Sen. Rand Paul spent more than nine minutes whining over Jon Stewart's criticism for blocking permanent reauthorization of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.
On Wednesday, Stewart blasted Paul’s “fiscal responsibility virtue signaling” on Fox’s Special Report show (video below). "Rand Paul presented tissue-paper avoidance of the 1.5 trillion tax cut that added hundreds of billions of dollars to our deficit and now he stands up at the last minute after 15 years of blood, sweat and tears from the 9/11 community so that it's all over now, now we're going to balance the budget on the backs of the 9/11 first responder community," Stewart added.
According to Paul, his roadblock, which CBS News described as preventing "the Senate from voting to approve the bill through unanimous consent, citing its cost," is only a temporary obstacle. But instead of defending his supposedly symbolic move, Paul focused on attacking Stewart during a lengthy appearance on Fox's Your World show.
"I know Jon Stewart," Paul sneered."In this case, he’s neither funny nor informed. I've spent my entire Senate career putting forward ‘pay-fors’ for any time spending is expanding. As soon ago as two weeks ago, I put forward a ‘pay-for’ for the border funding, I put forward a pay-for for the disaster funding."
Although later in the interview Paul defended Trump’s attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, Paul claimed that Stewart’s "name calling just sort of exposes him as a left winger, part of the left-wing mob that really isn't using his brain and is wiling to call people names, it’s really kind of disgusting." Paul never complained about any of Trump’s name calling in this 13-minute interview.
"He is the BS,” Paul continued, referring to Stewart, not Trump. “The BS meter's through the roof when you see him calling people names."
Paul called his “pay-go” amendment "very reasonable" before mounting another attack on Stewart’s “left-wing mob.” "The left-wing mob says oh, but you're for tax cuts, but you're not for doing anything to offset the tax cuts. There's something called ‘pay-go,’ and I was the leader in trying to keep that in the tax bill. … It was later taken out of the tax bill over my objections."
Paul further claimed that when he voted for the tax bill, the pay-go provision was in it. "The left-wing mob doesn't care about the truth. Jon Stewart doesn’t care about the truth. It's all about me, me, me, Jon Stewart, look at me, I’m on TV," Paul added.
With unintentional irony Paul next went after Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for making "ad hominem attacks” along with Stewart “and the whole left-wing mob.”
“I've consistently been for spending cuts, even on tax bills, and I'm going to offer one on this bill also,” Paul said peevishly. “No matter how good the cause is, we should offset the spending."
Host Neil Cavuto asked if Paul would vote for the bill "if you don't offset it."
No, he won’t. "I don't vote for any spending that's not offset,” Paul said. “I didn't vote for the border spending recently even though I support more money for the border."
Cavuto noted that the first responder fund is “$10.2 billion over a decade,” suggesting that was not a big deal given the $22 trillion debt.
"It's worse than that,” Paul insisted. “It's about two billion a year, every year until 2092.” He called the bill “completely irresponsible” because there isn’t a dollar amount to go with it. While he was at it, the guy who hates ad hominem attacks called Stewart “a guttersnipe.”
"People are dying,” Cavuto replied, “more than they thought.”
“And they’re getting money, Neil,” Paul said. "This is a country that's already paid $12 billion to those people who've both died and have died since then." He called it "inexcusable" to borrow to pay any more.
Cavuto noted that there are no budgetary constraints under Trump. “This president’s presiding over what will be the second trillion dollar deficit. No one seems to be watching the till, right?”
“Except for me,” Paul insisted. But he also claimed that it’s a lie to say he blocked the bill, because it will eventually go forward. He said the amendment he and Sen. Mike Lee want will get voted down and then the bill will get passed.
“I’m trying to have a debate in our country about whether or not deficits matter,” Paul said. “I think I should be commended and loudly cheered for being one of the few fiscally responsible people up here."
Then, as the subject changed to Trump’s “go back” tweets about Omar and three other congresswomen of color, Paul said, “I kind of side with the president on this… I do think she needs to be called out.”
Watch Stewart blast Paul below, from the July 17, 2019 Special Report. Underneath is Paul’s thin-skinned response, full of just the kind of ad hominem attacks he complained about from others, from the July 18, 2019 Your World.