The Rand Paul sideshow

[El Guapo]

There has to be a deeper story here. This was his neighbor, not a random attack. Schtuping the wife? Dog pooping on his lawn?

So far the consensus seems to be that this is all super weird and that Paul probably isn't telling the whole story here.

[Freyland]

There has to be a deeper story here. This was his neighbor, not a random attack. Schtuping the wife? Dog pooping on his lawn?

So far the consensus seems to be that this is all super weird and that Paul probably isn't telling the whole story here.

What? A politician not telling the whole story? Inconceivable!

[hepcat]

If decades of sitcoms have taught me anything, it's that either a fence or a tree limb is to blame.

[Sepiche]

Sounds like his neighbor really did a number on him:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpos ... 2675087785

Doug Stafford, Paul’s chief of staff, said in a statement Sunday that the senator has five rib fractures, including three displaced fractures, meaning the bones are partly or completely cracked.

“This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force. It is not clear exactly how soon he will return to work, as the pain is considerable as is the difficulty in getting around, including flying,” Stafford said.

Paul has lung contusions, or bruises, caused by the broken ribs, Stafford said. He could not say whether one lung was bruised or both, but said Paul’s recovery could last several months. Such fractures can cause other significant medical problems, including internal bleeding, damage to other organs or pneumonia.

[Defiant]

Assaulted

GOP Sen. Rand Paul was assaulted in his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Friday, according to Kentucky State Police.

I guess I'll send my thoughts and prayers to the survivor of the second Bowling Green massacre.

[hepcat]

Boucher is an anesthesiologist and pain specialist, according to the Bowling Green Daily News. The newspaper also reports that he invented the Therm-a-Vest, a cloth vest partially filled with rice and secured by Velcro straps. Its purpose is to relieve back pain by delivering heat straight to the affected areas.

Maybe he was just giving Rand some back injuries so he could show him how his vest worked?

[Rip]

You guys seem to have neglected the possibility that Rand was poking the guys wife......

[GreenGoo]

You guys seem to have neglected the possibility that Rand was poking the guys wife......

There has to be a deeper story here. This was his neighbor, not a random attack. Schtuping the wife? Dog pooping on his lawn?

[Remus West]

Assaulted

GOP Sen. Rand Paul was assaulted in his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Friday, according to Kentucky State Police.

I guess I'll send my thoughts and prayers to the survivor of the second Bowling Green massacre.

Or a pre-existing condition for insurance purposes.

Joking aside though I really hope it turns out to be a mundane issue like infidelity because this partisan violence does not bode well for the nation as a whole. Paul is an asshole whom I would love to see out of any sort of power but I don't want him beaten down to make it happen.

[hepcat]

Infidelity wouldn't be a mundane circumstance for the self righteous, hypocritical contingent within Washington that loves to make things like that into near criminal offenses. If that does turn out to be the case, I doubt it will end quietly in the halls of Washington.

[Rip]

Or, maybe the guy who tackled him was a jilted lover........

[hepcat]

There have been rumors...

...which would spell certain death for his career in this current clime.

[El Guapo]

The thing is that even if this turned out to be a "conventional" type sex scandal (e.g., Paul was schtuping the guy's wife), the attack will add a layer of drama to everything else that comes out, amplifying the underlying scandal.

[hepcat]

I've seen a couple of reports that state the attack was politically motivated. Boucher is a registered Democrat and supposedly a Trump hater.

...Rip just got a hard on.

[Rip]

I've seen that and that he was a Bernie Bro which is synonymous with unhinged political anarchist, but I haven't seen anything that actually tied that to the attack.

Best that can do is get me semi-rigid.

[hepcat]

That was just an aside. I didn't mean to insinuate they were related!

[El Guapo]

I've seen a couple of reports that state the attack was politically motivated. Boucher is a registered Democrat and supposedly a Trump hater.

...Rip just got a hard on.

How would that make sense, though? The guy lives a few doors down from Rand Paul, so I assume that he's not exactly poor or desperate. If he's got mental health issues, presumably those didn't keep him from getting and maintaining a house in that neighborhood. To the extent that the guy was thinking logically, killing / disabling Rand Paul doesn't achieve anything, as depending on KY's senator replacement procedures his replacement would be picked either by Republican Gov. Bevin or by a heavily Republican electorate.

Even assuming that it's accurate that Boucher is a Trump hater, it still seems far more likely that this is personally motivated. Of which an affair or something similar would seem the most likely, but could be anything I suppose.

[hepcat]

Road rage shouldn't result in violence, but it does. In today's current politically hyper charged environment, I could easily see this being a case of pure rage due to a political disagreement.

But as I said, it was just something I read in a Vanity Fair piece and a couple of other sites.

Err...the attack on Paul, that is. I haven't read anything about Rip getting an erection, to be fair. Although his monthly newsletter is a bit late.

[El Guapo]

I hate to say this, but poor Rand Paul. The man gets viciously assaulted and has five ribs broken, and now on top of it there are probably several reporters digging into his personal shit to find out what's up with this. Which means that if there's anything shady going on in his personal life, even if it's completely unrelated to this assault, there's a decent chance that it gets dug up over the next few months.

[Rip]

Road rage shouldn't result in violence, but it does. In today's current politically hyper charged environment, I could easily see this being a case of pure rage due to a political disagreement.

But as I said, it was just something I read in a Vanity Fair piece and a couple of other sites.

Err...the attack on Paul, that is. I haven't read anything about Rip getting an erection, to be fair. Although his monthly newsletter is a bit late.

I'm struggling to get the newsletter out these days because I can no longer afford a fluffer. I am accepting applications for an intern however.

[hepcat]

Easy there, Rip Weinstein.

[El Guapo]

Road rage shouldn't result in violence, but it does. In today's current politically hyper charged environment, I could easily see this being a case of pure rage due to a political disagreement.

But as I said, it was just something I read in a Vanity Fair piece and a couple of other sites.

Err...the attack on Paul, that is. I haven't read anything about Rip getting an erection, to be fair. Although his monthly newsletter is a bit late.

I'm struggling to get the newsletter out these days because I can no longer afford a fluffer. I am accepting applications for an intern however.

That's the Trump economy for you. #ThanksTrump

[gbasden]

I guess I'll send my thoughts and prayers to the survivor of the second Bowling Green massacre.

[Moliere]

I hate to say this, but poor Rand Paul. The man gets viciously assaulted and has five ribs broken, and now on top of it there are probably several reporters digging into his personal shit to find out what's up with this. Which means that if there's anything shady going on in his personal life, even if it's completely unrelated to this assault, there's a decent chance that it gets dug up over the next few months.

Wouldn't that have already happened during his Presidential runs and Senatorial runs? I can't imagine he's not already a target for this kind of digging.

[Defiant]

I hate to say this, but poor Rand Paul. The man gets viciously assaulted and has five ribs broken, and now on top of it there are probably several reporters digging into his personal shit to find out what's up with this. Which means that if there's anything shady going on in his personal life, even if it's completely unrelated to this assault, there's a decent chance that it gets dug up over the next few months.

Wouldn't that have already happened during his Presidential runs and Senatorial runs? I can't imagine he's not already a target for this kind of digging.

From articles I read during the election, the Republicans did a relatively poor job of bothering to find dirt on each other during the primary (compared to other elections)

[gilraen]

There has to be a deeper story here. This was his neighbor, not a random attack. Schtuping the wife? Dog pooping on his lawn?

So far the consensus seems to be that this is all super weird and that Paul probably isn't telling the whole story here.

Could be that Paul hurt this guy's medical career somehow, since their professional paths have crossed in the past.

[El Guapo]

I hate to say this, but poor Rand Paul. The man gets viciously assaulted and has five ribs broken, and now on top of it there are probably several reporters digging into his personal shit to find out what's up with this. Which means that if there's anything shady going on in his personal life, even if it's completely unrelated to this assault, there's a decent chance that it gets dug up over the next few months.

Wouldn't that have already happened during his Presidential runs and Senatorial runs? I can't imagine he's not already a target for this kind of digging.

Yeah, but this elevates things. Paul was never really a 'serious' presidential contender, at least insofar as he never sniffed a polling lead or anything close to that from what I can remember. Plus now there are specific leads connected to his attacker, what they have done together in the past, their respective associates / family members, etc. Not that he didn't have any vetting / scrutiny before, but more and different people will likely get involved with more specific leads.

[El Guapo]

There has to be a deeper story here. This was his neighbor, not a random attack. Schtuping the wife? Dog pooping on his lawn?

So far the consensus seems to be that this is all super weird and that Paul probably isn't telling the whole story here.

Could be that Paul hurt this guy's medical career somehow, since their professional paths have crossed in the past.

Supposedly not politics, but a "trivial dispute". That I guess motivated the guy to break five of Paul's ribs.

[Moliere]

Rand probably let his dog poop in the guy's yard. That's worth 5 broken ribs.

[Captain Caveman]

Reports are that the dispute was over a "planting or flora" issue on their properties. Seriously.

[Smoove_B]

I don't want to give the impression I condone the violence against Rand Paul in any capacity, however....

If he was my neighbor and his "I'm your neighbor" persona was the same as his smug politician persona, then I understand (to paraphrase Chris Rock).

[El Guapo]

Reports are that the dispute was over a "planting or flora" issue on their properties. Seriously.

This is kind of starting to make sense. Neighbor property disputes can approach road rage-level intensity.

[Jaymann]

Reports are that the dispute was over a "planting or flora" issue on their properties. Seriously.

His neighbor wanted to grow a patch of marijuana ans Rand narc'ed on him.

[hepcat]

Flora gate 2017

[Holman]

Flora gate 2017

Bowling Greenery Massacre

Spoiler:

stolen from Twitter

[Moliere]

Rand Paul Getting Attacked Is What’s Wrong with Libertarianism. Wait, What?

But if you think a seemingly non-political man-fight would escape the relentless Politicization of Everything, you haven't been paying attention. By dint of his unusual ideology, Rand Paul suffers from the Weird Man's Burden, which means sustaining an unprovoked assault is a splendid occasion to call him an asshole.
...
The attack has prompted impressively in-depth reporting on Paul's irritable views toward his local Home Owner Association rules, with asking-for-it newspaper headlines such as, "Rand Paul is not a perfect neighbor, says community developer." But extra credit goes to Detroit Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson, who wrings an entire piece out of the question: What kind of politician mows his own lawn?

[Isgrimnur]

WaPo

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Monday that part of his lung had been surgically removed over the weekend and that the procedure would “limit my August activities” but not hinder a return to Washington after the current recess.

Writing on Twitter, Paul said the surgery was related to injuries sustained in 2017 when he was attacked by his neighbor, Rene Boucher, in a dispute over lawn debris.
...
Boucher pleaded guilty to attacking Paul and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Paul has also filed a lawsuit against Boucher over the incident.

Earlier this year, Paul traveled to Ontario, Canada, to have hernia surgery, which he said was also related to the 2017 assault.

[Smoove_B]

Both KY senators unavailable after this weekend's horrific acts of violence. I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

[malchior]

Both KY senators unavailable after this weekend's horrific acts of violence. I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

I think it is kind of crazy that he traveled away from the `world's best healthcare system` for his hernia surgery or that 2 years after a fist fight he is lingering in constant decay. Perhaps he needs a rest from his high stress job obstructing funds for 9/11 first responders.

[LordMortis]

Both KY senators unavailable after this weekend's horrific acts of violence. I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

I think it is kind of crazy that he traveled away from the `world's best healthcare system` for his hernia surgery or that 2 years after a fist fight he is lingering in constant decay. Perhaps he needs a rest from his high stress job obstructing funds for 9/11 first responders.

And he's (or was) an MD to boot. So he knows more about all phases of self care and professional care than you or I ever will.