Rand Paul Says the Republican Brand Sucks

image
Published: 03 Nov, 2014
Updated: 21 Nov, 2022
1 min read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsSNGBMMubM

Kentucky U.S. Senator Rand Paul appeared on Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer on Sunday. Paul, who has been campaigning across the nation for conservative candidates ahead of Election Day, backed up some sharp criticism for the direction of his own political party.

Schieffer asked, "You said and this is your quote, the Republican brand sucks. That's a pretty unusual rallying cry in an election year."

Paul's response emphasized the need for Republicans to reach out to the African-American community in more ways than one.

"We have a wall, or a barrier, between us and African-American voters. So I spent the last year trying to break down some of that wall and say look, maybe what the Democrats have been doing for you -- or maybe you're being taken for granted -- maybe it's not working..."

To Schiffer's question, "What can you offer African-American voters?" Paul highlighted his bipartisan effort to reinfranchise individuals with past nonviolent felony convictions and steer the rest of his party away from restrictive voter ID policies.

He added, "By being for all these things it reinforces a stereotype that we need to break down."

On the topic of what Republicans and Democrats could work together on, Paul laid out a few reforms for the 114th Congress:

  • Criminal Justice reform
  • Reduced sentences for nonviolent drug offenses
  • Reinfranchising individuals with nonviolent felony convictions

To close out the 10 minute interview, Paul contrasted his diplomatic style against Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's:

"We live in a world where we have so much cacophony of voices on TV sometimes yelling back and forth. And I think there's a resurgence of people who want a little more civility in discourse."

Latest articles

An electric sign of the American flag.
ABC's Sara Haines Calls Out 'Narrow View' that Independent Voters Can't Exist in Trump Era
American journalist and co-host of ABC’s The View, Sara Haines, refutes the notion that people can't be independent-minded in their election choices in an era in which the Republican Party is controlled by Trump – a perspective voiced by her colleague, Sunny Houstin that Haines describes as “narrow.”...
06 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
US map divided in blue and red with a white ballot box on top.
Could Maine Be the First State to Exit the National Popular Vote Compact?
On May 20, the Maine House of Representatives voted 76–71 to withdraw the state from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), reversing course just over a year after Maine became the 17th jurisdiction to join the agreement....
04 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
New York City
Nine Democrats Face Off in NYC Mayoral Debate as Ranked Choice Voting, Cuomo Probe, and Independent Bid from Adams Reshape the Race
A crowded field of nine Democratic candidates will take the stage tonight, June 4, in the first official debate of the 2025 New York City mayoral primary. Held at NBC’s 30 Rock studios and co-sponsored by the city’s Campaign Finance Board, NBC 4 New York, Telemundo 47, and POLITICO New York, the debate comes at a pivotal moment in a race already shaped by political upheaval, criminal investigations, and the unique dynamics of ranked choice voting....
04 Jun, 2025
-
6 min read