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View Full Version : Paul lays out plan to revamp Republican party at Maryland fundraising event




jct74
03-26-2014, 09:37 PM
Paul lays out plan to revamp Republican party at Maryland fundraising event

By Colin Campbell, The Baltimore Sun
11:16 p.m. EDT, March 26, 2014

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul knows the Republican party's base isn't big enough, especially in Maryland.

But, he told a group of the state's GOP candidates and donors Wednesday night, becoming "the Democrat Lite" party isn't the answer.

"If we want to win again, if we want to be a bigger party, we have to go to different people with a message of hope and optimism," the junior GOP senator from Kentucky said at a fundraiser for the Maryland Liberty Political Action Committee at the BWI Westin in Linthicum.

Part of the issue is the party's image, Paul said. Republicans need to prioritize privacy and the Fourth Amendment, he said, along with their emphasis on balancing the federal budget.

...

But focusing on Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizure isn't just important for phone records and privacy, Paul said. The war on drugs has been a failure, he said, and while roughly the same amount of black and white youths smoke pot, the black youths are more often imprisoned because of economic and racial disparities in the justice system. If the Republicans say, "We'll defend your freedom," he said, it would make the party more attractive for minorities that are now voting Democrat.

...

Eugene Craig, 23, of Perry Hall, said he thought it was one of the best political speeches he'd ever heard. He and Iris Somberg, 26, of Washington said Paul made compelling points about how to expand the GOP.

...

read more:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-rand-paul-20140326,0,5196877.story

Legend1104
03-27-2014, 07:52 AM
This is such a duh idea it is laughable that no other major Republican seems to understand it. Rand Paul is showing that he knows how to make libertarian ideas more attractive and only talk about issues that people care about that he can gain traction or win on. You can't win the Republican party over on legalize drugs yet, but you can win on decriminalization and grow the party. Then one day legalization can be possible.

philipped
03-27-2014, 08:07 AM
This is such a duh idea it is laughable that no other major Republican seems to understand it. Rand Paul is showing that he knows how to make libertarian ideas more attractive and only talk about issues that people care about that he can gain traction or win on. You can't win the Republican party over on legalize drugs yet, but you can win on decriminalization and grow the party. Then one day legalization can be possible.
Small steps for the Republican Party, Big steps for liberty.

boneyard bill
03-27-2014, 08:29 AM
This is such a duh idea it is laughable that no other major Republican seems to understand it. Rand Paul is showing that he knows how to make libertarian ideas more attractive and only talk about issues that people care about that he can gain traction or win on. You can't win the Republican party over on legalize drugs yet, but you can win on decriminalization and grow the party. Then one day legalization can be possible.

Yes. This issue has been out there for centuries. It's called the Bill of Rights. Republicans for lo these many years, have talked about strict construction of the constitution but have usually subordinated the Bill of Rights to a supposed need to fight Naziism or Communism or, since 9/11 especially, terrorism. But now, with Democrats in the White House and with the IRS auditing them, they are starting to wake up. The question is how long before they fall asleep again if they win the White House? Rand is saying, essentially, that they can't afford any more slumber parties if they want to build a winning coalition.

Fredom101
03-27-2014, 11:14 AM
If he really wants to court the libertarian wing, maybe he should start acting and talking like a libertarian.

CaptLouAlbano
03-28-2014, 04:45 AM
If he really wants to court the libertarian wing, maybe he should start acting and talking like a libertarian.

You might want to read the article. Paul was talking about reaching out to younger voters, the same voters that voted for Obama in 08 and/or 12, by focusing on privacy issues and the 4th Amendment which are issues that concern that particular demographic.

Regarding your statement, quite frankly, there is a segment of people who call themselves "libertarian" that are unreachable. But, they are such an infinitesimally small percentage of the voting population that they aren't even worth courting.

To illustrate take a look at the 2012 results from Ohio. 2.8 million voted for Obama, 2.6 million for Romney and 49,000 for Johnson. If Paul were to somehow manage to convince 100% of Johnson voters to vote for him, he would still lose Ohio (based on 2012 numbers). But if he were able to convince just 5% of Obama voters to vote for him (while holding onto the Romney voters) he would win the state.

So if you were Rand, what would you be focusing your efforts on? Trying to sway 100% of Johnson voters or 5% of Obama voters?