U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., weighed in on the Senate race in the state of Iowa with a timely reminder that Democratic candidate Mike Franken showed apparent support for the neighbor who brutally attacked Paul in 2017 and put him in the hospital.
Highlighting a Jan. 2021 tweet from Franken suggesting the neighbor was “more than a little in the right,” Paul said that should disqualify the Democrat from “any office.”
“Disgusting that Mike Franken would celebrate an assault (from behind) that resulted in 6 broken ribs, a damaged lung that had to be removed, and chronic pain. Advocacy for violence should disqualify Franken from holding ANY office,” Paul tweeted.
Disgusting that Mike Franken would celebrate an assault (from behind) that resulted in 6 broken ribs, a damaged lung that had to be removed, and chronic pain. Advocacy for violence should disqualify Franken from holding ANY office. https://t.co/87qcHpcxy8
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 25, 2022
The neighbor, Rene Boucher, attacked the Republican senator from behind — Paul was wearing headphones at the time — while he was doing yard work, breaking six ribs. Paul would eventually have surgery to have part of his lung removed and suffers from chronic pain, having said, “I don’t know what a night without pain is like or what a day without pain is like, so I do suffer from this.”
The violent attack was described by various media outlets as the result of bad blood over the years between the neighbors and “possible distaste for Paul’s politics,” as NBC characterized the possible motivation.
It’s not hard to surmise that if Paul was a Democrat, the media reaction would have been much greater than the cursory mentions the assault received. At the same time, those who dislike the senator never miss an opportunity to mock and ridicule him over the incident.
His tweet this week was no exception… here’s a small sampling of the hatred and intolerance that marks today’s left — fresh on their minds are Paul’s efforts to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci accountable for his role in the COVID-19 pandemic:
They way you bullied Dr. Fauci, you’re getting off easy.
— Philly girl♈ (@janise62794570) October 26, 2022
I sent your neighbor a thank you note.#GrassleyNeedsToGoIowa
— Dad Of 4A’s (@4a_of) October 25, 2022
So you Effed around and found out a few years back Huh? https://t.co/NkyvaqcYt4
— NewDemocrat4Life (@reesetheone1) October 25, 2022
I’m surprised as an eye doctor you didn’t see it coming https://t.co/vd0sfm2ifM
— Conor Halbleib for Congress (@conor_halbleib) October 25, 2022
On the other hand, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., responded with this message: “Disgusting, but not surprising that Mike Franken would celebrate a violent assault. This—along with other alarming behavior—speaks to Mike Franken’s lack of character.”
Disgusting, but not surprising that Mike Franken would celebrate a violent assault.
This—along with other alarming behavior—speaks to Mike Franken’s lack of character.
Iowa, send a decent man @GrassleyWorks back to the Senate to keep fighting for you. https://t.co/2hJ5kwTODQ
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) October 25, 2022
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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