Posted on 12/05/2015 5:52:52 PM PST by VinL
If Rand Paul hoped to resurrect and reinvigorate his White House campaign, he couldn't have picked a better place. In a Saturday afternoon forum here sponsored by FreedomWorks, the libertarian organization that helped fuel support for his father’s presidential runs, Paul was in his element.
Wearing jeans and no jacket, the senator roamed the stage and spoke with an ease and effectiveness often missing from his campaign, reveling in an audience of true believers that interrupted him by hoisting his campaign signs and chanting "President Paul! President Paul! President Paul!"
It was a reminder of the libertarian movement's influence here in the first nominating state, and of the expectation that Paul would monopolize its support.
There was just one problem: He was shown up by Ted Cruz.
Cruz has been poaching Paul's libertarian supporters since last January, when the Texas senator touched down in Iowa for a forum organized by Representative Steve King. The first thing Cruz did on that trip .. before visiting with King or any of the state's evangelical leaders.. was stop at the Holiday Inn by the airport for a private roundtable discussion with Iowa's "liberty" leaders.
In the eleven months since, Cruz has made significant inroads with this constituency.. the one Ron Paul created, and Rand Paul had counted on as the backbone of his campaign.
It's an effort even longer in the making for Cruz. Over the last two years, the fiery Texan has followed Paul's political lead on a number of key votes .. from the 2013 budget showdown to the NSA-reforming USA Freedom Act and the National Defense Authorization Act earlier this year —
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/428081/rand-paul-ted-cruz-problem
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Of course, Paul's problem isn't Cruz--- it's McConnell. Paul cut the heart out of his message endorsing Mr. Crony Crapital himself.
As for Cruz, the article evidences the years of planning that have gone into Cruz's strategy to win the Presidency. He didn't just show up and say-- elect me, trust me, and everything will be wonderful.
Rand Paul is a backstabbing weasel.
Rand’s problem is his own self. A loose cannon rarely on target.
Rand Paul is not even on the radar.....
About to write the same thing...Rand’s done someone should tell the author of this that.
Rand decided to compromise on his principles and play a bit of the GOPe game, hoping it would give him backing inside the establishment. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say his naivete sunk him.
Succinct words from a former Paul supporter (now leaning Cruz).
Rand Paul has never, nor will he ever, be in the hunt for the top job......never ever.
incorrect. rand paul’s biggest problem is genetics.
Can argue with that!
He also went to Mississippi when the wounds of the Cochran theft were still fresh and told us McDaniel people to stick it
Yes, agreed. McConnell is what undid Rand. He can’t pretend to be anything he pretends to be and support McConnell, and he did.
He also shares a problem with some of the others: this year the driving is national sovereignty, and like Bush he threw that away before the campaign started. Any previous year that might not have mattered, but this year, after everything we’ve been through, nothing matters more.
Ron Paul’s problem isn’t Cruz.
Ron Paul’s problem is Ron Paul (on defending America and our allies, especially)
RP has some good ideas about some other policy points, to be sure!
However, he does NOT appear at all trustworthy on defense-related matters... and as we can all see — this is vital now that Obama has screwed up our defenses and opened our borders to thousands of anti-American IslamoNazi men of military age
“Rand’s problem is his own self. A loose cannon rarely on target.”
I agree with your assessment.
When he’s good, he’s VERY good. Unfortunately all too infrequent.
Rand Paul On Shutdown: "Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea"I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it's a conundrum. Here's the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can't give the president a blank check. We just can't keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can't vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don't we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]
Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]
Rand Paul's immigration speech...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reformLatinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt's Generals: 'How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?'Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt's military -- even as Cairo's security forces massacre anti-government activists. [by "anti-government activists" is meant church-burning Christian-murdering jihadists][Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat]
"but it's all Cruz's fault!"
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