Rand Paul's early lead a sign of party division

[bobbyw24]

Rand Paul's early lead a sign of party division
By Jack Brammer and Ryan Alessi
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Republican Elliot Polach is disenchanted with his party's leaders in Washington, many of whom voted for a bank bailout and other big-ticket spending bills in the past year.

These days, he'd rather be called a conservative than a Republican.

Polach, the 18-year-old founder of the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party in Paducah, is emblematic of deep and widespread frustration that has surfaced in Republican primaries nationwide.

In Kentucky, first-time political candidate Rand Paul has harnessed the anti-Republican-establishment vibe among conservatives to raise $1.4 million and take a surprising lead in early polls in the race for U.S. Senate over Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

"The party definitely is split now philosophically between moderates and conservatives," Polach said.

Paul, the Bowling Green eye surgeon and son of Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, has attracted support from many of the free-market, low-tax activists who backed his father's 2008 presidential bid and has tried to frame this primary race as feisty outsider versus status quo establishment candidate.

"The conservative groups who are serious about balanced budgets and creating real jobs in the private sector without overspending and bailout nonsense know they have a champion in Rand Paul," said Paul campaign manager David Adams.

Adams said any party split "is between those who like big government trashing the Constitution and those who are ready to tame the beast and return the power to the people."

Meanwhile, Grayson says he's taking the big-tent approach and seeking the backing of a wide swath of Republicans, including the fiscal conservatives that Paul considers his base.

"I'm a mainstream, commonsense conservative," he says.

Brad Cummings, a Grayson backer and the former chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, acknowledges that there is unrest in his party, but said it's wrong for conservatives to unleash their displeasure on Grayson.

"In Kentucky, that is being thrust unfairly upon a very good man who has shown nothing but a conservative record when it comes to fiscal restraint in his office of secretary of state," he said of Grayson.

Both Grayson and Paul are seeking endorsements of . . .


http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1048442.html

[skyorbit]

I blogged about it here.
http://randforsenate.blogspot.com/20...rand-paul.html

What I thought was funny was Trey again considers Ron PAul part of the establishment. He's channeling Lindsey Graham again.

Tracy

[Theriot]

The Christian right/neo-cons/racists make up a large base of the party, but that base is shrinking as moderates move away from them. The real Republican party will have to emerge with the policies of smaller government.

[Malachi]

I blogged about it here.
http://randforsenate.blogspot.com/20...rand-paul.html

What I thought was funny was Trey again considers Ron PAul part of the establishment. He's channeling Lindsey Graham again.

Tracy

Tracy, Rand Paul started Kentucky Taxpayers United not Take Back Kentucky.

[TCE]

The debate we should be having is: Should Rand be bringing up Grayson's past as a Bill Clinton voting Democrat, or should he leave that to his supporters and the PAC's? I fall into the latter camp. Thoughts?

[skyorbit]

Tracy, Rand Paul started Kentucky Taxpayers United not Take Back Kentucky.

It's the same organization. The "Take Back Kentucky" website used to say "Rand Paul's take back Kentucky." They dropped his name from the front page I noticed a few weeks ago -- probably because of FEC regulations.

Correct me if I'm wrong. And if I am wrong. Where is the Kentucky Taxpayers United website?

Tracy

[Malachi]

It's the same organization. The "Take Back Kentucky" website used to say "Rand Paul's take back Kentucky." They dropped his name from the front page I noticed a few weeks ago -- probably because of FEC regulations.

Correct me if I'm wrong. And if I am wrong. Where is the Kentucky Taxpayers United website?

Tracy

You are wrong, but I'm sure others can confirm this with more authority than I.

Kentucky Taxpayers United doesn't have a website.

[skyorbit]

Maybe Take Back Kentucky was using Rand Paul's name with-out his permission then?

There website used to say "Rand Paul's Take Back Kentucky" Maybe he had 2 organizations?

If this is the case, I need to edit a whole bunch of my posts.

Tracy

[TheTyke]

Take Back Kentucky let Rand use their website to host his Kentucky Taxpayer's United messages. On the side of their page, you'll still find a KTU link, but it just says "Rand will be running" or something.

Ironically, if Stan Lee DOES read your blog entries, he'd probably know that... he's pretty good legislator and has probably worked with both TKU and TBK.

Edit - Here are the links:

http://takebackkentucky.com/

http://takebackkentucky.com/id83.html

[Nathan Hale]

The debate we should be having is: Should Rand be bringing up Grayson's past as a Bill Clinton voting Democrat, or should he leave that to his supporters and the PAC's? I fall into the latter camp. Thoughts?

The latter camp is the better camp. If Rand gets into a mudfight with Trey, that other chick is gonna enter the race as a peacemaker and pop them both to the sidelines. Let the PACs and supporters do the dirty work - let Rand keep his hands clean.

[TCE]

The latter camp is the better camp. If Rand gets into a mudfight with Trey, that other chick is gonna enter the race as a peacemaker and pop them both to the sidelines. Let the PACs and supporters do the dirty work - let Rand keep his hands clean.

Somebody should probably tell that to Rand, and especially to David Adams.