Perhaps it’s a faint echo of my Objectivist, Randian, and libertarian youth, but I like Rand Paul. He seems to be politically comfortable enough in Kentucky that it allows him to tell the truth. Sometimes, hard truths. In the Monday night debate over the latest Covid-19 relief bill, he did just that.

FNC: “Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., addressed the Senate Monday afternoon as his colleagues prepared to vote for a $900 billion coronavirus relief package and told his fellow Republicans who backed the stimulus that they are no better than the Democrats they criticize who align themselves with socialism. ‘To so-called conservatives who are quick to identify the socialism of Democrats: If you vote for this spending monstrosity, you are no better,’ Paul said. The House passed the relief package and lawmakers tacked on a $1.4 trillion catchall spending bill prior to the Christmas holiday…The relief package will send a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses, restaurants and theaters…The other five who voted against the package were Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Ted Cruz, R-Texas and Ron Johnson,  R-Wis. Cruz tweeted earlier that it is ‘ABSURD’ to have “a $2.5 trillion spending bill negotiated in secret and then—hours later—demand an up-or-down vote on a bill nobody has had time to read.”

A) Ok. So the Senate approved a big $1.4 trillion, omnibus spending bill before midnight et to avoid a shutdown right? And they latched that to the coronavirus package, right?

Well, that’s not actually the pact which will fund the governmemt for the next week.

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 22, 2020

Rand Paul opined, “If free money was the answer… if money really did grow on trees, why not give more free money? Why not give it out all the time? Why stop at $600 a person? Why not $1,000? Why not $2,000? Maybe these new Free-Money Republicans should join the Everybody-Gets-A-Guaranteed-Income Caucus? Why not $20,000 a year for everybody, why not $30,000? If we can print out money with impunity, why not do it? When you vote to pass out free money, you lose your soul and you abandon forever any semblance of moral or fiscal integrity.”

But Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell praised the relief bill, saying, “Yesterday, leaders in the Senate, in the House, and the Secretary of the Treasury reached the major agreement that struggling Americans have needed for months. We are going to pass another historic rescue package to help American families through this pandemic.” Rand Paul and Ted Cruz got the better of that argument. But McConnell won the day.

This piece was written by David Kamioner on December 22, 2020. It originally appeared in DrewBerquist.com and is used by permission.

Read more at DrewBerquist.com:
So-Called Relief Bill Passed, Here Is What You Will Get
Dem Senator Says Republicans Who Challenge Election Are Bordering “Treason”
40% Of America Doubting President-elect Biden

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rob Maness.