A man who attacked Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. at his home while he mowed his grass was a medical doctor and “avowed socialist,” The Daily Caller is reporting.

A self-professed liberal, the man, Rene Boucher, 59, also fought frequently with his neighbors about politics. Mostly they would argue over health care policies and other Left-wing Democratic Party priorities.

Local residents told The Washington Post that Boucher and Paul, the latter of whom is also a medical doctor, are on the opposite ends of the political spectrum. Paul is conservative and libertarian-minded.

The two-term Kentucky senator made his first public comments since the incident on Sunday, tweeting that his wife “Kelley and I appreciate the overwhelming support after Friday’s unfortunate event. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Paul’s chief of staff, Doug Stafford, said in a statement that his boss has five rib fractures including three that are displaced, which means they are partly or completely cracked.

“This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force. It is not clear exactly how soon he will return to work, as the pain is considerable as is the difficulty in getting around, including flying,” said Stafford.

The Post noted further:

Paul is an ophthalmologist who has practiced in town since moving here with his wife in 1993. He continues to provide free medical care to low-income Kentucky residents on a regular basis throughout the year when the Senate is not in session.

Boucher is an anesthesiologist and the inventor of the Therm-a-Vest, a cloth vest partly filled with rice and secured with Velcro straps that is designed to help with back pain. He has worked at several local medical facilities through the years, according to public health records.

Jeff Jones, an R.N. who has worked with Boucher at the Bowling Green (Kentucky) Medical Center described the attacker’s politics as “liberal.”

“He was active on social media and said some negative things about the Republican agenda,” Jones said of Boucher of Bowling Green.

“I think it was unfortunate that they lived so close together,” he added, noting that both men live in the same gated community.

Of course, proximity shouldn’t matter; Paul, who was elected (twice) to represent his half of the state based on certain political priorities (which includes repeal and replacement of Obamacare) should not have to worry about physical abuse from a constituent, even if he’s a neighbor. (Related: The Unhinged Left Is Now Arguing That VIOLENCE Against Political Opponents Is No Longer A Crime.)

It’s obvious that Boucher doesn’t want that, if their views on such issues are at polar opposites.

What’s also becoming a trend is the fact that those on the extreme Left are increasingly using violence against Republicans and conservatives, a phenomenon that did not occur among conservatives during the Obama years.

It all started when President Donald J. Trump launched his presidential bid. As it became more obvious he would not only capture the GOP nomination but possibly give Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton a serious run for her money, more and more of his supporters were attacked by Antifa thugs and other Left-wing actors at his campaign events.

The violence did not stop after Trump won in November but has actually gotten much worse. Consider:

— Conservatives can no longer appear on college campuses out of fear for their lives thanks to violent, destructive Left-wing protests;

— GOP Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot and nearly killed earlier this year as he and other Republican House members and staffers practiced softball at a field in northern Virginia.

— Police in Tennessee charged a woman with felony reckless endangerment in May for allegedly trying to run Republican Congressman David Kustoff off the road after a town hall.

— The same day police in North Dakota escorted an angry man from another town hall after he became physical with GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer because he was supporting a replacement bill for Obamacare.

— Some believe the self-avowed atheist who killed more than 26 people at a small-town Texas church on Sunday was a CNN watcher and may have been influenced by the network’s anti-Christian bias.

J. D. Heyes is a seasoned journalist with more than 30 years’ experience and editor in chief of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

DailyCaller.com

WashingtonPost.com

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