Rand Paul Cancels On 'Meet The Press,' Only 3rd Guest To Do So In 62 Years

Following a week of unsparingly critical press coverage, Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul is now seeking to limit his national exposure.

A spokesperson for the Tea Party-endorsed candidate informed NBC News late Friday afternoon that an exhausted Paul was canceling his interview on Sunday's "Meet the Press," Betsy Fischer, the executive producer for the program, told the Huffington Post.

"We booked him on Wednesday. Everything was set and then his press person emailed this afternoon that he was very sorry but he wants to cancel the interview. We tried appealing to the press person to not much avail," Fischer said.

Both Fischer and host David Gregory have since sent direct appeals to Paul's campaign manager to talk to the candidate over the phone with the goal of getting him to reverse his decision. But it appears the Paul camp isn't budging.

"Rand did Good Morning America today, set the record straight, and now we are done talking about it," Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton told the Washington Post. "No more national interviews on the topic."

If Paul were to follow through on his decision to not appear on "Meet the Press" it would be, as Fischer describes it, "a big deal." There have been only two other guests in the program's 62-year history to have canceled last minute: Louis Farrakhan and Prince Bandar bin Khaled al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia.

"Meet the Press" had scored a major victory in booking Paul for its program. The Republican Senate candidate emerged as the face of the Tea Party movement following his primary victory Tuesday night. Since then, he's been surrounded by intrigue and controversy after having expressed skepticism about the reach of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Much of critical coverage came after Paul appeared on MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show" -- an interview he said subsequently was "mistake." Asked whether she believed Maddow's sit-down played a role in Paul canceling on "Meet the Press," Fischer said she did not.

"Obviously he has had a very tough week I think he has just had a long week and seems to not want to talk any more or keep his commitment," she said.

Comments

[Drew Sargent]

01:22 PM on 06/07/2010

Once again, "actions speak louder than words." So many Southerners find it impossible to keep their "sheet" from showing. Pathetic.....

[Das Hirschenhofer 11]

02:09 PM on 05/25/2010

"afternoon that an exhausted Paul was canceling his interview on Sunday's "Meet the Press," Betsy Fischer, the executive producer for the program, told the Huffington Post."

Exhausted....does he think his job is a cake walk? Whens the last time this guy or Palin worked a 100 hour week?

[Lahonda]

11:08 PM on 05/24/2010

Rand's the latest form of Teabag STD. Could he be the gift from Dog?

The stunned GOP troupe runs en masse for the upper canopy of the jungle... shrieking!

Pundits go "Yum!"

[jeremyfive]

01:03 PM on 05/24/2010

So bad. Some black folks on dat tv show sho nuff did wanna shine the massah's shoes!

[hang319]

12:50 PM on 05/24/2010

I thought the purpose of his candidacy was to change government into what he believes it should be, so why does he have a problem all of a sudden with being open about his world views?

[StevenevetS]

12:44 PM on 05/24/2010

Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that Rand Paul gets elected.
Will he stay for more than half a term before he quits to pursue a book deal and a spot on Fox?

I'm starting to think that SP has developed a Right-Wing get rich scheme to rival Amway.

[pbnyc59]

12:21 PM on 05/24/2010

Come on, it's not like his father has been through the national spotlight. The good thing is now that he's shown what a weakling he is, with blood in the water, the sharks will start to feed.

[jsgaetano]

12:16 PM on 05/24/2010

Seems like ol Rand isn't ready for the big time.

Maybe he can "learn at the foot of the master", like Palin did on her foreign policy know-how.

[kwoodberryesq]

11:13 AM on 05/24/2010

He is the male version of Palin, he wants to say only what he wants only to run around talking about absolutely nothing, and when he is asked to address real substantive questions he wants to avoid the press... I honestly hope the people in Kentucky realize that this guy does not want to be held accountable, and that is a bad trait for a public official, we have enough of his type...

[jsgaetano]

12:17 PM on 05/24/2010

Sounds like it's time for Rand to go back to his Ivory Tower.

[philosopherkingtomas]

11:07 AM on 05/24/2010

maybe he should take a lesson from PALIN and have his daughter get pregnant and then go on the LECTURE circuit for chasity at only a million a year.
republicants republicrites racists

[Bademus]

11:01 AM on 05/24/2010

He's a coward. Perhaps he will now resort to hiding behind facebook and twitter and only appear on Fox news a la SP.

[justoverit333]

10:26 AM on 05/24/2010

By cancelling that interview he looks very
wishy washy, and appears to not be able
to take the heat, kind of like someone else
we know - SP. The Repubs are going to
want to shape and form him. We'll see how
he handles the control freaks.

[mdlawyer2]

09:59 AM on 05/24/2010

Rand Palin? Is he afraid of Katie Couric too?

[Cakey4814]

09:48 AM on 05/24/2010

Obviously he forgot the best MTP host ever "The Late Great Russert" is gone and in his place is Gregory..sigh...

[William Munny]

09:32 AM on 05/24/2010

What kind of a candidate is afraid to express their positions? It's very convenient to paint the media as biased, but if this is the case let the public decide. I suppose he plans on pulling a Palin: no interviews and only scrpited campaign speeches in front of his base.