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Last week, Republican leaders announced that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) would deliver the party's response to President Obama's State of the Union address. There's a bit of a risk associated with the move -- these SOTU responses rarely provide a career boost -- but Republicans seemed excited to have their "rising star" take center stage.
But late on Friday, we learned there will be more than one Republican response.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will deliver a "Tea Party Response" to the State of the Union on Tuesday, immediately after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) delivers the official Republican response.
Tea Party Express, a political action committee, announced Friday afternoon that Paul will deliver the rebuttal at the National Press Club and that it will stream it live on its website.
Oh, right. I'd almost forgotten that the Tea Partiers like to have their own SOTU responses. In 2011, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) delivered a classic -- remember how she looked into the wrong camera? -- followed by Herman Cain's speech in 2012. The right-wing activists appear to be moving up in the world: now they have a sitting senator helping out.
But for Republicans, this isn't good news at all. What GOP officials want tomorrow night is two competing messages: the president's vision vs. the Republican vision. Rubio's speech, to be delivered in English and Spanish, will be carefully crafted with poll-tested ideas and phrases, intended to help get the party back on track after its 2012 electoral failures.
But there won't be two competing messages; Rand Paul guarantees there will be three. The public won't get a tale of two visions; Americans will hear the president, then a Republican response, then another Republican response. That the two GOP messages will be delivered by two conservative senators who are both likely to seek national office in a few years only complicates matters further.
"I don't see it as necessarily divisive," Paul said yesterday. Care to wager on whether his party's leaders agree?
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Ignoring dangerous extremists is the same thing as giving them a free pass, so I'm happy and entertained to hear Rand Paul address the nation on behalf of the Tea Party. They couldn't have selected a better representative for the face of Crazy... Michele Bachmann notwithstanding.
the left liberal progressives are the real danger and extremists, you are a slave to there cause be very afraid. i pray for you
Marco Rubio and Rand Paul are both TEA-types heading up the TEA-questers in Washington. We are going to hear competing views on how to bastardize the already bastardized Republican party. During the primary we heard from Birchers(B-1), Birthers(B-2), Evangelicals(E) and Libertarians(L) and the omnipresent TEA-types(T) who banded together to stop Obama. They failed miserably! A bi-lingual Cuban-American does not speak for American-Mexicans and other Hispanics across the land. He may speak the language, but one of the precepts of becoming citizens is to learn to speak English. What a deal! What are we missing in this new point of interest? I thought both were TEA-questaters? Both are positioning themselves for a run at the presidency, both are supported by TEA-types dead-set against president Obama, and both are anti-immigrant by action, voice and vote! We well know the truth of the concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people and the concentration of power in stricter, less compassionate hands. "Sweep the HOUSE CLEAN....in 2014"
ok we have marco to speak spanish, what about someone else to speak othe language, we ned to be consistent
Oh yes, Ron Paul, "If I were President" and thank God he is NOT! A division in the republican party only makes our Democratic party Stronger. Every day since the election it is apparent that the Republicans have still not accepted why they lost the 2012 election...anti-abortion, not passing Violence against Women, attacking Hillary Clinton and Hagel, NRA against gun reform, lack of immigration reform, and let's not forget wanting to change and lessen social security, medicare, and help for the poor....oooh I forgot to mention voter suppression.
I don't like how Rand Paul grilled Hillary over Benghavi. What an arrogant bastard!. His name sounds backwards, like it should be Paul Rand instead. Maybe his name should be HOLE ASS!
I cannot believe that they are divided in their beliefs so severely that they need separate representation. I think this marks a day when once a great party is now and forever going to fragment in their politics. It is a phenomenon that occurs when a group goes so far to one side, so specialized in their beliefs, that they leave a great deal of people to the side. Evolution of the GOP. Amazing that this has not happened in the Dems as of yet. A little more cohesive a group. A true belief in the general good for all. The separation is mostly do to a lot of young men who are not for the good of the group, but for the good of their career. To bad, this is a party buster. To many wanna be chiefs and not enough Indians, is the saying. All in all, it is a crack up. They will self destruct at this rate with Cheney blaming Obama for everything. Hehehehehehehehe
Sounds like another Republican Faux-pas ! They wanted to show off Rubio to try to court the Hispanic vote. Oops ! They realized they " stepped in it " ! The Republican base is so fascist and racist, Rubio is unacceptable to their base. I wonder if they know or care who the REAL Rand Paul is and what he does ? Or is their only concern a lighter complexion ?
The GOP is still doing duel SOTU rebuttals? Why don't they just get it over with and have the party split into the TeaParty/Libertarian wing and the Pro-business wing.
I love this! I just Effing LOVE THIS!!! By 2016, either the Republicans or the Teabillies (or maybe both) will be regarded as third parties. They have left the mainstream so far behind that they have no hope of maintaining a national presence.
Did I say national presence? I meant RATIONAL presence ... or maybe it IS 'national' -- or again, maybe it's both!
Today Tom Hartman said a lot of good things about MMT.
He said he would talk about it a lot more.
Finally it is on the radio. Next thing TV.
You Liberal cry babies. Rand Paul will be the Prez in 2016. Freedom finally has a voice, take your Federal income tax and stick it up your rears.
Rand Paul is my choice for Republican 2016 nominee. Paleo-libertarian, Flat taxer, Fed abolisher, Civil Rights resister, Amero conspiracy nut (google it), he’d bring the country back before, well, before 1787. Ya gotta admit, the presidential debates would be must-see 3D TV.
ms. maddow,
you are an exstension of the white house press. get off your knee's we don't bow down to a president. do you have a journalist degree? maybe you should use it. he is shredding the the constitution right in front of your very eyes, let me remind you of a few amendments you should review.
1st amendment " congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances"
for attaking rush and fox for not getting on his side or in line like all the rest. stand up!
2nd amendment " a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed"
there is a reason our forefathers put this one as #2. every nation that gives in there guns pays very dearly with their lives. why must femma and homeland security continue to buy these guns, exstended clips and ammo but Americans can not.
let us not get started on drone attaks on american citizens while we read meranda rights to terrorist, i forgot liberals hate america. you are a devisive hate monger and should have your press pass ripped off your scrawny neck