Mr. Paul’s maneuver isn’t likely to end the National Security Agency’s phone-surveillance program anytime soon. But it showed, once again, that the Kentucky Republican has a theatrical touch in highlighting an issue that he hopes to use to galvanize his libertarian-leaning base and attract donations from supporters of his 2016 bid.
Breaking into debate on a trade bill that has been before the Senate all week, Mr. Paul began speaking at 1:18 p.m. ET at about the time his Twitter account sent out the message: “I’ve just taken the Senate floor to begin a filibuster of the Patriot Act renewal. It’s time to end the NSA spying!” He continued speaking into the evening, taking turns with some allies in both parties.
Strictly speaking, his talkathon wasn’t yet a filibuster, the delaying tactic used to slow or obstruct a bill. Party leaders retained the power to cut him off on Thursday and return to consideration of the trade bill. But it would amount to a filibuster if he stuck with it long enough to delay action on the trade bill.
Supporters of the phone-surveillance program, which has allowed the NSA to collect metadata on all Americans, say it is valuable in tracking down terror suspects. Mr. Paul and other civil-liberties advocates believe the program violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
“We think the problem is the government shouldn’t collect all of your phone records all the time without putting your name on a warrant, without telling the judge they have suspicion you committed a crime,” Mr. Paul said on the Senate floor. That argument is aimed in part at courting the cellphone-focused younger generation of voters, one of the constituencies he is wooing in an effort to reach beyond Republicans’ traditional base of older, white voters.