sailingaway
03-07-2013, 05:13 PM
Washington (CNN) -- Ron Paul supporters were never that trusting of his son, Rand Paul.
To ardent Ron Paul legions who energized his bid for the presidency around his libertarian principles, Rand Paul reflected a corrupt, business-as-usual political system -- one that asked people to compromise their beliefs in the quest for power.
They saw Ron Paul, a former Texas congressman, rising above that until this week when Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator who is viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2016, blazed his own path toward their hearts and minds.
He appealed to civil libertarians at their core by challenging the White House nominee to head the CIA, and pushing the Obama administration to clarify -- not once, but twice -- its policy on targeting Americans in counter-terror operations with lethal force.
He threw the faithful a healthy portion of red political meat with a 13-hour filibuster over John Brennan, who was confirmed to the CIA post on Thursday. Brennan was President Barack Obama's chief counter-terrorism adviser.
Rand Paul highlighted his dissatisfaction with the response of the administration to his question of whether it could use a drone to kill Americans on U.S. soil.
The issue resonates with both libertarians on the far right and liberals on the far left by challenging what they consider to be excessive government powers. In particular, Paul sought clarity that only a war enemy -- even if a U.S. citizen -- could be targeted.
His Senate marathon amounted to a libertarian clinic. He quoted libertarian thinkers, emphasized the infallibility of the Constitution and elevated the drone discussion.
And Ron Paul devotees noticed.
"I think this definitely scored him some points," said Gary Franchi, the former chair of the Revolution PAC. "I was getting a lot of messages from people saying 'Wow, Rand is stepping up.' People were really positive about it."
"You have to give credit where credit is due and when someone does something that is clearly fighting for the people's liberty, then regardless of how you feel about that person, you have to take notice," Jordan Page, an ardent Paul supporter and musician for the campaign said. "Rand, these days, is the lone senator standing up against injustice."
During the 2012 campaign, Ron Paul wielded great of influence among a small, but fervent, group of supporters. That passion turned into a fundraising operation that even establishment Republican candidates envied.
When Ron Paul withdrew from the Republican race, more establishment members of the party saw Rand Paul as the inheritor of his father's following. Many in the Ron Paul movement challenged that assumption.
Then Rand Paul began to speak shortly before noon on Wednesday.
"I rise today to begin to filibuster John Brennan's nomination for the CIA. I will speak until I can no longer speak. I will speak as long as it takes," he said.
Blogs dedicated to the liberty movement, a nickname for the Ron Paul campaign, began to blow up with posts about the filibuster.
Radio shows dedicated to Ron Paul scrapped their original programming and covered Rand Paul live.
And the hashtag #standwithRand, a tag that has long been used by libertarian supporters of Rand Paul, began to trend worldwide.
As the hours ticked by, Rand Paul's image among Ron Paul supporters began to change. Even those who ardently opposed Rand Paul during his father's 2012 campaign for president began to soften.
more at link: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/politics/rand-paul-ron-paul/?hpt=hp_t1
To ardent Ron Paul legions who energized his bid for the presidency around his libertarian principles, Rand Paul reflected a corrupt, business-as-usual political system -- one that asked people to compromise their beliefs in the quest for power.
They saw Ron Paul, a former Texas congressman, rising above that until this week when Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator who is viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2016, blazed his own path toward their hearts and minds.
He appealed to civil libertarians at their core by challenging the White House nominee to head the CIA, and pushing the Obama administration to clarify -- not once, but twice -- its policy on targeting Americans in counter-terror operations with lethal force.
He threw the faithful a healthy portion of red political meat with a 13-hour filibuster over John Brennan, who was confirmed to the CIA post on Thursday. Brennan was President Barack Obama's chief counter-terrorism adviser.
Rand Paul highlighted his dissatisfaction with the response of the administration to his question of whether it could use a drone to kill Americans on U.S. soil.
The issue resonates with both libertarians on the far right and liberals on the far left by challenging what they consider to be excessive government powers. In particular, Paul sought clarity that only a war enemy -- even if a U.S. citizen -- could be targeted.
His Senate marathon amounted to a libertarian clinic. He quoted libertarian thinkers, emphasized the infallibility of the Constitution and elevated the drone discussion.
And Ron Paul devotees noticed.
"I think this definitely scored him some points," said Gary Franchi, the former chair of the Revolution PAC. "I was getting a lot of messages from people saying 'Wow, Rand is stepping up.' People were really positive about it."
"You have to give credit where credit is due and when someone does something that is clearly fighting for the people's liberty, then regardless of how you feel about that person, you have to take notice," Jordan Page, an ardent Paul supporter and musician for the campaign said. "Rand, these days, is the lone senator standing up against injustice."
During the 2012 campaign, Ron Paul wielded great of influence among a small, but fervent, group of supporters. That passion turned into a fundraising operation that even establishment Republican candidates envied.
When Ron Paul withdrew from the Republican race, more establishment members of the party saw Rand Paul as the inheritor of his father's following. Many in the Ron Paul movement challenged that assumption.
Then Rand Paul began to speak shortly before noon on Wednesday.
"I rise today to begin to filibuster John Brennan's nomination for the CIA. I will speak until I can no longer speak. I will speak as long as it takes," he said.
Blogs dedicated to the liberty movement, a nickname for the Ron Paul campaign, began to blow up with posts about the filibuster.
Radio shows dedicated to Ron Paul scrapped their original programming and covered Rand Paul live.
And the hashtag #standwithRand, a tag that has long been used by libertarian supporters of Rand Paul, began to trend worldwide.
As the hours ticked by, Rand Paul's image among Ron Paul supporters began to change. Even those who ardently opposed Rand Paul during his father's 2012 campaign for president began to soften.
more at link: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/politics/rand-paul-ron-paul/?hpt=hp_t1