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(R-KY): Senator Rand Paul joins MidPoint to discuss President Obama #39;s executive action on Immigration.
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Sharpton has taken the lead in combating police violence. | AP Photo
Sen. Rand Paul and the Rev. Al Sharpton met for a candid breakfast date on Thursday.
We talked about his position on dealing with some criminal justice issues that I am concerned about, Sharpton said in a statement from the National Action Network, where he serves as president.
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We also discussed mandatory sentencing that he and Senator Cory Booker are proposing, the statement continued. It was a very candid and courteous conversation.
(Also on POLITICO: Rand doesn't stand)
Sharpton and Paul tweeted that they dont agree on much, but both were in the Senate Dining Room to discuss working toward reforms that would benefit the African-American community.
Sen. Paul and Rev. Sharpton discussed criminal justice reform, demilitarization of police, and the senators recent trip to Ferguson, Pauls spokesperson Eleanor May said in an email.
Sharpton has taken the lead in combating police violence in places such as New York City and Ferguson, Missouri, and has been a leading civil rights activist. Paul recently met with African-American groups in Ferguson, spoke at the National Urban League convention in July and has moved forward with the REDEEM Act, a bill proposed in conjunction with Booker to reform the criminal justice system.
(POLITICO Magazine: Obama's Go-It-Alone Immigration Move)
Read more from the original source:
Rand Paul meets with Sharpton on crime issues
By Alexandra Jaffe, CNN
updated 11:17 AM EST, Thu November 20, 2014
Washington (CNN) -- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) continued his outreach across the aisle Thursday morning with a breakfast meeting with progressive commentator and activist Al Sharpton.
During a "candid but courteous" conversation in the exclusive Senate dining room, the two men discussed criminal justice reform, the demilitarization of police and the senator's recent trip to Ferguson, Paul's spokeswoman said. As Sharpton noted in a tweet, they were three rare areas of agreement between the conservative star and the MSNBC host.
Paul has been working to broaden the Republican Party's appeal to minorities and young voters over the past year as he prepares for a probable 2016 presidential bid.
He's spoken at historically black universities and recently teamed up with Democratic Sen. Cory Booker on a drug sentencing reform bill, to address sentencing disparities that they say disproportionately affect minority inner-city youths. Sharpton's office, his spokeswoman said, reached out to set up the breakfast meeting.
Paul's spokeswoman said the meeting with Sharpton was "another example of Sen. Paul's willingness to work across the aisle to solve our nation's problems."
Rand Paul: 'Fight for justice now' on unfair sentencing
But the two also discussed areas of disagreement, Sharpton said in a statement, notably their difference of opinion on President Barack Obama's impending executive action on deportations, which Paul opposes.
Still, Sharpton said, the meeting went well.
Read more here:
Paul and Sharpton hold 'candid but courteous' breakfast summit
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) fancies himself as that brave Republican who will actually broach the subject of race and reach out to black voters. We've written before, though, about how many of his ideas about engaging black voters aren't new or bold, and how his claims about his ability to expand the tent are way overblown.
Something else that is overblown? Paul's idea about his record on what he calls "minority rights."
From a Salon interview (emphasis mine):
SALON: When it comes to race, how do you explain to potential new supporters some past controversies like your comments on the Civil Rights Act and a former aides neo-Confederate past that you know Democrats and others will bring up should you seek the White House?
PAUL: Well, I think that I simply point to my record. I dont think there has been anybody who has been a bigger defender of minority rights in the Congress than myself, and thats not saying others aren't trying as well.But I think you can see a history and a litany of bills that Ive put forward to not only restore voting rights, but to try to prevent people from the tragedy of losing their employability through felony convictions and other things.
People will always do things for partisan purposes, and I think some of that drummed up in the beginning for partisan purposes when I was running for office. But no, I dont think theres anything out there that people are going to say, Oh, look at this, this means that youre a racist, or something, and I think if they do, they probably pigeonhole themselves as being unreasonable by making that kind of comment.
One person who apparently slipped Paul's mind as he was making this comment wasRep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who got his head cracked openon "Bloody Sunday" in 1965.
As for his own record, Paul's stance on the issues that normally come under the rubric of civil and minority rights isn't exactly the kind of record activists in those fields would tout. He has said he doesn't personally believe in same-sex marriage and that the right for gays and lesbians to marry should be left up to the states to decide. He has said that the American With Disabilities Act goes too far. He also voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013, which passed the Senate 64-32. (Sen. John McCain, among other Republicans, voted for it.) He has said that he wants to restore the role of the federal government in the Voting Rights Act, buthasn't introduced any legislation on it or signed on as a co-sponsor to a bill that would accomplish that goal, the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014.
Paul's exaggeration over his own record illustrates one of his bad habits, which is that he tends to say things with little to back up what he says. This will be a problem if he runs for president. His comments also show that he doesn't yet have a good answer to the real question about his past comments about the Civil Rights Act and the American Disabilities Act.
Paul's party will be in control of Senate and all of Congress come 2015. He'll have a chance to introduce and build support around "minority rights" bills -- including ones that go beyond criminal justice reform. He has a chance to build a record, but whether he will go beyond photo-ops and soundbites is anybody's guess.
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The Fix: Rand Paul says hes Congresss biggest defender of minority rights. What?
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) fancies himself as that brave Republican who will actually broach the subject of race and reach out to black voters. We've written before, though, about how many of his ideas about engaging black voters aren't new or bold, and how his claims about his ability to expand the tent are way overblown.
Something else that is overblown? Paul's idea about his record on what he calls "minority rights."
From a Salon interview (emphasis mine):
SALON: When it comes to race, how do you explain to potential new supporters some past controversies like your comments on the Civil Rights Act and a former aides neo-Confederate past that you know Democrats and others will bring up should you seek the White House?
PAUL: Well, I think that I simply point to my record. I dont think there has been anybody who has been a bigger defender of minority rights in the Congress than myself, and thats not saying others aren't trying as well.But I think you can see a history and a litany of bills that Ive put forward to not only restore voting rights, but to try to prevent people from the tragedy of losing their employability through felony convictions and other things.
People will always do things for partisan purposes, and I think some of that drummed up in the beginning for partisan purposes when I was running for office. But no, I dont think theres anything out there that people are going to say, Oh, look at this, this means that youre a racist, or something, and I think if they do, they probably pigeonhole themselves as being unreasonable by making that kind of comment.
One person who apparently slipped Paul's mind as he was making this comment wasRep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who got his head cracked openon "Bloody Sunday" in 1965.
As for his own record, Paul's stance on the issues that normally come under the rubric of civil and minority rights isn't exactly the kind of record activists in those fields would tout. He has said he doesn't personally believe in same-sex marriage and that the right for gays and lesbians to marry should be left up to the states to decide. He has said that the American With Disabilities Act goes too far. He also voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013, which passed the Senate 64-32. (Sen. John McCain, among other Republicans, voted for it.) He has said that he wants to restore the role of the federal government in the Voting Rights Act, buthasn't introduced any legislation on it or signed on as a co-sponsor to a bill that would accomplish that goal, the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014.
Paul's exaggeration over his own record illustrates one of his bad habits, which is that he tends to say things with little to back up what he says. This will be a problem if he runs for president. His comments also show that he doesn't yet have a good answer to the real question about his past comments about the Civil Rights Act and the American Disabilities Act.
Paul's party will be in control of Senate and all of Congress come 2015. He'll have a chance to introduce and build support around "minority rights" bills -- including ones that go beyond criminal justice reform. He has a chance to build a record, but whether he will go beyond photo-ops and soundbites is anybody's guess.
See original here:
Rand Paul says hes Congresss biggest defender of minority rights. What?