Will Rand Paul run for president in 2012?

[senatorpjt]

http://www.salon.com/news/paul_grays...president_2012

"There is every reason to believe that Rand Paul will win Tuesday's Republican Senate primary in Kentucky. And, given the state's conservative leanings and the political climate of 2010, there's every reason to believe he'll go on to win the November election, no matter which candidate Democrats nominate."

"The political atmosphere has never been more favorable for Ron Paul's brand of libertarianism"

"And 2012 may be the best shot that Rand Paul ever gets. With all that's happened in the past few years, there will probably never be this much room in the GOP for an authentically libertarian candidate. Don't look for Rand Paul to even acknowledge this between now and November. That's no way to run for an open Senate seat. But after November? Don't be surprised if he does."

I didn't see the word "Quixotic" once in this piece.

[Imperial]

That is because it is Glenn Greenwald, who is a civil libertarian himself.

[MikeStanart]

He would literally have to start campaigning the month after he is elected to the Senate. I think it would be a waste of a senate seat and too much of a risk for the liberty movement.

I do see a presidential future for Rand, but lets not worry about that until 2016 at the earliest.

[BamaFanNKy]

Why not start getting a name for 2016.

[ssforronpaul]

It would be the best chance for a liberty candidate with extremely talented use of vocabulary to win the Republican primary. And it isn't like other new senate candidates haven't been pushed in the media: Brown from Mass. and Rubio from Florida. And he is more accomplished than the current President was when he ran, never running anything except for election. 2016 could also be a good oppuritunity, especially if Obama wins in 2012 and the Fed keeps printing resulting in massive inflation. Could be similar to 1980.


ssforronpaul

[TCE]

He will not run for President in 2012, period.

[rprprs]

WARNING to ANTI FEDERALIST: Do NOT read the comments.

[BamaFanNKy]

He will not run for President in 2012, period.

YouTube - Birdman & Lil Wayne - Stuntin' Like My Daddy

[BuddyRey]

Ron deserves at least one term first before he passes the torch to a new generation; he's worked so hard for it!

[Matt Collins]

Lets win the Senate campaign first.

[Anti Federalist]

WARNING to ANTI FEDERALIST: Do NOT read the comments.

Awesome.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll steer well clear.

[RM918]

That is because it is Glenn Greenwald, who is a civil libertarian himself.

It's actually by someone else this time.

[sirrealpolitik]

He will not run for President in 2012, period.

Ah, but he could run for: JimDemint/RandPaul 2012!!!!!!!!

You heard it here first.

[LeifEiriksson]

Could this be possible.....

Romney/Paul 2012?

Assuming Ron doesn't run, I assume Gary Johnson will fall short to Romney. Romney would need to bolster his conservative credentials seeing as he pretty much supported Obamacare in his state.

[senatorpjt]

I didn't really point this article out because I thought Rand should run in 2012.. Just to note the tone and how quickly and completely MSM (I think Salon is at least fairly MSM) has changed from "Quixotic" to "He's going to win and then he's going to run for president and maybe win." When the dust settles from this thing, maybe they'll start changing their tune about the other liberty candidates.

[Aratus]

the sweet sounds and smell of pure blissful unvarnished SUCCESS!
the ongoing expanding bandwagon of political activism triumphant!

[UtahApocalypse]

Could this be possible.....

Romney/Paul 2012?

Assuming Ron doesn't run, I assume Gary Johnson will fall short to Romney. Romney would need to bolster his conservative credentials seeing as he pretty much supported Obamacare in his state.

A deal against our principles is not worth my vote

[jmdrake]

Could this be possible.....

Romney/Paul 2012?

Assuming Ron doesn't run, I assume Gary Johnson will fall short to Romney. Romney would need to bolster his conservative credentials seeing as he pretty much supported Obamacare in his state.

No. The last sentence in you wrote explains why Romney won't win the primary and why no liberty candidate should be associated with him even if he did win. Romney shows GOP hypocrisy in supporting socialism when their party proposes it. If the GOP is dumb enough to have Romney as the standard bearer in 2012 then Barack gets another term. I hate to say it, but I'd rather support a Palin/Paul 2012 ticket. (And I wouldn't support that either).

[LibertyMage]

If Rand runs in 2012, will we have sufficiently built the movement and put people in districts to help him win?

Fixed.

We need to stop thinking in such a top-down manor and focus on doing the legwork now that will allow us to control the game when opportunity arises.

[Carole]

No.

[K466]

Rand is not going to run for President. We need people like him in the Senate.

[CUnknown]

Rand is setting himself up for a 2016 bid for the Presidency. 2012 is too early. He can do a lot of good with those 4 years in the Senate, but after that, he will have the experience and name recognition to make a damn good run for POTUS.

[Stary Hickory]

Could this be possible.....

Romney/Paul 2012?

Assuming Ron doesn't run, I assume Gary Johnson will fall short to Romney. Romney would need to bolster his conservative credentials seeing as he pretty much supported Obamacare in his state.

This IS likely. I have said it all along that the GOP needs to get the liberty movement behind them in 2012. The GOP however has no candidate that can do this. Rand as a VP would give them this support and allow them to go with their current bullpen.

The GOP will take the whitehouse in 2012, I'd like to see Rand as VP at the very least.

[sirrealpolitik]

This IS likely. I have said it all along that the GOP needs to get the liberty movement behind them in 2012. The GOP however has no candidate that can do this. Rand as a VP would give them this support and allow them to go with their current bullpen.

The GOP will take the whitehouse in 2012, I'd like to see Rand as VP at the very least.

I guess I wouldn't mind so much if Romney weren't so utterly neo-connish and banksteresque. Kind of like a slightly more likeable Geithner.

Good luck ending the fed or getting out of empire building under a Romney admin.

But perhaps Rand could temper these impulses in Romney. Or maybe Romney himself is only praising Israel so much because he's campaigning. Maybe he doesn't really have such a pro-neocon stance as he lets on.

These are matters for further contemplation.

[Stary Hickory]

I guess I wouldn't mind so much if Romney weren't so utterly neo-connish and banksteresque. Kind of like a slightly more likeable Geithner.

Good luck ending the fed or getting out of empire building under a Romney admin.

But perhaps Rand could temper these impulses in Romney. Or maybe Romney himself is only praising Israel so much because he's campaigning. Maybe he doesn't really have such a pro-neocon stance as he lets on.

These are matters for further contemplation.

I agree Romney is garbage. But after the beating we are giving GOP incumbents they will be very careful if they gain control again. That means relative safety for a few years, and hopefully Rand can run and win later. I just can't see him running as the front man in 2012.

The GOP has a serious leadership issue, none of their "potemtial" GOP presidential picks are really able to capture the anti-establishment vote out there. Maybe a Rubio/Rand combo would be better. Romney really creeps me out. In any case if we keep pushing for change and chellenging in the primaries maybe we can get the change we want inside the GOP, and maybe the timing will be just right when ran can run for POTUS. A perfect libertarian/conservative storm.

[itshappening]

it is far too early for him to run for President and being VP sucks, he should stay in the senate and use it as a platform for 2016 or 2020

[sirrealpolitik]

I agree Romney is garbage. But after the beating we are giving GOP incumbents they will be very careful if they gain control again. That means relative safety for a few years, and hopefully Rand can run and win later. I just can't see him running as the front man in 2012.

I agree with all of this. Indeed, the momentum behind Rand (i.e. the Tea Party) is going to insure that any "mainstream" GOPer like Romney is going to have to behave himself.