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View Full Version : The Paul Revolution 2.0: Rand Paul's Senate run shocks Kentucky's political elite




bobbyw24
05-18-2010, 10:42 AM
They share a name, a medical license, a belief in small government, an outsider's mentality and a thing for tea parties.

http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/rand-paul.jpg
A painting of Rand Paul is being used to raise money for his campaign via the Internet.

It makes sense that Rand and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, share these things — they are father and son.

Rand Paul, who is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, in many ways is an heir to the libertarian Ron Paul Revolution of 2008. He's a master of the Internet and social networking tools. He counts among his donors and volunteers many of his father's supporters.

But despite their many similarities, Rand Paul is far less of a quirky outsider than his iconoclast father. Ron Paul is the first to admit that his son has smoother edges and better political table manners.

But most importantly, Rand Paul has more conventional conservative views on social issues and foreign policy than his libertarian, anti-interventionist dad. And that's an important reason why Rand is giving a veteran Republican officeholder a huge scare in the May 18 primary contest.

A Research 2000 Kentucky Poll conducted on May 2 through 4 found Paul running 12 percentage points ahead of Secretary of State Trey Grayson, the choice of the Bluegrass State GOP establishment. The state's senior senator, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has had a prickly relationship with retiring Sen. Jim Bunning, endorsed Grayson earlier this month.

Paul says he understands why McConnell and other establishment fixtures are cool to his candidacy.

"Those in Washington don't want a rabble-rouser like me up there talking about term limits," he said.

Paul describes himself as outside the Washington mainstream, but well within the mainstream of Republican voters. It's a formula that's brought him high-profile endorsements from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and FreedomWorks Political Action Committee, which is chaired by former Texas congressman Dick Armey, one of the architects of the 1994 "Republican Revolution" and now a leader of the Tea Party rebellion.

Kentucky political experts say that Rand Paul's name — or maybe his father's name — is a big advantage in the campaign.

"That's really what sets Paul apart," said Stephen Voss, an associate political science professor at the University of Kentucky. "It's not what he stands for."

Read more

http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2010/05/the_paul_revolution_20_rand_pa_1.html

Andrew-Austin
05-18-2010, 10:55 AM
Kentucky political experts say that Rand Paul's name — or maybe his father's name — is a big advantage in the campaign.

"That's really what sets Paul apart," said Stephen Voss, an associate political science professor at the University of Kentucky. "It's not what he stands for."

What??

This from an article that attributes Rand's success and fund-raising abilities to his father's supporters. If people like Rand because they were turned on to him by Ron, what turned people on to Ron? His name? Obviously not the Paul name was nothing before 2007, it was his ideas and values.

Going by this logic another one of Ron Paul's kids could run as a neocon clone of Dick Cheney and still see such success. Hah, yeah right.

Perry
05-18-2010, 11:04 AM
He's a master of the Internet and social networking tools.

I just love that. Simple people.(bloggers & journalists) just don't understand that the only difference between us and them is passion and conviction.

angelatc
05-18-2010, 11:18 AM
As long as he wins.....