Will Rand Paul flip-flop once again?

Today the DSCC issued this press release:

On the anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, extremist Rand Paul remains staunchly opposed to the landmark legislation that represented a giant leap forward in the rights of Americans who suffer from physical disabilities. Coincidently, Jeb Bush, whose father, former Republican President George H.W. Bush signed ADA into law, is holding a closed-door fundraiser for Paul today in Louisville. Will Rand Paul stick by his position as establishment Republican Jeb Bush comes to town or will he once again backtrack on his position?

“From civil rights to Mitch McConnell to the bailout, Rand Paul has proven he will bow to pressure from establishment Republicans. With Jeb Bush raising money for him in Louisville today, will he do it again and change his position on the American Disabilities Act?” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Rand Paul will either backtrack on his principles, or push his extreme philosophical agenda over what’s best for Kentucky. Either way, the people of Kentucky deserve better.”

Rand Paul continues to flip-flop and walk back his previously held convictions. A month after saying the Civil Rights Act shouldn’t apply to private business and refusing to say he would have voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act, Paul backtracked on his positions, saying the federal government was right to impose civil rights on private business. Paul committed the same politically expedient move after he defended BP after the oil spill, calling criticism of the company “Un-American.” Under fire for his remarks, Paul went back on his comments, saying government regulations of offshore drilling were not adequate. Paul has also gone into hiding with the media, refusing to conduct interviews and forcing journalists to submit all questions in writing despite “offering detailed answers on just about any topic during his primary campaign.” Paul recently held a fundraiser in Washington DC with the same establishment Republicans he railed against on the campaign trail.

Paul Said He Opposes Americans With Disabilities Act. Asked at a May 2010 campaign stop what he thinks of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Paul said he opposed it because businesses shouldn’t be told what to do. He said: “You know a lot of things on employment ought to be done locally. You know, people finding out right or wrong locally. You know, some of the things, for example, we can come up with common sense solutions. Like, for example, if you have a three-story building and you have someone apply for a job, you might get them a job on the first floor if they’re in a wheelchair as opposed to making the person who owns it put an elevator in, you know what I mean? So things like that aren’t fair to the business owner. […] I don’t like the idea of telling a business owner that they have to put an elevator in vs. not making accommodations to work on the first floor. It’s a very emotional issue for people, you know.” [YouTube, 5/16/10; Think Progress, 5/17/10]

Paul Repeated Opposition To ADA. Using the Americans With Disabilities Act as an example, Paul said the government shouldn’t interfere with private business. “I think a lot of things could be handled locally. For example, I think that we should try to do everything we can to allow for people with disabilities and handicaps. You know, we do it in our office with wheelchair ramps and things like that. I think if you have a two-story office and you hire someone who's handicapped, it might be reasonable to let him have an office on the first floor rather than the government saying you have to have a $100,000 elevator. And I think when you get to the solutions like that, the more local the better, and the more common sense the decisions are, rather than having a federal government make those decisions.” [NPR, All Things Considered, 5/19/2010]