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FNC contributor John Stossel was on Fox News’ America Live today where he voiced his agreement with Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul that part of the civil rights ought to be repealed so that businesses can discriminate based on race. Stossel said, “It’s time now to repeal that part of the law because private businesses ought to get to discriminate… it should be their right to be racist.”

Here is the video courtesy of Media Matters:

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When FNC’s Megyn Kelly asked Stossel if he agreed with Paul’s comments on the Civil Rights Act, he answered, “Totally. I’m in total agreement with Rand Paul. You can call it public accommodation, and it is, but it’s a private business. And if a private business wants to say, “We don’t want any blond anchorwomen or mustached guys,” it ought to be their right. Are we going to say to the black students’ association they have to take white people, or the gay softball association they have to take straight people? We should have freedom of association in America.”

Stossel also claimed that government was behind Jim Crow laws, “Absolutely. But those — Jim Crow — those were government rules. Government was saying we have white and black drinking fountains. That’s very different from saying private people can’t discriminate.” Stossel also made this long disproven argument that the free market will not tolerate discrimination, “Because eventually they would have lost business. The free market competition would have cleaned the clocks of the people who didn’t serve most customers.” When asked if he knew this for certain Stossel admitted that he didn’t know.

The Stossel dropped the bombshell that he believes that people have the right to be racist, “And I would go further than he was willing to go, as he just issued the statement, and say it’s time now to repeal that part of the law because private businesses ought to get to discriminate. And I won’t won’t ever go to a place that’s racist and I will tell everybody else not to and I’ll speak against them. But it should be their right to be racist.”

Only the Republican Party could blow and election by arguing against the 46 year old Civil Rights Act. I think Rand Paul is an ideologically pure complete political novice who got caught in a trap of his own construction, but the rest of the GOP including Fox News should know better than to touch this radio active issue with a 1,000 foot pole.

This is what happens when a political party starts picking their candidates on the basis of ideological purity. The problem is that this should not even be a discussion within the GOP. When freaking Jim DeMint says he needs to have a talk with Rand Paul about his position on Civil Rights, this is a real problem.

Ladies and Gents, welcome to the issue that is going to haunt the Republicans all through the 2010 campaign. Remember, when Democrats actually feared the GOP? Now, this is a Party that is being offered victory on a silver platter, and they can’t get out of their own way to take advantage of it. I would like to ask our Republican friends, how’s that Tea Party working out for you now?

Photo: news corpse