Posted on 04/29/2014 1:25:30 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
Among the liberty movement the Rand Paul debate rages on. Is he a political player or an opportunist sellout?
Senator Rand Paul stunned many libertarians in 2012 when he endorsed Mitt Romney for President. This was the same Romney who deployed campaign lawyers to the Republican National Convention and rigged the future nomination process.
Now Senator Paul has wholeheartedly endorsed Senator Susan Collins for re-election, telling the Portland Press Herald she is “doing a great job for Maine and for the country.” Enter another war between Senator Paul apologists and principle-driven libertarians.
Its unsurprising to some degree. A year ago State Senate candidate Eric Brakey told the Maine Republican State Committee that he wanted to see Senator Collins re-elected. Brakey was the State Director of the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign and will likely be involved in Senator Pauls 2016 presidential campaign in some capacity.
This represents the strategy of integrating into the Republican Party in an attempt to hijack it. But is this strategy successful?
Mitt Romney stole the nomination and ironically put a stop on Senator Pauls chances at the nomination in 2016. Senator Paul made an endorsement to a losing candidate who effectively worked against all future grassroots candidates. This was an issue covered in depth in a previous Undercover Porcupine article, “The Importance Of The Republican Nomination Rules Changes.”
Senator Collins has a proven record quite contrary to liberty. Here are some highlights:
*Voted for sending $17.9 billion to IMF in May 1998.
*Voted for authorizing military force against Iraq in October 2002.
*Voted for extending the PATRIOT Acts wiretap provision in December 2005.
*Voted for reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act in March 2006.
*Voted for $60 billion stimulus package in September 2008.
*Voted for $825 billion economic recovery package in February 2009.
*Voted for $192 billion in anti-recession stimulus spending in July 2009.
*Voted for $2 billion more in Cash for Clunkers program in August 2009.
*Voted for confirmation of Sonia Sotomayer to the Supreme Court in August 2009.
*Voted for extending the PATRIOT Acts roving wiretaps in February 2011.(SOURCE: OnTheIssues.org)
Endorsing this is advancing the principles of liberty?
If the answer is yes, then what exactly is it Republican libertarians are fighting for?
Party control seems to be the goal of Rand Paul apologists. But whats the goal from there? They wasted years better spent advancing principles attempting to take over a minority party in America. In this time, the minority party is still advancing bad policies just like their opponents. The only difference is these libertarians are enabling the bad policies by lending them their numbers, support, and votes.
But again, the defense is endorsements are meaningless. Is this truly so? If it is, then all Rand Paul supporters should be joining their hero in endorsing Senator Collins, because such an endorsement would be meaningless.
This wont happen.
Senator Pauls supporters will instead react harshly to the idea of endorsing Senator Collins. But why wont these people do it? Endorsements are meaningless, right?
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Is it an endorsement of a RINO over a Democrat? or an endorsement of a RINO over a conservative candidate? Big difference.
Pau’s endorsement here is a big sloppy butt kiss to the RINO establishment. He’s hoping they won’t kick him to the curb as he runs for prez.
But guess what. They will
And so will us conservatives who are more than fed up with this libertarian loser.
The shark. Jump it, you have.
You must know what Rand is up to as you were on this thread
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), however, enjoys much higher numbers than either Bush or Christie.
Sixty-three percent of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Paul, while only 15 percent rate him unfavorably. Sixty-one percent of conservatives polled rated Paul favorably
2016 poll: Jeb Bush withers, Rand Paul soars Tea Party ^ | 04-24-2014 | Breitbart
He’s an opportunistic sellout, from both the Libertarian and conservative perspective.
He started out pretending he was conservative, now he is reverting true to form to being a Libertarian.
Watch those unreliable poll numbers start to drop now that he has come out of the closet on so many non-conservative policy positions.
He’s a waffle, a Mitt Romney Libertarian.
Most politicians are corrupt, worthless and incompetent. Party affiliation makes little difference. Why do you think we are in our current mess?
So far its seems to be working fine for him.
RE :”Watch those unreliable poll numbers start to drop now that he has come out of the closet on so many non-conservative policy positions.”
We will see, so far these posts here haven't had any obvious effect on polls and I don't see anyone outside of here going after him, you know, publicly like on TV or the media where Republicans will see it..
He’s not ready for prime time. He tries to be all things to all people. He’s going to be destroyed by the Bushies and neocons and make it tougher for the other liberty minded politicians out there.
True.
If they vote the same way anyhow, the turncoat damages the your party orders of magnitude more lastingly.
The turncoat will lower the moral of your base and cripple your party’s ability to draw like minded members. All whilst climbing into a leadership position.
You have to be pretty stupid not to understand this. The founders wrote about it a lot, so you have to be historically illiterate as well.
Which politicians is Rand Paul making life difficult?
(I) do not expect the things Rand Paul does to make sense; nor do I expect CONSISTENCY or COMMON SENSE in his positions and actions. I concluded long ago that like his father, he’s shifty, devious and often untruthful. I WILL NOT VOTE FOR HIM!
Right now? No one. But when the knives really come out for him (I mean people more serious than Jennifer Rubin) it will be ugly. Then guys like Massie and Amash will be tarred with whatever filth they smear Rand Paul with.
"Who is..."
Who are Massie and Amash?
Would you elaborate so that we can know what you are talking about?
Does that insult also apply to Jim Robinson?
To: SoConPubbie
FURP!!
4 posted on 4/29/2014 12:32:00 PM by Jim Robinson
You can attack Jim Robinson and SoConPubbie over here. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3150072/posts?page=4#4
Right now Collins doesn't have an opponent, and nobody who has a chance of winning the general election is on the horizon as a potential opponent.
FWIW: Ron Paul did very well in the 2012 Maine Republican caucus, winning most of the delegates and coming within a hair of winning the popular vote. Republican caucuses, though, aren't a reflection of where the state as a whole is politically.
Rand just had his Arlen Specter moment.
Nice knowing ya, Rand.
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