Why is Rand Paul polling so low among the R's?

[jberryhill]

Given the heretofore indefatigable enthusiasm of the Paulbots, I find it hard to believe that they have simply gone with Trump or Carson.

What happened to the army of dedicated Randroids?

Have they gone the way of the buffalo?

Did they all succumb to some illness that is preventable by a vaccine that most normal people get?

[Gothmog]

1. Because rand Paul is an idiot

Rand and his daddy are not popular with mainstream republicans. Ron Paul ran an aggressive campaign and out caucused the Santorum and Romney people in Iowa. The Pauls are not liked by the GOP donor class and Rand has not been able to maintain the base that his daddy developed

[jberryhill]

2. I get that

But we used to be plagued with the Paul zombie corps during elections, and there hasn't been a one in sight.

It's like spring without robins.

[Javaman]

17. because the tRump has sucked all the crazy out of the room and kept it for himself.

there's a new brand of right wing nuttery in town and rand paul just can't step up to the rubber room.

[LiberalElite]

3. Against all odds he's still running - see:

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/rand-paul-yes-im-still-running-so-get-over-it-n444426

-snip-
Travel delays, single-digit polling and repetitive, annoying questions add up.

So it's no wonder Sen. Rand Paul was a little impatient on Tuesday when answering the third most-asked question about him on Google: "Is Rand Paul still running for president?"

"I wouldn't be doing this dumb ass live-stream if I wasn't, so get over it," an annoyed Paul deadpanned in response.

What was unusual about the moment is that it was streaming live to anyone watching Paul's three-day swing through Iowa on Periscope, the app that allows anybody, anywhere to broadcast their activities live. Paul's campaign trumpeted their plans to stream his campaign stop on Periscope as historic; he's the first presidential candidate to do so. But his somewhat prickly response to a mundane, if grating, question has now gone viral.
-snip-

[jberryhill]

15. That was the first funny thing I've ever heard him say

"Looking at cornfields..."

[Reter]

4. Some might not like my answer, but Ron Paul's supporters went to Bernie and not Rand

You can even tell by the online polls. I for one welcome them, we need as much help as we can get.

[stevenleser]

7. Folks who want zero government went to a Democratic Socialist? I'd like to hear that explanation.

The only folks who might have gone to Bernie from Rand are the Code Pink crowd. i.e., single issue voters whose only issue is no wars.

[Recursion]

9. Auditing the Federal Reserve makes goldbugs all swoon-y (nt)

[Reter]

22. They have more in common than you think

Both are against the NSA and Patriot Act, both are anti-war, both say Iraq was a disaster, both attacked the bailouts, and most of all, both are fiercely anti-establishment. Many of their younger supporters even have a similar look too. Young white kids who like facial hair and have messy haircuts. And they LOVE the internet.

I myself am an older Bernie supporter, but in my 40's. I would abolish the Federal Reserve. I think it's in cahoots with Wall Street. Bernie against Ron Paul would have been interesting in the debates.

[stevenleser]

23. And all of that is about 10-15% of what being a President is about.

When Paulites see the other 85-90% they won't support Bernie.

[Reter]

30. Bernie gets support from quite a few of the hard-liners

Those issues that I've stated matter quite a bit to some Paul supporters. Ron Paul also had supporters in 2008 and 2012 who disagreed with him on the minimum wage, abortion, and gay issues. So these people are even more supportive of Bernie.

[jberryhill]

16. There's help, and there's "help"

I get what you are saying, but it has a downside.

[jaysunb]

5. Because, they know he's not a Republican. At least by

todays standards.

[tularetom]

6. Because the small timid woodland creature that reposes on his scalp pales by comparison

To the magnificent beast on Trumps noble gourd.

[jberryhill]

21. Not quite the "hair shirt"

[stevenleser]

8. I believe there are two answers but the biggest reason, in one word, is ISIS.

Last edited Fri Oct 16, 2015, 01:29 AM - Edit history (1)

You can't ignore ISIS and say we shouldn't do anything about them and contend for the Republican nomination.

So Rand went with that and I think it sucked the enthusiasm out of the crowd he inherited from his father that was for no wars without a congressional declaration. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/09/16/ron-paul-says-son-rand-speaks-for-himself-on-attacking-isis

That and Rand just isn't the compelling speaker his father is. Even though Ron Paul's schtick doesnt win me over, I can see how he talks a good game and folks amenable to that philosophy would really like him. Rand is just a poor approximation.

[former9thward]

10. Most Republians are not libertainians.

Rand Paul is getting about the same people as his father did in the primaries in 2008.

[WillowTree]

11. He might be doing better if only he had a personality.

[Warpy]

12. He's also not a Shiny New Thing this year. He's so 4 years ago

and Republicans are nothing if not fickle.

[silvershadow]

13. Don't know. Don't really care. nt

[tblue37]

14. He abandoned those who are aggainst imperialustic wars and the military industrial complex.

He rightly figured that no real Republican base voter would even consider him if he didn't advocate pumping up the Defense budget and getting involved in more wars of choice. But the Paulbots are mostly against those things.

[n2doc]

18. He has even fewer principles than his dad

He basically has sold out on every major position that is contrary to GOP orthodoxy. He talks a lot but his votes say otherwise. And people noticed.

[hatrack]

19. Upon entering the Senate, he stepped into the Mutato-Booth . . . .

. . . . and emerged as Lamar Alexander. Just another boring, bland, country-club GOP candidate.

[jberryhill]

20. Lol

[FSogol]

24. Maybe they got laid and are no longer libertarians?

[dawg]

25. Because he's crazy ...

but not quite crazy enough.

[Renew Deal]

26. Because ultimately no one buys the libertarian nonsense

[jberryhill]

28. Where did they all go?

You can say that, but during the last several cycles the troops were always so energetic.

My "Fuck Rand Paul" button hasn't been touched!

[KamaAina]

27. Ha! "Randroids" is what we used to call Rand followers back in college.

There were far too many of them (mid-'80s).

[Johonny]

29. When has him or his father ever brought significant voting numbers to the national stage?

They've never represented more than 10% of Republican voters and this time around even a majority of those people are flocking to friendlier TV ready libertarian-lite candidates like Trump and Carson.

[Blue_Tires]

31. For starters, Paul is a nutbar

Secondly, his campaign has been horribly managed, and his media presence, messaging, platform, everything has been shit

Third, Donald Trump happened which stole 100% of the early media spotlight Paul was counting on, and Paul had no strategy to take back at least a piece of the media attention (although to be fair, none of the GOP candidates have, aside from maybe Carson)

Fourth, Paul GROSSLY overestimated how important the NSA would be as a campaign issue, after laying down a lot of groundwork in 2014 to be the "anti-NSA candidate"

Fifth, he pissed off Glenn Greenwald on his pro-Israel stance, so Glenn gave him the kiss of death on Twitter which really killed at lot of his dudebro support since Greenwald is a god to them...

Sixth, Paul's most fervent supporters tend to put niche political issues at the forefront, i.e., gold standard, audit the fed, etc. You aren't going to craft a good national campaign platform behind those issues...

[libodem]

32. They feel the Bern

And turned from Libertarian to Independents.

Yep. I'm pretty sure.

[bullwinkle428]

33. Don't forget that several months ago (in the pre-Trump era), Tweety Matthews

was TOTALLY pumped up about Rand Paul being the eventual nominee. He shouted it from the rooftops on multiple occasions!

It would be all too easy to say "Yeah, but then Trump came along", but take a harder look. Even amongst the sub-category "professional politician division", he's never been close to being in the lead there as well. Once again, Tweety's prognostication skills prove to be as spot on as his declarations of "We're all Neo-Cons now!!1!"