* 2001, mayor
* 2005, state senate
* 2006, city council
* 2006, state senate withdrawal
* 2007, city controller and city council

First race, spring 2001, Republican primary, candidate for mayor, City of Pittsburgh
* Announced in August, 2000, party would not be D.
* Invited to R's County Committee in September 2000.
* Moved to R party registration later.
* Recruited opposition candidates for a contested primary.
* Consulted with high school student, Josh Pollock, D, who then became a candidate for mayor on January 1, 2001.
* County Executive, Jim Roddey, R, city resident, declined to sign nomination petition.
* Leader by a significant margin throughout a five-day WTAE TV poll, topping Murphy (incumbent mayor), O'Connor (city council president) and Carmine (R opponent). WTAE's news director removed the poll and never reported upon it.
* Rauterkus.com web page had highest single-day unique-page-views exceed 10,000.
* In May, 2001, primary for mayor, Tom Murphy, D, (incumbent) beat Bob O'Connor, D, by 699 votes. A 270 vote arithmetic and tabulation error unfolded on election night in a race of 32k vs. 31k.
* In the R primary, Carmine had 2,227 votes. Rauterkus had 1,950 votes with 98% counted. With 100% of the vote counted, the Rauterkus total became 1,597.
* Became the webmaster for Carmine2001.com.
* After the tragic events of 9-11-01, candidate Carmine turned his campaign to silence.
* Tom Murphy won the 2001 general election with 74%. That win would be his last campaign.
* In 2003, the mayor closed every city recreation center and swim pool in the city.
* In 2004, “Save Our Summer” efforts got some city pools to re-open.

* In 2001, the total percent of Non D and Non R voters in the city election was 2.6 percent. In 2005 the total percent of Non D and Non R voters was 5.7 percent.

Second race, May 17, 2005, special election (on the same day as the D and R primary) for PA senate, district 42, to fill the seat held formerly by Jack Wagner, D.
* Results: Mark Rauterkus got 2,542 votes, 7 percent, in a 3 way race that included Wayne Fontana, D, recently of county council, and Michael Diven, a D turned R, then in the PA house and formerly of city council.

Third race, March 14, 2006, special election for Pittsburgh city council, district 3, to fill a seat held by Gene Ricciardi, D.
* Shaped many of the issues on the campaign trails including talk of the RFP for the city owned ice rink in a city park.
* Working with a majority of the candidates in the crowded field, helped to sway the outcome away from one and toward the eventual winner, Jeff Koch, D.
* Results: Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian, 61 votes of 3,349, finished 7th out of 9. The R party candidate had 185 votes.

Fourth race, jumping off of the ballot for PA senate in August 2006.
* Helped lead a regional PA Clean Sweep ticket in the wake of citizen outrage concerning an illegal pay raise by members of the PA house and senate.
* As an Independent candidate, attempted to get onto the 2006 ballot for the general election for PA Senate, district 42, along with a candidate for Governor.
* In August, pulled self off of the ballot, (slated for November 7, 2006) by choice, before a Harrisburg judge after putting into the public record evidence of ethical wrongdoing by incumbent, PA senator, Wayne Fontana, D.
* This saga would grow into the Harrisburg scandal, Bonusgate. Elected officials used public resources against citizens for political gain.

Fifth and sixth races, general election, November 6, 2007: candidate for both city controller and city council, district 3.
* Results: Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian, got 6,476 votes, more than 10 percent against Michael Lamb, D, 89.5 percent and 55,930 votes. For city council, Rauterkus, Libertarian, got 690 votes, 13 percent. Bruce Kraus, D., got 4,530, 86 percent.
* Same day vote totals among various races: Mark Rauterkus = 7,169 votes. Meanwhile, Darlene Harris won re-election with less than 5,000 votes, and Rev. Burges won an election with 5,435 votes.

Future political ambitions
The goal is to be a member of the Peduto Administration and be devoted and loyal to those efforts. Once hired, sights on any other races for public office would vanish, and they have greatly diminished in the past decade.