Posted on 03/10/2013 11:31:07 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
(CNN) -- A few weeks ago, Time Magazine ran its now-famous cover: "The Republican Savior: How Marco Rubio became the new voice of the GOP." Only time will tell if the junior senator from Florida lives up to that billing, and it's entirely possible that Time will be proven wrong in the coming months and years. But there's one cover that the magazine could run now and be entirely confident in: "The Republican Messenger: How Rand Paul became the real voice of the GOP."
That's right. At least for the time being, tea party darling Sen. Rand Paul is the effective leader of the Republican Party. And that's a pretty big deal. The GOP's shellacking in 2012 has thrust a new generation of Republicans -- including leaders like Rubio, Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Govs. Bobby Jindal and Chris Christie -- into the spotlight. But it's Paul who has become the clearest voice of the new guard in the Republican Party. And he is effectively driving the entire GOP message right now. Think about it. No one else in the GOP has been able to step into a real leadership position, no matter how hard they try. Paul Ryan? He's back in the halls of Congress trying to figure out how to repackage his failed fiscal approach. John Boehner and Eric Cantor? Congressional Republicans have an approval rating in the low teens.
John McCain and Lindsey Graham? Each day they seem less like elder statesmen and more like Statler and Waldorf from the "Muppet Show."
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Bump.
Adding Sarah Palin.
#1 Rand Paul - Heroic
#2 Ted Cruiz - Close second
What does he have against Statler and Waldorf?
Pray for America
“...including leaders like Rubio, Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Govs. Bobby Jindal and Chris Christie”
Let’s play a game. One of these things is not like the others.
Paul has a zilch chance to lead a GOP that is bent on one-world and intervention as our future.
Apparently those in “the smoke filled back room” have decided that Rubio should be the heir apparent to the mantle of Dole and McLame. As a Conservative I want someone who represents MY principles and is willing to fight back!
At least Statler and Waldorf are able to make some astute observations. All Graham and McLame do is kiss Hussein's butt!
The heir to GHWB is still Jebbie.
One big slobbie fat thing isn’t like the others.
Heh, heh, heh....
How about a candidate with an America-first voting record on manufacturing and a voting record in favor of Israel instead of Islamist foreign enemies?
No; Forget that he is a ‘Bush’; another ‘Rove boy’ cannot succeed.
And let us not forget; Chris’s Muslim support; where it should not be appreciated.
It really is unfair to compare McCain and Graham to muppets.
The muppet characters are lovable in their own way. There is nothing lovable about McCain or Graham. They are despicable jackasses. With his history of dumping his wife - who by all reports remained faithful during his years of captivity - for an heiress, his corruption evidenced by his Lincoln S&L escapades, and his utter disregard of the Constitution evidenced by his eponymous campaign finance reform act, McCain is particularly odious. He is kind of a Republican John F. Kerry. Of course no analogy is perfect: for example, there’s no evidence that Kerry ever sold his influence as openly and cheaply as McCain.
Occasionally they find themselves on the right side of an issue, but only by accident.
I’ll second that emotion.
“The heir to GHWB is still Jebbie”
I don’t think so. Did you see Jeb on Fox News Sunday today? He looked like he had a hemmoroid. There is a guy who has no desire to run for President but his mama is pushing, pushing, pushing him.
One of the new leaders.
As a Conservative I want someone who will deliver important speeches without the "Press 1 for English & Press 2 for Spanish" options!!!
Rand Paul is NOT the new leader of the House.
Don’t let the media take control of and manipulate the “optics” on Rand’s recent, gallant efforts.
As opposed to say Juan McLame? Mitt Rummey? and All the other posers?
At least Rand has a clue.
Yep, Christie is up obammy rear end
Give em a year. If they don’t cave to corruption or become another of the RINO class then we can talk.
VERIFY BEFORE TRUST
I’ve already seen this movie plenty of times.
****Rand Paul is NOT the new leader of the House.****
- because he’s SENATOR Rand Paul!!!!!
I don’t agree with Rand about everything but he is exactly what the GOP needs at this in history. A true leader for a lost and rudderless entiry that is in danger of becoming irrelevant and eventually extinct.
Protectionism and carrying water for Israel? That’s uppermost in your mind?
Yeah, Ted Cruz is the only one on that list who isn’t pro-amnesty.
We need a whole new GOP.
What’s really disappointing is Kelly Ayotte falling in with them the way she did.
Absolutely!
The MSM is led wildly back and forth by events, both meaningful (the filibuster) and meaningless (the water bottle), which ironically results in staying the same overall. The real story is, of course, neocons versus Tea Partiers. Plus all the old rivalries, region versus region, religious types versus the less religious, social versus fiscal, interventionist versus less interventionist, free markets versus protectionism, etc.
But they make it into a soap opera of clashing personalities. In the end it boils down to “aren’t they cute, with their little stories, oh well [squish].” No matter who’s on the upswing, we’re all stupid, racist, evil, and incompetent. Rand Paul moreso than McCain, for instance. If Rand ever ran for president it’d be worse than Goldwater in the press. John Q. Americanidol wouldn’t be able to think of him without the word “Hitler” popping into his head. Which isn’t to say McCain got a free ride. If anything, decades of butt kissing bought him attacks on his running mate and the crowds he spoke to being racist and potentially violent instead of him.
Better than protectionism for communist foreign nations and carrying water for Islamist enemies.
Genesis 12:2-3
New International Version (NIV)
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”[b]
Rubio is a leaf in the wind, one day he says one thing thing, the next day another.
You aren’t holding back now are you n00b!
....”Chris Christie....? I think The Gov of NJ is nothing more than a typical RINO and future in the CONSERVATIVE Republican Party is very doubtful.
There, fixed it for you.
Thanks for that visual...I had no idea to who/what he was referring. Pretty funny and accurate if I do say so.
Rand Paul is not a leader of the GOP. He is a leader of Conservatives. The GOP has already tossed him under the bus. John McCain the collaborator, and Lindey Graham have already demonstrated that they are willing to do Baraq Obama’s bidding, but not Rand Paul’s.
It is now Dr. Paul. I was lost on leadership. I sat there on cspan for 3 hours with tears rolling down my old cheeks thanking god for this great man. Can you believe the rinos ran out “Jeb” bush today on tv . McCain and Lindsy Graham are their whores and they are now in panic mode!!. For them to attack Dr. Paul for asking if obamma would kill Americans with drones without a trial??? This is beyond weak. It is complicit with the enemy— obamma but I assure you , McAmnesty is always quite a traitor when he is captured!!
He will never be a morally principled leader -only a selfish opportunist.
How conservative were his votes for Hagel and Kerry?
http://townhall.com/columnists/stevedeace/2013/02/16/title-n1511809
Now it appears Rand Paul is going to the left of Rubio on this issue if you read his column in The Washington Times.
Rand refers to illegal aliens as "undocumented citizens" in the first sentence of the fifth paragraph, which is overly gracious wording not even the liberal media uses. Rand says Rubio's plan for fines and penalties for those who came here illegally as a means of making restitution is too harsh because many of them "are poor and may not be able to ever pay ten years of back payroll taxes. I would be willing to forego the fines and back taxes in exchange for a longer and significant time period before these folks are eligible to enter into the green card line." Rand never says who's going to be paying for those people that wait even longer for amnesty.
Rand says he would "normalize" illegals (aka amnesty) at a rate of two million per year, beginning with what he refers to as "Dream Act kids." I remember hearing from many Ron Paul people who criticized Mike Huckabee during the 2008 Iowa Caucuses because he was too soft on the illegal immigration issue. I wonder what those same people think after reading this? At least Rand was smart enough to write it in a conservative newspaper, and not pose for a photo-op with two liberals and the ultimate RINO as Rubio did.
Chris Christie is an Obama loving RINO. Hopefully, he will leave the GOP when Rand Paul becomes its undisputed leader.
There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again. - GWB
I agree with your stance on illegals but we have a problem now and it's getting bigger by the day. The anchor babies back during the start of the Minuteman Project are starting to have their own children now.
The more time that passes, the more difficult it will be to do something.
We are moving too slow. Why? Because every election cycle we try to convince ourselves that a Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John McCain would be better than a democrat and the GOP knows this.
We need another Minuteman Project moment in this nation and FAST.
Exactly. Rubio = Bush. Mark Levin has been fooled again.
Rush has also been fooled. It really concerns me when both Mark and Rush are pushing Rubio as “the real deal.” HE IS NOT!
I don't trust Sen. Rubio as far as I can spit. He's been taught well by his mentor, Mitch McConnell. Rinos make me F-ing sick!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.