GOP - Rand Paul's Presidential Highlight Reel w/ his Libertarian Twist

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul tailors Iowa speech to liberty movement

"Anybody here want to audit the Fed?" likely presidential candidate Rand Paul yelled as he took the stage in Des Moines Friday night.

"Yeah!" answered the audience of libertarian-leaning activists at the $15-per-ticket event.

Paul, a U.S. senator from Kentucky, has already logged nine days in Iowa this election cycle as he ramps up for a 2016 White House bid.

But this was the first speech that Paul has tailored to Iowans whose core issues are non-interventionism, a constitutionally-limited government and more stringent oversight of the Fed, the bank of the U.S. government.

Those were some central themes pitched by his father, Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, who ran for president three times before he retired from Congress two years ago. The elder Paul developed a very loyal following in Iowa, placing third in the 2012 GOP presidential caucuses with 21.5 percent of the vote.

Polling shows Paul's strength is growing here. His favorability has risen 5 percentage points in the last three months as more GOP likely caucusgoers have begun to view him positively, Iowa Polls show. In the horse race for first choice for president, Paul is currently in second place behind Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. And among five anti-establishment contenders, likely Republican caucusgoers think Paul would be best to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, as well as to reduce government.

More...http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/02/06/rand-paul-des-moines/23013943/

[Chef Ramsay]

I'm pretty annoyed with Rand Paul right now. He's right that vaccinations should be a personal choice, but joining in with the anti-vaxxers claims that vaccines are unsafe?

He hasn't attached his wagon w/ the anti-vaccine folks, he merely posited what they speak is the gospel about vaccines. His main point was that parental choice should remain supreme and should you not want to have your kids vaccinated then you'll have to send them to a school that allows unvaccinated kids or home school them. He probably went a little too far but his point still stands and he mounted up credentials amongst social conservatives and those that roll with their faith over government controls. Plus, he single-handedly drove plenty of press his way. This will not be a make it or break it issue going into a primary or general election. As I've stated elsewhere, this is a sideshow issue muddying the waters of what the real problems are in this country. We wouldn't even be dealing with this if there wasn't a wave of kids from other countries being allowed in by design to make an issue out of nothing.

[Chef Ramsay]

WSJ: Rand facing balancing act in 2016 campaign

Sen. Rand Paul , a hero to libertarians, has spent months trying to broaden his political appeal ahead of a likely presidential campaign. He got a bracing lesson this week in how tricky the political balancing act may be.

Some libertarian conservatives were thrilled by his statement that most childhood vaccines should be voluntary. They included home-schoolers and other grassroots activists who could play an important role in the early voting state of Iowa, where Mr. Paul will be this weekend.

“Rand’s comments on vaccinations were a hit,” said Joel Kurtinitis, co-founder of Liberty Iowa, the group sponsoring a Des Moines rally to call for auditing the Federal Reserve, which Mr. Paul (R., Ky.) is headlining Friday. “The parental rights movement is built on the presupposition that parents know better than government.”

But other Republicans worried Mr. Paul’s message would undermine public-health protections. That could undercut the senator’s efforts to confront a more pressing political challenge: To convince a wider array in the party that he isn’t a fringe ideologue, and that he will have broader appeal than his father, former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who ran multiple long-shot campaigns for president on strict libertarian principles.

...

“The great challenge for the Paul campaign is for people to really get to know Rand Paul, so that you don’t have the assumption that he is just the mini-me of Ron Paul,” said Steve Munisteri, chairman of the Texas Republican Party, who will be stepping down to become a senior Paul adviser.

Mr. Paul wants to be judged on his own merits. “I think we’ve spent about four years really trying to create an agenda, a platform, putting it forward, so there is plenty for people to judge based on who I am,” Mr. Paul said in an interview.

The vaccine debate underscores the risk that, on occasion, Mr. Paul’s libertarian instincts will lead him into stands that could alienate other voters he has been courting.

...

Mr. Munisteri said he was unconcerned about political fallout about vaccines because he believed it didn’t register with the broader public or hurt him with activists in early voting states.

Mr. Paul’s trip to Iowa this weekend will give him a chance to work on both parts of his political strategy. He will continue efforts to expand the GOP appeal by meeting Saturday with college students at the Iowa State University in Ames. And at the “Audit the Fed” rally, he will be reconnecting with a marquee issue for libertarians and his father’s supporters.

His stance on vaccines has been “received well” among libertarians in Iowa, said Adil Kahn, executive director of Liberty Iowa, because many of them are home-schoolers who have been advocates for parents rights.

Mr. Munisteri said the Iowa trip gives Mr. Paul a good chance to make sure “his existing base is shored up and fired up.”

Pay wall but I grabbed the jist of it
http://www.wsj.com/articles/sen-rand-paul-faces-balancing-act-in-presidential-bid-1423182621?tesla=y

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul receives endorsement of Iowa agribusiness leader Steve Sukup

AMES, Ia. – Rand Paul looked reserved, if not slightly uncomfortable, throughout the boisterous Iowa State men's basketball game Saturday.

Paul, a likely candidate for president of the United States, had one of the best seats in the house — a midcourt floor seat secured by Republican agribusiness leader Steve Sukup, a big Iowa State booster and past candidate for Iowa governor.

Paul, a 52-year-old U.S. senator from Kentucky, gamely posed for photos with Iowans who kept running out of the stands during timeouts. He applauded the Cyclones at the appropriate moments, and at times leaned sideways in his chair to give the ebullient Sukup room to jump up and shout. When the cheerleaders did a routine almost directly in front of him, Paul didn't look their way, appearing deep in thought.
...
And Paul locked in at least one influential vote Saturday.

"I'm supporting Rand Paul," Sukup announced during a private fundraiser he organized for Paul at Hunziker House at Reiman Gardens. The Register was given exclusive access.

Sukup, who served in the Iowa House from 1994 to 2002, is the chief financial officer for the Sheffield-based Sukup Manufacturing, which sells its agribusiness products in all 50 states and 100 countries. He has credibility in Iowa agriculture, and Iowans can't drive far without seeing grain bins marked with the family's last name.
...
Asked why he's endorsing Paul, and so early, Sukup told the Register: "He has broad appeal. The last time around, they cornered us in with an 'us against them' type deal. Dr. Rand Paul is, 'Hey, I take care of everybody.' "

Sukup said he agrees with Paul's stances on limited government, individual responsibility and a fair tax system. "He's very principled, and that's what I think the country's looking for."

The fundraiser audience of 30 people was full of business leaders — the owner of a chain of McDonald's restaurants, a real estate company owner, the owner of multiple ethanol plants, an insurance company owner — who mentioned "electability" when asked what they're seeking in a candidate. None aside from Sukup seemed ready to commit to anyone — it's a year out from Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, and no one has even officially declared a candidacy yet.

More...http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2015/02/07/rand-paul-shoots-hilton-magic/23052721/

[iCEBREAKER]

I'm pretty annoyed with Rand Paul right now. He's right that vaccinations should be a personal choice, but joining in with the anti-vaxxers claims that vaccines are unsafe?

He hasn't attached his wagon w/ the anti-vaccine folks, he merely posited what they speak is the gospel about vaccines. His main point was that parental choice should remain supreme and should you not want to have your kids vaccinated then you'll have to send them to a school that allows unvaccinated kids or home school them. He probably went a little too far but his point still stands and he mounted up credentials amongst social conservatives and those that roll with their faith over government controls. Plus, he single-handedly drove plenty of press his way. This will not be a make it or break it issue going into a primary or general election. As I've stated elsewhere, this is a sideshow issue muddying the waters of what the real problems are in this country. We wouldn't even be dealing with this if there wasn't a wave of kids from other countries being allowed in by design to make an issue out of nothing.

Doctor Paul (MD Duke) chose to stagger his kids' shots, so they weren't getting injected with like 15 things at once, which for better or worse is now standard procedure.  

I support that choice and the right of parents to make it.  We shouldn't sacrifice liberty for (the illusion of) more security.

[tvbcof]

I'm pretty annoyed with Rand Paul right now. He's right that vaccinations should be a personal choice, but joining in with the anti-vaxxers claims that vaccines are unsafe?

I'd be much more inclined to vote for Paul if he came right out and called a spade a spade here.  Clearly the people-farmers running the show won't stop until every third kid has some expensive combination of autism, autoimmune disorders, and infertility, and a damaged mental maturation which makes them subservient and sheep-like to the existing power structures.

[iCEBREAKER]

Clearly the people-farmers running the show won't stop until every third kid has some expensive combination of autism, autoimmune disorders, and infertility, and a damaged mental maturation which makes them subservient and sheep-like to the existing power structures.

Over half the world votes for Democrats and other socialists, so I think the people-farmers can declare Mission Accomplished.  Now on to reap their reward...

[tvbcof]

Clearly the people-farmers running the show won't stop until every third kid has some expensive combination of autism, autoimmune disorders, and infertility, and a damaged mental maturation which makes them subservient and sheep-like to the existing power structures.

Over half the world votes for Democrats and other socialists, so I think the people-farmers can declare Mission Accomplished.  Now on to reap their reward...

As a former quasi-Socialist type who always found you in particular to be about the most obnoxious Libertarian type (which is no mean feat here on trolltalk), all I can say is...ya, you win this one.

I will say, however, that the right-wing Conservatives are just as much people-farmers who tend to hire more abusive ranch-hands.

And I'll say that Libertarians are more the hunter/gatherer types most of whom would hire on as ranch hands if the ranch owners gave them two dimes to rub together as reimbursement.

And Anarchists are hunter/gatherer types who are of the missing link variety and couldn't even be trained to be ranch hands.

[Chef Ramsay]

WaPo: Rand Paul looks for a 2016 opening in Iowa

AMES, Iowa — Sen. Rand Paul, nursing a cold, did not shake many hands on the first day of his swing through Iowa this weekend. Instead, he elbow-bumped activists as he made his way through crowds and hoarsely thanked them for their support.

The Republicans who showed up Friday at Paul’s rally did not mind. In a state where caucus-goers often demand warm interactions with presidential contenders, they were happy to hear Paul’s riffs on monetary policy and Montesquieu from a distance.

As Paul (Ky.) moves closer to a 2016 bid, he is betting that in a field of big personalities, his low-key style and atypical pitch — mixing snarky asides, dovish takes on foreign policy and a compassionate plea for criminal-justice reform — will set his candidacy apart.

“Just look at who’s here,” said David Fischer, a former Iowa GOP official, as he surveyed the crowd at Paul’s gathering Friday at a Des Moines winery. “He is actually bringing women, college students and people who are not white into the Republican Party.”

More...http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2015/02/07/d2dab55c-af14-11e4-9c91-e9d2f9fde644_story.html

[Chef Ramsay]

Audit The Pentagon Introduced To Congress by Rand Paul

S.300 - A bill to provide for auditable financial statements for the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.

https://www.opencongress.org/bill/s300-114/show

[Chef Ramsay]

Bloomberg New Hampshire Poll Rand 2nd 13%

Bush 16%
Paul 13%
Walker 12
Christie 10
Carson 6
Huck 6
Rubio 5
Cruz 3
Trump 3

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-02-08/bloomberg-politics-saint-anselm-new-hampshire-poll-jeb-bush-grabs-narrow-lead

[iCEBREAKER]

Clearly the people-farmers running the show won't stop until every third kid has some expensive combination of autism, autoimmune disorders, and infertility, and a damaged mental maturation which makes them subservient and sheep-like to the existing power structures.

Over half the world votes for Democrats and other socialists, so I think the people-farmers can declare Mission Accomplished.  Now on to reap their reward...

As a former quasi-Socialist type who always found you in particular to be about the most obnoxious Libertarian type (which is no mean feat here on trolltalk), all I can say is...ya, you win this one.

I will say, however, that the right-wing Conservatives are just as much people-farmers who tend to hire more abusive ranch-hands.

I said Democrats (not liberals) and you respond with a slur against Conservatives?

You've come a long way, but still have lots to learn.

Thanks for the compliment and making me look up this quote (I thought it was Rand or Solzhenitsyn); hope it helps:

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Money Bomb ends monday! on his RandPac

The Federal Reserve's cronies launched a nasty smear campaign against me because they're terrified of the momentum Audit the Fed is gaining in Congress.

The attacks are personal -- and they're only going to intensify.

That's why RANDPAC is holding a "Stand with Rand® Audit the Fed" Money Bomb to raise $150,000 starting tonight and ending on Monday.

http://www.randpac.us/2015-ATF-MB.aspx?pid=207t6

The total thus far is just over $51k. If you're a US citizen you can donate but unfortunately, not in bitcoin. However, I advise any interested donors or parties let RandPac know that bitcoin is a currency you use to fund things and people and ask that they accept it, like I have. If Rand doesn't accept bitcoin for his upcoming nomination election, as he should, then he'll be hurting w/o the bitcoiners at his side.

[tvbcof]

...
Thanks for the compliment and making me look up this quote (I thought it was Rand or Solzhenitsyn); hope it helps:

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis

It's a good one.  It rings true and is appreciated.

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul and Edward Snowden Will Speak at the Same Conference This Weekend

On Saturday night, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul will give a video address to the International Students For Liberty Conference in downtown Washington, D.C. One night earlier, self-exiled whistleblower Edward Snowden—who has a little less mobility inside the United States than Paul—will address ISFL "via videoconference," according to organizers. Paul has consistently spoken out on behalf of Snowden, calling his actions "civil disobedience," and saying that if Snowden faced justice he should "share a jail cell" with Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Not every potential 2016er could appear on the same virtual dais as Snowden. Paul will be right at home.

"There seems to be a generational divide in opinion on Snowden, with young people more broadly supportive of his conduct," says Alexander McCobin, the president of Students For Liberty. "I think it's largely a result of young people having a different worldview these days, one that emphasizes individual empowerment and skepticism of the efforts of long-established institutions reforming themselves." (Disclosure: McCobin interned at Reason magazine when I was a reporter there.)

Paul's appearance is as good a reason as any to explain the difference between the sort of libertarian youth groups that are giving him hope for a broader, larger GOP. Students for Liberty was founded in February 2008 by McCobin, from an idea germinated in the Charles-Koch funded Institute for Humane Studies summer program. Young Americans for Liberty was founded roughly six months later, when Texas Representative Ron Paul ended his campaign for president, and "Young Americans for Ron Paul" was re-branded. Both are 501(c)3 organizations; both are still run by the former students who founded them. (Jeff Frazee, a veteran of the 2008 and 2012 Ron Paul campaigns, is executive director of YAL.)

More...https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-02-09/rand-paul-and-edward-snowden-will-speak-at-the-same-conference-this-weekend

[Chef Ramsay]

Des Moines Register Op/Ed take on Rand's vaccine position, too much freedom
How Have Vaccines Become to Political?

Rand Paul said a curious thing when asked, in reference to the measles outbreak across 14 states, if government should require parents to vaccinate their children. The libertarian-oriented Republican senator from Kentucky could have been expected to say, as he did, that government should not. But his reasoning took the philosophy of less regulation and more personal freedom to a whole other level.

"States don't own the children," declared Paul, who is considering a run for president. "Parents own the children."

No, we don't own our children. From slavery to child sexual abuse, the notion of owning another human has led to nothing good. Legally, we're responsible for our kids and their care, feeding and safety until they're old enough to take care of themselves. But they are autonomous human beings, which is why, unlike property, there are laws and standards governing what we can and can't do to them culled not just from individual whims and wishes, but from knowledge of child development, mental and physical health and education.

More...http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/rekha-basu/2015/02/03/vaccines-become-political/22826561/

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Returns to His Roots

Nobody thought that former US Representative Ron Paul would show up in Iowa this week to stump with his son, Kentucky Senator and likely 2016 presidential candidate Rand Paul; but when Rand took the stage to deliver the keynote at an “Audit the Fed” rally hosted by Liberty Iowa, there was a whole lot of Ron in the room.

Ron Paul shirts, Ron Paul hats, and Ron Paul stickers adorned many of the roughly 120 people that gathered in Des Moines to hear the younger Paul speak. Even the speech itself sounded a lot more like the fiery Texas Congressman of yore than the polished, diplomatic tenor that Rand has worked to fine-tune over the course of his fairly recent emergence on the national stage.

While at times Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)93% has shied away from his libertarian heritage, he seemed to embrace it fully on Friday night – to the applause of an energetic crowd of Liberty activists from around Iowa. “Anybody here want to audit the fed?” Paul bellowed to the cheering audience as he took the stage. His opening line was a shot over the bow of the Federal Reserve, and an indicator that recent competition from the rest of the 2016 field may have pushed him back into consolidating the liberty vote, before expanding his appeal to other groups in the often-cliquish Iowa GOP.

Throughout his nearly 20-minute speech, he threw out plenty of libertarian red meat to his audience, hitting on executive overreach, prison sentencing reform, and foreign non-interventionism. After tearing into the lack of transparency and accountability demonstrated by the Federal Reserve, Paul discussed the more specific problem of backing currency with undisclosed federal “assets”, which according to him constitute taxpayer liabilities. “Once upon a time, your dollar was as good as gold. Then for many decades they said your dollar was backed by the full faith and credit of government. You know what it’s backed by now?” Paul quizzed. “Used car loans, bad home loans, distressed assets, and derivatives.”

More plus video of his Iowa speech to grassroots activists...http://www.redstate.com/diary/jkurtinitis/2015/02/09/rand-returns-roots/

[Chef Ramsay]

NY Times: Rand Paul Seeks Middle (Sorry, Dad)

...
Over the past few months, Mr. Paul has been seeking to convince mainstream Republicans that he is a team player. In states like Iowa that will hold the crucial early nominating contests, he has been bringing into the fold veteran party strategists who are laying new groundwork where his father’s operation wreaked havoc when they seized control of state parties and created a bitter rift.

Before the November elections, party leaders approached Mr. Paul to ask if he would help work against libertarian candidates who were drawing support away from Republicans in Senate races where a few thousand votes could make the difference.

Mr. Paul agreed without much reluctance, top Republicans said. He filmed several ads for the United States Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Republican candidates in Iowa, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Republicans ended up taking two of those three seats away from Democrats.

Mr. Paul’s political action committee also spent $100,000 to help save the distressed campaign of Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, a target of Tea Party activists.

Harnessing the intense grass-roots energy that Ron Paul followers bring is something the Rand Paul campaign acknowledges it has to manage delicately. Jesse Benton, an adviser who has worked for both Pauls, said the expectations of the base could always be better managed.

“Their energy is so crucial, and you legitimately love and respect them so much for their dedication,” he said. “But because they care so much and they’re so passionate, they require a lot of attention and a lot of tending that does suck up campaign energy that could be used for other purposes.” (Some strategists said they sometimes have to warn overeager volunteers not to do anything too aggressive, such as covering an entire neighborhood in campaign signs and leaflets.)
...

More...http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/09/us/politics/paul-seeks-middle-sorry-dad.html?_r=1

[jaysabi]

NY Times: Rand Paul Seeks Middle (Sorry, Dad)

...
Over the past few months, Mr. Paul has been seeking to convince mainstream Republicans that he is a team player. In states like Iowa that will hold the crucial early nominating contests, he has been bringing into the fold veteran party strategists who are laying new groundwork where his father’s operation wreaked havoc when they seized control of state parties and created a bitter rift.

Before the November elections, party leaders approached Mr. Paul to ask if he would help work against libertarian candidates who were drawing support away from Republicans in Senate races where a few thousand votes could make the difference.

Mr. Paul agreed without much reluctance, top Republicans said. He filmed several ads for the United States Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Republican candidates in Iowa, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Republicans ended up taking two of those three seats away from Democrats.

Mr. Paul’s political action committee also spent $100,000 to help save the distressed campaign of Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, a target of Tea Party activists.

Harnessing the intense grass-roots energy that Ron Paul followers bring is something the Rand Paul campaign acknowledges it has to manage delicately. Jesse Benton, an adviser who has worked for both Pauls, said the expectations of the base could always be better managed.

“Their energy is so crucial, and you legitimately love and respect them so much for their dedication,” he said. “But because they care so much and they’re so passionate, they require a lot of attention and a lot of tending that does suck up campaign energy that could be used for other purposes.” (Some strategists said they sometimes have to warn overeager volunteers not to do anything too aggressive, such as covering an entire neighborhood in campaign signs and leaflets.)
...

More...http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/09/us/politics/paul-seeks-middle-sorry-dad.html?_r=1

The beginnings of what I was afraid of. Party politics before principles.

[Chef Ramsay]

The beginnings of what I was afraid of. Party politics before principles.

I'm not in the habit of posting smears against Rand that give them impression of what you got from this. However, I was hoping to warm this place up to the eventual hitpieces that'll come out about him and this one is kind of a subtle attempt at that. Rand is merely trying to hustle libertarianism in a reformatted way to make it bullet proof from media demagoguery that was done so severely to Ron.  He's clearly trying to thread the needle in front of the media to show he's more 'reasonable' than his old man while hoping his dad's more ardent supporters can view his voting record and know what he's really up to. More on that later.