Rand Paul

Rand Paul On NPR: Disabilities Act Goes Too Far

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 20, 2010, 11:44AM

Kentucky Republican Senate Nominee Rand Paul

Rand Paul's interview with NPR's All Things Considered last night was the first sign the the freshly-minted Kentucky Republican Senate nominee might have some explaining to do today. The blogosphere is already alight with Paul's interview with Rachel Maddow, but his interview on NPR shows that his libertarian views go deeper than just his take on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Speaking with NPR's Robert Siegel, Paul made the case for less federal involvement in workplace and environmental regulation, including his opposition to some components of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Based on the NPR interview, Paul's views seem to break down like this: a libertarian take on private freedom mixed with the tea party conservative-style frustration with the federal government. Rather than call for an end to all regulation of things like mining and energy production -- a view that would likely jive with hardcore libertarians -- Paul takes a tea party tack and calls for those things currently regulated by the federal government to be regulated by individual states instead.

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