Why Rand Paul Is Winning

Pajamas Media ^ | 03/09/2014 | Roger Simon

[SeekAndFind]

Count me as one who was not suprised at the size of Rand Paul’s victory ^[1] in the CPAC straw poll. I’m only surprised it wasn’t bigger — even though he nearly tripled the votes of his nearest rival Ted Cruz.

You could almost say that Paul is the ONLY interesting candidate on the immediate horizon — Republican or Democrat. I’m not going to badmouth the Republicans (I may have to vote for them), but Hillary is as dull, predictable and reactionary as Obama, if that’s possible. Neither of them has evidenced an ounce of creativity, or even an original thought, while in office.

It is this creativity that distinguishes Paul. He seems future oriented, unlike the rest of the potential candidates who mouth platitudes, liberal and conservative, bashing each other in the most tedious manner imaginable. Yes, the liberal side is by far more repellent, and old fashioned in ideology to the point of ridiculousness, but this does not absolve the right of the need to come up with forward-thinking solutions to the obvious American decline.

That is why Paul appeals to the young who are oriented, as they should be, toward the future. The whole Democratic Party is oriented toward the past and so are, alas, too many of the Republicans. The young see this. They’re smarter than we are. (They still have some brain cells.)

Paul is doing the right thing in seeking to expand the Republican base — appealing directly to minorities and students to explain how conservative/libertarian policies are better for them, instead of running and hiding from these liberal constituencies as Republicans normally do. That Paul is going into the very bowels of the beast in the next few days, UC Berkeley, to give a speech is commendable and dramatic. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had some interesting results. The time is certainly ripe. And beyond that, I think we all know that if we show people some respect they often — though certainly not always — return the favor.

The other potential Republican candidates would be wise to pay attention to Paul, to “learn from Chairman Rand,” as it were. In this digital age, history races along. We all know Obamacare is terrible and the deficit is bad, but if that’s all you have to run on, I don’t think you’re to get where you want. Ideas, please. Big ideas. Fortune favors the daring. (Incidentally, one big idea I might favor is to virtually abolish almost all of the federal government with the exception of defense, and let the states do almost everything. It is here we could “learn from Chairman Rick Perry.” More of this later.)

Speaking of which, as I wrote ^[2] last week, defense is Paul’s potential Achilles’ heel. He has to figure out how to negotiate his libertarian principles in an obstreperous world that, most of the time anyway, couldn’t care less about them. On a planet occupied by the likes of Vladimir Putin and Ayatollah Khamenei, he needs a foreign policy that doesn’t sound like naive wish fulfillment. Barack Obama already checked that box.

Unfortunately for Paul, in this area in particular he is in a position where the most minor of his tea leaves will be read. I was concerned, for example, that he referenced lyrics by Pink Floyd, and therefore Roger Waters, in his CPAC speech, when Waters has been closely associated ^[3] with the anti-Semitic BDS movement in the last few years. I sincerely hope this was a mistake or an oversight.

Still, if someone like me — once a neocon of a sort, I suppose — can be interested in Paul, something important must be going on. There’s no doubt that Barack Obama — we can assume inadvertently — has done his best to turn America libertarian. It would be deliciously ironic if that devotee of Saul Alinsky and Frank Marshall Davis would be responsible for electing our country’s first libertarian president (well, at least since the days of the Founders).

[Red Badger]

The poll, which is not a scientific sample by any stretch of the imagination, was dominated by the 18-25 year old age group, which represented 46% of the polling sample.

The same demographic that gave us you-know-who....................

[McGruff]

Apparently pot heads have taken over CPAC

[Red Badger]

Winning the CPAC straw poll is like winning and Oscar. The next day it means nothing.................

[for-q-clinton]

I think Scott Walker has the best chance and the proven record not to cave to political pressure. That man took a beating by the press and unions but he kept to his guns. And most importantly he has proven he can get a conservative agenda passed in a democrat leaning state.

Put him at the top of the ticket and the rats will be going nuts—watch the lunatics come out and that will drive more to our party. Because Scott Walker has not been successfully painted as a hate monger, racist, idiot, unelectable or any of those things the left tries to do to us, but my oh my have they tried.

[camle]

please. with all the media hoopla, this race is hillary’s to lose. and we best not forget it or WE will be the losers again

[Arm_Bears]

Big whoop!

Rand Paul wins the RINO-PAC straw poll.

Color me surprised.

[Dead Corpse]

Open borders?

Is that why he threatened to filibuster the Gang of 8 Shamnesty bill if they didn’t include a “build the fence and verify the border is closed FIRST” amendment?

Doesn’t sound very “open borders” to me.

Come on Travis.

All of our choices this time around have warts, but let’s not adhere to fake ones drummed up by the GOPe machine.

[Dead Corpse]

Yes, he is. At least, the votes in the Senate he’s cast are certainly and solidly Right.

[Beagle8U]

Runt Paul is a moron Liberaltarian.

If he came out against pot legalization and queer marriage his support would drop to zero.

Any of the young mush heads that would vote for him, would vote for Karl Marx if offered a big sack of dope to smoke with their queer boyfriend!

His thinking would gain zero votes for the GOP.

[SoConPubbie]

You certainly won’t be able to objectively ascertain if Rand Paul is winning by a CPAC poll. They are notoriously and regularly spammed by Ron/Rand Paul PaulBots.

Each and every year CPAC is held, it’s the same old trick, try and pretend one of the Pauls is the front-runner by giving Ron/Rand Paul supporting college students tickets to CPAC and stack the deck.

They do this with online polls as well.

Given this behavior, I’d say that Ted Cruz was probably comfortably out in front.

[SoConPubbie]

Is that why he threatened to filibuster the Gang of 8 Shamnesty bill if they didn’t include a “build the fence and verify the border is closed FIRST” amendment?

So, which Rand Paul are we to believe?

The one you are presenting to us, or the one who has an Amenesty plan (A.K.A. Comprehensive Immigration Reform plan) that will grant Amnesty to 2 million Illegal Alien Criminals each and every year?

Here are the links, from last year, where Rand Paul clearly lays out his own Amnesty plan for 2 million illegals per year, based on a "Certification" from a Pro-Amnesty congress that the border is "secure". No Fence, No E-Verify, No punishments for ID Fraud, and all the other misdemeanors and felonies committed by the Undocumented Democrats he wants to pardon.

Sen. Rand Paul: Trust but verify on immigration reform (Feburary 8th, 2013)

Rand Paul’s “Undocumented Citizens” Path to Legality (and Citizenship) (March 20, 2013)

Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reform (March 19, 2013 Article)

Rand Paul's presence-and-jobs amnesty -- WITHOUT E-Verify


No, America Does Not Have “De Facto Amnesty”

GOP's Rand Paul, Dems' Luis Gutierrez in step on immigration reform

Rand Paul: Pathway To Citizenship Is Needed, E-Verify Is Not

Rand Paul On Illegals: Trust But Verify

Steve Deace – Et Tu, Rand Paul?

Paul: Republican Party in Need of Facelift

[meadsjn]

Dear Mr. Roger Simon:

Rand Paul won the CPAC straw poll for the same reason he did last year, and the same reason his dear old dad won so many times. That is because Ron Paul/Rand Paul groupies buy up a whole bunch of tickets to CPAC.

P.S. Why are you, a Democrat, concerned with the Republican Party business?

[Beagle8U]

“build the fence and verify the border is closed FIRST” amendment?”

And Owebama would ‘verify’ the border sealed the day the bill was signed.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: If he came out against pot legalization and queer marriage his support would drop to zero.

He already has a public stance on gay marriage.

See here:

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Rand_Paul.htm

Rand Paul on gay marriage — No national law on same-sex marriage; leave it to states. (May 2013)

He also made a public pronouncement on drug use.

http://www.ontheissues.org/domestic/Rand_Paul_Drugs.htm

Drug abuse isn’t a pressing issue; 10-20 years is too harsh.

[Mr. Jeeves]

He is too scary for me. especially on forign policy.

Want to try Hillary's instead?

But it doesn't matter - the banksters control the battleground states and one of their stooges will get the job in 2016. Jeb, if they think Hillary is too sick to rely on.

[Travis McGee]

Yes, he’s an open border libertarian who will work with the ‘Rats, meaning, the ‘Rats will roll him and we’ll have ten million new ‘Rat welfare voters in no time at all.

I heard him on Laura Ingraham dodging and weaving around her questions. He’s as bad on amnesty as Boehner, just more cagey about hiding it.

[Travis McGee]

I agree 100%.

[Travis McGee]

I agree with that too.

[Dead Corpse]

An “amenesty” is just giving them citizenship. Like Reagan did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Reform_and_Control_Act_of_1986

Rand’s plan isn’t even as much of an “Amnesty” as Bush’s plan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_Immigration_Reform_Act_of_2007

Closing the border, making them “go to the back of the line” under current regulations, and cutting off all benefits isn’t an “amnesty”. No matter how much you want it to be.

[Dead Corpse]

He’s not as bad as Reagan, Bush, McCain, or Willard. He’s also a lot better than Christie, Perry, and Rubio.

Maybe not as good as Palin, Nugent, West, or Cruz. Who, IMO, are perfectly acceptable as candidates as well.