Rand Paul - The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Paul told Maddow that he agrees with most parts of the Civil Rights Act, except for one (Title II), that made it a crime for private businesses to discriminate against customers on the basis of race. Paul explained that had he been in office during debate of bill, he would have tried to change the legislation. He said that it stifled first amendment rights:  See the interview and read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/20/rand-paul-tells-maddow-th_n_582872.html

The Tea Party favorite, in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday morning, accused the Obama administration of being too tough on BP -- the oil company directly responsible for the massive spill in the Gulf.  "What I don't like from the president's administration is this sort of 'I'll put my boot heel on the throat of BP.' I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business," he said. "I've heard nothing from BP about not paying for the spill. And I think it's part of this sort of blame game society in the sense that it's always got to be someone's fault instead of the fact that sometimes accidents happen."  More

RNC Chairman Michael Steele Criticizes Rand Paul As Out Of Touch On Civil Rights

Rand Paul Cancels on Meet the Press

The move comes after several controversial statements by Paul this week—first, he said private business owners should have the right to discriminate by race. Then, he said President Obama’s attacks on BP over the Gulf oil spill were “un-American.” "Rand did Good Morning America today, set the record straight, and now we are done talking about it," said Paul’s campaign spokesman, Jesse Benton, on Friday. "No more national interviews on the topic.”

Interviews with Tea Party organizers indicate that Paul’s views on civil rights are hardly an anomaly among the movement. While several Tea Party activists were careful to stress that the CRA and race in general were irrelevant to their current political program, they nonetheless indicated either broad tolerance or full-on agreement with Paul's position on the law.