Shockingly, Rand Paul Could be the GOP Nominee and Trouble for the Dems.

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http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/shockingly-rand-paul-could-be-gop-nominee-and-trouble-dems


U.S. Senator Rand Paul speaking at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock, Copyright (c) Christopher Halloran

In 2008, Barack Obama was the candidate of change, first for Democrats and then the nation. For 2016, those same political stars, to be the agent of change, appear to be lining up behind Rand Paul, Kentucky’s Republican U.S. senator.

Yes, that Rand Paul, who is more accurately labeled as a shrink-the-government Libertarian and has a long history of questionable statements on race. Just as there are signs that Americans are not enthralled by Hillary Clinton’s likely return to the presidential fold (In June, it was Monica Lewinsky; in July, it’s her book), there are signs that Paul is pulling ahead of better-known Republican rivals.

It’s not just that Paul is the clear frontrunner in a new and credible national poll. He has supporters across every key GOP demographic by age and faction, from Tea Partiers to corporate America to the religious right. Younger men, who aren’t likely to vote for Clinton, find his "maverick" personality new and appealing. Similarly, the millennial generation is superficially embracing the Libertarian idea that the government should leave them alone to do as they please. Marijuana laws are one example.

“This guy can win the nomination,” pollster John Zogby said Friday, adding he did not have that view until he took a deeper look at a June 27-29 nationwide survey he conducted. Paul was not only in first place with 20 percent in a crowded field of 10, he had deeper support than “establishment” Republicans. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and ex-Florida Jeb Bush each polled at 13 percent. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker had 8 percent, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio had 7 percent. Five others had even less support. Other national polls put Paul in the lead, but Zogby has him clearly out front.

[bklyncowgirl]

1. Paul is interesting but I believe that the GOP establishment will take him out.

What makes Rand Paul a threat is that even those on the left can agree with some of his positions especially on foreign policy. That is exactly why I think that the business wing of the GOP will take him out one way or the other--especially if they think he is serious about this.

[Aerows]

15. I have to agree

He scares the shit out of them on reducing the MIC, and neither side is going to agree with that. Not that I think he would do anything differently on the home front about income inequality or anything else, he'll just slash the military budget and obviously, that cannot be done.

[reddread]

2. I wish

Jeb will be there in the end.
anyone who thinks they can change that best walk everywhere with one eye on the sky.
one plane crash is all it takes.

[stevenleser]

3. Jeb would be a less popular nominee among the hard core teabag base than Romney was.

None of these folks are a concern. All of them are unelectable.

[reddread]

5. remains to be seen

None of them should be elected.
The last Bush wasnt, so Im not sure what your point is?

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Zogby? Seriously?

This outfit uses what Nate Silver calls 'push polling'.

[reddread]

6. there is another kind these days?

Who can profit from the truth?

[KamaAina]

7. Well, there is precedent for a rug-wearing President

[Bandit]

14. Except Washington Never wore a wig

Notice his receding hairline. He just powdered his own hair.

[Aerows]

16. Do you know

if what Rand Paul has on his head is alive or dead? Because I still can't figure that out.

[KamaAina]

17. Schrodinger's Rug?

[Aerows]

18. DUzy!

[geek tragedy]

8. If Democrats can't beat a loon like this, they deserve to lose nt

[JI7]

9. so Rand Paul is Pro Choice and supports gay rights including same sex marriage ?

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. I used to pray that he would be the GOP candidate. Now, he's looking scarier.

[TBF]

11. I wouldn't be surprised -

but he's beatable. He'd have to radically change his views on women and the economy to have a shot. The only thing he has going for him is legalization of marijuana.

[stevenleser]

12. Why would he be trouble? I would be surprised if 1 out of 100 progressives vote for him over

Hillary if that is to whom it comes down.

He is against any kind of protection for workers.

He is more supply side than 'W' or Reagan combined.

He would attempt to disable any anti-pollution laws.

He would attempt to hack at social security and medicare.

He would try to repeal Obamacare and replace it with nothing, zero, zilch.

He would appoint right wingnut justices like Scalia and Thomas.

He is not interested in women's equality at all.

If there are progressives dumb enough to vote for him we can't worry about those people.

Edited to add:
Those above items are the obvious things. Sure, he talks a good game about being pro drug legalization and anti involvement in Foreign wars. Who would he nominate to be Sec Def and the rest of his cabinet positions. Would he nominate Democrats or Progressives? No, he would nominate Republicans. And those folks are going to push neocon pro war and pro war on drugs agendas. Paul could certainly overrule them, but progressives would stand a good chance of getting absolutely zero from their votes.

[gratuitous]

13. Two words

Puh-leeze. Paul will get the GOP nomination about the same time as Dick Cheney admits to crimes against humanity and turns himself in.

Also, despite the repeat opinings of several blogosphere luminaries, I see no justification for thinking that Rand Paul will win the brogressive vote, or garner more than 12 votes total across the country if such a phenomenon in fact exists (which I highly doubt).* Paul has on one or two occasions made noises that sounded like the right things to say, but I have concluded that was mostly by accident. He certainly didn't approach the problem from a liberal worldview, and came to his pleasant-sounding talking point mostly as a way station on to his ultimate destination in crazy town.

The Republican base is now so demented that Reagan looks like a dope-smoking radical. Rand Paul will not be the GOP candidate for president in 2016 or ever.

*Diagram THAT sentence, ya grammar nazis!

[bluesbassman]

19. It's fairly well documented that he is a bigot, racist, liar, and a cheat...

And while that's nothing extraordinary for a repug, his stuff is especially egregious. If he does somehow manage to get the nomination, it should be pretty easy to rip his positions and history to shreds on the national stage if the Democrat nominee's campaign has even a bit on the ball. As the saying goes, he may "play well in Peoria", but the country is a whole different matter.