If you dig really, really deep, you may prove able to unearth some rationale or other for Sen. Rand Paul continuing his campaign for president. Of course your shoveling is more likely to exhume Judge Crater, Jimmy Hoffa and the Lost Continent of Atlantis before uncovering any sort of justification for this increasingly foolhardy venture.
The ersatz libertarian/Republican from Bowling Green is quickly becoming a national punch line, joining the Rick Santorums and Bobby Jindals of the world in pursuit of an unreachable prize. Once considered a legitimate GOP contender, number one with a bullet, as they used to say, Paul barely qualified for the last of 10 slots in the Republican presidential candidates’ debate in Boulder, CO, Wednesday night, holding up such luminaries as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — and holding up Christie is certainly a herculean effort.
Rand Paul
The money isn’t exactly pouring in either. During the most recently reported fundraising quarter Paul hauled in the princely sum of $2.5 million, placing him a dismal ninth in the field with no reason to conclude the coffers will overflow any time soon.
Things have gotten so bad in Rand World that his fellow Kentuckian and supporter, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Louisville, is beginning to lay hints in his inimitable manner that Paul may want to start thinking about paying less attention to the White House and concentrate a bit more on his Senate re-election campaign, since one is doable and the other is, well, not.
McConnell’s advice is, as ever, self-serving – he wants to retain the GOP Senate majority after the November 2016 elections. The potential of losing Paul’s seat – or having to spend money in defense of that seat rather than on other more critical races – could render it difficult for him to retain the vaunted position to which he has become accustomed. But it’s also true that Paul can save a lot of time, money and sweat himself by dropping out of a race that no one at this point believes he can win. He instead can dedicate himself to representing the commonwealth – something he’s done only sporadically during his five years in office, but it always provides for a good exit line.
Paul is having none of it, of course, convinced that his message and sterling personality (cough, clear throat, cough) will eventually shine through and convince the voting public that he is, indeed, the man for the job.
Thus far, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted Oct. 15-18, Paul has managed to convince 2 percent of Republican voters and voters who lean Republican that he is worthy of the position. Given that the survey’s margin of error is plus-or-minus 6 points, our boy Rand might actually be in the minus-four percent category (an old joke stolen from former Gov. Wallace Wilkinson).
Instead of abandoning the White House campaign, telling one and all that he and his staff had fought the good fight, yada yada yada, Paul is doubling down on the crazy. His most recent gambit to draw attention to himself is a vow to filibuster a deal reached to raise the nation’s debt limit, a move necessary to pay America’s already incurred bills and avert default, which could lead to all sorts of unsavory developments.
Paul characterized the bill as “horrible,’’ declaring further, “it’s hard for me not to use profanity describing it.” The candidate hasn’t indicated why actuating the federal government’s ability to pay its bills on time is something horrific. Remember, the measure doesn’t increase spending or add new programs. All it does is permit the government to borrow the money necessary to keep the doors open. Perhaps the bank holding Paul’s mortgage should start exhibiting interest in the apparent disregard the senator has for paying his bills on time.
On Oct. 13, Paul sought to transform himself into a television star and attract interest by live-streaming an entire day of campaigning in Iowa, home of the first in the nation caucuses. The glittering event demonstrated more than anything else that our boy isn’t exactly having the time of his life circulating with the great unwashed. At one point a bystander remarked, “Are you still running for president?” To which Paul responded, “I wouldn’t be doing this dumbass livestream if I wasn’t.”
And then there was his declaration that employers should feel free to fire a worker based solely on his or her sexual orientation, expressing a fear that any protections instituted for gay individuals who face workplace discrimination might lead to a lawsuit.
“If you happen to be gay, there are plenty of places that will hire you,’’ Paul asserted, repeating a phrase heard frequently for most of America’s history if you substitute gay for black – or a more offensive term.
Watching the Paul presidential campaign at this point is like viewing a car chase scene in a Lethal Weapon movie. The road comes to an end because of construction or some odd thing but the car just keeps roaring ahead – soaring off the end of a bridge still under construction, destined for no-man’s land.
The negatives for Paul outstrip the positives during his time in office, although, in fairness, he actually has taken encouraging steps in the areas of criminal justice reform and personal privacy. He is certainly preferable to several of those in the massive field of Republican presidential candidates – Donald Trump, really? – but Republican voters, who apparently track even more conservative than the White House contenders seeking their support, are looking elsewhere. He isn’t mean enough to Mexicans and his reluctance to attack Islam is certainly a cause for concern.
But in many ways this disastrous campaign has showed that Sen. Rand Paul is the political equivalent of a rodeo clown, dancing about and pulling off silly stunts to attract attention. A rodeo clown usually does it to gain the notice of a snorting and raging brahma bull. Paul acts that way to get a reaction from the Republican electorate. After a while the bull usually decides the clown really isn’t worth bothering with, that he offers nothing of interest, and trots off on its merry way – just like voter reaction to Rand Paul. Sometimes the clown gets gored. Rand Paul is now realizing what that feels like.
It’s past time to get out. Everyone seems to realize that. Everyone, that is, except the candidate.
Washington correspondent Bill Straub served 11 years as the Frankfort Bureau chief for The Kentucky Post. He also is the former White House/political correspondent for Scripps Howard News Service. He currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, and writes frequently about the federal government and politics. Email him at williamgstraub@gmail.com.
