Senate

The Rand Paul Phenomenon

By Jay Newton-Small | @JNSmall | March 17, 2010 | +

Here’s a story from me out of Kentucky, where I went a few weeks ago to look at the GOP primary for Jim Bunning’s Senate seat. It’s hard to say who’s running a worse campaign, Rand Paul who has no message discipline and lacks charisma or Trey Grayson who doesn’t even post his events on his website (I’m still scratching my head at how anyone actually figures out how to go see him). Paul is winning – so it seems that Kentucky Republicans care less about charisma than they do about change. Interestingly, Paul’s speeches are more about change of the GOP than change of the Democrats… I’m sure Mitch McConnell is loving that.

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Related Topics: jim bunning, kentucky, Mitch McConnell, prepublican primary, rand paul, Senate, trey grayson, 2012 Election, Congress, Republican Party, Senate

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  • newfreedomblog

    If elected, Paul says he’d work to reduce the deficit, lower taxes, strip the regulatory code and introduce legislation to limit congressmen and Senators to 12 years in office.

    .
    This is why he will be elected, and why Washington is about to change (not the way Obama wants to change it) forever!

  • deconstructiva

    Jay, thanks for your KY story. I hope you got to tour some bourbon distilleries (and samples). I wonder how much the family name thingy plays here besides throw-em-out views, etc. – think Tarkanian and Reid Jr. in NV. Honestly, if Jerry “Tark the Shark” hadn’t given UNLV its one b-ball title and brief time among the elite, would the son be running today? Ditto for Paul Jr.? Could Ron Paul again be an R rock star in 2012, if not as much as Palin?

  • nonagendaeyes

    Both establishment Republicans and establishment Democrats don’t want the boat rocked. That’s just about the only thing that they both can agree on. If but the right and left populist movements start putting up viable candidates against establishment politicians, you might just see R’s and D’s uniting against their common foes as was already witnessed in NY-20….

  • nonagendaeyes

    That should be ‘both’ not ‘but’.

  • deconstructiva

    …”but” may be a good word choice. If only both parties will seriously primary corporate politicians….

  • nflfoghorn

    Does Tark’s son chew on towels too? (I think the NCAA still has him on probation):)

  • nflfoghorn

    MWA-HA-HA-HAAAAAH!

  • stuartzechman

    you might just see R’s and D’s uniting against their common foes
    .
    An interesting idea.

  • fractal86

    Rand Paul may get elected for those reasons… but ‘working’ to reduce the deficit and ‘introducing’ legislation does not mean that either are actually going to succeed. For a start, why would a majority of the senate want Washington to change forever?

  • newfreedomblog

    “For a start, why would a majority of the senate want Washington to change forever?”

    .
    Because it is the right thing to do. So many people I have talked with are calling for the life-time appointments which most incumbents have enjoyed for hundreds of years to end. Lobbyist have the power over these kooks because they can be bought and sold so easily.
    .
    Yes the naysayers will shout out “but we have a vote, that is term limits”. But, in reality, once they get in people continue to vote them back. It is a never ending cycle. In order for a potential Representative to really represent his or her constiuients, knowing that the lobbyist will now think twice in spending millions to buy votes, they might just represent the people.
    .
    Once term limits are put into law, then go for laws that not only regulate lobby groups, but outlaw them. Make it illegal for any group to lobby a Congressman or Senator. Put jail time so high that even Jack Abramoff would think twice about it.

  • fractal86

    If politicians always did the right thing (such as changing Washington forever), then Washington wouldn’t need changing in the first place.
    .
    How many politicians have been elected with good intentions, only to be ineffectual, corrupt, or both? All I’m saying is that Rand Paul is not the solution to your problem.

  • http://forgottenlord.livejournal.com forgottenlord

    When Campaign Finance Reform finally passes, only then will I believe it even remotely plausible that term limits might, some day, be passed.

  • lcky9

    Go RAND you can do it..

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