You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'rand paul' tag.
Pundits all over the commonwealth have said that Rand Paul’s success in the senate primary will push Trey Grayson to the right. Page One and B&P are keeping track of that.
Grayson would likely benefit from winning over the social conservatives that may be attracted to Paul’s libertarian-style fiscal conservatism. Paul’s supporters like to bring up the fact that Grayson once supported Bill Clinton, but so did the state of Kentucky, too…twice, so it’s not like a Kentucky Republican who voted for Clinton at some point is dramatically out of the mainstream. It’s hard to believe that there has been a sudden shift toward Paul’s brand of Republicanism in the last few years, making Clinton’s wins in 1992 and 1996 irrelevant, but it’s possible. Maybe Grayson is concerned about Paul’s sudden popularity regardless. As Dan in the comments pointed out, this is a primary we’re talking about. I think Grayson’s Clinton support will be less of a factor in the general election but I’m saying that many primary voters are unlikely to see a big scarlet ‘D’ on Grayson’s chest for what he may now call a ‘youthful indiscretion.’
I’d like to see a breakdown of Republican voters in Kentucky. How many of Paul’s supporters are self-identified independents? How many haven’t voted before? Maybe I’m reading too much Nate Silver, but it seems like while Paul’s popularity is real, his lead leans more toward statistical anomaly than conservative uprising.
Jack Conway says he leads Daniel Mongiardo among people who know both candidates. Is Conway suffering from a lack of recognition outside of Louisville?
And what about Rand Paul leading Trey Grayson? It seems like Grayson’s supporters have taken steps to get voters more acquainted with Paul’s alleged platform in hopes that some libertarian-like ideals won’t appeal to social conservatives.
You’ve probably heard about the latest Survey USA Senate poll that has Rand Paul leading Trey Grayson and Daniel Mongriardo with a double-digit over Jack Conway. Well, Conway has another poll he’s citing to show that he’s not out of the race.
But what will this mean for the Senate race? I imagine Grayson will continue his slight lean to the right and I wonder if Conway is thinking of using those infamous Mongiardo tapes in some upcoming ads. Maybe he’s regretting not doing so already.
We don’t share B&P’s glee in Senate candidate Rand Paul’s recent reference to the Canadian band Rush. Don’t put Rand down as arrogant. After all, the Ayn Rand-loving prog-rockers are taught in schools. Check out the midpoint of the video below:
Wendy Macy is at it again. The rabid Randite has a Q&A with her favorite candidate about mountaintop removal. In the video, Paul says there’s a lack of flat surfaces in Eastern Kentucky for schools, development and elk. (Because elk apparently cannot survive in nature without human intervention). So, removing the pointy parts of mountains makes room for nature and schools. This is a point he seems to agree with Democratic Senate candidate Daniel Mongiardo on. Mongiardo reportedly said it’s not mountaintop removal, but mountaintop development.
You can see Paul chat with Macy in the video below. They are in different areas, which makes me wonder if Paul didn’t just shoot this without Macy anywhere in sight. Are they in cahoots since her “This Rand is Your Rand” video got the campaign’s attention?
Also, watch for the part when Rand Paul checks for contaminants in water by touching it with his hands.
Now that he’s raising money, everyone is talking about Rand Paul. Even Joseph Gerth, who wonders if Paul can win the Senate race.
So it is yet to be seen if Paul, whose quirky father has established a foothold somewhere between the mainstream Republican and Libertarian parties, can have the sort of mass appeal needed to win a U.S. Senate race in Kentucky.
Paul’s father, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is a strong states’ rights advocate who wants the federal government out of people’s lives. He opposes federal drug laws and says the U.S. government should not outlaw gay marriage because only churches should be in the marriage business.
During a conference call Friday, Rand Paul, a Bowling Green ophthalmologist, talked around some of those questions and others, perhaps signaling that he knows his positions on such issues might be a tough sell to Kentucky Republicans.
He prefers to talk about fiscal issues, allowing him to ride a populist wave that erupted after the nation’s economy went bust, prompting federal bailouts.
Rand Paul’s supporters like to criticize Trey Grayson for not being conservative enough when it comes to spending, but now Paul is being criticized for not being conservative enough on social issues. The site Too Kooky For Kentucky criticizes Paul’s libertarian beliefs and calls up his alleged support for the legalization of drugs like LSD and marijuana. A lot of the arguments are against Paul’s father, Texas Congressman, former Republican Presidential candidate and internet celebrity Ron Paul, with the site assuming that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
When I interviewed Rand Paul earlier this year, he said he was in line with his father on many issues, but differs mostly in matters of national defense. The Too Kooky site seems to rely on Kentucky voters being turned off by the parts of Paul’s small government platform that liberals often agree with.
Paul, however, has taken a turn toward social conservatism with a recent pledge to do whatever he can in the Senate to end abortion. That’s definitely in line with mainstream Republican views, but it might hurt Paul’s credibility with true libertarians. While the libertarian vote doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming force in Kentucky, many supporters may find a contradiction in Paul’s call to limit government involvement in everything but this one issue.
Is Paul pandering? Are you a libertarian who agrees with him on abortion?
Chris Cillizza’s The Fix column at the Washington Post is all about Rand Paul, who out-raised primary opponent and Secretary of State Trey Grayson by $368,000 in the third quarter.
From July 1 to Sept. 30, Paul, who is the oldest son of Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R), collected $1,011,000, far outdistancing the $643,000 raised by Grayson who enjoys the full support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and the state and national party apparatus.
Of his candidate’s fundraising success, Paul campaign manager David Adams said that “the American people are starting to fight back hard against a culture of crybabies and that is why Rand Paul’s Kentucky campaign for U.S. Senate is getting more attention.”
Um, ok.
Adams said he had no idea how much of Paul’s money came via the Internet but it’s safe to assume that the same national, web-based fundraising network that helped Ron Paul collect a stunning $50 million for his longshot 2008 presidential bid played a major part in the Kentucky Republican’s strong quarter. (That same network has helped investor Peter Schiff raise more than $1 million for his own Senate bid in Connecticut.)
[edit]
It remains to be seen whether Rand Paul (or Schiff) can do more than raise money via the Internet. After all, for all of Ron Paul’s fundraising capacity, he was never a serious candidate in a contested primary or caucus and was totally ignored by the likes of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.).
Wendy Macy, the songstress behind yesterday’s Rand Paul jingle is quite the die-hard Paulite.
Her website is a mix of news about Rand Paul and news about Wendy Macy supporting Rand Paul. The site is a document of Macy’s involvement in the 2010 Senate race. It features links, tweets and more videos, including this one of Macy in Louisville:
It’s encouraging to see someone so involved in supporting a candidate (any candidate) they enjoy, but there may be a problem. Macy may not be able to vote for Paul. Her Twitter page lists her location as Cincinnati and her website is owned by David Richins (her brother in law, according to the site) of Batavia, Ohio.
Of course, it’s possible that Macy lives on the Kentucky side of the Ohio and is a voting resident of the Commonwealth. But if she doesn’t live in Kentucky, is that a problem? Many of Rand Paul’s loudest supporters (and some of his donors) can’t vote in Kentucky. We’ve certainly received a few comments from people who say it doesn’t matter where the donors and organizers are, because they’ll influence Kentuckians. But is that a fair assessment?
“This Rand is your Rand” is an entry into the Rand Paul 30 second ad contest.
