Rand Paul on Ferguson: We must demilitarize the police
As expected, here he is belatedly seizing an obvious opportunity. The only question for Paul was which angle of the Ferguson drama to emphasize. Racial disparities in how the law is enforced? He mentions it in his op-ed but rarely does a would-be presidential nominee profit from expounding at length on race at a moment when tensions are high. State suppression of civil liberties, in particular the police restricting press activity in Ferguson? He mentions that too but no Republican will ever get much mileage from defending the media.
How about the militarization of the police, then? That's the sweet spot for Paul as it influences both of the other problems above and carries obvious appeal to all of the constituencies he's trying to reach, namely, blacks, libertarians, and conservatives that have grown more leery of state power in the Obama era. And best of all, it's an issue on which there's bipartisan support. There are valuable pieces online this morning on how the feds turned small-town cops into Special Forces by Alec MacGillis of TNR, Conn Carroll of Townhall, and Mark Thompson of Time — left, right, and center-ish. Big government has shoveled billions in money and materiel at PDs since 9/11, with predictable results. And if there's one thing that summarizes the Paul brand, it's skepticism of big government in all its aspects...Also read:
Police excess, attacks on the press have made the situation in Ferguson worse
The left professes ignorance about conservative, libertarian concerns over police militarization
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