| The more I hear about Rand Paul the less he sounds like a Libertarian. While his daddy Ron Paul may be a real Libertarian, his son Rand Paul sounds like a real jerk who isn't a Libertarian at all. While Lauren Lizabeth Valle, 23, is a socialist with MoveOn.org she certainly doesn't deserve to be beat up for that reason. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/26/20101026kentucky-senate-election-scuffle.html Woman's head stepped on by Rand Paul supporters Oct. 26, 2010 07:09 AM Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. - Supporters of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul wrestled a woman to the ground and one stepped on her head after she tried to confront the candidate in Kentucky. The incident happened Monday night in Lexington right before a debate between Paul and Democratic opponent Jack Conway. Lauren Valle of liberal group MoveOn.org, told Louisville station WDRB she was trying to give Paul a fake award when his supporters took her to the ground. Television footage shows Valle's blonde wig being pulled off before she's pinned to the ground. A man then puts his foot down on her head. Valle said the incident left her with "a bit of a headache." A police watch commander said early Tuesday that she didn't know if any arrests were made. Paul's campaign released a statement calling the altercation "incredibly unfortunate" and expressed relief that the woman was not injured. "Violence of any kind has no place in our civil discourse and we urge supporters on all sides to be civil to one another as tensions rise heading toward this very important election," the statement said. http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/27/head-stomper-demands-aplog/ Rand Paul Head-Stomper To Victim: ‘I Would Like For Her To Apologize To Me’ Tim Profitt, the former Bourbon County campaign coordinator for Kentucky GOP Senate nominee Rand Paul’s campaign, gave the AP a non-apology apology yesterday for stomping on the head of a MoveOn.org activist outside a Senate debate Monday night, saying, “I apologize if it appeared overly forceful.” But apparently his pseudo-remorse was short-lived, as Profitt told local CBS affiliat WKYT today, “I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.” (The Lexington Police think otherwise, issuing Profitt with a criminal summons). And astonishingly, asked if he planned to apologize directly the activist Lauren Valle whose head he stomped on, Profitt said, “I would like for her to apologize to me to be honest with you.” Watch it: Profitt has remarkably attempted to blame Valle for the incident in which he and another large man wrestled the 23-year-old woman to the ground, telling WKYT, “she was a professional at what she does and I think when all the facts come out, people will see that she was the one who initiated the whole thing.” Profitt has said he restrained Valle because he feared the petite woman represented “a danger” to Paul, and said he stepped on her because “I couldn’t bend over because I have issues with my back.” Meanwhile, Profitt now says he “fears for his safety.” On a conference call organized by the campaign for Demoratic nominee Jack Conway today, a 60-year-old Conway supporter named Michael Grossman said he was also assaulted by a Paul supporter at the same event. Grossman — who attended the event “simply as a supporter” of Conway — was carrying a sign with Conway’s name on it. Shortly after Valle was attacked, Grossman said he “felt a heavy hand on my shoulder” and turned around to see a “thug” who “happened to be massive.” Grossman said the man tried to “thrust me to the ground” in order to get to Valle and take part in that melee. When Grossman turned around, he said the man “verbally berated” him, called him a “communist” and a “socialist,” and said “you ought to be back in California or New York with all the rest of the scum.” In her first TV interview since the incident last night, Valle told MSBC’s Keith Olberman that the incident captured on video was actually only the very end of a lengthy altercation she had with Profitt, tea party activist Mike Pezzano, and several other Rand Paul supporters. “It was premeditated” Valle said, saying that Profitt and his compatriots knew she was a progressive activist and not any kind of “threat” to Paul. Watch it: Rand Paul has disowned Profitt, despite the fact that the campaign ironically ran a full page ad yesterday touting the endorsement of Profitt, among many others. But apparently not all conservatives are prepared to denounce violence against an innocent woman. Right-wing talk radio host Neal Boortz tweeted today, “Wanted: A Rand Paul supporter with a bad back to stand on a Media Matters staffer’s head for a while.” http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-scuffle_27nat.ART.State.Edition1.4962f85.html Video shows Rand Paul supporter attacking activist 09:33 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 McClatchy Newspapers LEXINGTON, Ky. – A supporter of Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul is being served with a criminal summons after he was seen on video stepping on a liberal activist's head at a rally Monday night, Lexington police said. Tim Profitt, a volunteer with Paul's campaign, said he was concerned the woman was trying to attack Paul and acted only to subdue her. "The way she went after him it looked like something bad was getting ready to happen," said Profitt, 53, of Bourbon County, Ky. He said he put his foot on her shoulder, not her head. "I said, 'Now you stay down,' and called for police. The only thing we were trying to do was subdue her." He criticized police for not taking action after other supporters had warned authorities about the activist. Profitt will be ordered to appear before a Fayette County district court judge who will decide whether to proceed with an assault case, police said. Paul has cut ties with Profitt. Paul was criticized earlier in the day for not denouncing the attack strongly enough. A later statement said Paul is "extremely disappointed in, and condemns" the actions. "The Paul campaign has disassociated itself from the volunteer who took part in this incident, and once again urges all activists – on both sides – to remember that their political passions should never manifest themselves in physical altercations of any kind," the statement said. The incident happened as Paul arrived at the Kentucky Educational Television studio in Lexington for a debate with Attorney General Jack Conway, his Democratic opponent. Lauren Lizabeth Valle, 23, an activist with MoveOn.org, tried to get close to Paul to give him a fake award portraying him as a tool of big business, as the group has done elsewhere. However, at least two men in the crowd grabbed her and pushed her down. Profitt put his foot on her shoulder and shoved down forcefully on her neck and head. A spokeswoman for MoveOn said Valle went to a hospital to be checked and has a concussion. She was not admitted. McClatchy Newspapers |