Posted on 04/07/2015 6:43:25 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Welcome to the big leagues. That’s the message several top GOP operatives say Rand Paul will get from the Republican establishment, and from the media, when he announces his candidacy for the presidency on Tuesday.
These onlookers believe that Paul, who has been a media darling and a ubiquitous presence on the airwaves since his election in 2010, has gotten a pass from the press. In their eyes, he’s been allowed to skate past one controversy after another in part because he’s been a vocal critic of the Republican party.
“The media treats him better than they treat other Republicans,” says a top Republican operative. “He gets a free ride, but that free ride is about to end, because now he’s going to be in the crossfire.” The media haven’t dwelled on Paul’s fringier views, particularly on foreign policy, the operative says, because Paul is an interesting and colorful politician who has been a vocal critic of the George W. Bush administration’s muscular foreign policy. “They felt the same way about Huntsman,” the operative says, referring to former Utah governor and China ambassador Jon Huntsman, whose middle-of-the-road views attracted some attention when he ran for president in 2012.
If the media haven’t obsessed over Paul’s more colorful statements or his more controversial positions, the gloves are bound to come off within the Republican party.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
“Media darling” — maybe. But he’s just too weird for me.
DO NOT TRUST RAND PAUL!
Freerepublic really needs a “Like” or “Agree” button. I’d push it in response to your post.
You mean the same Rand Paul who ran as a Tea Party conservative?
But now has nutty ideas like his nutty father. And supported Mitch McConnell’s re-election.
Think I will pass on Rand.
Will he and the old man be arriving at the venue in black helicopters and will Jesse Ventura be the emcee at the announcement event? Or maybe it will be Reverend Al.
When Rand Paul first came on the scene he was an interesting new voice. Then he decided his new best friend was Mitch McCaonnell and that illegal aliens should get special consideration despite the fact that they broke into the country and broke myriad laws to maintain their illegal presence.
No to Rand Paul.
CRUZ TO VICTORY OR GET BUSHED !
He was done for me when he was paling around with Adam Kokesh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9gVeykPAU
I do agree with him that we need to reach out to Minorities. Unfortunately he immediately panders to them and calls it reaching out.
I wouldn’t count him out, there is something that would cement and expand his base... all he would have to do is pick Justin Bieber as his running mate.
Flimsey Grahamesty is busy slamming Rand Paul as an “isolationist”.
Something’s afoot. Instead of `damning with faint praise’, Flimsey is `glorifying with feeble abuse’. I know he hates Ted Cruz so this is no doubt a Machiavellian trick.
No way we want Sen. Mayonnaise Hair as the nominee. He’s just a diluted form of his nutbag father.
Rand Paul is just acceptable to me. With Rand Paul in the race, this should give these Washington “PROGRESSIVES” shaking in their “IVORY TOWER”. Both Cruz and Paul are out to shake Washington to the point, that whoever wins the nomination, CRUZ or PAUL, will upset all the Washington crowd. Who has the most to lose in a CRUZ or PAUL administration? THE WASHINGTON BUREAUCRATS, that’s who.
Proving once again that politics at the national level is a closed circle. Only the favored (agenda 21’s) can apply.
Republican Establishment = The Bushies
“Rand Paul is just acceptable to me. With Rand Paul in the race, this should give these Washington “PROGRESSIVES” shaking in their “IVORY TOWER”. Both Cruz and Paul are out to shake Washington to the point, that whoever wins the nomination, CRUZ or PAUL, will upset all the Washington crowd. Who has the most to lose in a CRUZ or PAUL administration? THE WASHINGTON BUREAUCRATS, that’s who.”
I really don’t think the “establishment” is shaking that much about Paul being in the race. With Mitch McConnell supporting his candidacy, it’s more than clear that Paul is “playing ball” with the GOPe and if on the off chance he were ever elected, he would do very little to upset the applecart. Rubio is also playing ball to a certain degree, as was shown with his immigration reform fiasco.
There’s only one candidate in the race I fully trust — Ted Cruz. Just observe the vicious attacks he’s had so far from both sides verses the (mostly) kid glove treatment of Rand Paul and that’s all the evidence you need that there is little fear of Paul being the nominee.
RUaNd from Paul, Run from Rand Paul.
no thanks.
It’s Cruz or lose.
This morning on CNN they were so excited they couldn’t hide their glee for Rand Paul and made it a point he is a push back, adversary of Ted Cruz.
They made it a point that Ted Cruz excludes minorities, and Rand Paul is all inclusive.
They were not even hiding it that they were pimping Rand Paul, and we trying to sell him as our choice.
Hat tip to SunkenCiv for compiling this list.
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt’s Generals: ‘How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?’Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt’s military — even as Cairo’s security forces massacre anti-government activists. [by “anti-government activists” is meant church-burning Christian-murdering jihadists][Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat]
Rand Paul On Shutdown: “Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea”I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it’s a conundrum. Here’s the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can’t give the president a blank check. We just can’t keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can’t vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don’t we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]
Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly “eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don’t always all agree on every issue” ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... “We’re going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party,” Paul said.[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]
Rand Paul’s immigration speech...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration. Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution. Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation. Let’s start that conversation by acknowledging we aren’t going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants. If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you... This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society. Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reformLatinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but “Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration.” ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] “Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he’s not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
Don’t forget that Rand Paul has made multiple appearances on the Alex Jones show and is aligned with Code Pink activist Adam Kokesh http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/04/23/dear-sarah-palin-it’s-time-to-re-think-that-rand-paul-anti-israel-pro-kokesh-endorsement/ - as well as this scandal with Kentucky Right to Life : http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/04/24/rand-paul-caught-lying-about-pro-life-survey/ Pasted from
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