On this morning's Meet The Press, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blamed the media for destroying the possibility of getting an immigration deal done because "everybody's out there calling the president a racist."
Who cares if Trump acts and speaks loudly like a racist, denigrating American heritage and creating a thriving Neo-Nazi environment? It's our fault for holding Trump accountable for his actions.
Methinks Paul is still suffering from the effects from the beatdown he received. It's frustrating that so many of these Republicans, who previously called Trump out for his racist and fringe views, now are defending him at all costs.
Host Chuck Todd asked the Kentucky senator, "Where are you on this?"
After saying Trump's comments were not constructive (You think?) Rand then claimed Trump isn't a racist.
Paul said, "And I think it's unfair then to sort of all of a sudden paint him, "Oh well, he's a racist," when I know, for a fact, that he cares very deeply about the people in Haiti because he helped finance a trip where we were able to get vision back for 200 people in Haiti."
Todd replied, "I guess, though, are you more disturbed though by the comment? It's less about the vulgarity and more that he seemed to say, "Why can't we have immigrants from Norway as opposed from African countries?" Look, I'll tell you this, many non-white Americans here, "Oh, so he wants white people, not black people."
Sen. Paul then explained if Trump had used different words, his thoughts wouldn't have been controversial and then used the poor-country versus western European country excuse.
And if my uncle was a women, she'd be my aunt.
"So practically, we're a great place, and practically, we do have to eliminate. And if you look at where they'd rather come from, if you live in a very, very poor, economically-distressed country, you're more likely to want to come than if you live in England or Norway," the Senator said.
Todd replied, "That's the story of the United States.
Paul, "And so when he says that, it confuses-- "
Todd, "That's the story of the United States, right?"
Paul, "But he confuses-- say again?"
Todd, "That's the story of our country."
Paul again veered off into the merit-based immigration argument other Trump surrogates are making now to deflect away from Trump's inherent racism.
Sen. Paul said, "So there are a lot of questions. But this ultimately intersects with policy. And the only thing I regret from all of this, other than I think some people in the media have gone completely bonkers with, you know, just ad hominem on the president, but what I regret is I do want to see an immigration compromise. And you can't have an immigration compromise if everybody's out there calling the president a racist. They're actually destroying the setting. And he's a little bit of it, but both sides now are destroying the setting in which anything meaningful can happen on immigration."
My God, Paul slipped in the "both-siderism" nonsense even though Trump's vile behavior is the issue here.
And he has the gall to blame the media for upending a compromise on immigration reform.
Why doesn't Sen. Paul hold Trump personally accountable for his actions?
