Some GOP legislators are finally beginning to understand the only way to survive a decidedly progressive Democrat majority and possibly keep Biden to one term is a refusal to be cowed and bullied by members of a partisan press functioning as ad hoc propagandists for progressive policies.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is one such legislator.

In a duel of words that spanned topics from potential election irregularities, to the role of journalists, to whether or not some of the state election fraud cases may eventually make it to the Supreme Court, Paul stood his ground as he was berated and triple-dog-dared into declaring definitively that the 2020 election was clean by a dismissive and agenda-drive George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week.

It was good to see.

“Senator Paul, let me begin with a threshold question for you, this election was not stolen, do you accept that fact?,” Stephanopoulos began, setting the stage for something that was less a debate than a series of hectoring and badgering demands by an agitated talking head.

“Well, what I would say,” Paul responded, “is that the debate over whether or not there was fraud should occur, we never had any presentation in court [with] presentation of evidence. Most of the cases were thrown out for lack of standing, a procedural way of not hearing it. Several states where the law was changed by the secretary of state not the state legislatures. To me that’s unconstitutional. There’s still a chance that those actually work their way up to the supreme court. Yes, people who voted twice? Dead people voted? Illegal aliens voted? Yes, and we should get to the bottom of it. I’ll give you an example, in my state, we had a Democrat secretary of state, she refused even under federal rules to purge the rolls…”

At that point George interrupted him and began demanding Paul admit the election was not stolen, despite the fact that Paul never alleges it was, simply that he questions some election-related activities and that he welcomes an investigation.

But where it got really good — and highlights how all GOP legislators should conduct themselves in the future when facing a hostile press — is when Stephanopoulos intimated that Paul and other GOP members that had concerns about election integrity had swallowed a “big lie”.

That’s when Paul addressed the elephant that’s been sitting in living rooms across the country for the last four years.

“George, George, where you make a mistake is that people coming from the liberal side like you, you immediately say everything’s a lie instead of saying there’s two sides to everything. Historically what would happen, if I thought there were fraud, you would interview someone else,” Paul said. “Let me finish my point. You said we’re all liars. You’re simply saying we’re all liars,” Paul continued, as George repeatedly interjected and cut him off.

“Let’s talk about the specifics of it,” the Senator continued. “In Wisconsin, tens of thousands of absentee votes had only the name on them and no address, historically those were thrown out, this time they weren’t. They made special accommodations. Because, oh, it’s a pandemic…They changed the law after the fact. That’s wrong, that’s unconstitutional. I’m planning on spending the next two years going around state to state, I won’t be cowed by liberals in the media who say there’s no evidence here and you’re a liar if you talk about election fraud. Let’s have an open debate. This is a free country.”

But the zinger was when George asserted — and this should be remembered by anyone to his right he interviews going forward — that there were not two sides to the question of whether states may have violated their own election laws and ineligible voters may have voted.

Paul wasn’t having it and George was firmly put in his place.

“George, you’re forgetting who you are as a journalist if you think there’s only one side. You’re inserting yourself into the story to say I’m a liar. Because I want to look at election fraud and I want to look at secretaries of state who changed the laws — it happened. You can’t just sweep it under the rug. Nothing to see here. Everybody’s a liar. You’re a fool if you bring this up. A journalist would hear both sides. I’m standing by facts.”

There may be hope for the GOP yet. Full interview below.