Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Rand Paul standing up for poor folks in Kentucky?

Yes, it's pretty incredible, but the comment from the U.S. Senator from Kentucky came only in the name of slamming Hillary Rodham Clinton.  Here's what happened, as reported in the New York Times
Senator Rand Paul dismissed comments from Hillary Rodham Clinton that she and her husband were struggling to make ends meet after they left the White House, saying they were “disconnected.” 
The comment from Clinton came in an interview with Diane Sawyer in the context of explaining why she had taken speaking engagements that paid six figure fees.  Mrs. Clinton said she and her husband were “dead broke” when his term ended in 2000 and that he had worked hard after leaving the White House.

Paul is among Republicans who have suggest that Mrs. Clinton is "tone deaf" and "out of touch" in her new book, Hard Choices.  He commented:  
I frankly think she needs to come down to Kentucky.  Look at the despair in the faces of people who are losing their jobs because of the president’s policies, and let them know that her hardship was that she only got eight million bucks for her book.
This seems a bit disingenuous given that Paul's policy positions and votes hardly evince concern for his state's poor and working class, let alone those of other states.

1 comment:

Taylor Call said...

I wish I could be as dead broke as Hillary Clinton! Although it seems completely reasonable that Hillary Clinton is "disconnected" from the American people, it is hard to think of a politician who is "connected." Rand Paul may see himself as closer to the American people because he knows some "hard workin' folks" in Kentucky. The fact of the matter is though, most politicians will be somewhat disconnected with the common man. Part of the reason is that most politicians are not "common." Rand Paul is an ophthalmologist with a degree from Duke University School of Medicine. He is also worth $2.5 million. Sounds like a common guy, right? Other politicians come from money or are highly educated. There is going to be a natural disconnection from the common man when you surround yourself with wealthy, smart, and powerful people.

On another note, as it is now election season again, it is funny to see all the politicians proclaim how they were raised poor and blue collar (so that somehow they can connect with those that actually are). There seems to be a contest of who was the poorest. I believe Hillary Clinton had to go back to her grandmother to come up with stories of hardship. Freaking politicians.