Rand Paul's supporters are pushing back against this whole Civil Rights Act brouhaha by arguing that he's not motivated by animosity towards people of color or fondness for segregation, but is simply a consistent, principled libertarian.
I have no problem accepting that. But if you think about it, it's truly a terrible defense.
What he's saying is that he wholeheartedly embraces equal treatment for all, but that private property rights trump that social good. That may be a perfectly acceptable position to take if the social good is, for example, some sort of environmental regulation. But here the issue is whether private businesses should be allowed to discriminate on the basis of race. Equal treatment for minorities is a bedrock principle of our liberal democracy.
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