spotics
05-18-2009, 01:47 PM
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090518/COLUMNISTS21/905180324&s=d&page=1#pluckcomments
When U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning said a couple of weeks ago that the Republican Party has traditionally been the party of the "big tent" and still is, little did he know how big the tent would soon become in his party's Senate primary.
Enter Rand Paul -- the son of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, the quirky former Libertarian from Texas -- who threatens to turn the 2010 Senate race in Kentucky on its ear with an influx of national money from voters who have little use for Washington.
Paul's father, who is now a Republican, refused to drop out of the 2008 presidential race until the Republican convention despite the fact that Sen. John McCain had long before won the delegates he needed.
Ron Paul stands for getting the United States back on the gold standard, doing away with the Federal Reserve, legalizing drugs and rolling back the Patriot Act, which gave the federal government broadened powers to spy on U.S. citizens.
At first glance, it seemed a bit odd that Rand Paul, a 46-year-old ophthalmologist from Bowling Green, would choose to announce his exploratory committee on Rachel Maddow's show on the left-leaning MSNBC cable news network.
But then again, as one Republican political operative in Washington told me, "He might be so far right that he's left."
Rand Paul takes traditional Republican positions for lower taxes and against bailouts. But he also has taken a handful of positions held by some of the more liberal members of Congress, including his opposition to the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act.
Like his father, he also opposes U.S. membership in the United Nations. We'll certainly find out during the course of a campaign whether he agrees with other controversial positions of his father.
It is, after all, Ron Paul's rabid supporters that Rand Paul hopes to tap for campaign contributions that could help him change the landscape of the 2010 Senate race.
Rand Paul has said he doesn't plan to enter the race if Bunning runs for re-election. But he's convinced that, despite Bunning's pronouncements he will seek a third term, the senator from Northern Kentucky plans to drop out and back Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
Paul is still a long shot because he's little known and has never run for public office. But the national money he could bring to the table in a primary could potentially level the playing field.
Consider this: His father raised $35 million for his losing presidential campaign.
Political scientist Larry Sabato, who heads the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said many of Ron Paul's supporters will help Rand Paul.
"Look, the Paulites are intense," Sabato said. "… My guess is that his father will help him, and those followers can mean a lot in a primary."
If he's right, it will be up to Kentucky Republicans to decide if Paul is too far right or too far left for their liking.
Joseph Gerth can be reached at (502) 582-4702 or at jgerth@courier-journal.com.
When U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning said a couple of weeks ago that the Republican Party has traditionally been the party of the "big tent" and still is, little did he know how big the tent would soon become in his party's Senate primary.
Enter Rand Paul -- the son of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, the quirky former Libertarian from Texas -- who threatens to turn the 2010 Senate race in Kentucky on its ear with an influx of national money from voters who have little use for Washington.
Paul's father, who is now a Republican, refused to drop out of the 2008 presidential race until the Republican convention despite the fact that Sen. John McCain had long before won the delegates he needed.
Ron Paul stands for getting the United States back on the gold standard, doing away with the Federal Reserve, legalizing drugs and rolling back the Patriot Act, which gave the federal government broadened powers to spy on U.S. citizens.
At first glance, it seemed a bit odd that Rand Paul, a 46-year-old ophthalmologist from Bowling Green, would choose to announce his exploratory committee on Rachel Maddow's show on the left-leaning MSNBC cable news network.
But then again, as one Republican political operative in Washington told me, "He might be so far right that he's left."
Rand Paul takes traditional Republican positions for lower taxes and against bailouts. But he also has taken a handful of positions held by some of the more liberal members of Congress, including his opposition to the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act.
Like his father, he also opposes U.S. membership in the United Nations. We'll certainly find out during the course of a campaign whether he agrees with other controversial positions of his father.
It is, after all, Ron Paul's rabid supporters that Rand Paul hopes to tap for campaign contributions that could help him change the landscape of the 2010 Senate race.
Rand Paul has said he doesn't plan to enter the race if Bunning runs for re-election. But he's convinced that, despite Bunning's pronouncements he will seek a third term, the senator from Northern Kentucky plans to drop out and back Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
Paul is still a long shot because he's little known and has never run for public office. But the national money he could bring to the table in a primary could potentially level the playing field.
Consider this: His father raised $35 million for his losing presidential campaign.
Political scientist Larry Sabato, who heads the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said many of Ron Paul's supporters will help Rand Paul.
"Look, the Paulites are intense," Sabato said. "… My guess is that his father will help him, and those followers can mean a lot in a primary."
If he's right, it will be up to Kentucky Republicans to decide if Paul is too far right or too far left for their liking.
Joseph Gerth can be reached at (502) 582-4702 or at jgerth@courier-journal.com.