Sen. Rand Paul's injuries far more severe than initially thought

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

By Brandon Gee and Ed O'Keefe November 5 at 7:31 PM

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Sen. Rand Paul is recovering from five broken ribs and bruises to his lungs, and it is unclear when he will return to Washington, aides said Sunday, signaling that injuries he sustained Friday are far more severe than initially thought.

The second-term Republican senator from Kentucky and 2016 presidential candidate was allegedly attacked by a next-door neighbor, Rene Boucher, 59, who was charged with fourth-degree assault.

Paul made his first public comments since the incident on Sunday, tweeting that his wife “Kelley and I appreciate the overwhelming support after Friday’s unfortunate event. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Doug Stafford, Paul’s chief of staff, said in a statement Sunday that the senator has five rib fractures, including three displaced fractures, meaning the bones are partly or completely cracked.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/sen-rand-paul-recovering-from-injuries-suffered-in-alleged-assault/2017/11/05/6380c78a-c250-11e7-84bc-5e285c7f4512_story.html

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[Matthew28]

1. well

maybe he'll retire.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. I doubt that

He'll add on to the list of the rest of the GOP "walking wounded".

[lastlib]

26. At least we know there's no brain damage......

...beyond what was already there......

[TheDebbieDee]

2. Thanks for the update but I no curr...

[exboyfil]

4. Need to up that charge

4th degree assault? Sounds like he ran over him with a lawn tractor.

[lunasun]

5. Wow would be interesting to know why the guy attacked him . Rand was a libertarian and let weeds

grow where they may or grass too long or something....he was mowing his lawn when the guy attacked him

[BumRushDaShow]

6. According to the article they have had heated arguments before

and at one point worked at the same hospital.

[lunasun]

9. Thanks

[ansible]

7. Don't US senators get any kind of security at all?

Or Rand just simply didn't think he'd need one?

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

16. not really

The Speaker, the Majority and Minority leaders, and the Whips get Capitol Police protection. Other members do not unless there is a specific threat against them. They are free to get their own on their own dime though.

[exboyfil]

27. I think we need to change that

All members of Congress and Senators should have at least one armed LEO at all times.

[msongs]

30. at their own expense nt

[MichMary]

33. Ka-ching

535 members of Congress, with 3 shifts of law enforcement--each. There are much better uses of our $$$.

That said, if Steve Scalise hadn't had armed protection, (because of his leadership position) we'd be down 20+ Republicans. It was just luck that it wasn't a massacre.

[exboyfil]

46. Roughly $250M

About two dollars for every adult (535*3*$150,000)

[RandomAccess]

48. No.

Let's spend the money instead on propping up all the healthcare things the GOP wants to gut.

[Bengus81]

59. Good thing HE has good health care eh???

Maybe next time he wants another round of GUTTING health care this episode could be mentioned?

[HeartachesNhangovers]

38. No way. Politician's lives aren't any more precious

than anyone else's.

[exboyfil]

45. You can't have political assassinations in a functioning democracy

in that sense they are more important.

This is why we protect the President and Vice President. It doesn't matter who they are or what political party they come from.

[Corvo Bianco]

51. Nobody got assassinated! Rand Paul got roughed up. If I got roughed up would you buy me a bodyguard

Lordy

[HeartachesNhangovers]

55. Sure you can - it's happened many times before and

democracy marches on. That's why there are procedures to replace the fallen.

And I'm not talking about Republicans exclusively. Politicians - any and all of them - are no more important than anyone else.

[MichMary]

34. I think I read that

Scalise had been just about to leave the baseball practice when the shooting broke out. If he and his security people hadn't been there things would have been much, much worse than they were.

[BumRushDaShow]

35. Yes

and I think he had it because he was the Majority Whip.

[irisblue]

8. He has insurance. That should cover him.

[Va Lefty]

12. Yes, the kind he's trying to take away from others

[rickford66]

22. But next time it will be a pre-existing condition.

[Siwsan]

10. I suspect there is an interesting 'back story' to this event

They are just keeping a little too quiet, on everything.

[Calista241]

15. Rene Boucher is the guy who attacked him, apparently from behind while Paul was mowing his lawn.

Heavy.com reports that Boucher a Registered Democrat, and has posted highly critical articles on Trump to his FaceBook page.

Apparently they are next door neighbors, and it will be interesting to see where he goes to live since Paul will almost certainly get a restraining order against him, which will require him to leave his house.

https://heavy.com/news/2017/11/rene-boucher-rand-paul-assault/

[Siwsan]

20. It could go beyond politics, too

That just seems pretty harsh for an unprovoked attack.

[SergeStorms]

25. Good fences....

make good neighbors.

You'd think these two guys would have had a BIG ASS WALL BETWEEN THEM! Paul wants a wall on the U.S. border, but he won't put up a simple fence to keep a common Democrat from kicking his lame ass? I'm sure Paul has given the neighbor plenty of reasons.

[lagomorph777]

63. RePutins will exploit this.

[Irish_Dem]

11. How hard do you have to hit someone to break five ribs?

What kind of fight was it?
Was the other fellow injured?

[ansible]

18. Boucher is an anesthesiologist

Boucher is a Bowling Green anesthesiologist and pain specialist who developed a product called Therm-a-Vest, a cloth vest partially filled with rice and secured by Velcro straps that is designed to relieve back pain by delivering heat directly to the areas of the back where most pain is felt.

Looks like he really knew where to deliver the pain

[Irish_Dem]

19. So he knew where to hit. nt

[Sneederbunk]

24. Google say he is an osteopath.

[TexasBushwhacker]

43. Osteopaths can specialize too

But most are in family practice.

[riversedge]

13. No one deserves to be physically attacked. I wish him well.

[MichMary]

29. +1

My husband had cracked ribs once. Very, very painful. Every breath hurt.

Some of these responses make me shudder.

[paleotn]

32. Yep....

I've had a few cracked ribs in my time and just breathing hurts. Absolutely no fun.

[Freethinker65]

40. +1

My husband recovered from cracked ribs earlier this year. Not fun.

[True Dough]

62. As the number-one ranked comment to an online article reads:

"Thoughts and prayers" to Rand Paul.

[snooper2]

69. Some people do, there is somebody abusing a child right now who needs an ass kicking

[walkingman]

14. Sounds like he was kicked in the ribs. Maybe it will remind him to

be more compassionate every time he rolls out of bed. Couldn't happen to a nicer fella.

[spin]

57. I hold far different views than many of the people we have elected to office. ...

However I do not wish them harm or rejoice when it happens any more than those whose opinions I agree with.

[cwydro]

67. Nice.

Not.

[No Vested Interest]

17. One less Republican vote in the Senate for a while, though if a particular vote

is deemed important enough, he could charter a plane to get to D.C. for the vote.

However, I do not wish Senator Paul poor health and hope he recovers completely.

Dr. Boucher may be quite a character, and Rand Paul may not have seen that coming.

[left-of-center2012]

21. Hmm ?

Hanky panky ?

Neighbor's wife ?

[LisaM]

23. I've been assaulted and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

I don't care how heinous Rand Paul is. It's horrible.

[DeminPennswoods]

28. Lucky for Paul he has good health insurance!

FTR, someone I know recently broke ribs and it hurts like all get out for the first few weeks. Apparently ribs also take a long time to completely heal, too.

[paleotn]

31. Ouch!

5 broken ribs...3 displaced?! Bruised lungs?! In the popular parlance of Bowling Green and other places in the South.....now that's an ass kickin'!

[GulfCoast66]

36. Been there, done that. If hurts!

Hates his politics but hope he is OK.

[Kaleva]

37. I hope Rene Boucher, the attacker, gets the max.

[BumRushDaShow]

39. He probably will. nt

[True Dough]

64. The neighbor has been charged with 4th-degree misdemeanor assault

I read online that sentencing for that crime generally falls in the range of 25 to 30 months in jail, but, in reality, can be shorter due to time off for good behavior.

[Kaleva]

74. Some states, like Michigan, no longer give time off for good behaviour

I don't know if that is the case with Kentucky.

[Honeycombe8]

41. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Rand Paul has been a difficult neighbor.

I don't know that at all. Just sayin'. Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

But oh-oh. Bouchard is a liberal and someone said the opposite of Paul in every way. Geez. Something got out of hand.

The whole country is going bonkers and violent.

[BumRushDaShow]

42. Rene is a man

(usually the "masculine" form of the name has 1 "e" and the "feminine" has 2 "e"s).

The article indicated that he had apparently been injured himself and ws no longer working in hospitals.

[Bengus81]

60. Every time he wants to throw 25 million off of heath care WE ge assaulted....

I don't wish he harm but he has NO PROBLEM wishing MILLIONS who NEED affordable health care harm. But...their stories of suffering and DEATH won't make headlines like Paul being tackled.

[Honeycombe8]

72. I read the neighbor had to quit his job because of health problems....

So maybe the health care bills had something to do with it. But the guy only made his problems worse.

I find it interesting that Rand Paul was mowing his own lawn. He's rich, but mows his own lawn. For the exercise? Because he's so particular? Because he's cheap? ???

[titaniumsalute]

44. He get hit with a chair like in wrestling??

[LenaBaby61]

47. "Sen. Rand Paul's injuries far more severe than initially thought."

[DonCoquixote]

49. I should not be happy

but few combine malice and greed as much as this man does.

[flotsam]

50. I've had broken ribs....

The best thing is to tell the Senator all your funniest jokes because laughter is the best medicine....

[True Dough]

65. You really want to crack him up even more?

[applegrove]

52. I made fun of him. I feel bad. Didn't not know it was so serious.

Need to remind myself not to lose myself in anger.

[Not Ruth]

53. Is the penalty for assaulting a white Senator different than for a poor person?

[Not Ruth]

54. It is

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assaulting,_kidnapping,_and_assassinating_the_government_officials_of_the_United_States

[Joe Bacon]

56. OOPS, now Dandy Randy has...

...a pre-existing condition...

[muriel_volestrangler]

58. Kick (nt)

[madokie]

61. Sounds like

neighbor Kicked the shit out of him.

[malthaussen]

66. Whatever one thinks of Mr Paul (and I don't think much)...

... that is not 4th degree assault. Sounds like the guy worked him over with a baseball bat, but that would be assault with a deadly weapon.

-- Mal

[johnnylol]

73. senator paul

In 1971, Congress enacted 18 U.S.C. 351, which extended the protection of the Federal criminal law to members of Congress, paralleling that extended to the President and the Vice President. attacking a member of congress is a federal crime..

[Mr.Bill]

68. My "thoughts and prayers" go out to him.

There, all better now.

[Bengus81]

71. +1000

[MosheFeingold]

70. Rand was also at the baseball shooting.

He has severe bad luck with crazies.

As an aside, I disagree with most everything Rand Paul says or does.

(I do have some libertarian leanings, in that the government, when run by Republicans, is a disaster. Given that happens about 50% of the time, I'm game with the solution of a weaker government. I often think about how Trump attempted to use the governmental power of eminent domain for a limo parking lot. Anyway, in that regard I will occasionally agree with Rand and his fellow libertarians. Full disclosure over.)

But, he, at least, has something resembling principles that he follows. That's rare among politicians. I enjoyed watching him stand in the way of the Republicans, and catching immense heat for it.

I'm reminded from the Broadway play "Hamilton," of how Alexander Hamilton strongly disagreed with slave-owning Thomas Jefferson on most every item, but endorsed Jefferson over his lifelong friend Aaron Burr, because Burr lacked anything but a desire to get elected -- a disagreement that ended in a duel, and his death.

Men of principle -- even misguided principle -- are rare in modern politics, so even when you disagree with them, you should respect them.

I wish Rand a speedy recovery.