Mission accomplished: Rand Paul draws raves during tour of deep-blue California

washingtontimes.com ^ | June 3, 2013 | By Ralph Z. Hallow

[BarnacleCenturion]

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Sen. Rand Paul introduced himself to Silicon Valley’s richest technology giants, met with top-tier members of the Republican intellectual establishment, addressed 1,000 invited guests at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Sunday wound up a seven-day trip to California by winning warm reviews for his sermons at three evangelical church services.

Judging by comments from the people he met here, the freshman senator from Kentucky accomplished his goals of reassuring the skeptical and the curious but uncommitted that he would make an acceptable — some said “ideal” — presidential standard-bearer for the GOP in 2016.

Many had known Mr. Paul only as what the press called a “darling of the tea party” and a rigid libertarian like his father, former Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican.

After meeting the senator, however, they generally pronounced him to be a man of religious faith, constitutional commitment, traditional social views and practical foreign policy prescriptions — in effect, their kind of guy, many said afterward.

[txnativegop]

I’m still skeptical about Mr. Paul and so I will reserve judgment until a later date.

[parksstp]

same here. At some point he’s going to have to clarify his foreign policy stances and prove they are not as whacko as his father. Hard to do when you support your old man for President, and the elder Paul routinely makes statements that our Seals deserved to die or that 9/11 was our fault.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Agreed.

[Resolute Conservative]

I would venture to say he had a like-minded audience and bet there were no lefties in attendance that he swayed to his side. Was not a true hostile environment when like Reagan used to go to the belly of the beast to pitch his ideas.

[wolfman23601]

Well there is no question on his eligibility so that is one feather in the cap.

[txrangerette]

Wrong position on illegal immigration.

[SoConPubbie]

Until Rand Paul completely drops his Amnesty Policy Plan and position, he’s DOA where winning the GOP Nomination is concerned.

[Zathras]

Last time I checked, Simi Valley is NOT in Silicon Valley.

[randomhero97]

Yep. Same thing happened to McCain and then Romney. Wait a minute, they won the GOP nomination.

It doesn't really matter. Your GOP will choose the candidate for you.

[Tanniker Smith]

He can be the arrow catcher who delivers the message. Let him open the door, and others will walk through as well.

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[BigEdLB]

Rand Paul... Domestic policy. Great. Foreign policy... Too isolationist... But let’s see what happens over the next couple of years....

[1010RD]

So far that amnesty has gone nowhere. As POTUS he’d have to get enough legislators to pass what he wants. As an executive he’d clean house. I’d like to see a libertarian in the WH and a GOP House and Senate.

[SoConPubbie]

So far that amnesty has gone nowhere. As POTUS he’d have to get enough legislators to pass what he wants. As an executive he’d clean house. I’d like to see a libertarian in the WH and a GOP House and Senate.

If he is going to lie about his Amnesty position, which he has continuously since he proposed it, much more if he even proposes it, which he has, why would I trust him to do anything else from a matter of principle and honor?

To put it more succinctly, if he is willing to screw the country over Amnesty and give 30 million+ Undocumented Democrats the vote, why would I trust him on anything else?

[GeronL]

bump

amnesty is one of those issues that is a deal killer

[1010RD]

So far with a hard left POTUS and the treacherous, McCain-lead Gang of 8 amnesty is going nowhere. It’s a political loser. His position on that isn’t relevant as long as POTUS isn’t a dictator.

The GOPs future is small government and black voters. Rand Paul can garner us both. Can you imagine having a President that wants to really shrink the Executive Branch? How about a President that is really serious about following the Constitution?

I don’t think Rand will make it as the GOPe prefers a ‘gender neutral’ candidate like the Bush family or Romney, but I think, given how politics really works, that a mildly isolationist, pro-Constitution, small government POTUS trumps a lot of your concerns.

[SoConPubbie]

I don’t think Rand will make it as the GOPe prefers a ‘gender neutral’ candidate like the Bush family or Romney, but I think, given how politics really works, that a mildly isolationist, pro-Constitution, small government POTUS trumps a lot of your concerns.

It trumps none of my concerns.

No thinking, principled conservative should give a second thought to a potential candidate who proposes an Amnesty plan that will give 30 million+ Undocumented Democrats thereby destroying his own party, much less, my Country and then lies about it.

That man, Rand Paul, is an unprincipled, finger-in-the-wind, politician who takes up policy positions based on the number of votes he can get. That's how Rand is acting right now.

You couple this with his earlier comments on softening the message on Moral Issues, and Red Flags are popping up everywhere with Rand Paul.

I'm afraid he is just his Looney Father with better PR packaging.