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Rand Paul: Obama Will Be ‘Pragmatic’ With New GOP Congress

Kentucky Senate Candidate Rand Paul (R)

A day after President Barack Obama’s White House’s compromise with Republicans on extending the Bush-era tax cuts, Sen.-elect Rand Paul almost had a compliment for the president.

“I actually think that President Obama is going to turn out to be fairly pragmatic with the new Republican Congress,” Paul told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview to be broadcast later.

Paul added that he thinks divided government often works better, because it allows for more debate and discussion.

In a conversation that centered around the nation’s growing debt, Paul also told Blitzer that he plans to introduce a bill proposing $500 billion in spending cuts.

“No one is brave enough to put the spending cuts on the line,” Paul said. “We’re going to lay out $500 billion worth of spending cuts in January and see if anyone is brave enough to say, yes, let’s go ahead and do it.”

Paul didn’t detail what he’d cut.

David Taintor

David Taintor is TPM’s News Editor. He contributes to TPM’s Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com

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