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Thread: Should Rand Have Run Like Ron? - Daniel McCarthy

  1. #1

    Should Rand Have Run Like Ron? - Daniel McCarthy

    Rand was right to try to broaden libertarianism’s political appeal, but he was mistaken in trying to become the most orthodox right-winger in the race at the very same time. Rather than trying to combine relatively well-defined and incompatible ideologies—libertarianism, religious rightism, and movement conservatism—a future contender might be better off trying to combine libertarianism with old-fashioned Republican pragmatism, the non-philosophy of the so-called establishment. Rubio shows how the neoconservatives have done this, fusing their stark ideology to an appearance of moderation and electability. Libertarians and reality-based conservatives can do likewise.

    This does not mean failing to appeal at all to the more self-consciously right-wing elements in the party. The neoconservatives do, of course, have their own sway with evangelical right. But Bill Kristol never prefers the likes of Mike Huckabee or Rick Santorum as the Republican nominee; the preferred vehicle for neoconservatism is always a respectable, electable one. That’s not because respectability and electability are inherently neoconservative traits—far from it—but rather because neoconservatives are more interested in winning office and shaping policy than they are in proving their right-wing bona fides. They know how the GOP works.
    http://www.theamericanconservative.c...-run-like-ron/



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    GOP neocons cant win a presidential election , his strategy to appeal to the GOP is a sure way to fail....millions of gop voters ditched the party in the 2000s, they became indies or simply dont vote

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by CaptainAmerica View Post
    GOP neocons cant win a presidential election , his strategy to appeal to the GOP is a sure way to fail....millions of gop voters ditched the party in the 2000s, they became indies or simply dont vote
    Yep. Ron Paul's campaigns attracted people from all over the political spectrum. It seemed like Rand was trying to attract the same GOP neocon voters who were already split between a dozen other candidates. He did reach out for the Black vote, but that strategy would have taken many more months to bear fruit, if at all, especially with Carson in the race. By going after the same voters as the other candidates, Rand actually narrowed his support. It might have been a better strategy to widen his appeal after the candidate herd had thinned.

    Of course, it didn't help that Rand inherited the Paul Family Media Blackout™. Then Trump learned how to dominate the headlines by saying the most ridiculous things possible. By November/December, when Rand was polling at around 3%, I knew his campaign was over.

    Just my take.



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