SALON

Monday, Jun 10, 2013 11:45 AM UTC

Rand Paul delusional about compromise

“I am the conduit” for deal on immigration reform, he tells Fox News, while standing on the far-right fringe

By

Topics: Rand Paul, Fox News, Immigration, Immigration Reform, Chris Wallace, Fox News Sunday, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Kelly Ayotte, gang of eight, Ted Cruz, 2016 election, Editor's Picks, ,

Rand Paul delusional about compromiseSenator Rand Paul (R-KY) (Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed)

Again I ask: Is Sen. Rand Paul maybe not so bright? Last week he denounced new National Security Adviser Susan Rice for being “the person who is guilty of misleading us over the Benghazi tragedy.” Since a trove of official emails documenting the creation of the Benghazi talking points proved that Rice had nothing to do with them, I suggested Paul was either lying, or too dumb to understand what the email revealed.

Now, on Fox News Sunday, he pompously declared “I am the conduit” for “compromise” on immigration reform, suggesting his ties to the far right in the House as well as mainstream Republicans in the Senate make him the man to broker a deal. Except Paul opposes any kind of specific pathway to citizenship for folks who are here illegally, which is a far-right staple that will make a deal impossible (h/t Crooks and Liars).

Fox host Chris Wallace actually challenged Paul on that point, noting that a new path to citizenship is a cornerstone of every serious immigration reform proposal under discussion. (Even ultra-right Rep. Raul Labrador, who dropped out of House Gang of Eight talks last week, seems to accept that such a path is necessary – he just doesn’t want the folks who are on it to get any kind of publicly subsidized medical care while they’re here.)

“You now have come out against a new path to citizenship,” Wallace observed. “Senator, as a practical matter, isn’t that going to prevent any kind of comprehensive reform?”

Paul disagreed. “I am willing to compromise. For example, I would let you, if you have a work visa, also stand in the citizenship line, but not a new citizenship line. There currently exists a line, if you’re in Mexico City right now, and you want to be a citizen in our country, you get in that line. I would let workers who are here on work visas get in the same line; I wouldn’t create a new pathway or a new line.”

So does he not know what “compromise” means?

In fact, he probably doesn’t know what the existing Senate bill means when it comes to a path to citizenship. To be fair, Senate Republican immigration reform backers are trying to fudge this very question, insisting that undocumented immigrants will have to follow the same path as legal immigrants who want citizenship – there will be no “special” path. But the truth is, the Senate bill under consideration creates several different ways for the undocumented to first legalize their status and then become citizens. They can apply for “registered provisional immigrant status,” if they pay a $500 fine and pass a criminal background check. After 10 years, they can apply for a new category of “merit-based” visas designed pretty explicitly for them, with no cap on the number that can be awarded, along with a shortened three-year wait for citizenship, for a minimum 13-year wait. So it may not be a “special path,” but rather multiple convoluted paths designed for them.

MSNBC’s Benjy Sarlin (formerly of TPM) has the best account of the bill’s winding “pathways” that I’ve read. Sarlin also caught Paul trying to have it both ways on the path question earlier this year. At any rate, Paul is on the right when it comes to a path to citizenship, yet he self-importantly insists the path to compromise leads through … Rand Paul.

“The whole point is there needs to be a conduit,” he explained. “I am the conduit between the conservatives in the House who don’t want a lot of these things and more moderate people in the Senate who do want these things.”

“I want to make the bill work, but see, the thing is, what they have in the Senate has zero chance of passing in the House. So, why not come to a conservative like myself and say, ‘He’s willing to work with you. Why not work with me to make the bill closer to what would be acceptable in the House?’”

Of course working with Paul, Senate negotiators would be stuck dealing with someone whose position on a path to citizenship is further right than many GOP House members. If the Senate gives Paul what he wants in the Senate bill, imagine how much worse it will get in the House.

The real point of Paul’s exercise is to brag about his importance to Fox News’ audience and Senate leadership: “They’re going to have to come to me, and they’re going to have to work with me to make the bill stronger if they want me to vote for it,” he told Wallace.

Meanwhile, Sen. Kelly Ayotte announced her decision to back the Senate Gang of Eight, giving them one less reason to court Rand Paul. Of course, Ayotte insists the bill will make the undocumented “get in the back of the line,” but presumably her Gang of Eight amigos John McCain and Lindsey Graham have briefed her on what the bill really does.

Paul is turning out to be a rather pompous guy for a supposed man of the people, given to telling us what he would or wouldn’t do if he were the president – he would fire Hillary Clinton over Benghazi, and he “couldn’t imagine” keeping Susan Rice in her current job, let alone give her a promotion, if he were her boss. He seems to alternate between imagining himself as president and imagining himself as the man in Congress everyone ought to be courting to get anything done. Only Sen. Ted Cruz rivals Paul in self-regard. It will be an amazing duel of self-regard if both men run for the GOP nomination in 2016.

Joan Walsh

Joan Walsh is Salon's editor at large and the author of "What's the Matter With White People: Finding Our Way in the Next America." More Joan Walsh.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 61 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

Rand Paul is a U.S. Senator from Kentucky.

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows