Rand Paul Shoots The Tax Code With An AR-15 Assault Rifle. Yes, Really. [View all]

[IDemo]

It’s unclear whether it was another Republican stunt or if it was part of Rand Paul’s debate prep, but the floundering libertarian candidate stopped by a shooting range on Wednesday to fire rounds of ammo from an AR-15 assault rifle at the U.S. tax code.

This, of course, isn’t the first time Rand Paul physically destroyed the tax code on video. Earlier this year, Paul used a chain saw to mutilate the hefty document. It’s worth noting that the AR-15 was Adam Lanza’s weapon of choice at Sandy Hook. I can only imagine if a Democratic candidate in, say, 2002 appeared on video using a 9/11-style box cutter to stab unpopular government documents.

Rather than discussing the finer details of each candidate’s policy proposals (Trump doesn’t really have any, as far as I can tell), we’re now engaged in a Jackass-style competition to literally bash things on video. This is what’s replaced rational discourse on the Republican side. Donald Trump blurts insults like a Twitter troll. Rand Paul used an AR-15 to shoot the tax code, after having already chopped it with a chain saw. Lindsey Graham destroyed his cellphone with a baseball bat, a food processor, a meat cleaver, a golf club and, naturally, fire. Ted Cruz didn’t necessarily destroy anything but he used a hot machine gun muzzle to cook bacon.

But as with yard signs and rally attendance, viral videos aren’t really any indication of success, nor are they effective for resuscitating a failing campaign. If that was the case, and stunt videos actually helped, Graham, Paul and Cruz would be well-positioned toward the front of the pack rather than barely registering a heartbeat in the polls.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/09/16/rand-paul-shoots-the-tax-code-with-an-ar-15-assault-rifle-yes-really-video/