Ramesh Ponnuru is correct that Rand Paul would be an attractive running mate in the sense that his constituency might otherwise bolt for the Libertarian candidate or just stay home, while other running mates would have only marginal impacts on turnout.
There are downsides to consider beyond Paul’s reputation with supporters of Israel, however. Running mates are expected to put away whatever differences they may have with the presidential candidate. Remember what happened to Joe Lieberman’s support for school vouchers the moment he joined Al Gore’s ticket?
It’s a lot easier to flip-flop on school vouchers than on what to do about Iran’s nuclear program or whether to intervene in Syria or what we should do with our drone program. Rand Paul is simply at odds with the majority of the Republican Party on issues of foreign policy, national defense, and the intelligence community.
He also brings unique vulnerabilities. He’s a serial plagiarist, for example, which you probably can’t say about Sen. John Thune or Gov. Mike Pence. He’s the only senator I know of who hired an openly pro-confederacy “Southern Avenger” to work on his staff. He’s openly doubted the legality of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. So, it’s true that he would be able to bring a lot of voters into the GOP tent, but he’d also push a lot of people out of the tent.
I don’t know exactly how widespread it would be, but there are probably some hawkish Republicans who would consider it so irresponsible to put Paul on the ticket that they would flip over to the Democrats. This happened to a certain degree with Sarah Palin, and it also happened in 1972 when “strong” defense-minded Democrats bolted to the GOP and took on the moniker “neo-conservatives.” I think Bill Kristol would feel more at home in Hillary Clinton’s party than Rand Paul’s. Would he stay put if Paul was merely the running mate? Considering how his bread is buttered, he probably would, but others might not be so forgiving about putting a dove a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
Picking Paul as a running mate would definitely highlight a split within the GOP that they will probably be seeking to paper over after a bruising primary season. It’s also unclear to me if his constituency is strong enough to flip any states from blue to red. He’d probably be more effective at keeping some states (I’m thinking of Montana) that Clinton won at least once from returning to the Democratic fold. But that really does the GOP no good. Unless Paulites can help the Republican nominee carry Pennsylvania or Michigan or Iowa or Ohio, they aren’t of any use.
So, I think Ponnuru has a kernel of an idea, but I don’t think he’s really thought it through. What he ought to be thinking about is how to hold down Hillary Clinton’s numbers in suburban Philadelphia, and Rand Paul won’t be part of the answer to that.
Rand Paul is an idiot.
Yes, put him on the ticket.
Yes, and now that he’s backed off his support of Cliven Bundy he’s underscored his first reaction lack of judgment once again.
Who would he run with? Santorum?
Clive Bundy.
Here’s the odd feeling I’m having about 2016 matchups.
Jeb Bush and Ron Paul
vs.
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders (with Obama’s campaign team and Clinton backing)
and a full-court press on House and Senate to finally break the 30 year gridlock.
Wouldn’t that be a wild ride?
Will enough young progressive Dems from the Bush Wars be seasoned enough to make that fight?
Missing piece: Where does the foreign policy savvy come from? Would have to have one prudent kick-ass Secretary of State. The current crop of up-and-comers are not impressive–too unable to operate outside the imperial consensus policy. Education, energy, environment will be the key posts. Rolling back the GWOT and national security deep state institutions are the big fight in the midst of the consequences of the thirty-year failure to deal with global climate change.
Rolling back the GWOT and national security deep state institutions are the big fight in the midst of the consequences of the thirty-year failure to deal with global climate change.
There is only one way to do that.
AG would say “elect Rand Paul”
That wouldn’t do it. It would take more drastic measures.
Start by electing a House and Senate that aren’t in the pockets of the companies that provide the apparatus for the security state. And for the next trick, find a free cure for cancer!
But would he really? I’m not sure if I see that kind of thing happening in the current iteration of the GOP. So the guy hires a known supporter of the Confederate side of the Civil War. And he really doesn’t think that keeping blacks at the back of the bus and away from lunch counters is really such a bad thing after all because of, ya’ know, FREEDOM!!. It would seem you could probably count on one hand the number of people those views might alienate within the GOP. And would that even be enough to cause them to publicly desert the reservation and pull the lever for a Democrat? I still don’t think we’ve seen anything which seems to be so beyond the pale within the Republican Party that they have recoiled in horror, or even publicly cringed. They really have no shame at all. No one in there does. If it really does bother them, all they do is just go right ahead and shit their own pants in silence and then keep their mouths shut while the smell wafts all around their head.
How to hold down Hillary Clinton’s numbers in suburban Philadelphia:
Let’s see . . . uhm,
You do realize Snarlin’ Arlen kicked the bucket, right?
he might be willing to come back for this though
There are 43 of them. I counted.
you’re on a roll, Davis
Well, it would get AG’s vote!
A huge broken promise from Obama
The relentless stupidity, ignorance, and bigotry of the conservative Republican Teabaggers would be a whole lot more entertaining if they weren’t in charge of the House for 16 of the last 20 years, about to take back the Senate and the floor for their support is north of 45%.
When thinking of the Democrats and their inability to put the Republicans down I’m reminded of my (infrequent) reaction to visiting a Walmart – “K-Mart lost to THESE guys?” They hate their suppliers, their staff, and their customers. Their parking lots are always trashed, I’ve never encountered a cart that was not broken, and their stores are depressing, unorganized messes. And they are one of the largest companies in the world.
Reagan was an extreme lightweight, Bush II was a super-lightweight. But they served 4 terms. That says a lot about the Democrats as well as the Republicans, in fact it’s the greatest argument against American Exceptionalism that can possibly be made.
Rand Paul could be your next president no matter how big a dunce he is. Your fellow citizens can make it so.
Bill Kristol would feel more at home in Hillary Clinton’s party… and that’s pretty depressing. No wonder some of us are cynical and detached… The Clinton underlings are war mongers just like Kristol.
“The solution to the crisis in Ukraine lies in part in Syria. It is time for US President Barack Obama to demonstrate that he can order the offensive use of force in circumstances other than secret drone attacks or covert operations. The result will change the strategic calculus not only in Damascus, but also in Moscow, not to mention Beijing and Tokyo.”
Read more at http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/anne-marie-slaughter-on-how-us-intervention-in-the-syria
n-civil-war-would-alter-vladimir-putin-s-calculus-in-ukraine#E7CTsYfStAMl3HjV.99
It does seem remarkable how much notoriety (if not success) this clown has managed in such a sort time. He is a first term back-benching junior senator, never having held any elective office before, who obviously has not the slightest interest in his day job and has certainly accomplished absolutely nothing for the moron Kentuckians who elected him. He is the white male version of Pinhead Palin, and even she had more gravitas and experience, if such a thing is possible. At best, he’s another new Rightwing celebrity, in the Michele Bachmann mold, but without the glowing eyes of outright insanity.
He seems one step away from a fool to me, an ignorant windbag, amoral, ethically hollow, egomaniacal, clueless, and puffed up with his Daddy’s gaseous all-purpose conserva-tarianism that is nothing but a thin veneer for reactionary extremism, if not outright racism. But clearly I don’t have a clue about how today’s politicians are perceived, since he’s a Rising Star, and obviously able to seduce quite a few usually judicious intellects, agog over the perceived idea that Rand doesn’t seem to espouse the full Rightwing militarist agenda.
So run Rand Paul as Prez or VP, why the hell not? As MikeinOH notes, it not like anyone in the Repub party (or corporate media) gives a shit about proper qualifications for the “job”, or has the slightest concern that the candidate spews (what used to be) offensive nonsense almost every time he opens his mouth. Indeed, the crazier the better. And the uninformed “independents” will think (if they already don’t) that he’s some exciting fresh new face, taken very seriously and respectfully by the teevee and pundit powers that be, so Let FREEDUM Ring! And God Bless America!!
Yet, another reason why I’m not down for Hillary.
Rand Paul.
Ah yes, the Junior 3rd Senator from New Hampshire.
And that’s the only place he’d have any effect at all.
Well when you put it that way…
If/when she’s not the nominee then they would have wasted a lot of time worrying about something that never materialized…
Yeah, that’s sorta true and sorta not true.
If the Republicans are going to win, they’re probably going to have to figure out how to win Pennsylvania. If not here, then maybe Michigan or Wisconsin. Any way you slice it, they need to do better in the suburbs to pull that off. So, whether Hillary is the nominee or not, they’ll still need a nominee who plays better in the Philly burbs than Romney or McCain.