The Democrats are trolling Senator Rand Paul’s campaign to be the Republican presidential nominee. The DNC took to Twitter to mock his political positions, his campaign store and history of “mansplaining.” But the trolling also has a serious side.
In a series of tweets that parodied the novelty items sold on Paul’s campaign website, the Democratic National Convention created new products that emphasized his stance on a variety of political issues that the Democrats believe would make him vulnerable, especially if manages to win the general election.
ICYMI, Rand Paul doesn't like the "Washington Machine." Maybe this will remove the stains on his new outsider record? pic.twitter.com/3FnxzouxUM
— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) April 10, 2015
One item, an “extra-slow mobile hotspot,” focuses on Paul’s stance against the new Federal Communications Commission net neutrality regulations.
“Net neutrality is for the birds! (Which you’ll have a lot of time to observe while your Netflix loads using this Internet connection, since Rand Paul doesn’t believe in net neutrality). Get yours today, and simulate what life on the Internet would be like under a Paul administration,” the hotspot description says.
Get a sneak preview of internet under the Rand Paul administration: not free, not open, realllllllllllly slow: pic.twitter.com/wrdQJTY1Is
— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) April 10, 2015
Paul has said that he wants to keep “government out of the internet” and has been skeptical of a ban on so-called internet fast lanes.
The Kentucky senator has also supported states passing their own versions of the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, which Democrats say, promotes discrimination. So they created a “no [blank] allowed” sign for businesses to put in storefronts “so everyone knows who you’re discriminating against.”
Rand Paul's official 2016 campaign store sells just about everything, but we have a few suggested additions. pic.twitter.com/YlvxQhbitQ
— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) April 10, 2015
AirRand Running Shoes: Good for running away from tough questions (like Rand Paul just did in Iowa.) #RanPaulpic.twitter.com/q1HvMLQqG0
— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) April 10, 2015
And in a take on the Rand Paul Sandals (and flip flops), Democrats highlighted what they say are his anti-immigration beliefs with a pair of Air Rand Running Shoes. The basketball-type sneakers allow wearers to “get away quick (and in style) the next time you’re approached by a DREAMer who wants to ask you why you don’t support relief from deportations to keep families together!”
But the DNC isn’t just mocking Paul. They are also responding to serious problems they have with his politics, especially his views on abortion, and a history of “mansplaining” ‒ which the DNC referred to as “randsplaining” ‒ to female journalists.
Shhhh, Rand Paul: A guide for politicians on how not to talk to women. http://t.co/ZGZX6rsSlspic.twitter.com/8S8c1ROd5v
— Ryan Teague Beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) February 3, 2015
On Wednesday, Paul traded barbs with DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz about abortion rights. During a campaign stop in Milford, New Hampshire, reporters ‒ including some sent by the DNC ‒ asked Paul about his stance on late-term abortions.
"Why don't we ask the DNC: Is it OK to kill a 7-pound baby in the uterus?" Paul replied.
"You go back and go ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she's OK with killing a 7-pound baby that's just not born yet," Paul said. "Ask her when life begins, and ask Debbie when she's willing to protect life. When you get an answer from Debbie, come back to me."
Wasserman Schultz, a congresswoman from Florida, replied in a statement to CNN.
“Here’s an answer. I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved. Period. End of story,” she said. “Now your turn, Senator Paul. We know you want to allow government officials like yourself to make this decision for women –– but do you stand by your opposition to any exceptions, even when it comes to rape, incest, or life of the mother? Or do we just have different definitions of ‘personal liberty’?”
“And I’d appreciate it if you could respond without ‘shushing’ me,” she concluded.
Earlier in the day, Paul went on the Today show to talk about his presidential campaign. He cut off host Savannah Guthrie mid-sentence and then lectured her on “a better way to approach an interview.”
In February, in an interview with CNBC’s Kelly Evans, Paul said, “Hey, hey, let me finish. Hey, Kelly, hey, shhhhhhh.”
Paul previously told Fox News’ Howard Kurtz that he can get defensive when pressed by journalists.
“Yeah, I did learn you’re not supposed to shush people,” Paul said at the time.