海角大神

Kentucky鈥檚 Rand Paul, the darling of the conservative 鈥渢ea party鈥� movement, has started his general election campaign for the Senate with a bang. But not the kind of bang the Republican Party wants.

First, Dr. Paul held his post-primary victory party Tuesday night at a private country club 鈥� which didn鈥檛 exactly promote the kind of populist, outsider image tea partyers are trying to cultivate. In interviews, he by arguing that country clubs and golf aren鈥檛 as exclusive as they used to be, citing Tiger Woods as an example.

Now Paul is having trouble giving a straight answer to the question of whether he would have voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation. On MSNBC鈥檚 "Rachel Maddow Show" Wednesday night, the host and Paul had this exchange:

Ms. Maddow: 鈥淪hould Woolworth鈥檚 lunch counter ... have been allowed to stay segregated? Sir, just yes or no.鈥�

Paul: 鈥淲hat I think would happen 鈥� what I鈥檓 saying is, is that I don鈥檛 believe in any discrimination. I don鈥檛 believe in any private property should discriminate, either. And I wouldn鈥檛 attend, wouldn鈥檛 support, wouldn鈥檛 go to. But what you have to answer when you answer this point of view, which is an abstract, obscure conversation from 1964 that you want to bring up. But if you want to answer, you have to say then that you decide the rules for all restaurants and then you decide that you want to allow them to carry weapons into restaurants.鈥�

'He needs to come up with an answer'

Thursday morning, on MSNBC鈥檚 鈥�Morning Joe鈥� program, host and former Republican Rep. Joe Scarborough sees the potential for the issue to blow up: 鈥滺e needs to come up with an answer today, or Kentucky will be Arizona: a battleground for ugly, racial politics. He has 24 hours.鈥�

Paul, a libertarian 鈥� or as he puts it, a 鈥渃onstitutional conservative鈥� 鈥� is having a hard time squaring two strains of thought: an objection to government telling private businesses what they may or may not do and the right of government to regulate the practices of private businesses, such as discrimination based on race or allowing customers to carry weapons inside the business.

Paul鈥檚 ambivalence toward federal laws mandating the actions of private business 鈥� such as disallowing racial discrimination and requiring accommodation for people with disabilities 鈥� is nothing new. He suggested as much during the campaign with the Louisville Courier-Journal editorial board.

But it has come to the fore in interviews since the primary. In addition to the Maddow interview, he spoke with NPR鈥檚 鈥淎ll Things Considered鈥� on Wednesday afternoon and, again, straight up that he would have voted for the Civil Rights Act.

鈥淲hat I鈥檝e always said is, I鈥檓 opposed to institutional racism, and I would have 鈥� if I was alive at the time, I think 鈥� had the courage to march with Martin Luther King to overturn institutional racism, and I see no place in our society for institutional racism,鈥� he said in response to a first question about the act.

鈥淵ou would have marched with Martin Luther King but voted with Barry Goldwater?鈥� asked host Robert Siegel.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 confusing in a lot of cases in what鈥檚 actually in the Civil Rights Case [sic],鈥� Paul replied. 鈥淎 lot of things that were actually in the bill I鈥檓 actually in favor of I鈥檓 in favor of 鈥� everything with regards to ending institutional racism. So I think there鈥檚 a lot to be desired in the Civil Rights 鈥� and indeed the truth is, I haven鈥檛 read all through it, because it was passed 40 years ago and hadn鈥檛 been a real pressing issue on the campaign on whether I鈥檓 going to vote for the Civil Rights Act.鈥�

Paul blames the 'loony left'

Paul supporters blame liberal media for going after him 鈥� the 鈥渓oony left,鈥� as Paul refers to critics. On Thursday morning, in an interview with the conservative Laura Ingraham, Paul did not express regret about his comments, but says he regrets appearing on "The Rachel Maddow Show."

鈥淚t was a poor political decision and probably won鈥檛 be happening anytime in the near future,鈥� he said on Ms. Ingraham鈥檚 radio show.

But in a statement Thursday that seemed to acknowledge the political brouhaha he finds himself in, Paul said, 鈥淚 unequivocally state that I will not support any efforts to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964.鈥� Does he support all aspects of the landmark antidiscrimination legislation? That's still unclear.

Related:

Rand Paul rallies Tea Party with Kentucky GOP Senate primary win

Arlen Specter out, Rand Paul advances, Blanche Lincoln fights on