Posted on 03/10/2014 7:36:29 AM PDT by 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).
Rand’s amendment was that Congress verified the status of the border. Not the President.
Don’t take my word for it... Read it for yourself. It’s only one page...
http://www.paul.senate.gov/files/documents/TrustButVerify.pdf
He already has a public stance on gay marriage.
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Really? So if legalizing gay marriage was on the ballot in Kentucky, which way would Rand Paul vote?
The thrice married, New York City resident Simon, 70, writes novels and is a "former liberal", so he says. I say he's still a liberal operating under the "Libertarian" cover.
He was a civil rights activist in the 60's, now he's into liberal/Libertine-arian views, such as supporting same-sex marriage.
The Libertarian agenda under conservative cover is cleverly being promoted to the max today, even on these pages, and it will only heighten as the election gets closer. Libertarian accolytes embed themselve into conservative discussion websites and into conservative conferences like CPAC.
Rand Paul is all over the tubes 24/7.......and embedded lib writers like faux-conservative Simon promote him and the party's ideology.
Paul is a likeable little guy and a smooth talker...but beware, he's a TROJAN HORSE stabled in the Republican party.
Too many conservatives are falling for his seductive line. Libertarians regularly pack CPAC sessions with young techies so that a Paul or Paulista will win its straw vote. They work assiduously to draw votes away from the GOP to further their goal of a Libertarian presidency....and Rand Paul is their present poster child.
Remember, amnesty-promoter Paul's first name was not pulled out of thin air.
Leni
So? Prosecute them. I assume you have a list?
I still don’t trust that. There is nothing saying Pelosi won’t be running Congress in a few years.
I don’t trust government. Period. But y’all insist we have one. So here we are...
Rand Paul’s immigration plan is about as anti- American as you can get:
Let people come here, work, take their tax money, BUT DON’T LET THEM VOTE???
That is flat out immoral.
So.... You are saying illegals should get to vote?
Um... No. Just... No.
Good post.
Rand Paul is a shill for the massive legalization of illegal aliens, which honest people correctly label "Amnesty".
All the word-smithing and weasel words by Paul and his supporters cannot change that fact.
Hope folks pick a patriotic nominee instead.
Where did I say that?
Nothing I’ve seen of Rand’s proposals will “dump 30 million” onto the voter roles.
Nor have I seen anything better from Cruz. “Wait until 2015” isn’t exactly filling me with confidence.
Right there...
People are going to come here. If they come here illegally, they should get NOTHING from us. No tuition help, no welfare, no housing, no nothing. Period.
If caught, they should be deported. If caught again, they should be executed.
That's MY take on it.
As for any given politician... You can almost never look at what they SAY, but look at how they VOTE and what legislation they pen.
If you read my post carefully, noting the colon, you will see I am stating Rand Paul’s immigration stance, which is immoral as well as anti American.
Illegal immigrants should be shown the door. Period, Amen. Employers who hire them under the table should be heavily penalized. Sounds like you agree with me, so why push the guy with the bad hairpiece?
Why defend Rand? Because he’s hell on wheels when it comes to pretty much every other issue. RKBA, limited FedGov, lower taxes, sane fiscal policy, ending Obama-care, rolling back our role as “Globo-cop”, Bill of Rights enforcement...
The GOP-e hates him, so he must be doing something Right. With a 100% ACU rating his voting record looks a heck of a lot better than all the MSM news articles are making him sound.
I just don’t want us throwing out a decent candidate because “everyone says” he’s one thing, when a cold look at reality is showing something else.
Exactly what I was going to say. Ron Paul would bus people in to vote in these straw polls. They meant absolutely nothing.
There are a lot of Potheads, and Rand Paul in the true Paul tradition is the Sultan of Pot.
So many of Rand The Sultan of Pot’s troops are young Potheads. He is a regular “Alex of Toke Ville”, Rand its
the Pied “Piper of Pot”. An ingrown toe nail is an excuse for a medical maryjane prescription
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