Is any of that really true? I see people who aren’t crazy for Cruz and build up Paul as an alternative, but haven’t heard from people who are as solid for Rand Paul up and down the line as you say.
Personally, I think Paul's greatest weakness is foreign policy and his lack of personal charisma/communication skills. Also, from what I've seen, I think he is personally a good moral Christian who holds traditional American values. If anyone including Palin comes along with the same unequivocal government/tax-cutting message, and the Right doesn't savage him/her, the Left will be glad to prior to the GOP nomination becasue the GOP nomination is the key to 2106.
Watch how the MSM will do everything to keep the subject off the perverse, economy-killing, immorality-promoting, unconstitutional, increasingly authoritarian federal government. Whatever else happens, the Right needs to educate itself on how to best present and promote the free market economy as our best and IMO, only, way out of this mess.