Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) got a lot more than he bargained for when he showed up on “The View” Friday to plug his new book, which is entitled The Case Against Socialism.

Discussing the concept of socialism and calling it a threat, Paul was challenged by co-host Ana Navarro, according to Mediaite:

Noting that she lives in Miami, where many Venezuelan exiles reside, Navarro challenged Paul on his anti-socialist rhetoric that so often uses Venezuela as an example of why voting for a progressive candidate would bring similar ills to the United States.

Specifically, Navarro told Senator Paul:

“You talk about Venezuela in your new book. I get a lot of political ads from the Republican Party. Donald Trump has tweeted this. Many have tweeted this. If you vote for Democrats, they will turn the United States into Venezuela. Do you think that’s a fair statement to make?”

Paul flippantly responded:

“Well, if you vote for a socialist, you might get socialism.”

That clearly ticked off Navarro, who told the senator:

“Come on. Don’t do that. (Venezelan President Nicolás) Maduro is not a socialist. He’s a corrupt, murderous thug who is starving his people.”

After a few minutes of escalating back-and-forth between Paul and Navarro, she finally destroyed the senator by shouting:

“Don’t mansplain me!”

Of course, Paul isn’t the only Republican who is fond of using the specter of “socialism” as a scare tactic to try and paint Democrats as being too far to the left for American voters. 

But the simple fact is that the U.S. is already socialist in many ways. Social Security — which may well be the most popular program ever created — is a form of socialism: Those who are still working help subsidize those who are retired.

Medicare is also socialism. As are public highways. You may never travel a highway in Rhode Island, but you help to pay for it. And people in Rhode Island help pay for the road that leads to your house with their federal tax dollars which are then doled out to states for construction projects.

If Rand Paul is so opposed to socialism, why is he accepting a congressional salary and benefits? Shouldn’t he have to foot the bill for the honor of serving in the Senate? 

Anytime you want to see a hypocrite, just find the nearest Republican or libertarian. They’re the living embodiment of it.

Here’s video of the confrontation between Paul and Navarro. The segment with the senator begins at the 21:36 mark:

Featured Image Via Screenshot