Blog Post #13

"Rand Paul Blames 'Lack of Fathers' for Baltimore Protests"

     Republican Senator Rand Paul made a statement on the protests of Freddie Gray's death, saying the "lack of fathers" was to blame. He mentioned he had come through the city on a train and was thankful they didn't stop. The 2016 candidate grouped the looting and protesting together describing it as moral issues of "thuggery and thievery". The article also provided links to statistics showing that the stereotype of black fathers being absent is just that, a stereotype. He also stated that he fully supported the Baltimore police.
     This relates to our government class because it discusses the 2016 presidential campaign, and how the candidates opinions effect their campaigns. I had planned on looking for statistics to fight the "absent father" stereotype, but was pleasantly surprised to see the article provided them. Since the beginning of his campaign, I haven't been a fan of Rand Paul, his environmental policies are lacking and  he seems to have no concern over unequal pay or the rising college prices, despite targeting the American youth in his campaign. I think the statement he made was very racist, and that a candidate in 2015 should know better than to mindlessly trust stereotypes. I think this will definitely hurt his campaign and cause loss of support from the African American community and from those supportive of racial equality.