Paul, Rogers make campaign trail stop at local 'Bluegrass, Boots and BBQ' event

Oct. 27—"When we win, we need to remember that though we want to be the party in power, we're not the party that wants to accumulate power. We're the party that wants and believes in the dissipation of power. We don't believe in centralizing power, we believe in the checks and balances of the Constitution. ... We are the party that believes that the role of government, the function of government, is to defend our God-given liberty."

That was the message that U.S. Senator Rand Paul left with the crowd at the end of his speech at the Pulaski County Republican Party's "Bluegrass, Boots and BBQ" event, held at Suits-Us Farm Tuesday night. The event serves as a pre-election campaign opportunity for both state and local candidates, allowing those on the ballot (generally Republican and non-partisan candidates) to be seen and talk with voters in an atmosphere with a fun country-western theme, along with bluegrass music and a meal of BBQ and baked beans.

"(The role of government) is not to give you free-anything. We are here to defend your liberty. That is our primary job. That's what the Constitution says, but it's also who we are as a party," added Paul. "As we try to grasp the reins of power, as we become the party in power, we need to keep remembering that the ultimate power needs to be left to the people."

Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican senator and Bowling Green, Ky., ophthalmologist, is seeking his third term in Washington, running against Democratic challenger Charles Booker in the November 8 general election. In talking of the Republican Party possibly assuming power, he looked ahead to the upcoming midterm elections in Congress, as a number of pundits are predicting a "Red Wave," with the GOP regaining a majority in the House of Representatives and possibly also the Senate.

The opening act for Paul was a face familiar to Pulaski County — Congressman Hal Rogers, who is also on the ballot again this year, going for his 22nd consecutive term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rogers is being challenged by Democrat Conor Halbleib.

In addition to those two, most notable local candidates were present to be recognized, as were some candidates or their representatives for other state races — even some coming up in 2023. The local Republican Party also presented both Rogers and Paul's campaigns with $500 checks to support their efforts for re-election.

But it was the messages that Paul and Rogers had for the crowd gathered into the barn-like event space that served as the main attraction of the evening. For his part, Paul focused on an issue he has made a focus in Washington as well — accountability for the negative ramifications of COVID-related shutdowns and vaccine mandates. In particular, Paul has been a vocal opponent of Dr. Anthony Fauci in his role advising the president and the nation on these issues, and has championed the role of natural immunity as an alternative for those who didn't wish to get the COVID vaccine — something for which many employees across the U.S. have been let go from their jobs.

"In 2004, (Fauci) was on C-SPAN. A mom calls in and says, 'My daughter's had the flu and she's really sick and she's better now, does she need a flu shot?' Dr. Fauci in those days was honest ... and he said, 'Absolutely not, the best inoculation of all, better than a vaccine, is having had the disease,' recalled Paul. "You say that in Washington, the liberals keep coming up and saying, 'Oh, your plan is to let people get it and die?' No! ... It turns out someone who has been infected and survived is 57 times less likely to go to the hospital than someone who hasn't been infected. But the vaccine also helps too. The vaccine would reduce your chances of being in the hospital 20-fold. But having been infected is twice as good as the vaccine. But we aren't paying any attention to that."

Paul also noted that the CDC has controversially put the COVID vaccine on the schedule of recommended immunizations for American schoolchildren, a decision which falls in the hands of local legislators on whether or not to follow, and said, "I'm hoping Shane (Baker, current State Representative from Pulaski County, running against Democrat Bryon Vaught his November) and others will stand up and fight this. We gonna fight this?" In response, Paul drew affirmations and applause.

"It turns out that the death rate for children (from COVID) under 18 is about one-in-2 million," added Paul. "So if this were a Democrat convention, what I would tell you is this: If you want to force us to wear masks, if you want to force us to stay six feet apart, if you want to force us to stay at home, you should also force us to have tin foil hats with lightning rods, because your kids are more likely to be struck by lightning than they are to die (of COVID.)"

Paul also talked about inflation, and how the current spike is due to the massive borrowing the government did in reaction to COVID.

"We borrowed more money than we've ever borrowed in the history of our country," said Paul. "The ramifications of that are that the Federal Reserve buys that debt, and that's when the inflation comes along. ... The inflation came from the lockdown. We lost our liberty, and now we're losing our purchasing power as well."

Paul promised that should Republicans take the Senate this November, he'll be a committee chair with the power to subpoena "every last record of Dr. Fauci's."

Gov. Andy Beshear was also a target of Paul's for his actions in response to COVID, including closing down church services as an emergency measure.

"The whole world got turned upside down; everybody decided that your business was their business," said Paul of the period following COVID's arrival.

"The governor sent armed agents to the church on Easter Sunday," he added, drawing applause with the line, "I say, never again!"

Rogers took on inflation, saying that it's at an "all-time high," with the result that families are paying $717 more in general — "We need not talk about gasoline or the grocery store." Rogers said that it's a result of the Democrat-controlled Congress and President Joe Biden — "The country elected a president who's weak," he said, adding, "We're in crisis after crisis" — but "that's going to change."

Rogers thanked all the candidates in attendance for running to serve their state and community, observing that the process isn't always fun but it is important.

"I salute all of these candidates who are willing to put their name on the line and put their ideas forward," said Rogers. "... Pulaski County is the Mecca. This is the place where the Republican Party excels and does the right thing."

Baker talked about Kentucky's Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2, which will be on the local ballot this November and would clarify the state constitution to say that nothing in it "shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion." He urged the crowd to vote for the amendment.

Baker said the amendment would do three things — one, he said it shows that "we value life in Kentucky." Two, it's designed to "keep a judge from ... creating the right to abortion" through interpretation of the constitution. Also, he said, "Probably nobody in this crowd has written a check to Planned Parenthood in recent weeks. If you would not write a check to Planned Parenthood asking them to take the life of an innocent child, likewise you would not want to government to write that check on your behalf. So this will keep a judge from legislating from the bench the right to abortion, and it will keep your tax dollars from going to fund abortion."