Rand Paul Puts Politics Over The Lives Of First Responders

I truly believe that Rand Paul is one of the biggest hypocrites to ever walk the halls of Congress. He claims to be worried about the deficit and the national debt, but only shows that when it comes time to help real Americans.

He did not worry about the national debt when he voted to significantly increase an already bloated defense allotment. He increased the military appropriation with no regard for the national debt (which it increased).

And he did not worry about the national debt when he and his Republican buddies gave corporations and the rich massive tax cuts. He knew that would massively increase the national debt (to the tune of about a trillion dollars a year), but had no problem voting for it.

But now that a bill has come to the Senate to provide for helping 9/11 first responders fight the health problems rising from their brave actions, Paul is suddenly worried about the national debt. The bill passed the House overwhelmingly, but Paul says we can't afford to help those first responders (unless we cut funding for other hurting Americans).

Paul's stand against helping 9/11 responders is worse than just hypocritical. It is mean-spirited and stupid.

Jon Stewart is a supporter of the 9/11 first responders (as we all should be) and he has fought for the funding to help them. After Paul's atrocious delay of the bill, Stewart went into the belly of the right-wing beast (Fox News), and blasted Paul in an interview with Bret Baier. He said:

“Pardon me if I’m not impressed in any way by Rand Paul’s fiscal responsibility virtue signaling.”

“Bret, this is about what kind of society we have. At some point, we have to stand up for the people who have always stood up for us, and at this moment in time maybe cannot stand up for themselves due to their illnesses and their injuries. And what Rand Paul did today on the floor of the Senate was outrageous.”

“He is a guy who put us in hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. And now he’s going to tell us that a billion dollars a year over 10 years is just too much for us to handle? You know, there are some things that they have no trouble putting on the credit card, but somehow when it comes to the 9/11 first responder community — the cops, the firefighters, the construction workers, the volunteers, the survivors — all of a sudden we’ve got to go through this.”

“It’s an abomination.”