Rand Paul further proves he's awful: offers Ilhan Omar to return to Somalia

The Hill

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered to help purchase plane tickets for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to visit Somalia, saying it might make her “appreciate America more.”

Paul, in an interview with the right-wing website Breitbart last week, called the freshman congresswoman “about as ungrateful as you can get.”

“And so — I’m willing to contribute to buy her a ticket to go visit Somalia, and I think she can look and maybe learn a little bit about the disaster that is Somalia — that has no capitalism, has no God-given rights guaranteed in a constitution, and has about seven different tribes that have been fighting each other for the last 40 years,” the senator said.

“And then maybe after she’s visited Somalia for a while, she might come back and appreciate America more.”

Omar came to the U.S. as a refugee with her family from Somalia. She became the first Somali American elected to state office in Minnesota, and in 2018 she again made history as the first Somali American, as well as one of the first two Muslim women, elected to Congress.

An Omar spokesperson declined to comment in response to Paul’s Breitbart interview.

Omar was recently attacked by President Trump in tweets directed at her and three fellow freshman Democrats, all of who are women of color, telling them to “go back” to the “totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

The tweets, which Trump has doubled down on, were widely denounced as racist by Democrats and some Republicans.

After the tweets, at a rally in North Carolina, the crowd chanted “send her back” when the president mentioned the congresswoman.

The president paused during the chant, only continuing his speech when it died down.

He later said he did not agree with the chant and tried to quell it.

And not long after Trump had the "send her back" chants behind him on Ilhan and the other "squad" members (AOC, Tlaib and Pressley). Thanks for helping Trump normalize it, Rand.

why is that awful? he offered to pay her trip, thats quite generous of him, but its clear she committed fraud to gain US citizenship and should have it revoked

You know what's sadder than making a racist comment? Lapping up the racist breadcrumbs that are left behind.

Seems clear by going to Breitbart of all places to say this, Rand is desperate to signal to his base that he's totally on their side after the horribly played vote against 9/11 first responders.

Kentucky needs to get it's shit together, he and Moscow Mitch are making us look bad.

Ew, Somalia. No wonder she doesn't want to go back there.

@Guy_Brohski: yeah somalia sucks, I get why she would marry her brother to get him out.

You heard of facethejury.us? That place is known as the somalia of the internet

Are there any republicans in congress today that are not pieces of shit?

"attacked by tweets" LMAO.

I payed for my girlfriend to visit her birthplace in Seoul. Guess I'm a racist.

Clearly Rand Paul is doing this in good faith so she can simply go visit her family.

Oh wait, no, he gives the same bullshit reason Trump did,

“And so — I’m willing to contribute to buy her a ticket to go visit Somalia, and I think she can look and maybe learn a little bit about the disaster that is Somalia — that has no capitalism, has no God-given rights guaranteed in a constitution, and has about seven different tribes that have been fighting each other for the last 40 years,” the senator said.

“And then maybe after she’s visited Somalia for a while, she might come back and appreciate America more.”

That's absolutely stupid. So anyone who criticizes USA (like Trump during Obama) should temporarily leave the country?

What kind of backwards nationalist bullshit is this.

So should we also temporarily send back white Republicans who complained during Obama?

Including Trump?

And because, you know, she's literally an American citizen living here.

Once again this proves Democrats have reading comprehension issues. Offering one to ‘go back’ and ‘come back’ in the same quote/tweet are not what racists do.

Quit abusing words you don’t understand.

No capitalism? Somalia is a poster child of unchecked capitalism. There's no state, everything is owned privately by warlords, security, justice and defense are provided by private militias. You can sell and buy everything you want, if you bribe the right people.

@burntbyhellfire: Bingo, she should have a one way ticket back.

Do you have proof she committed fraud to get US Citizenship?

I need a link to this proof.

All I'm seeing are unfounded conspiracy theories, even in these "sources".

Clearly the O.P. is unable to be honest as his/her title is quite misleading.

The fact Rand can say all this shit and represents KY is astounding. This is only happening due to her race.

I cannot wait for this racist, faux patriotism party to die.

She should leave America, she seems to hate it anyway. So go back to Somalia where you can live like a queen.

She married her brother. gross

here's the full quote because as you know people on this forum have a habbit of reading slanted headlines and then rushing on here to post something they think is big news, making themselves a laughing stock to most.. and it highlights why fake news is what it is.. its no wonder people think youre delusional

rand pauls full statement, not clipped out of context to feed a dying news industry

“I’ve met people who have come here from behind the Iron Curtain,”Paul said. “They got away from communism, they’re some of the best Americans we have, because they really appreciate how great our country is, and then I hear Representative Omar say America is a terrible place.

Well, she came here and we fed her, we clothed her, she got welfare, she got [schooling], she got healthcare, and then, lo and behold, she has the honor of actually winning a seat in Congress, and she says we’re a terrible country? I think that’s about as ungrateful as you can get.

And so — I’m willing to contribute to buy her a ticket to go visit Somalia, and I think she can look and maybe learn a little bit about the disaster that is Somalia — that has no capitalism, has no God-given rights guaranteed in a constitution, and has about seven different tribes that have been fighting each other for the last 40 years.

And then maybe after she’s visited Somalia for a while,” Paul added, “she might come back and appreciate America more.”

@burntbyhellfire: We understand the context.

if you did, you wouldnt be thinking this was some great big "gotcha".. its a wonder why left wing media even wastes the time writing anything past a headline in the first place

@burntbyhellfire: Not a gotcha, just racist and nationalist condescension.

The faux patriotism like last night when the democrats had the color guard come out along with the choir singing a patriotic song?

Odds are no...………..

No, like telling people to go back to their country because they noticed issues with this one.

Trump seemed to hate America during Obama's presidency.

Do you think he should have went back to Germany?

I have many of the same grievances as she should, should I go back to my country?

This is a ludicrous nationalist talking point.

Faux patriotism? You mean like the president that disregards laws?

Isn't Somalia on the travel ban list, wouldn't that make it a one way trip?

Hey trump still hates American. He's insulting city after city. He needs to leave.

Do you have proof of this or is this just another racism based conspiracy theory like Obama Birtherism?

@Serraph105: Are there any Democrats in office who aren't emotionally fragile drama queens?

@Guy_Brohski: You seem like an emotionally fragile drama queen with a reaction like that.

https://www.oann.com/new-internal-emails-reveal-ilhan-omar-staff-chaos-over-sham-marriage-story/

https://www.lifezette.com/2019/07/ilhan-omar-leaves-husband-and-heads-for-second-divorce-says-report/?utm_source=right-rail-latest

lets keep talking about her marrying her bro lol

@jeezers: Checking the sources to your sources states that it remains uncertain if she married her brother or not.

@zaryia: Triggered again? He simply offered her a ticket to visit the place she came from ( that by all measurable standards is worse then the US).

I'm not triggered, Rand Paul's comments were simply idiotic low IQ statement to make. Wanting to send an American Citizen to go back to another country, even "temporarily" because they don't think USA is a utopia is beyond dumb. But that's exactly what can be expected from Rand Paul who comes from the 3rd world state of KY.

Why would she want to go to a place that is by far worse than US? For pointing out USA's problems?

Stupid.

What are you doing. Neither of those are credible sources.

Please provide proof he was her Brother.

Lets keep talking about GOP members saying dumb shit.

is this fucking opposite day?

We should send Rand Paul instead. And forget to give him return tickets.

These same assholes decry aspects about the US all the time. Why didn't they bail and run? Bunch of hypocritical cowards.

It's called fakenews. Duh.

Blood or adopted? Yes, this can be an important difference.

No.

Yeah, pretty much. I'm betting the idea is outright invented.

@zaryia: Because she thinks the US treats people of color poorly. Yet ironically the country she comes from treats them much worse. Omar makes ridiculously low IQ statements all the time to pander to her far left base. You don't seem to have a problem with that though.

Kentucky seems to only offer the shitiest people when it comes to public office.

And Trump complained about and continues to complain about US issues too, tell him to get the **** out also. I'm guessing you won't do that however, and for obvious reasons.

Then make a thread about your opinions on those instead of deflecting in this one were Rand Paul utterly makes a complete and total fool of himself.

@zaryia: Meh I wouldn't say he made a fool of himself. And watching how it triggers the far left( such as yourself)is golden.

Shit meme. Just like shitty Rand Paul and his low IQ statements.

Lol, is there anything not considered racist? Just curious.

Political conversations have no sign of improving

Trump's original statements were racist, and most Americans agree on that. If you say something racist people are going to, GASP, think it is racist. That wasn't really an ambiguous one.

Not sure about Rand's, and I never called them as such. I just said they were extremely idiotic, which they were.