Rand Paul has gotten a lot of attention this last year as the possible GOP candidate who can bring a breath of fresh air to the party. He has also been described as a transformative figure in the GOP, akin to Reagan. I agree Rand Paul is vital in exposing a different narrative for the GOP. However, people should not overlook Paul’s more radical and dangerous ideas. Rand Paul might be a transformative figure but his views on vaccines, economics and education make him a terrible candidate for leader of our country.
First off is his view of vaccines: in a recent interview, Paul said he had heard of vaccines leading to “profound mental disorders.” He said this statement in his support of voluntary vaccination, arguing vaccinations had been voluntary historically and the government doesn’t have the right to take the choice away from the American people. It is scary to think someone who could be the leader of our country, or the exemplary figure for a party, is willing to ignore overwhelming evidence that vaccines do not cause mental disorders. Additionally, the impacts of choosing to vaccinate a child are not as confined as Paul paints it — failing to vaccinate can be dangerous to others.
Paul’s “Audit the Fed” bill, which he has pushed hard, is also dangerously flawed. In principle the idea of auditing the Federal Reserve seems good, as more transparency and oversight hardly seems like a bad thing. However, the Federal Reserve does get audited by public and private sources. Additionally, Paul’s proposal would make the Comptroller General, the head of the GAO, which audits the Fed, recommend legislative actions for Congress. This makes Paul’s bill less about transparency and more about subjecting the Fed to daily interventions by Congress. Politicizing monetary policy to this extent could distract the Fed from pursuing effective economic policy due to political pressure by congressmen.
Even more dangerous than his “Audit the Fed” bill, Paul supports the gold standard. The gold standard makes each dollar worth a certain amount of gold, backing up our money with something tangible. As of now the dollar is only worth something because it is backed by the government. Paul argues the lack of real value behind a dollar leads to price fluctuations and returning to the gold standard would stabilize prices. Economists almost universally agree returning to the gold standard is a terrible idea. On top of that, the gold standard does not actually ensure more stable prices. It’s scary knowing someone who wants to control American monetary policy is so economically illiterate as to propose returning to the gold standard.
Paul has claimed that if he’s elected he will eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. He said this in a discussion of Common Core, a recently adopted national standard of education, which Paul opposes. No matter how you feel about the Common Core, threatening to eliminate the DOE is a gross overreaction by Paul that would do more harm than good. Eliminating the DOE would significantly cut student financial aid and end a crucial loan forgiveness program which many students desperately need. Where would all these responsibilities go with the DOE gone? Presumably the states. This would further split up the responsibility for these programs, unnecessarily making the government more complicated as different standards would be followed in different states. Additionally, there are some programs that need to be federally ensured, like guaranteeing civil rights of students and collecting data to give to the public about education.
Paul also has a myriad of other questionable positions: he has historically opposed federally funded birth control, although his position has changed recently as he begins to campaign for president; he is also calling for tax cuts during a period of unprecedented inequality in the United States. Many people might be willing to overlook some of Paul’s more problematic positions in favor of his views on issues like term limits and surveillance. An argument could be made that any dubious ideas Paul might have could be checked by the other powers in government if he became president. However, the duties of a president go far past the position he holds; presidents are constantly making judgement calls. In light of Paul’s views, I find it hard to trust his judgment. We need someone to bring up issues other candidates won’t talk about — to push the envelope of discussion in this country. Rand Paul is the perfect candidate for that. But in light of all his views, Rand Paul is not the right candidate for president.
Bobby Doyle is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.doyle@cavalierdaily.com.
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