Rand Paul On ‘The View’: Asked How Tall He Is, And Schools Whoopi Goldberg On Guns, As Gun Control Debate Rages On

Rand Paul can occasionally be called an unconventional candidate, at least certainly for a what many would view as odd for a Republican. Senator Paul has engaged the NAACP, dropped in on traditionally black American colleges — a usual No-No for Republicans — and he has even discussed Social Security with seniors. According to the Daily Mail, Rand and Kelley Paul dropped in on the women of The View for an interview. Their first question to the Kentucky senator was fairly hard-hitting.

“You know, I have to ask you before we get into this, how tall are you?” Joy Behar asked. Paul took it in stride and responded humorously.

“This may surprise you – six-four. Haven’t you ever looked at the basketball program? Everybody that is five-eight is five-10, everyone’s that five-10 is six foot. I’m five-eight, but you know what I think – this is serious – I think size matters. “

Though it might have taken Rand Paul supporters aback, and created some possible fury, it is not uncommon to judge a presidential candidate by their looks. In the debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, many found out later that Nixon’s gaunt, garish appearance on television actually hurt his numbers.

Another factor against Senator Paul that The View ladies brought up was his appearance often being mistaken for “grumpiness.” Dr. Paul acknowledged this fact, but denied that there was any truth in it, but admits his wife is a big help on the campaign trail, as she is a little more outgoing.

“We probably would have like two friends without her. We have so many friends, we have to juggle them because we’re so well liked. Sometimes just greeting somebody for the first time, I’m maybe not that good at it. I love – I was at a senior center yesterday and we had a great debate [about] social security reform – I’m happy to mix it up.”

The View host Whoopi Goldberg had an exchange with Rand Paul over automatic versus semi-automatic weapons, and Goldberg still thinks that automatic weapons are available to the public. However, she still was against the idea of semi-automatic weapons, as she pondered what their purpose was. Rand Paul answered her inquiry, and suggest she visit his home state of Kentucky, The Wrap reports.

“People do hunt with them, and people do also shooting and sport-shooting and target shooting and things with these guns. Come to Kentucky, and I’ll introduce you [to them]. “

Senator Paul discussed President Obama’s executive order on gun control. He explained why he was most concerned about its effects, and potential for ceding too much power to the president. Rand Paul has already made the proclamation that he will fight President Obama’s executive orders “tooth” and “nail” by pushing a vote on legislation he authored that would make gun control related executive orders “advisory only,” Breitbart News reported.

Rand Paul elaborated on his concerns that he discussed with The View over President Obama’s gun control executive order, and made it more relatable by pointing out its effect on other amendments in the Bill of Rights.

“The Second Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights and it is as important as the rest of the Bill of Rights. It is not some odd duckling out there. And the media, I don’t think, would be reporting Obama’s actions the same way if, by executive order, he was going to make journalists register. In fact, if Obama was planning infringement of the First Amendment, the media would be going crazy. But we should never let any president abbreviate any part of the Bill of Rights. No matter what amendment it is, we should never allow it to be abbreviated by executive order.”

Rand Paul has seemingly been the most proactive voice against gun control, which certainly gains the Kentucky senator some critics in a tough election season.

[Image under CC BY-SA 2.0 Flickr| Courtesy Of Gage Skidmore| Resized|Cropped]