Think Progress has a handy list of where the Republican candidates stood on Cliven Bundy's armed standoff:
None of the Republican presidential candidates have weighed in on the rapidly escalating situation, which is certain to become a point of discussion in a heated 2016 election season. However, several current candidates did weigh in on Cliven Bundy’s actions in Nevada: Most condemned Bundy after he was quoted saying African Americans are better off as slaves, but only after initially rushing to his defense during his standoff with the federal government.
Not that they actually disagreed with Bundy, I'll guess -- they were probably annoyed that he said it out loud and made it more difficult to simulate moderation.
The most obvious candidate to show Bundy some love was (of course) Sen. Rand Paul. Here's how that turned out:
Despite Paul’s support, however, Bundy wasn’t impressed with the senator’s support for groups such as the American Lands Council, which raises money to buy land from the federal government and return it to the states.
“I disagree with that philosophy,” Bundy said. “My stand is we are already a sovereign state. The federal government doesn’t need to turn this land back to us. It’s already state land. I don’t want to sell this land to private ownership, because I believe I already have stewardship…I don’t claim ownership. I claim rights.”
He added, “I educated Rand on that point.”
In other words: Rand Paul wasn't libertarian enough for Cliven Bundy.
Ted Cruz, of course, supported it. And why not? Ted just loves anything that reminds him of freedom fighters, just like his daddy!
He went after Obama for eroding the nation’s constitutional liberties and not understanding the point of the federal government is to be protecting people’s liberties, “not using the jackboot of authoritarianism to come against the citizens.”
"The jackboot of authoritarianism." Just in case you were wondering where GOP leaders stand on the U.S. government when they're not the ones at the wheel of the ship of state.
Ben Carson called Bundy and his seditious militia pals "outstanding people."
While Cliven Bundy himself has endorsed Trump, Trump doesn't endorse Bundy's approach.
Trump stopped short of uniformly endorsing Bundy’s resistance to the government, however, noting, “You do have laws in the country and you know, if everybody did what he’s doing, where does it all go?” Instead, Trump saw the protest as an opportunity for the rancher to “cut a deal” with the government.
The only two "reasonable" Republican presidential candidates who insisted laws must be obeyed? Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.
In the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
